Table Saw Jig Makes Consistent Laminating Strips for Boatbuilding

A jig solves the part of boatbuilding that usually goes wrong first

Christopher Cunningham’s problem was not glamorous, but every wooden-boat builder recognizes it immediately: he needed thin laminating strips that came off the table saw at a consistent thickness, without chewing up good stock or inviting a nasty kickback. That is the kind of shop headache that can turn a straightforward lamination into a pile of waste, especially when the strip is supposed to bend cleanly and land in a precise fit later.

The fix is a simple jig, but the payoff is bigger than the setup itself. Once the strips are consistent, the builder can focus on the curve, the glue-up, and the structure instead of constantly correcting bad material. That matters whether the part is a roof beam for a cruiser cabin or a small one-off component that would be expensive, difficult, or impossible to buy ready-made.

Why laminating strips matter in real boat work

Laminated parts are not just a clever workshop trick. Cunningham points to roof beams for cruiser cabins, thwart knees for a sailing dory, gunwale-to-gunwale frames for a faering, pivoting frames for a folding coracle, lapstrake canoe stems, and deckbeams for a sneakbox. Those are real boatbuilding jobs, and they all depend on the same basic step: resawing strips thin enough to bend around the required curves.

That first cut is where the whole process lives or dies. If the strips are uneven, the lamination stacks fight each other during clamping and can leave you with fit-up trouble later. If the saw work is rough, you lose time sanding, planing, or replacing stock. In a small shop, where every board counts, repeatability is not a luxury. It is the thing that keeps a project moving.

The setup that makes the cut predictable

Cunningham’s jig starts with a 3/4-inch plywood base measuring 36 inches by 16 inches. He sets the table saw fence at 12 inches and raises the blade to about 1/8 inch to cut the kerf. Those numbers matter because the jig is not just a holder for wood. It is a controlled path that keeps the strip supported as the cut opens.

His first layout is useful because it shows what not to do. It left only 4 inches of support to the left of the kerf, and that was not enough room for the lumber and clamps he needed. The lesson is simple: when you draw the cut line, think beyond the blade itself. You need enough flat support for the workpiece, enough room for clamping, and enough structure that the stock stays stable as it passes through the saw.

A good jig also has to match the kind of stock you are actually cutting. Thin laminating strips are awkward to handle because they flex, wander, and are easy to lose control of. The base and fence arrangement has to keep the strip guided without pinching it or forcing the feed.

Alignment is the difference between clean strips and expensive scrap

The most useful part of Cunningham’s approach is the reminder that the jig is only as good as its alignment. The blade has to meet the setup exactly where the strip is meant to separate, and the support has to remain flat through the cut. If the stock lifts, twists, or rocks, the strip thickness changes and the next lamination starts carrying that error forward.

That is why the article reads less like a one-off demonstration and more like a repeatable method. Cunningham based the setup on an online video, then changed it for safer, more reliable results. That kind of shop evolution is familiar in boatbuilding: you start with a workable idea, then revise it after the first mistake teaches you where the real problem is.

The safety details are not optional

The earlier thin-rip jig piece from Small Boats makes the hazard plain. Ripping narrow strips between the blade and fence can cause gouging, burning, and other feed problems, and it can send the strip across the shop. That is exactly the sort of failure that turns a material-saving operation into a dangerous one.

The safer setup uses a ball-bearing-equipped jig along with a shop-made, zero-clearance table saw insert. WoodenBoat School reinforces the same approach and adds a few shop standards that belong in any thin-stock routine: use a sharp blade, install a zero-clearance insert, and rely on feather boards or spring-tensioning guides to keep the work pressed where it belongs. Together, those choices reduce chatter, support the strip, and keep the cut narrow and controlled.

How to avoid wasting material

The biggest waste in thin-strip work usually starts before the blade touches wood. A strip that is too thick for the curve will fight the bend and may fail in the glue-up. A strip that is too thin, uneven, or burned on the edge can create fit problems later and throw off a whole stack of laminations.

The practical habit is to treat each cut as part of a sequence, not as a quick rip: 1. Set up the jig so the stock sits flat and fully supported. 2. Check that the fence and blade position match the intended strip thickness. 3. Use a sharp blade and a zero-clearance insert to minimize tearout and wandering. 4. Feed the stock steadily with feather boards or spring-tensioning guides holding it in line. 5. Stop and adjust the setup if the support, clamping room, or alignment feels off.

That process saves more than material. It saves confidence. A builder who trusts the strip stock can move straight into assembly instead of second-guessing every piece.

Why this kind of jig still matters now

WoodenBoat School notes that laminated curved parts became much more practical in the second half of the 20th century, when strong waterproof glues made thin-layer construction far more workable than depending only on crooks or steam-bent stock. That shift explains why a thin-strip jig still earns its place in a modern shop. The material science changed, but the builder still has to make accurate stock before the glue ever comes out.

Cunningham’s jig shows how little of boatbuilding is actually magic. A careful plywood base, the right fence setting, a modest blade height, and a safer feed path can turn ordinary lumber into the kind of stock that shapes a boat. For anyone building small craft, that is the real win: better strips, fewer mistakes, and a method you can repeat every time the project calls for a curve.