Using the Incra jig System

Mike Wingate

Friday, I had better success with the box joints. Using a better specced router bit,the joints were nice, but still tight. Today after much thought, I went back to the fence and cut some offset finger joints in thin MDF. These worked well. In the afternoon I sorted out some solid 3/8" oak. Planed and ripped. Planed and cross cut on the radial arm. Reduced the depth of cut, to make 2 passes on the router table. Easy with the router-lift. Trimmed a fraction off the edges rather than route the whole chunk off and split the edge. Dropped the fence slightly. Perfection. What a jig. No hammers or force needed. You do need to sort out the correct sized bits. The wood needs to be square and flat. You need front and backing waste. But after 5 minutes of routing, you have a really good box frame. I am really happy. Dovetails to follow soon.

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Mike Gager

cool lets see some pics!

psikes

Not trying to hijack this thread but has anyone tried the MLCS bits with the Incra jigs? I tried using an older 3/8 straight bit and my box joints would not match up. Checked it against another 3/8 bit and there was only about a 2/1000 difference but it sure shows up in the joints.

The MLCS Incra set is a good price bu tonly if they will work.

Thanks - Phil

Mike Wingate

I have the MCLS Incra bit set. The 3/8" bit is well under sized and will not work too well especially in quality Birch ply and really hard woods. I have replaced it with a 1/2" shank Trend cutter that is spot on. I have been using a 1/4" shank Trend cutter that was fine in oak. The other straight cutters from Incra work fine. I have not attempted any dovetails yet.

RustyW

The first thing I tried with my Incra was box joints with a 3/8" bit from the Grizzly Incra set and they didn't fit. I routed grooves with 4 different 3/8" bits, and none measured exactly 3/8" with the calipers. I ended up getting a Whiteside bit and everything fit fine.

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Rusty

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AxlMyk

I use a Freud 3/8" spiral upcut and the joints are right on. In softer wood there is a little room. Harder wood and they get real tight.

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harrysin

Everyone who has used or seen used the Incra fence system will agree that it's probably the most versatile and accurate system available, however, for the sake of newcomers who are interested in box making, I must reiterate that for accurate basic finger joints, jigs like the OakPark spacer fences, available in 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" are cheap and easy to use and would leave sufficient cash to buy a second router!

Attached Images

box-joints1.jpg (29.7 KB, 74 views)

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Harry

The best advice that I can give a newcomer to routing is, learn to use the router mounted, this can be as simple as a board held in a vice, with the router firmly attached and a simple fence held with clamps, and when he/she feels competant and confident in it's use and is familiar with all aspects of safety, THEN, and only then proceed to learn how to use the router hand held. This is MY opinion, and may or may not coincide with that of the forum management, but is based on a lifetime of woodworking.


http://members.dodo.com.au/~sharry02/

Birch

Say Harry, speaking of the Oak Park jigs, I dimly recall reading somewhere you can mount them to a piece of 1/2" ply or MDF and forgo drilling holes in top of your router table-just clamp the "board"with the jig on it to the router table top.
Is the gin getting to my brain or was there actually such a post?

harrysin

You're dead right Fatz, from what I can gather, many members use the OP spacer jig mounted on a board and clamp it to the table when required.

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Harry

The best advice that I can give a newcomer to routing is, learn to use the router mounted, this can be as simple as a board held in a vice, with the router firmly attached and a simple fence held with clamps, and when he/she feels competant and confident in it's use and is familiar with all aspects of safety, THEN, and only then proceed to learn how to use the router hand held. This is MY opinion, and may or may not coincide with that of the forum management, but is based on a lifetime of woodworking.


http://members.dodo.com.au/~sharry02/

curiousgeorge

Harry,
I am going to have to call a technical on you. The joints you made are not finger joints. They are box joints. Finger joints are what's used to splice the ends of two boards together as in 2 x 4's and such and are triangular in shape. This could lead to some confusion to the guys and gals just starting out.
This should help show the difference...
MLCS Finger Joint, Box Joint, Window Sill Carbide Tipped Router Bits

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George
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