Making Keys for Mitered Corners

Freddo,

Doug is a great box-maker. I have done many boxes with hardwood keys for mitered corners. Usually I just grab a thin piece of scrap and plane it down with a block plane until I achieve a nice fit for the kerfs that I’ve created for the keys.

If you are looking for a thin ripping jig, it can be accomplished by ripping a wider board and using a moveable stop that can be secured in the left miter slot ro simply clamped to the table. If you adjust the stop to be a fixed distance from the left edge of the saw blade (i.e. the width of the keys) then you just adjust your fence until the board you are ripping contacts the stop, lock the fence and rip a piece. Readjust the fence for subsequent rips if needed.

Hope that this is clear. The jig does not have to be anything very fancy.

-- Mark, Webster New York, Visit my website at http://thecraftsmanspath.com

Mark, I think I understand your description of the jig, but why is it necessary? Why not just set the fence so that the offall will be the thickness you desire? It might take a test cut or two to get the precise thickness you are looking for, but the same could be true of using the jig.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

A bandsaw is much better and safer to rip thin pieces. It is very easy to make a small fence and zero clearance table that can be clamped to the bandsaw fence.

-- Oldworld, Fair Oaks, Ca

Charlie,

It can definitely be done in between the blade and the fence however, because these keys are generally very thin, it is more difficult (without a sacrificial push block and removing the guard) to do this. Hence the jig to cut on the other side of the blade. In reality, with either method there is probably some fine tuning to do by planing or sanding after the table saw cut to get an exact fit in the kerf.

-- Mark, Webster New York, Visit my website at http://thecraftsmanspath.com

I didn’t mean using the piece between the fence and the blade for a key. I was talking about adjusting the fence so that the piece to the outside of the blade is the proper thickness.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

Charlie,

Sorry, I understand now.

If you are only adjusting to make a single rip that will work too. But, if you have multiple rips to do then the jig allows you to repeat the setting without measuring and/or testing the size each time.

-- Mark, Webster New York, Visit my website at http://thecraftsmanspath.com

I find I have good luck cutting the key strip captured between the blade and the fence. I use a sacrificial push block with the guard and riving knife removed as mentioned by Mark. I usually use a couple different contrasting keys per box and once the fence is set to give a good thickness key I can rip off a bunch of different keys without fiddling with the fence at all.

The biggest safety issue for me when doing this is having a good BIG push block, something to keep my hand well away from the blade. I usually take a 16’ish inch long 2×4 on edge and cut a 1/2 inch ledge in it mostly the full length, leaving maybe the last inch and half as the full 3 1/2 inches tall. I then set the blade to cut maybe 1/8 inch out of the key stock. Feather board the key stock against the fence, use big 2×4 push block laid right down on the key stock and cut away. It cuts a groove full length in the push block , keeps your fingers well away from the blade, and pushes the thin strip all the way out and away from the blade.

There have been posted multiple thin stock ripping jigs right here on LJ. You can also find thin stock ripping jigs commercially, just do a google search.

Thin Strip Cutting Jig

Easy Thin Ripping Jig

Thin Stock Ripping Jig

Here one from Rockler

I recommend against using a bandsaw, I find I get a VERY rough surface, compared to a table saw with a good sharp blade. Rough enough you can see the edge variations at the key / box edge.

As for the sanding and planing Stowe recommends in his video to cut as close as possible and then if the key slightly too thick then WHACK it with a hammer a couple times to compress the fibers.

Maybe if you have a good thickness sander could you use that for final thicknessing. I’ve found trying to plane or sand by hand to leaves far too much variation in the thickness across the key to work very well.

You can use a planer with a sled & sneek up on your final thickness. Be careful though, your thin stock may disapear!!

-- Pat, Colorado

I cut with the bandsaw and finish with my shop-made thicknessing sander. One sixth of a turn of the adjuster reduces the thickness by 0.008”, so I can sneak up slowly.

-- Res severa verum gaudium - True pleasure is a serious business.

Well… THANKS “ALL” for the posts and I’ll start looking into trying these. Is there a plan available for the shop-made drum sander?

-- God bless! Freddo (Northern - NJ) Our Creator designed us to create - so use WOOD!

Here is my blog on the project Freddo. I found the first link on my list there (Dominic's Woodshop) really useful.

-- Res severa verum gaudium - True pleasure is a serious business.