Greetings!
I've been struggling to come up with a sound jig/template for making small finger joints using my DIY router table. I'm sure you've all seen the tons of instructional videos of people making and using the type I'm talking about - they have a "key" spacer that allows you to move the workpieces cut-by-cut to ensure uniform spacing.
While the concept is simple enough, the issue that I've run into with the many iterations of my homemade jig is that the versions that are solid end up with the workpieces positioned too 'high' (meaning the distance between the workpiece and the table surface is too great for the bit to cut at the required 'depth).
So, while I'm completely open to any critical feedback about my method in general, my biggest question at the moment is: what type of bit should I be using for this? To date, I've tried straight bits (single AND double fluted) and spiral bits; the latter works well, but limits me to a 1/4" joint - that's the largest diameter spiral I own, I'd happily purchase a larger one if the consensus is that this is the way to go, but most I've found larger than that size are 1/2" shank and I'm using a 1/4" shank trim router).
The straight bits seem [to me] to be more appropriate, but I have none with adequate cutting lengths to reach far enough above the table to make the cuts I need. In my head, the simple solution is to get longer straight bits, but I've found it very difficult to find extended lengths unless they are pattern bits with bearings or larger diameters. I mention that not as just a shopping frustration - I can totally recognize that a lengthy, top-heavy cylinder spinning at high RPM can be pretty dangerous, so with the presumption that is the reason these bits are hard to find, I welcome any advice from more experienced users! I just ordered this 2-1/2" bit this morning, but it was literally the only OD variant I could find at this length without bearings.
Thanks in advance for any insight/guidance you may be able to throw my way... here are some additional notes that may provide a better description of my scenario:
1. The table I'm using is constructed of 3/4" Birch ply, with a 5mm plate recessed flush with the surface. My trim router is mounted directly to this plate (via a through-cut) with its OEM baseplate removed. I don't have an EXACT thickness measurement for the original baseplate, but my 'guestimate' is that there is a 1 or 2mm (at most) net increase in the base thickness caused by the table mounting.
2. The materials I've been using for my jigs have been 15/32" ply and 1/2" ply/MDF, as well as some 1/4" underlayment leftover from a recent flooring install. Previous attempts have ended up at either a solid jig that's too 'high', or one that sits at a workable height but isn't solid enough to be fully reliable/safe.
3. My DIY workbench has T-Tracks with 3/8" opening & depth (NOT mitre slots). This was a lack of forethought on my part, and I suspect is responsible for the majority of my headaches... finding a jig design that can slide "square" without a mitre slot is what's caused most of my designs to end up being too far off the workbench surface. I picked up a 3/8" thick HDPE cutting board last evening and cut some 'sled skis', but wasn't able to quite find a solid mounting method before I had to shut it down for the night. M4 screws seemed to be the best fit, but I only have machine screws (my plan for tonight is to throw some M4 threaded inserts into the jig to mount the skis; I just ran out of time last night). I'm at my office currently and don't have any great photos of the current setup, but this is the bench "under construction" (prior to the installation of the plate) to at least show the orientation of the tracks relative to the router bit:
![Image]()
4. My target widths for the finger joints are 1/4" and 3/8", and the working material will mostly be 1" x 3" and 1" x 4" pine boards. I should also note that this is a "want" and not a "need" for any specific project - this effort was borne from YouTube demos getting my creative gears turning and will likely end up manifesting as nothing more than some random drawers/boxes around the house. Unfortunately, my previous failed attempts and my OCD/stubbornness have colluded to evolve this endeavor into a personal frustration/challenge!
5. I do not (and likely will never) have a table saw unless I happen to stumble into one being gifted to me. I'm working in one half of a cluttered single-car garage; even my current cringy, ghetto excuse-of-a-workbench barely affords enough space to get through when carrying grocery bags.
My gratitude to anyone who's managed to make it through this wall of text - I just try to be as descriptive as possible to avoid my 'novice' status being a deterrent to properly communicating what I'm attempting to do here.
