How To Make A Finger Joint Jig For Table Saw – General contractors Tom Silva and Kevin O'Connor are working on drawers, bins, trays and more. As a commonly used method of joining corners, the main serving tray is designed as a means to represent the junction of the box.
Kevin O'Connor teams up with general contractor Tom Silva in the wood shop to create a durable tray using custom jigs and boxes. Tom builds the tray out of half-inch walnut and explains that box joints are the strongest joint you can choose from. He shows us how to make a dado sled to cut box joints efficiently and evenly with a table saw. Finally, after the glue dries, it's time to finish with mineral oil.
How To Make A Finger Joint Jig For Table Saw
Tom uses an old milk crate with joints to demonstrate the amount of glue surface that makes up the joint. Each of these “fingers,” as Tom calls them, means a larger adhesive surface, and therefore greater strength. The construction of the knot can be done on a milling machine or with a table saw.
How To Make Easy Box Joints
Tom decides to use a table saw equipped with a dado blade. Together with Kevin, they built a box tree, a simple table saw sled equipped with adjustable stops and a swivel. Allows spacing between pins. Tom and Kevin use black walnuts to make the tray, sand it down, stack it, and top it with food-safe oil.
Get the latest vintage house news, trusted tips, tricks and DIY Smarts projects from our experts straight to your inbox. This lesson is dedicated to the assembly of the box, which is essential for this carpentry technique. I did this at TechShop (http://techshop.ws) in Menlo Park. I needed this tool to be able to make a box joint (sometimes called a finger joint) using a dovetail on a table saw.
A jig is needed to easily cut 1/2″ “fingers” and similar size holes in the end of the board. Use this tool to make clean and efficient cuts.
Dovetail Jig Box Joint Template 1/4in
A box joint is an alternative to the popular dowel joint. Interestingly, the box joint is stronger than the dowel and does not require its own tail mount. Instead, you can make it out of box scraps and add it all day. The strength test was done at http://woodgears.ca/dovetail/index.html.
Scrap wood – ideally 1x12s and 2x4s – will depend on the length of the table, but two feet long should do the trick.
If you are building a jig, it is assumed that you are already familiar with the above lists and parts. By the way, this is a guide, so I'll explain as needed. Please give your feedback.
How To Make Finger Joint Box
The size of the rail may vary depending on the size of the table. MPK Tech Shop's SawStop table saw slots are just over 3/4″ narrow and about 1/4″ deep and between a third and a half the total length of your table. Measure the holes and cut two strips of wood large enough to fit over the ends of the 1×12-inch board.
Wash your face. If your rails are too high, your wheel will rub against the bottom of the groove instead of the table.
I cut the strips using a table saw with a standard blade and precisely trimmed to the correct width and height on the sander.
Making And Using A Finger Joint Jig For The Router Table
Ideally, runners should be at least 1/3-1/2 the length of your table. Too long and you'll have too much resistance and might hit something on the other side of your desk. Too short and the guides won't do their job. However, length is not as important as height and the ability to flow easily through channels.
Take a minute to move the fire back and forth and side to side before moving on. They should slide smoothly along the groove (smoothing helps with this – the guide will also be smooth)
Cut a 4 inch board from your scrap 1×12. (I remembered this picture while putting together the tutorial. You're smart enough to figure it out)
Box (finger) Joint Jig
For your entertainment, here is a photo of a Pegasus flying from a pizzeria to an astronaut on an island. I didn't, I found it here: http://pictureisunrelated.memebase.com/2012/06/02/wtf-photos-videos-the-magical-land-of-pizza-hut/
This box jointer is precisely set for half-inch cuts. You can make it wider or narrower, but it will stick the way you make it. Any table saw that will work with a dado drill will support a half-inch wide slot. If you decide to make the fixture a different size, replace all the dimensions here with the desired width.
Set the length of the ruler at 1/2 inch and the height of the blade at 1/2 inch above the ball. Take the remaining 1×12, place them perpendicular to the rail, and slide them over the blade. This sets the width of a single interval.
Adjustable Tablesaw Box Joint Jig Kit Pieces
Next, set the height of the blade to the full thickness of the board you are working on, and leave the ruler 1/2. Cut the rest of the spacer.
Note: This will be the hardest part at the end because your small piece will be between the blade and the guide rail. Use the push rod, another shard. Or even flip the board over and adjust the blade. I've found that leaving a 1/2-inch bevel on both cuts gives me a perfect square without doubt, but it can be difficult to work with such a small band table saw. As always, be careful!
When you're done, you'll have a 1/2″ x 1/2″ stick. Using a miter saw, he cut two lengths of wood, about four inches each
How To Build A Modern Box Joint Dining Table
Now that you've made all the cuts, it's time to start attaching the rails. For this step, you'll need sand, glue, and the largest remaining piece of 1×12 (it should now be 6-7″ wide – I'm lucky enough to have a new piece, so my base is a full 12″ wide. but should not be extensive).
Attach at least one end of this board to the saw (ie, perpendicular to the sides). This is important for the next step.
Measure the width between the length of the remaining 1×12 and the guide rail. Subtract the distance of the guide rail from the length of the board, divide this number by two, and measure this distance from the end.
Make A Router Table Box Joint Jig (with Pictures)
For example, say I have a 24-inch slab and the distance between guides is 10 inches. The difference is 14 inches, and half of it is 7 inches. So I come 7 inches from one end of the board and mark it with a carpenter's square (now only do one end). Glue a line from your rail to the side near the end of the board. Use a square to straighten. (Obviously, I didn't use a carpenter square in the first photo. I always recommend using a combination square because my beveled edge came out a little).
If you are too impatient to let the glue dry, pre-drill some holes and screw them. It might not be pretty, so I made them tight enough to sink them under the sand. This prevents the screw head from rubbing against the table. 3/4 inch screws are used for this.
Since you know your width between rails, measure the width from the edge of the fixed rail near the center, mark another line, and install the next rail in the same manner. When the glue is wet, take a moment to place the table in the middle to make sure it is the right width. It is important that the rail fits into the slot of the table, not to the end. Once you determine the width is correct, secure the rail with 3/4 inch screws and reattach the screw head.
How To Make A Simple Box Joint Jig
Check the squareness of the rails to make sure they work, and cut the base in half and check with a square to get an idea of where the center of the board is.
Am I understanding this correctly? good. Using a square, draw a line along the end of the board you lined up in the previous step, about two inches from the back of the base. Double check that the line is perpendicular to the saw cut. In any case, it is important that the saw is perpendicular to the cut, not the end of the board, so having both is a good way to ensure that the entire path is square.
Install the base plate with glue and screws. Install two screws from the bottom on each side. This time use 1 1/4 inch screws, but make sure they are not secure
Finger Joint Jig
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