Staircase jig

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This jig uses a zero reference line where both the rise and tread are measured from. The upper part of the jig is a right triangle with a roundover overhang. The template allows for a tight fit of the tread into the stringer in the overhang section. The bottom of the jig incorporates an acute angle. This tapered angle allows a space for Wedge (mechanical device) to fit against the back side of the vertical and the horizontal parts of the stringer. This jig can be used to layout different rise (vertical) and tread (horizontal) widths. The jig is used with a plunge router and a bushing guide. The router plows out a precise groove into the finished product that allows all the parts to fit together.

The Stairase jig incorporates both a right angle and an acute angle in its design. The jig is easily transported due to its small size and light weight. Precise measurements are required to layout the diagonal locations.

1 Uses of jig
2 Design of jigs
3 About jigs
4 Bibliography

[edit] Uses of jig

The jig is used to make finish stringers in interior staircase fabrication. The stringer is also referred to as a skirtboard. It can be used in a closed staircase or an open staircase where one side of the staircase is exposed and the other is housed into the skirtboard.

[edit] Design of jigs

This jig is designed to cut only one segment of the stringer at a time. Some industrial staircase jigs are designed to cut out an entire stringer in one setup. There are jigs to cut dovetails, mortise & tenon joints, box joints, keyed miters, finger joints, bridle joints, scarf joints, and many other joints. All these jigs add precision, consistentsy, and productivity to a job.

[edit] About jigs

Jigs or templates have a long history. They have been around long before the advent of the industrial age. Jigs are devices that facilitate a particular job. There are numerous types of jigs and each one is custom tailored to do a specific job. The specific purpose of each jig varies. Many jigs are created because there is a necessity to do so by the tradesmen. Some are purely to increase productivity, to do repetitious activities and to add precision to a job. It is highly possible that the same jig created in one geographical region was created independently in another region or was created previously in another era and all the creators were unaware of each other's jig yet created it in an almost identical manner.