# box joint



## CanuckEh (Sep 10, 2014)

I am trying to make some nice boxes using a box joint. What I need to know is when do I cut in my dado for the bottom. I am having small holes on the joint were the groove is.


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## MadMark (Jun 3, 2014)

Just fit the bottom in and let it set. Dadoing causes more issues than it solves.
This is where a good, square fit is mandatory. You'll quickly find out how tight your dims & joinery are.









M


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## jdh122 (Sep 8, 2010)

I find it easiest to do the dado after cutting the joint, because it's easier at that point to see clearly where it needs to be (ie not straddling two fingers). As you've discovered, if you cut through-dados on all four sides you'll see a hole on the sides or the front and back. This is why two of them need to be stopped-dados that don't go all the way through. The tablesaw is not the ideal tool for this, I prefer using the router table, since you can mark where to start and stop and then lower the piece onto the blade or raise the blade into the work.


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

Some simply cut a plug to fit the hole. If done with care, it's barely noticeable.


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## Chashint (Aug 14, 2016)

> Just fit the bottom in and let it set. Dadoing causes more issues than it solves.
> M
> - MadMark


Please add details of the issues with dadoing the bottoms in and describe how you install the bottoms on your boxes.


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## MadMark (Jun 3, 2014)

Make the four sides and measure the bottom and cut to fit, when you glue it goes in last and will make a strong joint esp if the bottom is the same thickness as the sides.

M


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## Chashint (Aug 14, 2016)

Thank you.


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

On this one, IIRC, I made the groove line up where it would be covered by the pins, the matching grooes on the ends were stopped. OP could use a "tab" on the ends of the bottom, located on the narrow end/sides of the box. Full length grooves on the long sides would be covered by the pins of the narrow ends. Tab could even resemble a tenon, and the short slot would be centered. A few chops with a chisel to make the short slot….


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## MadMark (Jun 3, 2014)

This one time, at band camp …

I'v made box joint boxes with stopped dados on the router. Then cut the corners of the bottom at a 45°. This makes a corner leaky box. The outside looks the same but this is a *lot* of effort for minimal improvement. Not to mention that on a rabbeted box you tend to lose 2x the bottom thickness in the inside. Butt joint with a tight fit allows you to use the same material as the sides for the bottom and make a much stronger box.

M


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