Will this help???

.

 

Stick's jig is only one of many that you can find by Google searching "box joint jig" and "finger joint jig" on the internet. Look through them and decide which one you like best.
Most of these jigs can be used on either a table saw or a router table.

The trick with these is to make the "key" and the "space" between the key and the saw blade or router bit EXACTLY the same width that the saw blade or router bit cuts (and not the width of the blade or bit). You will also need to make the jig so there is no side to side play in your guiding method. Any slop or side-to-side movement of the sliding method of your jig will produce errors in the joint. If you stack the sides of your box on the jig and clamp them to the jig correctly it's possible to cut two corners of the box at the same time, but don't try this until you get the jig adjusted and have made a few successful box joint corners (A side to B side) that fit together well.

I've made more than a dozen different versions of these jigs over the years. Some were great and others not so great, but I now have an Incra I-Box jig. It's expensive, but it made cutting box joints of any size from 1/8" to about 1" per pin easy to set up for and easy to use, and it can be used on either a router table or a table saw (I prefer my table saw and Freud SBOX8 blade for 1/4 and 3/8 pins). Since getting the I-Box jig, all of my previous box joint jigs have become firewood.

Charley

 

I thought this was a very clever jig, but I don't think my skills are good enough to make it

Screw advance box joint jig


Gary

 

I agree with Charley. a good quality and easy to use box joint jig is way to go. I use an Incra LS positioner on my router table which makes it a snap. You can build box joint jigs that will work. Just be aware that you need good precision or you will have disappointing results. I've also built box joint jigs and it took a couple of tries to get to the point where I got decent results.

By the way, fingers joint has several meanings - in the US it usually means a joint for joining two boards to make a longer board like this

Though, I have heard UK folks use that term for box joints like this

 

You are correct Phil. What most people call a box joint is better known as a finger joint. If you do a web search for finger joint that is overwhelmingly what the results will be. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finger_joint

The tapered finger splice joint is what many people like to call just a finger joint. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splice_joint and this one https://www.google.ca/search?q=tape...ch?q=tapered+finger+joint&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=4tthVra6GsHCjwP0pJHABQ

 

Box joints are squared off regardless of size. Finger joints taper.

 

Not according to guys like Tage Frid Mike and he had more experience and knowledge of woodworking than you and me put together. Plus google searches don't bear you out. Even Wikipedia doesn't agree with you. "Finger joints are also called box joints" by almost every reference I have ever seen.

 

Yes Chuck, there is a great deal of inaccurate information out there. There are many "experts" on either side of the question of what to call the joints. Manufacturers almost universally use the descriptions I stated for their bits and jigs. This isn't something I pulled out of thin air, it is based on researching many companies web sites. This is also the terminology used by Bob and Rick Rosendahl who supported the formation of routerforums. I believe after 14 seasons on PBS they qualify as experts too.

 

Mike the term box joint might replace finger joint someday but it hasn't yet. All of the woodworkers that I consider to be classically trained experts use the term finger joints. Wiki even says finger joint. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finger_joint
Finger Joints
Multi-Purpose Tablesaw Jig - Fine Woodworking Interactive
Marking Out a Finger Joint (Part 1)

 

Stick, that is it. There was one that showed overlapping two pieces and cutting two pieces at once so they match up. thanks to all for their replies! Box joints? Finger Joints? Whatever it takes to make a nice box.
Should have titled the thread a bit different, too.
"Box or finger joints for building a box"

 

A box joint bit is nothing more than a finger joint bit named such for marketing purposes..

 

not so.
A finger joint is one that has sections tapering to a point, and is designed to increase the gluing surface of a butt joint.

A box joint has square cutters to give a strong and decorative corner joint.

The names have become mixed up through common usage, but they are two separate cutters to do two separate jobs

 

Yep finger joint or box joint is one and the same. Somebody thought a fancy name like finger joint would sell more bits ($$$$$).

 

No, I don't think so. Try to fit a finger joint (tapers to a point) at a 90 degree angle. Maybe a finger joint is a type of box joint, or vice versa, but they are distinct, and I think finger=tapered is a good distinction. Now, on to the other pages I have not yet read.

 

Chuck, I already posted the photos from MLCS and Whiteside. Here are the results from other sites. As you can see they all show box joints being square and finger joints being tapered. Members need definitions that actually get them what they want. This is the reason that these definitions were placed into the forums glossary. All the major tool companies agree on this.

