# the most AMAZING FINGER JOINT JIG via ShopNotes



## MichaelAgate (Jan 15, 2012)

You have to watch this. Who has made one? Looks AMAZING


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

I bought the kit,built the jig (very frustrating experience), and used it briefly. There are a lot of things not to like about it. I now use the all wood/non adjustable ones I posted here a few months ago and am much happier!


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## HillbillyShooter (Feb 15, 2012)

Made one back in mid 90s. Fun project and cool jig, but haven't used it much since I later got a Leigh dovetail jig and prefer it.

PS. No kit available when I built mine, so numerous trips to hardware store for 10-32 brass bolts, nuts and knobs.


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## MichaelAgate (Jan 15, 2012)

gfadvm - wow, very surprised with your disappointment. As well as HIllbillyShooter…. Perhaps it is just something that looks better on video than it actually is. Thanks for the comments.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

I've still got mine and would make you a hell of a deal on it! It makes me mad every time I look at it but I have too much time and effort in it to throw it away. Now how dumb is that?


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## MichaelAgate (Jan 15, 2012)

If the shipping didn't kill me I would take you up on it.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Yes, I forgot how far away you are. You can just pick it up the next time you are in Tulsa!


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## rance (Sep 30, 2009)

A friend of mine had the kit he had bought years ago. I built it for him as a favor. He seems to enjoy it.


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## KenBee (Mar 9, 2011)

I have one like it I built from the plans as offered on the Plans Now site. After 2 tries I ended up using all hardwood (Maple) with a couple of modifications, namely replacing the threaded inserts with cross threaded inserts to prevent pull out or movement once set. In its present form it is as accurate as my Porter Cable 4216 Dovetail Jig for cutting box joints when used on my router table and attached to my miter gauge.


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## MichaelAgate (Jan 15, 2012)

@KenBee - So good to hear the positive on this jig. I was totally impressed with it in the video, and was even more excited when I found that I have the specific issue to build it. Thanks for the positive post.


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## Bobmedic (Sep 24, 2010)

I made one, I didn't buy the kit I bought all the hardware at Lowes. I use it and it works great. I wouldn't think of spending money on a factory built one since I used this. I'm not sure what problems other LJ's are having but I love mine.


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## MichaelAgate (Jan 15, 2012)

That's awesome Bobmedic. I am looking forward to making one. Thanks for the comment.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

I made three of these guys one for my local high school,one for a student and one for me . They work fine


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## MichaelAgate (Jan 15, 2012)

a1Jim - your word is gold with me. Thanks for the comment!


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## Fuzzy (Jun 25, 2007)

It simply amazes me that people are willing to part with upwards of $200 for a nice, extruded aluminum & plastic thingy from INCRA that performs exactly as a good $10 home made jig. Sure, the commercial unit might save a few minutes on setup, but I see that as it's only advantage.


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## Domer (Mar 8, 2009)

I just bought the Incra I-Box jig. The main advantage to me is the ease of set up. Every home made jig I have ever seen takes a lot of fiddling to get it right. The I-Box only takes a few minutes to set up a different with box joint. True it cost $170 but what is the cost of wasted material and time worth.

Domer


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

The jig looks ok to me but I wouldn't spend 170 on it.

helluvawreck
https://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com


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## Fuzzy (Jun 25, 2007)

No such thing as "wasted material" ... you should ALWAYS allow for some excess stock for fitting/coloring/finishing purposes. The few minutes I spend tuning the joints on my jig, I consider to be therapy … if I had to be ultra productive and account for every minute and every piece of scrap in my shop, I'd take up stamp collecting and sell off my shop.


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## AlaninlittleWash (Dec 3, 2011)

I am a bit biased when it comes to the I-BOX, but once you understand how it works and give it a try, you will be convinced there is no better way to make box joints. Its dual-pitch single leadscrew based positioning engine and precisely-sized guide pins make all the difference. They allow for quick, easy, yet precise "kiss" calibration and setup. They also allow you to change finger size in a flash with no test cuts. I don't have a link to it, but Australian Woodsmith Magazine just did a really nice review of it that has the best description of how the mechanism works and the benefits of doing it that way over other fixed pin and leadscrew based finger joint jigs (see below).

It is a little more complex to build than the Woodsmith/Shopnotes jig and there are no plans, but it is possible to make a DIY version of the I-BOX- I did!

Excerpted from Australian Woodsmith #95:

"The core innovation in this jig is a dual pitch lead screw that adjusts the width of the indexing pin while
automatically moving the whole pin assembly the exact same distance from the cutter. Gone are the challenges
of machining a key the same size as your cutter and then sneaking up on the blade until you get the
distance right. The iBOX automatically adjusts itself so that the pin size always matches the size of the cutter.
This means that it does not matter if the cutter is metric or imperial, brand new or has been resharpened
several times, the spacing will always be perfect."


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## MichaelAgate (Jan 15, 2012)

The I-BOX looks well worth it if you are a box joint kind of guy. I for one have recently check the videos and LOVE IT. Seems to work on the same principle as the shop notes version but this is an INCRA. woot. Beautiful jig. I think I will order one.


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## AlaninlittleWash (Dec 3, 2011)

I think you will really like it.

Actually, they work quite a bit differently. With the Woodsmith/Shopnotes jig the user must independently adjust two separate leadscrews to set the guide pin spacing, MANUALLY set the cutter-to-guide pin spacing, then depending on how lucky you are, do a number of test cuts. Quick, easy, precise, and automatic are words that certainly don't come to mind when setting and using that jig.

How often you will use it depends on the volume and what you build. But when you want to make box joints, it sure is nice to be able to pull it from the cabinet, set it for any finger size, and almost immediately start cutting perfect joints. As to pricing, you get what you pay for. Compare it to the price of just one finger template used by some other jigs. The same can be said about many woodworking tools and accessories. Purists who do everything by hand won't want it.

Up until I received mine a few weeks ago (about the same time many others did), I never had a full-up production unit so I was eager to give it a try right away. I decided to put box joints on the changing table topper I was building. I quickly assembled and set it for 1/2" wide fingers. I did a test purely to evaluate the aesthetics of that finger size. I didn't like the look so I restacked my dado for 3/8". I didn't measure it, I didn't have to (turns out it was less than 3/8"). It only took about 10 seconds to reset the I-BOX to the new finger size- much less time than it took to restack the dado! Here are the results:



















Here are the finished pieces:


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## MichaelAgate (Jan 15, 2012)

Ok, i'm sold. that is darn impressive! both the jig and your work. Thanks for sharing that.


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## jusfine (May 22, 2010)

For some reason, I am a sucker for jigs as well, will definitely check this I-BOX out. thanks for the tip, Alan!

Hey, I did see the video on it, it looks to be an advanced version of my 1980 little Incra jig I must still have somewhere. I like it and and have ordered one.

Thanks for the thread, Michael!


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## Fuzzy (Jun 25, 2007)

I too am a bit of a sucker for jigs … but for nearly $200 … I'm simply not THAT big of a sucker.

At about 1/2 that price point, I'd be all over it.


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