Cutting Wood Shapes Accurately

Create a template for the shape you wish to cut. Lightly draw the shape on paper or, if you wish to make more than one, on cardboard. This way you can get your shape just right. If you are unsatisfied with the shape, erase the unsatisfactory portion and redraw. It is important to press lightly with the pencil so that erasure can be effective.

When you are satisfied with your shape, cut out the drawing with scissors or an X-Acto knife. Scissors work well for paper but if you are working with cardboard the X-Acto knife will be more accurate. Be sure to have a cutting board of some kind underneath.

Trace around the shape onto the piece of wood you are going to cut. Conserve wood by keeping the drawing as close as possible to the edge of the wood. Press lightly with the pencil so as not to dent the wood.

Cut out the shape, taking care to keep the blade cutting at the inside edge of your pencil marking, so the saw completely removes the pencil line but not much inside of it.

If you reach any sharp inside corners, do not attempt to keep moving forward with the blade. Back the blade out of the cut you have made so far and come at the corner from the other direction. This will give you a clean, precise inside corner.

For sharp outside corners, cut past the corner and then either back the blade out of the cut or continue through to remove entirely the outside piece of wood. Then come at the corner from the other direction, creating a clean, precise outside corner.

If your shape involves a hollow inside portion, drill a hole through it (or a number of holes, depending on the size of the hollow portion and the difficulty of the inside corners). Unplug the jigsaw and remove the blade, then thread the blade back through the hole. You can now cut out the inside portion by starting from the inside of the hole. When you are through, remove the blade again and reattach it outside the hollow inside portion of your shape.