 

To a large extent this is somewhat funny, if not pathetic. Yet somehow interesting.

here is a short list of established, well credentialed sources who make no distinction between box and finger joint.
Simply put, the two terms are quite often interchangeable.

WoodWorkers Guild of America; Woodworking Joints: Which One Should You Use

Gary Rogowski: The Complete Illustrated Guide to Joinery (A standard in joinery literature); The Complete Illustrated Guide to Joinery by Gary Rogowski - Complete Illustrated Guide Series - Woodworking - Techniques - Hardcover Book - Taunton Store

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodworking_joints

ShopSmith: Incra I-Box? Comparison To Convention Box Joint Method

LeeValley: Incra® I-Box Finger Joint Jig - Lee Valley Tools

Leigh joinery jigs: https://www.leighjigs.com/super_fingers.php

FineWoodworking: Multi-Purpose Tablesaw Jig - Fine Woodworking Interactive

Now, I have no names to drop and I certainly don't pretend to have any industry contacts to reference, but
what I do got is common sense. And that is what the members need to use. Just a lil common sense. This
clearly if not definitively illustrates that a common joint may be referred to by various names. The names may
be local, regional or even national, this does not mean they are universal and absolute. A tapered finger joint
is completely different than a finger/box joint. Application is completely different. Yet the names of the joints
are confusingly similar.
I have always just considered a box joint a box joint and a finger joint a finger joint until this marvelous display of
editorial buffoonery. The fact is that the two can be and in many circles are just one in the same. Just because
terms and definitions were laid out in a long lost glossary don't mean they were/are correct. All it means is that the
author of the definitions believed it to be a certain way or to have fit within certain criteria. Inquires like answers are not always
black and white, one person and/or source should not be expected to be the definitive source of all things wood working.
As is said quite often in here, there is more than one way to skin a cat, and at least a couple dozen ways telling you how to do it.

 

To a large extent this is somewhat funny, if not pathetic. Yet somehow interesting.






what I do got is common sense. A tapered finger joint
is completely different than a finger/box joint. Application is completely different. Yet the names of the joints
are confusingly similar.
I have always just considered a box joint a box joint and a finger joint a finger joint until this marvelous display of
editorial buffoonery. The fact is that the two can be and in many circles are just one in the same. Just because
terms and definitions were laid out in a long lost glossary don't mean they were/are correct. All it means is that the
author of the definitions believed it to be a certain way or to have fit within certain criteria. Inquires like answers are not always
black and white, one person and/or source should not be expected to be the definitive source of all things wood working.
As is said quite often in here, there is more than one way to skin a cat, and at least a couple dozen ways telling you how to do it.

Apart from becoming a little overheated here, I ask you one question, answer yes or no...
Can you make a CORNER box joint with a finger joint cutter?

 

and some are worried about political/religious content posts/threads...

SNORK!!!

 

Fight! Fight! *grabs popcorn*
Sorry, Forum entertainment is always to be appreciated...

I am SO glad that my naivete is just that, and not stupidity (for once!) Hooray!
Coming from bee forums, I knew them as box joints. But then I started reading on other sites (like Shopsmith and WWGOA and FineWoodworking), I thought maybe I was wrong.

I kinda am, and kinda ain't. But it's NOT me! YAY!!!!
English changes according to usage.
Personally, I like the distinction of "Tapered Finger Joints" to clarify those not square, and will clarify that point if I use "finger joint," but in general, will stick to box joint for the square ones I will be making.

~M

 

Moz, youve grasped the important point here, its a discussion. To inform and enlighten. If 50 people get it wrong, does that make it right?
But the second most important point is that the two are NOT the same, and are (mostly) NOT interchangeable.

The box joint cutter makes corner joints for boxes (the clue is in the title).
It can make "nice" corner joints, it can also make extra surface glue areas for side by side joints if the wood is sufficiently thick.

The finger cutter is specifically designed to give the maximum gluing surface area for a side by side butt joint.
As the pictures prove its a lousy box joint maker.
I'm sure youve heard of the saying that America and England are two countries divided by a common language? This is such a case.

 

I hate "finger jointed" lumber! 'Nuff said.
The guys that invented that crap should have been fingerjointed...

 

I hate "finger jointed" lumber! 'Nuff said.

WHY? It does its intended job, so why the hate?
~M

 

OOOh. I think I may have found something...
The Wood Knack: March 2015
It's based off this design:
Single Blade Box Joint Jig Plans | The WoodFather
With some nice modifications (I like the handle).

