A few weeks ago, some ne'er-do-wells broke into my shed and stole all of my power tools, including my jigsaw, electric drill, circular saw, and electric sander. And while I am not financially devastated by this crime, I can't just drop €500+ on new power tools. Instead, I only replaced the essentials for now, an electric drill and a jigsaw. But this saw type has one serious downside: It can do every cut except a straight line.
Getting some power tools back actually motivated me to start tackling the lack of wood storage in the shed. I want to move everything from the floor to the wall by making a simple storage rack out of beams donated to me by my mom. The design is so simple that all you need to do is make several perfectly straight cuts. With, I don't know, a table saw, or a circular saw. Right.
But where there's a will, there's a way. I had a literal shower thought and realized that since all the beams are the same width, I could probably make a jig to force the jigsaw to make a straight cut. I screwed two smaller beams together lengthwise and cut it to length with the jigsaw. This works surprisingly well! I can now make perfect 90 degree angle cuts every time. With a jigsaw!
I guess it's true what they say: The true measure of a woodworker is the effectiveness of their jigs.