Jig: a device used to maintain mechanically the correct positional relationship between a piece of work and the tool or between parts of work during assembly (from Merriam Webster)

When it makes sense I'll make a jig to last; from good materials, with strong joinery and with maximum adjustability. More often than not though, the most efficient route is to make it quick and dirty for a single operation, and then drag it out back and bury it. In this case, it was a router jig designed to cut a couple of slots in some massive cypress logs.

previous life

I guess I failed to take a picture of the jig in use, but here it is perched on the work. The big logs were left intentionally imperfect in terms of flatness and square, but to give it a relatively flat even top surface I flipped them upside down on my bench (with lots of help) and built the jig to reference the flat bench top as I cut the grooves for the steel bases.

job well done

Steel in place, a good snug fit, the jig can now retire. Side note: I stopped short on the last pass with the router and used a round file to match the radius of the steel.

just add oil

Painted out the MDF legs and edges of the walnut ply, then hit the whole thing with a few coats of wipe-on poly.