If you’re building a stair or hanging a door and you need some shims to help you do it, you could go down to the lumber yard and get fleeced buying a box of perfections, but there’s a better way.

John Kraft from Oakland, Calif., has made a jig that he can use on his tablesaw, along with some scrap 1x material, to make free shims, safely and accurately, every time. The jig is simply a rectangular piece of plywood with a slight, tapered notch taken out of one side of it. The notch stops short of the end of the jig, so there’s a little piece that juts out which holds the stock as it passes over the saw blade. On top is a 2x handle so that it’s easy to grip the jig while you’re using it. And there’s a little hold-down on top made out of 1/4-in. plywood screwed in place, and that overlaps the shim while it’s being cut and makes sure that it doesn’t fly out at the wrong time.

That’s an excellent tip, John. Thanks so much for sending that to us.

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