# incra i box jointing jig



## Seanwood (Nov 28, 2012)

I had my eye on this 




Handy for what i intend to do. And please dont say .."make ur own"...just too fiddly. I would be interested to see what others think of it. Plus does the mitre bar on the jig fit all standard router tables?..it says so…so i guess it must. Ohh dam it i 'll come out with the truth…..I'm ashamed to say that i bought a cheap Chinese made Dakota powered router table. Its full title being the magnificant (DK2080). I wanted to make small boxes with box joints…i searched for a finger joint jig online and saw that the best on offer was the Incra i box…...a bit pricey …but seems a versatile jig. Now I'm worried the Mitre track on the "magnificant" DK2080 wont take the mitre bar of the Incra.

I saw somthing online about a shopsmith version of mitres slots/bars for the Incra i box..but i dont understand it. So did anyone get the jig and how did it go for u if so. Oh and please dont say "Build ur own router table that will take the mitre bar if the Incra" I'm just not good enuf…...yet!


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## OhioMike (Jun 24, 2012)

I recently purchased an iBox jig but haven't had an opportunity to use it yet so I can't review it for you. What I can do however, is measure the miter bar.

It is precisely .729 inches (seven hundred twenty nine thousandths) so it's a bit under 3/4 inch.

Of course, it has nylon adjusters that can increase its size for a tight fit in a standard 3/4" miter slot.

Mike


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## Seanwood (Nov 28, 2012)

Thanks OhioMike.for that….out with me trusty digital calipers., my glasses, large magnifying lamp and some measuring i will do. BTW Britain forced us here in Ireland to use the metric system when we were under their cosh, so what would that be millimetres?......I'd expect it would be bigger than Pie if u converted it! Only messin i'll work it out for meself…..and thanks again Mike.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

I really like mine, and that miter bar adjustment feature is what they use on their miter gauges, I've had one of them for about 15+ years, and it's been through three saws now and still working fine. The handy part of the I box is the adjust ability of the finger size. I recently made a box with 1/8" fingers, it worked quite well. You can also make your box with a larger finger in the center of the span, which is pretty cool…and allows you to mismatch the finger width relative to the workpiece width (doesn't have to divide out evenly).


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## gwilki (May 14, 2014)

I looked at the iBox and it appears to be of the usual high Incra quality. I did not buy it because it can only take one piece of wood at a time. If you are only making a few boxes, that may not influence your decision.


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

I like mine. OK. I also like to make jigs. However, I think that it is sometimes a toss up between making a jig or buying a jig. I have found that I don't have time to make a really nice jig which I am capable of doing. So that tossup thing always enters into the equation.

helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com


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## Seanwood (Nov 28, 2012)

I think u can use the i box on both the tablesaw and router table…....well in the States anyways u can use a dado blade on ur tablesaw for making finger joints. Here in Europe , the powers that be, wont allow us to use dadoes as they are deemed too unsafe and all tablesaw are made here with short arbors that don't accomodate a dado blade. So u CAN use the Incra jig on a tablesaw ONLY if u purchased ur tablesaw from the States.
So as a result the i box can only be used on our router tables here. I have to watched a few demos online with the i box..special spiral bits/cutters are the norm for making fingers…they prevent breakout apparently. So although the i box jig is adjustable in setting the size of the box joint from 3-18mm….just think of the expense of buying seperate spiral cutters with diameters to do the whole range from 3-18. I went online…and boy…those spiral cutters have a big price tag. 
So its a case of unless u are making a lot of boxes or fingers joints ..is it worth the expense….i have to think about it and work it out for myself if im getting value for it.


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## RRBOU (Feb 15, 2012)

I have one and absolutely love it. I only use it on the router table for making wooden hinges with fingers over 3/8". For box joints and 1/4" and 3/8" hinge joints I use the Freud box joint blade.

(here is a link to it on amazon.) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000ASGV1E/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=66990953352&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=841458352661992546&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_3g7igjj5u_b

I leave it set up for 3/8 box joints for all thickness 1/2" or thicker for box joints. If I want to use it for thinner material I switch it to the 1/4" joint.

I tried many times to use it on the router table and was not satisfied with it for box joints. but for hinges it works fantastic as the joint you want to be just a pinch loose anyway.

First thing you will want to do is make several backer boards from 1/4" MDF. I made 20 of them and have used up 9 in one year so far.


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## Seanwood (Nov 28, 2012)

Hi RRBOU, thanks for the tip on backer boards…again in Europe we cant use the dado blades….so i lose out there….so the router table set up is'nt as accurate as the table saw ….hmmm.its all very frustrating …why did'nt my ancestors emigrate to the US.during the Irish Famine..i'd be a happier woodworker…and also another thing,,,,tools are more cheaper ur side of the water.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Seanwood, Are the arbors in Europe too short to accomodate a Freud Box Joint Cutter set? That's what I use and it is a lot faster and cleaner than the router table.


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## RRBOU (Feb 15, 2012)

You can get very accurate joints from the router table with the Ibox . The biggest problem is the wood moving when passing it over the bit. I can cut all four of the sides in about half of the time with the box joint blade as I can with any bit. Straight, up cut, down cut it doesn't matter, but the up cut Whiteside's are far superior and acutely seam to hold the wood down better.


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## Woodbum (Jan 3, 2010)

I like mine. I use it on the TS with a Freud box joint blade or a Forrest Dado King. The process for me is faster than cutting them on the router table. Read the instructions and watch the video. The suggestion on the backer boards above is spot on the mark. As usual, a top quality, well thought out and manufactured from the folks at Incra. Their products are hard to beat.


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## rwe2156 (May 7, 2014)

I use mine on a TS. Dado blade seems so to work fine I've read others say you don't need a box blade set.

Set up was straightforward. Impressed with the accuracy. Like the idea I can do custom joints (at least whatever widths my blades go to).

There's a bit of a learning curve, but once you get it dialed in it works very well.

One of the things I had (have) a hard time learning was setting up the sequence of cutting once you've got the sides arranged. Its that back to back thing my mind doesn't do welll with.

You will like it.


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