Long Journey into Finger Joints

It can seem like catch 22 :)

Glad the jig worked out

jamie

-- Who is the happiest of men? He who values the merits of others, and in their pleasure takes joy, even as though 'twere his own. --Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Love the post! Know the feeling.

-- Mother Nature created it, I just assemble it. - It's not ability that we often lack, but the patience to use our ability

At least you’re using your box joint jig—great jig, but the most fun I’ve had with mine was building it. Very nice job on the box you made (finally) for those new dado blades you just had to have. Good post since it was so reminescent of many of my (and I’ll bet many other LJs’) experience, thanks.

-- John C. -- "Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the peoples' liberty's teeth." George Washington

That should literally be the definition of woodworking haha. Nice build!

-- Tyler- Montandon, PA ------ "It aint broke, it just needs fixed!"

Cool blade box, I just bought the Oshlun 8” set to replace my freud set that would not cut a flat bottom dado. still can’t get a flat bottom dado but I need a niece box to store it in.
What did you do with the inside to keep the carbide teeth from getting dinged up??

-- Grumpy old guy, and lookin' good Doin' it.

I’d love to get a look at the instrument that can accurately measure 3millionths of a snoofer.

very nice but box joints not finger joints often mistaken by many people have fun. Alistair

-- excuse my typing as I have a form of parkinsons disease

Actually, twisted humor aside, three very enjoyable builds with lots of good, expertise-building challenges. The finger-joint jig consists of some painstaking-to-make parts. Learning to set it and use it, another good challenge. It’s an asset and I am dreaming about for future projects for it.

The off-band, switch magnets work well on the resaw jig. No extra holes in my BS fence and no clamping. I set it against my permanent fence set to the precise drift angle and lock up. It’s a quick, easy, and dead-on set-up.

I have collected a full mix depth, angle, and thickness Igaging and Wixley digital measurement instruments. Fine point mechanical pencils, my shop notebook, and working repeatably to 3 millionth of a snoofer has yeilded super results.

Grumpymike, chucked the cardboard box and I built the finger-joint box to fit the original, layered, foam packaging that the Oshlun blades came in. No complains regarding the blades.

Splintery, soft Dougie fir cut-offs? Loaded in my truck headed for the dump.

It is all about the journey.

-- DJ Peck, Lincoln Nebraska. I don't have a Shop. I think of it as a Tool Chase. Where the hell did I put that?

You did a much better job building that jig than I did. Did you use the kit? Your box turned out great and the knob is quite stylish.

-- " I'll try to be nicer, if you'll try to be smarter" gfadvm

Enjoyed the wit in your write-up.

-- Randy -- Austin, TX by way of Northwest (Woodville), OH

gfadvm and all, I did order detailed plans and instructions for the Box Joint Jig with the hardware kit from the Woodsmith Store, click here. It was $15.95 and the diagrams, demensioning, and step-by-step instructions were very good. Recommended. The woodworking involves a lot of precision slot cutting and drilling. I drilled and then cut the slots with my scrollsaw.

The micro-adjusters permit you to precisely match and lock (A) the width of your dado stack, to (B) the distance between the edge of the dado stack and the nearest blade on the jig, and to© the width of the outside edges of the two adjustable blades. These 3 settings have to be done in the order specified and precisely equal.

I intentionally cut the pins a 16th proud and sanded them back after assembly.

One other tip, to avoid partial pins on the finished highth of your box, multiply the width of your dado stack, example: 1/2” dado stack x 8 creates a 4” high box.

-- DJ Peck, Lincoln Nebraska. I don't have a Shop. I think of it as a Tool Chase. Where the hell did I put that?

Hilarious!—Only because I can SO well relate. I’m glad that I’m not the only one who goes through these processes. I drive myself (and my wife) nuts at times with the ‘sidetracking’ (jigs, fixtures, accessories, etc.). My wife has said “I keep seeing things going into the shop—but nothing coming out of it. My response? “Soon as I finish the jig I’m working on….......”.

And…Nice work both on the jig and the case.

DJ, I used that same kit and the problems I had all related to the metal “corner brackets” that make the adjustable indexing pin and the base that raises the workpiece up off the saw table. My metal angle things were too flimsy and would move if I pressed the workpiece too firmly. I made a simpler set of jigs that work great. BUT I’m glad the kit worked for you! Congrats on the Top3. Jigs are always very popular projects.

-- " I'll try to be nicer, if you'll try to be smarter" gfadvm

gffadvm, I had the same problem. Noticed the brackets were not exactly parallel and square to the jig. Did some careful pushing and squeezing to true them up. Found that there is a touch to using them. Like using a feeler guage, the notch should just slide in with very ittle force.

I agree. There are much simpler jigs for finger joints. It is a tough project for the benefit of adjustability.

-- DJ Peck, Lincoln Nebraska. I don't have a Shop. I think of it as a Tool Chase. Where the hell did I put that?