Juice Groove Jig

I finally broke down and made an adjustable juice groove jig and figured I would take you guys a long for the ride. It's super simple to make!

I made this with 3/4" plywood scraps I had laying around the shop but if you need to buy some a half sheet should be plenty.

Juice Groove Bit (use the code WALKER15 to get 15% off!) - Juice Groove Bit

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I started out with a piece of scrap plywood that was big enough to hold the board and also have some room all the way around it to screw the rails to.

Using a bowl and tray bit (linked in the supplies) I visually figured out where I wanted the groove to be and then measured the distance from the edge of the board to the edge of the router base. It ended up being right at an inch.

I went over to the table saw and cut up some 1 inch strips out of 3/4” plywood.

Then I adjusted my fence to 3" and cut enough for all 4 sides. These pieces will be what the router base uses as a fence.

Once I had the strips cut to width I went to the miter saw and cut 2 strips at 18 inches and 2 at 22 inches.

I did the same for the 1 inch strips.

After all the pieces were cut I glued the 1 inch strips to the bottom of the 3 inch strips to form an L shape.

I clamped them together and drove in a few screws to secure it. Repeat this process for all 4 rails.

When setting up the jig start with one rail and make the end of it even with the end of the cutting board.

Then in a circular pattern add the other rails butting them up to the last as well as the cutting board.

Once its in place you can drill holes and secure the rails to the base board.

Now its time to cut the juice groove!

Always start by taking off a small amount first and do a couple passes lowering the bit each time until you reach your desired depth.

Also make sure you go in the same direction the bit spins. If your bit spins clockwise the router should also go in a clockwise motion. This way the router wants to pull into the fence rather than pull away and end up in the middle of the board somewhere.

Keep constant pressure against the rail as you cut the groove.

This is the result!

A nice uniform juice groove. This will add value and character to your boards, I highly recommend doing it.

Hope this helps! Don't forget to check out the YouTube video for even more details. Appreciate the support!

See you on the next build!

- Brandon