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A 'jig' is any of a large class of tools in woodworking, metalworking, and some other crafts that help to control the location or motion (or both) of a tool or workpiece. Some types of jigs are also called 'templates' or 'guides'.
Jigs or templates have been known long before the industrial age. There are many types of jigs, and each one is custom-tailored to do a specific job. 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. Because jig design is fundamentally based on logic, 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.
Tools of this class include machining jigs, woodworking jigs (e.g. tapering jig), welders' jigs, jewelers' jigs, and many others.
A jigsaw is called so because it is used to cut arbitrary curves used in jigs.

Contents

Drill jig

See also

Drill jig

A 'drill jig' is type of jig that expedites repetitive hole center location on multiple interchangeable parts by acting as a template to guide the twist drill into the precise location of each intended hole center. In metalworking practice, typically a hardened bushing lines each hole on the jig to keep the twist drill from cutting the jig.
Drill jigs started falling into disuse with the invention of the jig borer.
Since the widespread penetration of the manufacturing industry by CNC machine tools, in which the servocontrols are capable of moving the tool to the correct location automatically, the need for drill jigs (and for the jobs of the manual-drill-press operators who used them) is a fraction of what it previously was.

See also

★ Jig borer

★ Jig grinder

★ Staircase jig

★ Sharpening jig

★ Fixture (tool)