Marc is the host and creator of The Wood Whisperer. He has contributed to Popular Woodworking and FineWoodworking.com and continuously publishes articles and videos at 
Matt is the host of 
Shannon is the host of the 
Title: 12 Great Tablesaw Jigs with Jim Heavey
Run Time: 44 minutes
Production Date: 2009
Produced By: Wood Magazine
Price: $19.99 (Buy Now)
Marc’s Score: 3 Grape Sodas out of 5
Matt”s Score: 3 Grape Sodas out of 5
From the Back of the Case:
“Simple jigs increase the accuracy and versatility of your most useful shop tool. In this DVD, WOOD(R) magazine?s Jim Heavey demonstrates a dozen jigs that help you work faster and safer, whether you own a portable, contractor, or cabinet-style saw. You?ll even find jig plans you can print from your computer and take into your shop. Separated into ?must have? and ?nice to have,? you?ll find jigs of all types along with the tips and techniques used by successful woodworkers.”
Our Thoughts:
The Good: We enjoyed the quick pace and Jim?s clean/confident delivery. Jim is a veteran speaker and has been educating crowds of woodworkers for years and it shows. He delivers information with the confidence that only experience can provide. The DVD menu is clearly laid out with nothing real fancy going on. Before jumping into the jigs, there is a short introductory segment discussing the various materials typically used for shop jigs, which is an excellent addition for the new woodworker.
The Bad: What we found a little disappointing was the fact that the DVD is really the ?accessory? here. The real meat of this package is the set of digital plans contained on the disc. The video will not teach you how to make the jigs although a more experienced woodworker could easily reproduce them without the plans. Each jig is described fairly quickly and in reasonable detail but only about half of them are seen in action. So perhaps we went in with the wrong expectation, but it really seems like this should be marketed as a set of plans with a bonus DVD instead of a DVD with a bonus set of plans.
The only other thing, which was more of a problem for Marc than Matt, was the pillar boxes. These are the black boxes that appear on the sides of widescreen TV?s when the original footage was shot with a 4:3 aspect ratio. But to their credit, at least the video isn’t stretched.
Conclusion:
As long as your expectations are set appropriately, we think most folks will enjoy this DVD. The jigs are well-constructed and the digital plans certainly give you enough information to build them. The one thing missing here is the real-world detail and nuance that sometimes comes along for the ride when building jigs. As we know, runners like to move when you screw them down and fences are rarely square on the first shot. These details would have been nice to see in the video. But if you are looking to bolster your collection of useful tablesaw jigs, this DVD will get you going in the right direction.
The Breakdown:
Entertainment Value: Marc 3/5 | Matt 4/5
Production Quality: Marc 3/5 | Matt 3/5
Information Quality: Marc 3/5 | Matt 2.5/5
Overall Value: Marc 3/5 | Matt 3/5
Keeps Its Promise: Marc 2/5 | Matt 2.5/5
Final Score: Marc 2.8/5 | Matt 2.9/5
Want a Chance to Win This DVD?
Simply head on over to the Wood Talk Online Forum and leave a post in the thread for this review telling us about your favorite tablesaw jig.
I bought this DVD looking for some insight but all I got out of it was watching someone else do what I could’ve been doing at the time. I went back to take another look at the plans included on the DVD and they didn’t bother to include the plans for the four sided taper jig. I can make the jig myself, but that’s besides the point which is getting the most value out of a $20.00 DVD.
What disappoints me is that I got the DVD on their site “on sale” $9.99 when you buy two or more. I still think I got robbed. The biggest disappointment was the rehash of old material into a video just for something to sell. All of the jigs were in every years jig collection magazines that they lay out differently, but in the end they’re the same jigs I’ve seen over and over.
Thanks for the great review! With all the information about table saw jigs available for free on the Internet, and based on your review, I am wondering if that money is better spent elsewhere.
Love the review.
I hate watching a dvd with a fix camera and we don’t see a thing!
Thanks for doing a review that wasn’t all gushing compliments. Many sites only review things they think are great and that really isn’t helpful. I appreciate a real world perspective.
Good show. I think doing this is great for me. I have WOOD magazine and think I have most of the articles for the jigs in this video. Thanks guys.
Thanks for the heads up….but it sure would be nice to have all of the plans with the complimentary DVD…and if they did that they could probably charge more since the plans would actually be a lot more useful!
I agree with Mike M. With all of the free information on the web, why spend your hard earned money on marginal items? Save it for something that will truly teach you something. Can anyone say “Guild Membership”?
This guy has some pretty sweet videos that he does for the website. I’ve actually learned a lot of nice finishing techniques from him.
Marc & Matt – nice review…..straight shooting as always. I especially like the “grape soda” scale…..
I can’t download the MP3. Just a darkened screen in firefox and clicking the link in Internet Explorer treats the link like a photo.
Sounds like you might need to update Flash Brian. Other than that, you can always right click the Download MP3 link and download the file to your desktop.
I work as a tool designer in a tool & die shop. Many of the fixtures and jigs I need, I generally develop and make for myself. Have not purchased DVD, but it don’t hurt to see what other options and ideas are. I enjoyed your program. After hearing what you guys had to say, I may wait a bit longer?
Best Regards
Tom
I love the idea of reviewing DVDs. As someone stuck in the middle of nowhere I don’t have the option of hands-on classes so the internet and DVDs are my only source of woodworking information. There are a lot to choose from so it’s good to get opinions I can trust.
Thanks for the review Marc, I think that i may just stick with comming up with my own table saw jigs.
More please. I learn a lot from videos, which is why I’m a guild member. I’d love to find some more old guy’s 5 grape sodas videos to help me along. :D
downloaded on my ipod and it only got the first 6min. Going to try again. Excited about this new podcast
Thanks for the review! its always nice to have other people’s opinions before considering a project.
I listened to this while I was working and wasn’t surprised that it was a rehash of WOOD magazine. I quit subscribing to both WOOD and American Woodworker for that same reason. After you’ve seen a few years of articles, you’ve seen all the seem to have to offer. I wish they’d step up their game.
Thanks for doing this. As a beginning woodworker you’re giving me yet another great resource to make some informed decisions about how I spend my hard earned green-backs. Shout out to MBW too, Chortle in the hizz-ay!
Marc, thanks for the review. The review surprizes me a bit when you wrote that the video does not have complete plans or show the actual uses of every jig. Sometimes seeing how the jigs works helps the user understand why it is built the way the instrcutions intend, and use it. Thank you for the effort and information. BTW Jim Heavey is very good at what he does.