Thanks!
I've been struggling to come up with a sound jig/template for making small finger joints using my DIY router table. I'm sure you've all seen the tons of instructional videos of people making and using the type I'm talking about - they have a "key" spacer that allows you to move the workpieces cut-by-cut to ensure uniform spacing.
While the concept is simple enough, the issue that I've run into with the many iterations of my homemade jig is that the versions that are solid end up with the workpieces positioned too 'high' (meaning the distance between the workpiece and the table surface is too great for the bit to cut at the required 'depth).
So, while I'm completely open to any critical feedback about my method in general, my biggest question at the moment is: what type of bit should I be using for this? To date, I've tried straight bits (single AND double fluted) and spiral bits; the latter works well, but limits me to a 1/4" joint - that's the largest diameter spiral I own, I'd happily purchase a larger one if the consensus is that this is the way to go, but most I've found larger than that size are 1/2" shank and I'm using a 1/4" shank trim router).
The straight bits seem [to me] to be more appropriate, but I have none with adequate cutting lengths to reach far enough above the table to make the cuts I need. In my head, the simple solution is to get longer straight bits, but I've found it very difficult to find extended lengths unless they are pattern bits with bearings or larger diameters. I mention that not as just a shopping frustration - I can totally recognize that a lengthy, top-heavy cylinder spinning at high RPM can be pretty dangerous, so with the presumption that is the reason these bits are hard to find, I welcome any advice from more experienced users! I just ordered this 2-1/2" bit this morning, but it was literally the only OD variant I could find at this length without bearings.
Thanks in advance for any insight/guidance you may be able to throw my way... here are some additional notes that may provide a better description of my scenario:
1. The table I'm using is constructed of 3/4" Birch ply, with a 5mm plate recessed flush with the surface. My trim router is mounted directly to this plate (via a through-cut) with its OEM baseplate removed. I don't have an EXACT thickness measurement for the original baseplate, but my 'guestimate' is that there is a 1 or 2mm (at most) net increase in the base thickness caused by the table mounting.
2. The materials I've been using for my jigs have been 15/32" ply and 1/2" ply/MDF, as well as some 1/4" underlayment leftover from a recent flooring install. Previous attempts have ended up at either a solid jig that's too 'high', or one that sits at a workable height but isn't solid enough to be fully reliable/safe.
3. My DIY workbench has T-Tracks with 3/8" opening & depth (NOT mitre slots). This was a lack of forethought on my part, and I suspect is responsible for the majority of my headaches... finding a jig design that can slide "square" without a mitre slot is what's caused most of my designs to end up being too far off the workbench surface. I picked up a 3/8" thick HDPE cutting board last evening and cut some 'sled skis', but wasn't able to quite find a solid mounting method before I had to shut it down for the night. M4 screws seemed to be the best fit, but I only have machine screws (my plan for tonight is to throw some M4 threaded inserts into the jig to mount the skis; I just ran out of time last night). I'm at my office currently and don't have any great photos of the current setup, but this is the bench "under construction" (prior to the installation of the plate) to at least show the orientation of the tracks relative to the router bit:
4. My target widths for the finger joints are 1/4" and 3/8", and the working material will mostly be 1" x 3" and 1" x 4" pine boards. I should also note that this is a "want" and not a "need" for any specific project - this effort was borne from YouTube demos getting my creative gears turning and will likely end up manifesting as nothing more than some random drawers/boxes around the house. Unfortunately, my previous failed attempts and my OCD/stubbornness have colluded to evolve this endeavor into a personal frustration/challenge!
5. I do not (and likely will never) have a table saw unless I happen to stumble into one being gifted to me. I'm working in one half of a cluttered single-car garage; even my current cringy, ghetto excuse-of-a-workbench barely affords enough space to get through when carrying grocery bags.
My gratitude to anyone who's managed to make it through this wall of text - I just try to be as descriptive as possible to avoid my 'novice' status being a deterrent to properly communicating what I'm attempting to do here.
Thanks!
