Lets face it, it’s happened to all of us. You’re in the shop, working on a project that requires a 3/4-in. dado and the biggest router bit you have only measures in at a 1/2-in. You could stop your work, head out the door and hit the hardware store for a bigger bit, but that’s going to cost you time and money.

When Fine Woodworking reader Roger Deatherage, of Houston, TX, encounters a problem like this, he turns to his scrap pile and assembles a double sided router fence system that allows him to make one wide cut in two passes. The jig is comprised of two L-shaped fences which, when clamped together at either end of the workpiece, allow the user to make the first cut using one side of the fence, and then reverse course using the opposite side. The jig is built from nothing more than four pieces of 3/4-in. plywood and a few screws, and can be built in less than a half-hour.

And remember, Fine Woodworking offers a whole host of router tips and tricks, so be sure to see our complete list of resources on this subject. Plus, browse through past episodes of Fast Fix.