And unlike most of the jigs I've been seeing (including the Rockler), you can make BIG joints with it. I'm looking at 1" 'fingers,' on average...

~M

 

Most of the purchased jigs have a limited range of finger sizes. A home made jig can be any size you want. I saw a test quite a while back about whether finger size affected joint strength and it had very little effect between fingers about 1/8" to 3/8 or 1/2". I don't think they tested fingers larger than that.

 

just smiles and moves on...........

 

Moz; the finger jointed lumber is reasonably strong in longitudinal compression but a disaster when the load is applied perpendicular to the joint (tension).
Would you walk out on a finger jointed plank, 10' off the ground? Sure, it might hold ...but if it doesn't 'somebody's gonna get hurt'.
All the Engineering reports in the World wouldn't get me to step out on that plank. And this from the guy that swears by the strength of wood glues.
It's not the glue I don't trust, it's the severed wood fibres that'll let go.... (that's my story and I'm sticking to it!)

 

Moz, please don't mistake a spirited discussion for a fight. I hold Chuck in the highest regard. He is sincere in his beliefs as am I. We both have valid points for your consideration. Many sites say either/or on this subject while manufacturers have standardized the terms. Whose lead to follow on this topic? Woodworkers or manufacturers? If this leaves any doubt in your mind please read my quote.

 

Moz, please don't mistake a spirited discussion for a fight.

Oh noes, Mike. Until I see blood, flying teeth, and LOTS of snarky personal remarks, I generally don't settle into my recliner to watch the pugilism...

But ya gotta admit, this subtle difference in terminology has gotten a few members slightly heated.

Me? I call em what best works, or best fits in with the situation, and revert to "Thingy," or "Whatchamahootie," if I don't have, or can't remember the appropriate term...

you say tow-may-toe, I say tow-may-toe... ozer says kumquat...
All works out if the router is unplugged...
I tend to forget how the Internet has shortcomings conveying humor and/or sarcasm.

No harm, no foul, truly.
Apologies if my warped humor was misconstrued...

~M

 

Warped humour is the norm here...

 

What about a zipper joint?

 

>. Go online to a tool store ( anyone of your choosing ) type finger joint router bit then type in box joint router bit and look at the difference!

 

Now, that's a great idea....

Rockler sez:

Finger joint bit

and

Box joint cutter set


One is tapered, one has squared ends. Guess which one has the squared off ends....

Let's put this one to bed shall we? Before it gets completely out of hand.

 

Man, I didn't intend for the thread to go this long. It seems I opened a rather large container of annelids (big can of worms). For me, no matter what the terminology has been determined to be correct or whatever, stick did give a link to the basic information I was looking for through the thread. All I want to do is make some nice boxes with lids for our Lions club drawings.
Thanks, stick!

 

Language is dynamic (someone already posted this) so meanings will change with usage.

Personally, I like to make a distinction between "box joint" and "finger joint" because it makes it easier to understand what's being said (at least it did before this thread).

I make no distinction between "finger joint" and "tapered finger joint" as I think of them as the same thing. In fact, I've referred to a "box joint" used to make a butt joint as a "squared finger joint".

It seems to me box joints are used to make boxes and although they may technically be a type of finger joint, I don't typically refer to them as such.

A square is a special rectangle. It's also a special case of a rhombus but I typically use the terms square, rectangle and rhombus to mean specific things. It's just easier (like box joint and finger joint).

:no: :grin: :nerd: 0 > :wink: :dance3:

 

One thing I wanted to add for what its worth. I have the rockler box joint jig. I was having problems with actually getting the box joint to work. I was doing it on the router table, when I would pull the wood back, the "tooth" would get broken off each time. So when I was done, it looked like a piece of wood with a toothless grin. I think the problem was partially because there is a bit of play in the jig so I wasn't pulling it exactly straight back. I also think I was using the wrong type of bit. I was using a common straight cutting bit. It was pointed out to me that a spiral upcut bit would work better. Just something for Moz when she gets to that point in making box/finger joints.


Gary

 

...I also think I was using the wrong type of bit. I was using a common straight cutting bit. It was pointed out to me that a spiral upcut bit would work better. Just something for Moz when she gets to that point in making box/finger joints.
Gary

Much appreciated, Gary.
I would far rather learn how to do Box Joints on my router than the table saw, because the router makes a nicer inside edge of the cut...

But I had not heard of a "spiral upcut bit," before now. Something new to learn about, thank you!
~M