Hand Tools doings #1: Hand cut box joint

That’s not bad for your first attempt. You will get better everytime you do it.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

That’s actually quite good. I just read last night that box joints are almost exclusively machined, since they’re so hard to do by hand. So I, having no machines, have decided that I will have no box joints in my work!

-- Eric at http://adventuresinwoodworking.com

Not bad. I found that using a knife to make my layout marks (as opposed to a pencil) greatly improved my accuracy on fitting joints. Keeping the corners on my chisel square and sharp also helped me get the waste out of the corners so I got a tighter fit in the bottom of the slot, altho you can “cheat” a little by rounding the inside edge of the pin and just leave the exposed end square. Yours sure looks better than my first attempt!! That appears to be white oak, which is not the easiest wood to hand joint either, because of the open grain.

Go

-- Go http://ncwoodworker.net/pp/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=730

Thanks guys.

Gofor——I just got a marking knife. I’m going to try using that the next set. The wood is red oak left over from a cabinet I built several years ago.

The sharp chisel part I have trouble with still. But my sharpening skills are getting better.

-- Betsy - GO BUCKS!

That looks like a pretty nice joint. You’re more brave than I am for trying that by hand.
I’m curious if you cut each board separately or just offset the second one and cut them both at the same time.
Either way, very interesting project.

-- Kyle, Michigan

Betsy,

This joint looks fine to me. I agree with Gary, in that, here practice does make perfect. Keep working at it. You will get better both on the joints and physically as well.

Thanks for sharing this (You are far more courageous than I am. I still haven’t repaired my camera so that is the excuse I will use for not posting my hand cut dovetails, which would be a primer more in how not to cut them.)

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

Kyle – I cut one board at a time. I’m going to try to do the staggering with two boards today and see what happens.

-- Betsy - GO BUCKS!

Betsy, You’re a brave soul. Not for posting this, but for jumping into hand-cut joinery. I am too timed to try.

I might be wrong, but I think if you stagger them and cut both at the same time you will get gaps equal to the kerf of the saw.

-- Check out my new website! http://www.theeasellife.com

I think they look great for a first effort. My first attempt of a hand cut joint was much worse. I like the idea of using a marking knife, too. That’s gotta help. (providing I can actually cut along that line. Hand tools aren’t without their frustrations, but it’s really a great feeling to make something that way. -SST

-- Accuracy is not in your power tool, it's in you

You are right Blake!!!

thanks S – right now I’m not frustrated yet. But I’m sure I’ll get there if I don’t get good results soon. I get impatient – but that’s part of using hand tools – you have to be willing to put in the time to get good at it. I’m going to keep trying though!

-- Betsy - GO BUCKS!