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"Universal box joint jig"

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"Universal box joint jig"

Postby 9fingers » 25 Sep 2016, 15:35

Enforced periods of idleness away from the workshop aka holidays usually mean that my mind wanders onto some new project or other that I can do once I get home.
I've wanted to make box joints for a while now and have a requirement soon so that has been this holidays thought exercise.
My target spec has been to cope with timber from 10mm to 20mm thickness and with pins from 4 to 20mm
Most jigs I've seen only work for a fixed pin size which dictates the overall width of the joint to be = pin width *2*n where n is the number of pins. Rather like the simple dovetail jigs I find this too restrictive.
My jigs will be fully adjustable and I will use it with a dado set in the table saw but the design will be adaptable or use on a router table and the pin sizes will only be constrained but thne cutter size of which there are a good range in the 4 to 20 mm range both metric and imperial.
Firstly is there any interest in a full write up of this project and secondly any comments on the range of adjustments that I propose. Making it work over too large a range does make the design more complex and a jig to do big chunky joints might've bestdone as a second scaled up model hence my use of "universal" in the title.
Comments welcome.

Bob
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Re: "Universal box joint jig"

Postby Malc2098 » 25 Sep 2016, 16:13

Bob,

I have the Veritas router table and that allows variable sizes, obviously dependent on the size of the cutter.

I've also spent a while watching the AustroCanadian guy making his.

But I would be interested on a British design.
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Re: "Universal box joint jig"

Postby 9fingers » 25 Sep 2016, 17:22

Yes Ive looked at the Matthias Wandel one but aiming for something a bit simpler whilst still being variable. I did dally with something based on the electronic leadscrew project which has a lot of open source work available. Whilst it would appeal to me with an engineering background as well as programming it possibly would be outside the range of interests on here.
Ive talked with Steve Maskery and he is happy for me to plagiarise some of his stuff so I'll be going that route.


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Re: "Universal box joint jig"

Postby Malc2098 » 25 Sep 2016, 17:33

I shall wait with interest and anticipation.

I can wait quite a bit; the groundwork won't start for about a month!
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Re: "Universal box joint jig"

Postby kirkpoore1 » 25 Sep 2016, 17:36

Edit:

Duh, sometimes I need to reread a post. :) Fortunately, I have a dado set, but most folks over there don't seem to.
----

Bob:

By "adaptable for use on a router table", do you mean it's primary use will be on a table saw?

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Re: "Universal box joint jig"

Postby kirkpoore1 » 25 Sep 2016, 17:39

A better question is--how are you going to handle variable cut width if the user doesn't have a dado stack?

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Re: "Universal box joint jig"

Postby 9fingers » 25 Sep 2016, 17:42

kirkpoore1 wrote:Edit:

Duh, sometimes I need to reread a post. :) Fortunately, I have a dado set, but most folks over there don't seem to.
----

Bob:

By "adaptable for use on a router table", do you mean it's primary use will be on a table saw?

Kirk
who hasn't used box joints, but probably should sometimes...


Yes as I said in the first post I will use table saw and dado head. Or my FTG 4mm blade.
I feel similarly about box joints and have done so many dovetails lately I could do with a change of joints
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Re: "Universal box joint jig"

Postby 9fingers » 25 Sep 2016, 17:43

kirkpoore1 wrote:A better question is--how are you going to handle variable cut width if the user doesn't have a dado stack?

Kirk


Tough! :lol:
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Re: "Universal box joint jig"

Postby Andyp » 25 Sep 2016, 17:45

Of course there will be interest in a full write up.
Although I will be curious I can't see me making one but if the search engine bots do their stuff correctly your thread will soon be picked up by other like minded souls.
I do not think therefore I do not am.

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Re: "Universal box joint jig"

Postby DaveL » 25 Sep 2016, 21:04

I must admit to be thinking about a box joint jig so this has come at the right time, waiting with interest Bob.
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Re: "Universal box joint jig"

Postby stu » 25 Sep 2016, 22:26

Have a look at this one Bob, https://youtu.be/vRF7OvUAQjY interesting approach to the task which I haven't seen elsewhere. It's a good channel, well worth a look at some of the other videos.

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Re: "Universal box joint jig"

Postby Wizard9999 » 25 Sep 2016, 22:46

Looking forward to this Bob!

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Re: "Universal box joint jig"

Postby Woodbloke » 25 Sep 2016, 22:55

stu wrote:Have a look at this one Bob, https://youtu.be/vRF7OvUAQjY interesting approach to the task which I haven't seen elsewhere. It's a good channel, well worth a look at some of the other videos.

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Sorry, that is truly appalling when you see how the operator uses the jig - Rob
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Re: "Universal box joint jig"

Postby 9fingers » 26 Sep 2016, 06:42

I'm on the road travelling through France again and on low bandwidth. I will have to view the joys of that video when I have access to more bits per fortnight.

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Re: "Universal box joint jig"

Postby stu » 26 Sep 2016, 09:38

Woodbloke wrote:
stu wrote:Have a look at this one Bob, https://youtu.be/vRF7OvUAQjY interesting approach to the task which I haven't seen elsewhere. It's a good channel, well worth a look at some of the other videos.

