I've been suckered into a project where I'm going to need to cut box joints and I'm looking for a jig. I've noted a number of them on the web but I'm looking for suggestions on what will give me the most bang for the buck. Ideas?
If you have a dado head for the table saw this is a very easy jig to make. Depending on the size of stock you're going to be using you can also make a nice jig for the router. So a google search man theres plenty of variations for making a box joint jig out there.
The "fence" is the key in your miter jig, the bit your blade. You butt the fence to make the first groove, then straddle for subsequent. For the opposite piece, you run a pusher board through against the fence, then use the distance established by the groove to reference the first cutout. I've had good success with middle school kids on this setup. Wouldn't let 'em near the tablesaw.
If you've not seen the router guys, and have a desire, I can e-mail you some demo pics I did a year or so ago for another guy, or perhaps put 'em up on my personal page.
I watched the video of this jig in use. Looks like it would be a pain to use. Very slow. The demonstrator (Mark of Mark's Woodshop) even says something like "it's kinda slow and tedious." Turning that knob several time for every cut isn't my cup of tea.
Like others have said, make one. Plans abound. Try it. You'll like it. They're a little ugly to my eye, but *strong* and easy.
Plan to cut your pieces just a bit oversized and cut the fingers just a bit too long. That way you can plane off all the glue you missed wiping up at the same time you make the ends of the fingers smooth as a baby's butt.
In the pdf file at this site, he says don't worry about it being square to the table, that will buck out.
Can someone please explain what he means by "buck out"? Does this mean even if the jig is not perfectly square to the blade, the angles of the cuts will compensate when the joint is assembled and it will still be tight? And if so, I'm wondering if this is true only if you're stacking all the pieces to cut them at the same time?
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