Hello, and latest project that hasn't left the ground yet

[Terry Mac]

Just wanted to say hello to Don and all the forum members. Hello.

The latest project I'm working on is a box/finger joint jig for the table saw. Started making little wooden boxes out of the scrap in the shop and needed a quicker way of doing finger joints. I get too tired cutting by hand. I've got an old Craftsman dado set that's been strapped onto the table saw and now kinda playing with ideas on making the jig.

Made a zero-clearance insert with a kerf spacer to resaw the wood; that was fun. :eek: I wish the bandsaw was working. Anyway, toying around in the shop, drinking coffee before work.

Good day to all.

[Don]

Hey, Terry. If you don't have your jig made for the finger joints yet I have a suggestion. It's pretty simple and works well for short run finger joints about the length of a drawer or box.

Start with a tight fitting throat plate on the table saw (you know how to make them now, right?) and decide how wide you want your fingers, say 1/2". Mount the dado head and raise it up through the plate to the height of the thickness of your material for the boxes.

Then you will make a custom face for your mitre gauge by taking a 1 x 4 x 12" or so long. Hold it up on edge and make a pass through the dado head. Cut a block that will fit into this cut, this will be an alignment finger. Shift this over on the face of the mitre guage the thickeness of one finger, exactly.

Then you take your stock, hold it on end and make a cut, shift the stock over onto the finger and repeat. You will end up with perfectly spaced fingers. The mating peices get the same treatment, but you start at the edge of the cut on the mitre guage and not the alignment finger. Here's a drawing of what I'm talking about.

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m206/donwright/Drawings/Resized_CROP-IMG_NEW.jpg

Let me know if it works for you. If anyone else has other methods, post them!

All the best, Don

[Terry Mac]

Wow! Thanks for the picture Don, and the detailed layout instructions.

Definitely will try it out, and post pics.

Thanks again!

[woodman43]

Hey, Terry. If you don't have your jig made for the finger joints yet I have a suggestion. It's pretty simple and works well for short run finger joints about the length of a drawer or box.

Start with a tight fitting throat plate on the table saw (you know how to make them now, right?) and decide how wide you want your fingers, say 1/2". Mount the dado head and raise it up through the plate to the height of the thickness of your material for the boxes.

Then you will make a custom face for your mitre gauge by taking a 1 x 4 x 12" or so long. Hold it up on edge and make a pass through the dado head. Cut a block that will fit into this cut, this will be an alignment finger. Shift this over on the face of the mitre guage the thickeness of one finger, exactly.

Then you take your stock, hold it on end and make a cut, shift the stock over onto the finger and repeat. You will end up with perfectly spaced fingers. The mating peices get the same treatment, but you start at the edge of the cut on the mitre guage and not the alignment finger. Here's a drawing of what I'm talking about.

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m206/donwright/Drawings/Resized_CROP-IMG_NEW.jpg

Let me know if it works for you. If anyone else has other methods, post them!

All the best, Don

Don
How do you get these cool little sketches on here like this?

[Don]

Hey Wood. I have a document scanner on my desk. It's a cheapie, CanoScan liDE 90, about $90.00. Make the sketch, scan and save as a jpg. Upload to a picture hosting site, paste the link into the post. Almost the exact same as posting a photo. Let me know if you want to do it and need help.

dawjr

[woodman43]

Oh is that it. I have one of those flatbed scanners somewhere. I have to hunt it down, I haven't used since we got the all in one. Cool, thanks.