# Good Box Joint Jig



## vegeta

great review your box joint looks great 
most peolpe are making there ZCI's out of plywood they seem more stable and less pron to crack/chip if you drop on the ground or get a catch on the saw i made all of mine out of ply did the same as you cut a finger hole and used screws for leveling 
now time to start to make some sleds for the saw


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## RandyMorter

Thanks Eddy - Now ya tell me! I only made the one. I'll try some plywood when I need to make another one. Other than that it seems to be working fine.


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## rance

It seems that you had quite a time getting it adjusted. One of the big problems with a jig like this is repeatability. After you remove it from your miter gauge and reinstall it, how hard is it to get it back into adjustment? Seems from your problems that 5 stars is not quite meritted. Just a thought. The other thing about box joints, making one corner is way different than making a whole box. I'd be interested in seeing your 2nd box after you install it on your miter gauge for the 2nd time. Thanks for the review.


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## RandyMorter

Thanks rance - I don't think removing this jig and replacing it back on the miter should be a factor (but, I'll see!). There's not much on the jig itself that moves (just the pins that fit into the notch). It's the placement of the jig on the miter that counts. I really think that using the dial indicator is a pretty quick way to get it set up, but again, if I don't use it for months, I'll probably have to go through another learning curve (unless I write down some notes but who knows if that'll happen!).

The 5 stars may be a problem. I don't know. Personally I pay very little attention to the stars on reviews but try to get a feeling for a reviewed piece of equipment from the text. On the other hand, I think this unit does what it says it will and I don't see any issues with the jig, either on its own or by looking at other jigs online.

I did make my first "real" box yesterday and it turned out pretty good - the issues were not with the jig but due to my lack of prepping the stock completely (it's just a prototype so I didn't completely mill the wood). The other issues I had were a bit of tear-out due to having already cut out the sacrificial fence behind my cuts and the fact that I routed a dado through the joint. You can see more on my blog but here's a picture of the box so far:


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## itsmic

Hi Randy, WOW, You sure have been busy, I like Your review, very specific and informative. Thanks for the mention, That is nice of You. To clarify, my multiple cuts are made on a router table, but, there are jigs that make them on a table saw as well. I really like the looks of Your new box, the proportions of size with the size of the box joints really works for me, I like that wood too, shows off nature, and your placement of the knots sets it off nicely. Looking forward to Your progress on this project, thanks for sharing


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## RandyMorter

Thanks Mic. I know you do yours on the router table. This jig will work on a router table too (in fact the "usage" directions that come with the jig only describe the router use). 
I haven't tried it yet but I'm going to try sticking two or more pieces together with spray adhesive to try to cut more than one piece at a time. For my "saddle caddy" project there are two drawers that are identical and which I'd really like to cut at the same time.


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## rance

That's a nice box there Randy. I too like the knots. And thanks for the followup info.


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## Dwain

Randy,

From one Phoenix woodworker to another, thanks for the review. Now that you have used this jig, do you think you could have built one yourself? I saw Norm make one on NYW and I thought I could copy, but it wasn't as easy as I thought. I would love to get your feedback. Again, nice review, and a nice box. You getting ready to shut down for the hot summer, or are you working through?

Thanks again,

Dwain


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## RandyMorter

Thanks rance & Dwain.

Dwain - I considered trying it but I read about other's attempts and decided not to. If you make it yourself and make the key or pin out of wood it will wear. You'll have to do something about it at some point. I didn't see an easy way to make an adjustable key. If you make it out of MDF or Ply it will be cheaper, especially if you already have the material laying around. If you make it yourself you can make it the size you need.

I looked at a number of jigs and this one just seemed to fit the bill. It's not terribly expensive and if you order it from Amazon the shipping was free. It's from aluminum. It has adjustable keys or pins. The only issue I see, and I haven't tried to do it yet, is if you want to try to cut multiple pieces at the same time. The Rockler router table jig allows you to cut multiple pieces at the same time.

Mic uses a different jig and he can cut a number of pieces at the same time. That's a great feature, even when doing a single box. You could do both ends at the same time and both sides at the same time, ensuring the cuts match.


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## RandyMorter

rance - Your comments have been in the back of my mind since reading them. I had an occaision to remove the jig from my saw and then had to mount it again to make some additional joints. It re-installed and cut the joints without ANY additional set up other than adjusting the blade height.

Note that the sub fence just mounts back onto the miter and there isn't much slop there. I had NOT changed the cut width, nor had I taken the dado blade off the saw. Either of those could impact the cuts. Next time I use it (I've now pulled the jig and blade off the saw) I'll update this again. But my in experience so far, as long as you use the same cut width each time, repeatability with the jig doesn't appear to be an issue. Thanks for pointing this out!


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