[RickKr]

I've just gotten my Incra LS Positioner set up and in use. First thing I did was clean up the sides of some maple. Really slick how with the Wonder Fence you can take off very small amounts. With the Bosch router table & the fence that came with it, the increments are fixed at 1/16", at least with the spacers that came with it.

I started out wanting to make a finger joint box, just to figure out how the LS works. I have a set of Craftsman chisels that came from my former father-in-law. The box they are in and the plastic cradle/insert appear to be made for the set of chisels, but the box is such crap, I have a hard time believing it was original with the chisel set.

At any rate, I decided to try making a replacement box. Turns out the only router bit I have that can be used with the LS is a 1/4" up cut. So, I selected 1/4" Baltic birch plywood for the box. I was very pleasantly surprised how easy it actually is to make the finger joints using the LS. I've never made any box/finger or dovetail joints before.

New box sides with rabbets for the bottom.

I'm ready to glue these together and put the bottom in, but I am intimidated by having to spread glue on all these small fingers and getting the glue distributed to all the corners in a timely manner without created a huge mess. I'd really like to keep the glue off the sides as much as possible. I have considered clipping the head off of a Q-Tip and using the stub end. I don't want to use a Q-Tip straight as I think cotton threads will get captured. What techniques have you guys used for this sort of glue-up?

I'd like to replace the hardware (hinges and front clasp) but I am having trouble finding much of anything. I've checked Rockler, Woodcraft and MicroMark. MicroMark has some, solid bras, but they seem too small. What suppliers have any of you used for hardware like these?

Thanks for any help.

Rick

 

[RickKr]

Thanks for the info, guys. The only wood glue I have is Titebond 3. I have a number of those metal handle brushes. Use them mainly for putting cutting oil on lathe turning/milling/drilling in metal. They seem too large and cumbersome for these 1/4" "box" joints. Thanks for the clarification on finger vs box joints. The bottom does fit tight, enough to use it for keeping things square. I was going to glue it in at the same time.

I recall looking at some of those clamping fixtures at Rockler a couple months back, and thinking "I don't have any need for those..." :smile:

Rick

 

[RickKr]

You inspired me. Off today to buy some nice figured hardwood to make a fancy box. I already have some invisible hinges, but not sure I'll make a hinged box. May have several available for remembrance boxes for Christmas gifts.

Tom,

I'd be interested in info about your invisible hinges. I've been searching various sites for small hinges and am not that satisfied with what I've found - for this particular box.

Rick

 

[RickKr]

Assemble the box dry, and apply blue painters tape in the corners, on each board. This will keep the inside clean

Then use small brushes like those show above, and glue up. After the glue dries, peel off the tape inside. You may need to run a chisel into the corners if there are any small beads left over.

Excellent idea. Thanks. I was particularly concerned about getting the glue out from those inside corners.

Rick

 

[RickKr]

Box Glued

I checked the one open hardware store in my town and the closest other three, 1-hr away and no one had the Titebond Extend. I could not wait to order some, so I went ahead with the TB3.

Worked out great. I trimmed down one of those foam brushes and also an acid brush. I tried the trimmed acid brush, but it put too much glue where I didn't want it. I went with the head-chopped-off-Q-tip. That worked perfectly, getting good amounts glue right where I wanted it, in the joints and not too much.

The glue up went without a hitch. I really appreciate the tip about using painters tape at the corners/edges. There wasn't much glue to wipe up, but what there was, was easy.

The joints came out quite nice, I think. I'm very impressed with the Incra LS Positioner. As stated in their documentation, using their tool/methods on box joints, if they are too loose or too tight (too loose = oversized, too tight = undersized), it is a problem with the bit not the LS. My joints were too tight. I tried shifting the fence a few thou., but that didn't work out. I just cut them regular and worked the joints a bit to get them to fit. I also measured my bit (1/4" Freud spiral upcut). It is 0.244", 0.006" undersized and by about as much as I tried shifting the fence. Still, I need to get a bit that is on size for this cutting.

Rick

 

[RickKr]

If the bit is undersize, you need to recut 1 side only of all the joints after offsetting the fence the needed amount.

Thanks. I tried that. It means offsetting for each stack and I think that is were I got off-track, keeping track.

Rick

 

[RickKr]

Thanks, Charley. Good information.

As noted, I went with the Titebond 3. Since it was a small box, there were no problems with working time. Went very well. I have not yet, but need to order some TB Extend. I don't have any more boxes planned for the immediate future, so hopefully I order it in time.

Flipsaw. I did see some hide glue at the local store. Decided against trying it, as I felt comfortable with the TB3 for this box. Also, I found that small box hardware site and ordered some from them, and a couple others. It was hit or miss finding what I thought would work. Still waiting on all of it to really find out.

The blue tape worked great. I like the idea of the soda straws for picking up the glue. We have a supply for my granddaughter.

