How To Make Perfect Carpenter Shims With A 5-Minute Scrap-Wood Jig

[@eugenelayhue1932]

I've been woodworking since 1990 during 9/11/01 coming up on 23 years ago I was working for a cabinet maker learned of this jig and made one for my home shop. Sometimes when work was slow I had the job of making shims on a very large and powerful 7.5 hp tablesaw i don't recall the name of the saw but remember when standing at the saw about 50ft away behind me the concrete block wall had a very long crack in it i remember joking that it was from a kickback from the saw.

[@barrynovak9458]

Great tip, only a true craftsman can appreciate the value of using accurate self made shims. To everyone else this is boring, but to a tradesman it's brings a smile every time you use them.

[@Thekrpntr]

That's the same saw I used for most of my career in the remodel business. I used it up. The plastic base gave up due to too much tossing into the truck. I like your jig. Thanks for the tip.

[@elizabethjohnson475]

Great video, Herrick, and the demonstration! I'm so glad that you and others, in these trying times, are showing us how to do things!

[@mwiltfang4618]

One of the biggest time burners in any project is the trips to the lumber yard or big box store. (The big box stores are NOT lumber yards). ANYTHING you can do yourself saves both time and money. If you don't like what the world has become, and you feel helpless to do anything about it, you are WRONG, my friend. Things like this will help you feel empowered and happier. Adopt this mindset as an integral part of your ethos and lifestyle.

[@AbleCain-wl3de]

As a carpenter with over 40 years in the trade it brought back memories of that Makita saw. I had 2 of them now long gone but still have the Makita router that mounts to the bottom of the table to make a router table I thought this was handy feature to have at the jobsite

[@harveysmith100]

Excellent. This is what You Tube should be about. Passing down the skills

[@peterbarlow8912]

Rewatching this video I noticed you aiding the stock through with a handy wedge. If the stop on the jig was taller it could bridge beyond the blade and push the stock block as well. You may still need the wedge to ‘feather’ your stock against the jig.

[@nunyobidnis]

Nice jig. I just made one and now have the shims I needed in a few minutes. Thanks!

[@XxStratAttackxX]

I've saved a lot of money making my own shims and yes they are much better than store bought with that paper thin end. I make mine 12 inches with a 1/4" thick end.

[@wayneyadams]

You should have specifically said that the 2x4 has to be turned over after each cut even though we could see it on the video, and it makes sense when you think about the cuts. A quick calculation shows you should get 11 shims from each piece of 2x4.

[@peterbarlow8912]

As a person who wood shingled many squares of roof I always had an endless supply of shingles too narrow for roofing. To me 1 1/2 wide shims are too narrow especially for doors so I never bought any bundles of shims. Excellent simple jig variations of which can also make thin strips and also wedge strips.

[@spcgardner1208]

Id give anything to see some snow right now haha 9 am in south alabama and its already 90

[@rw3476]

Great use of scrap wood!

[@ed6837]

I have the same Makita table saw. Not a bad little saw I bought in new from HD around 1984ish. I am not a carpenter, so it doesn't get used that much so it's still in decent shape.

[@stevespurlock2549]

In 1990 I had about 2 years of experience in. By 2009 I was on unemployment due to the collapse of the housing market. My tools are vintage too!

[@stevespurlock2549]

Seems like we never had enough shims. I like this. My method was dangerous to digits.

[@sbee7158]

Great all around. Thank you!

[@TheCritterWindow]

I have a stack about a foot or so tall of that magazine. Starting with the first one. Not sure how many are there. They were in an auction lot. They are here somewhere.

[@skipgaynard4045]

It looks like you have 2 different sizes of romex on that switch behind you. I assume it is on one circuit (?). Hmmmm.

[@asinheaven]

I don't have a table saw, but do have a mitre saw. I can now see how i can modify that method to make shims with my mitre saw. Just in time, as my big box store cant seem to put the shims in the same place, or else they've been out of them the last three times i was there.

[@ashraf61]

Good Job. Thanks for sharing. 👍

[@cynthiafisher9907]

What a clever idea! I loved watching you cut them. The saw handle was a nice touch, wasn’t it?

[@gregorymacneil2836]

Is Fine Homebuilding less today then it once was or is carpentry just different today then it once was? The magazine probably remains true to its tradition in the sense that it reflects the interests, rituals and practices of the subscribers. I question if the bulk of the subscribers are still carpenters and builders? I love your KZbin channel and can still remember reading the story of the paratrooper jumping off the roof in Fine Homebuilding. It remains a great story. I am glad that KZbin finally linked the face of the storyteller with his written words. Making wedges is cool (I do it myself) but I do wonder if the practical force that a wedge, lever, or screw can bring to bear is still appreciated by the bulk of our population.

[@herrickkimball]

Fine Homebuilding was a "fat" and prosperous branch of The Taunton Press back when I was writing articles for them. But the internet devastated their business model, as it has done with just about every other print publication. Too bad. Yeah, wedges can be powerful little devices. Thanks for the comment.

[@ed6837]

Most magazines now are way too much advertising not enough substance

[@gregorymacneil2836]

@@ed6837 I bet that they have to sell the advertising at a discount. Magazines have simply become the departure point for future research - they still offer the advantage of an editor and editorial review of the content. The editor or foreign bureau editor is what most news media is missing today. KZbin is unedited content for the most part. I still subscribe to Fine Homebuilding - I just don’t get as much from the magazine - but at least it is edited. I know that if I want a full weekend of reading on i-joists the American Plywood Association (APA) provides more information than Fine Homebuilding can condense into an article. Print media is stuck between a rock and a hard place! The biggest problem I have today is just finding time to read.

[@AmIamIknowIam]

Best way imo

[@ronaldclobes9340]

That would also be a much safer way to cut thin strips of wood for bee hive frames if you didn't put the taper in there

[@williamwelch7]

Thanks very much.

[@MarkThomas123]

Safety Police Checking in.. Ha..Ha.. Same as you.. Give me old school.. I can't stand the riving knife.. Just one more thing that messes up a lot of things I like to do without one. I never wear safety glasses and I'll be the LAST Person to get something in my eye.. I know I am not wearing them, so, I make sure I do things to keep sawdust, metal dust, etc, away from my face.. But, I have worked around others that pay zero attention to where things are going.. I can always turn my back to them,, as long as I am not near a wall or something that stuff reflects off of. I worked with a guy who would remind me daily about "Not wearing Safety Glasses". In 7 years, I dug all sorts of things out of his eyes and took him to Urgent care twice.. I kept reminding him, if he had ever seen me get anything in my eyes, to which he always Had to answer,, No... He never did get it.. Ha..ha..