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Sorry, that is truly appalling when you see how the operator uses the jig - Rob


Could you add some context to the 'truly appaling' Rob - or do you just mean the way that he operates it is not very safe? Anyway, the point of the link was to demonstrate the use of 2 different pitches on the threaded rod to set up the pin on the jig, which I thought was quite clever and hadn't seen elsewhere. Did you have any comment to make on that?
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Re: "Universal box joint jig"

Postby Woodbloke » 26 Sep 2016, 12:01

stu wrote:
Woodbloke wrote:
stu wrote:Have a look at this one Bob, https://youtu.be/vRF7OvUAQjY interesting approach to the task which I haven't seen elsewhere. It's a good channel, well worth a look at some of the other videos.

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Sorry, that is truly appalling when you see how the operator uses the jig - Rob


Could you add some context to the 'truly appaling' Rob - or do you just mean the way that he operates it is not very safe? Anyway, the point of the link was to demonstrate the use of 2 different pitches on the threaded rod to set up the pin on the jig, which I thought was quite clever and hadn't seen elsewhere. Did you have any comment to make on that?


When you see the jig in use, the operators fingers appear to be just a few cm above the spinning blade. Once I saw that I completely lost interest - Rob
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Re: "Universal box joint jig"

Postby Commander » 26 Sep 2016, 12:26

I will be watching this one Bob, A box joint jig is something I have wanted for some time now.
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Re: "Universal box joint jig"

Postby chataigner » 26 Sep 2016, 12:47

A really important factor for me would be not needing a dado set. The arbor on my saw will take two blades spaced by a mm or so (a washer or two), but no more than that. I'm really keen to find a means to cut finger joints of different widths.

Have you seen this : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSr7EqTrJvQ

It seems a bit clumsy to use, open to operator errors, but the principle is very interesting I thought.
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Re: "Universal box joint jig"

Postby Newbie_Neil » 26 Sep 2016, 14:33

Hi Bob,

I'm looking forward to your write up on this jig. I would use it on a router table and I like your inclusion of "universal".

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Re: "Universal box joint jig"

Postby StevieB » 26 Sep 2016, 17:02

The Incra I box springs to mind....

http://www.incra.com/precision_fences-ibox.html

If you can achieve that accuracy for a fraction of the over inflated price then you could have a commercial success on your hands!

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Re: "Universal box joint jig"

Postby stu » 26 Sep 2016, 17:32

StevieB wrote:The Incra I box springs to mind....

http://www.incra.com/precision_fences-ibox.html

If you can achieve that accuracy for a fraction of the over inflated price then you could have a commercial success on your hands!

Steve


Aaah - so that's where the idea comes from for the jig in the video I posted!
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Re: "Universal box joint jig"

Postby 9fingers » 26 Sep 2016, 17:41

A few comments on the last few posts and youtube links.

Although the dual pitch screw idea is novel ( it is how they fused SWMBO's knackered thumb joints rigid a number of years back by drilling into the tip of the thumb and inserting a dual pitch screw which pulled the knuckle halves together whilst nature knitted the bones together. ) I'm planning to minimise the amount of metalwork in this design as many woodworkers seem to have an aversion to use of other materials. There will have to be some but I'll try to minimise the machining.

My jig will use the huge flexibility of a dado head. I have one in my armoury and I use it a lot. Those who can't/won't use one, can adapt the jig for use on the router table either by use of a tee slot or running against a fence. There will still be a wide range of pin widths available by use of metric and imperial router bits.

Rob and I often don't agree on preferred woodworking methods and this design will reinforce the difference in our thinking. Not right or wrong just different. I use a plane to prop the workshop door open on a warm day, Rob shaves wood with it when it gets cut wrongly :lol: :lol:

The video links have been interesting thank you. I did not realise how many people had made adjustable jigs
I've not seen one like mine but that is not to say is is not out there :lol:

Thanks for the interest so far!

Bob
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Re: "Universal box joint jig"

Postby Woodbloke » 27 Sep 2016, 09:00

9fingers wrote:
Rob and I often don't agree on preferred woodworking methods and this design will reinforce the difference in our thinking. Not right or wrong just different. I use a plane to prop the workshop door open on a warm day, Rob shaves wood with it when it gets cut wrongly :lol: :lol:

Bob


The jig itself is interesting but what gave me the willies was watching him use the thing. I've never used a box making jig but there are a few around that can be built for use on a router table and if I were ever to use one, I think that would be my preferred option - Rob
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Re: "Universal box joint jig"

Postby Stargazer » 27 Sep 2016, 09:05

Bob, I am interested to see what you have devised simply because I like to see how things are done or I might use part of in something else. I don't have room for a table saw but do have a router, so use on a router table is probably the nearest I ever get to something like this in the future.
Just seeing the flexibility of the finger joint as used by Matthias Wandel gives an idea of its versatility.
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Re: "Universal box joint jig"

Postby TrimTheKing » 27 Sep 2016, 16:54

I'm interested to see this evolve Bob.

I don't have a dado so that's out for me but I have seen Steve M's video on his for the router table so when I have my shop done I will definitely be building one as I have projects in mind to utilise finger joints.

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