With this box, I discovered that I did not make the fingers long (deep) enough and have a few of the ends that are short of the surface. I should be able to sand them flat, as they aren't that far short.

I was not aware of the Join-Tech jig. It never showed up in the searches I was doing, but I was very focused on the Incra jigs. I almost bought the I-Box jig before discovering the LS Positioner. I opted for the LS so that I have the ability to do both. I'm very pleased with just the very limited use I've made of it. The precision aspect of the LS really suits me. We'll see if it really makes much difference as I use it down the road. I am anxious to try a dovetail, but only have a 1/2" bit now and no lumber I want to use. It means planing something to 1/2" thickness and that doesn't fit with what else is going on at the moment.

Those slotting bits look really great. I'll have to get a couple, once I figure out better what are my needs. I used the same slightly undersized 1/4" bit for the slots that I used for the joints.

Chuck. Your sanding aid trick sounds pretty slick. I recall my father taping a full sheet of carborundum paper to a granite surface plate when he needed to sand something really flat. I will have to wing it some other way, as I do not have any laminate, scrap or otherwise. I have a granite surface plate, but I'm not using it for this. I use the mesh-type sanding media (Mirka Autonet) on hook-n-loop sanding blocks and have a supply of the same in orbital sander discs. The blocks are not as flat and firm as laminate would be, but so far I'm satisfied with the results I'm getting.

Rick

 

[RickKr]

They are quite small, but disappear. You can get them in several sizes. I got some at Rockler.

Very nifty looking. I will definitely use these on something in the future. The web site doesn't give their depths, but the technical data sheet does. The 10mm (0.394") are too large for the <1/4" Baltic birch plywood used in this box. The other larger ones are deeper than their diameters.

Thanks though, those will come in very handy,

Rick

 

[RickKr]

Finished Box

The first box, using box joints, is complete. It took a bit to find hardware that would work and I had to bend the strap hinges because I could not find hinges with holes that would fit the 6mm Baltic birch plywood. The bent strap hinges on the box started out straight like the double strap hinge on the table. Not having any sort of sheet metal break, I had to figure out how to bend them with a sharp, crisp bend line while keeping the strap flat and straight.

For the finish I used Liberon Beeswax with turpentine. I had never used it before, but I really like this stuff. It was fun to apply and I was amazed at the finish it gave. Smooth, slick and hard. I have not tested its water repellency, but it is not supposed to be used in high water areas such as kitchens and baths. I also got it for use on cast iron tables as it has no petroleum products.

Rick

 

[RickKr]

It's tough to find hardware for thin boxes, but you did, and it looks great.
Congratulations on the successful build. Now with this one complete, I'm betting that there will be more boxes in your future.

Charley

Thanks. You are right on both accounts.

There will be more boxes in the future. I was on the west side of Oregon a week ago and picked up straight and dovetail cutters that will allow me to make most of the box and dovetail patterns in the Incra LS Positioner master reference guide. Unfortunately, my time is required on some other matters before I can really begin to play.

I mentioned I had to bend the hinges to get them to fit. That "bending to fit" entailed bending the hinge at a location that allowed the screws to center in the narrow lid width, which also involved shifting the hinge pivot below the joint between the lit and box. Not what I wanted but I could not find any hinges that would fit and have the hinge pin at the joint line. I really wanted to find hinges with a strap long enough to have all the screws on top, but that was just not going to happen.

When the box is opened, the lid "swings back" a tiny bit. I notice it, but then the maker would. I doubt others would, but almost no one will see this because it is a storage box and just about only I will be opening it. It won't be sitting out anywhere for others to notice and/or admire.

I'll take this all under consideration when I make more boxes, to not make the lid so thin, but also out of something more interesting than plywood.

Rick

 

[RickKr]

Thanks, Charley,

I've read about and seen videos on sawing off the lid that way. Looks like a really slick trick, which I will do, probably on the next box. I haven't figured out what that next box will be, but it may be while.

It is Spring and there is yard and garden stuff to do that can't wait. My daughter raises chickens (in my yard - about 30 of them) and told me today that she wants me to rototill the chicken pen. She has been spreading straw all winter, in part to add carbon to the ground but also to give the chickens some relief from the snow. It will be a nasty job. Chickens are one of the grossest animals I've ever been exposed to. But, should I want to grow a garden in that ground after she and the chickens move out, it will be a killer garden.

In the past, when she had incubated eggs in quantity, to raise new chickens to sell, she had set up brooding pens in my garage. Now that I have some woodworking tools to play with, I don't want to give up the floor space for the pens. She said the chicks can go outside in brooding boxes with mat heaters, so if that works, I'll be happy.

Rick

 

[RickKr]

Yes, thanks. I had to deal with the unevenness of the joints at the top. The box joints didn't turn out perfectly aligned at the top. I tried cleaning them up on the router table, but that did leave slight differences that had to be sanded out. This box was small enough that it fit on a single sheet of sandpaper, but that will not always be the case.

Rick