Simple Box Joint Jig

7708 Views 12 Replies 6 Participants Last post by Mike, Nov 30, 2006

g-man

Discussion Starter · Nov 19, 2004

I made this simple jig for a 1/4 inch box joint. you clamp it to the table. Not too fancy but it works!

g-man

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fredsintheshop

· #2 · Nov 19, 2004

Very nice. Thanks for the pictures. What do you use to hold the stock while you push it through?

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Yes, please tell us about how the stock is pushed through and how you do the adjustment to get the initial 1/4" for the bit and strip. Also is the clamping to hold the jig in place those 2 spring clamps?

Ed

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g-man

Discussion Starter · #4 · Nov 20, 2004 (Edited)

Box joint

reible said:
Yes, please tell us about how the stock is pushed through and how you do the adjustment to get the initial 1/4" for the bit and strip. Also is the clamping to hold the jig in place those 2 spring clamps?

Ed

I push the stock through by standing it up straight against the wood strip and hold a backup piece of wood behind it to avoid tearout when I use pine. I am going to come up with a safer way to hold the wood soon. I drilled the hole first. It's 3/4 inches. After the hole was drilled, I cut a 1/4 inch dado in the wood 1/4 inch from the rim of the hole. I used a piece of 5/16 plywood for the jig and the dado is 3/16 deep with the strip sticking up 3/8 from the bottom of the dado. I was using two spring clamps to hold it to the table but I found it was slipping when I fed the stock from right to left so I lined up the jig like I was going to cut some stock, clamped it down with two pony clamps and drilled two 3/8 holes through the jig right into my table and now I can bolt it down so it won't move. I'm going to add more pictures so you can see what I did.

g-man

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reible

· #5 · Nov 20, 2004

I was a little worried about having the spring clamps holding things that was a good improvement!

Ed

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g-man

Discussion Starter · #6 · Nov 21, 2004

Box joint jig

reible said:
I was a little worried about having the spring clamps holding things that was a good improvement!

Ed

Glad to help. By the way, the reason half of the jig is pegboard is the fact that I ran out of plywood. I will improve this thing as I go on and maybe make one for a 3/8 box joint. I'd like to make one for dovetails but that will be more involved.

g-man

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Densa

· #7 · Jan 14, 2005

Box Joint Jig

Thanks I think I get how to step off the side part of the joint so that the sides line up when assembled. Does the "slider" on the 1/4" fence stay with the piece you are routing or does it tend to move independently.
Bob

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g-man

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jan 15, 2005

Slider

Densa said:
Thanks I think I get how to step off the side part of the joint so that the sides line up when assembled. Does the "slider" on the 1/4" fence stay with the piece you are routing or does it tend to move independently.
Bob

The slider goes on for the first cut and comes off. You move the work piece onto the 1/4 inch strip and make the second cut and keep lining up the notches over the strip until you get to the end.

g-man

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Mike

· #9 · Jan 16, 2005

Now if you make the jig and push block out of UHMW plastic your work will slide easier. Of course it will cost you more than just going to the Oak Park site and buying Bob and Ricks identical jig.

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g-man

Discussion Starter · #10 · Jan 24, 2005

Oak Park

aniceone2hold said:
Now if you make the jig and push block out of UHMW plastic your work will slide easier. Of course it will cost you more than just going to the Oak Park site and buying Bob and Ricks identical jig.

Mike, Oak Park's prices are not in my price range. The shipping is always too high!

g-man

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Densa

· #11 · Jan 26, 2005

Hi Friends;
Will the Oak park jig work on material that is not the identical thickness of the small fence? I saw Bob in Calgary and it was the best lesson I ever had however at the speed of the show I'm sure I missed important parts. I got home and tried to build the little box, and my material was a bit thicker than Bob's and I had work to do to get them to fit. Should I have milled my material to a specific thickness?
Bob

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benny

· #12 · Nov 30, 2006

Hi,
I'm new to router forum. I would like to know how to make the simple box joint jig.
Thanks,Benny

[email protected]

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Mike

· #13 · Nov 30, 2006

Benny, the jig is for sale at Oak Park. You can visit them by clicking here: http://www2.oak-park.com/

Bob, are you using a backerboard to push your material through? The most likely causes for your wood not fitting together properly is twisting as it passed over the bit or not having the fence aligned properly. Check to be sure you have the correct spacing from the fence and then use a short piece of 3 x 3" to push it through. This gives the wood support to keep it from twisting or tilting. Using thicker wood is not a problem, just remember your bit must be set to a height slightly higher than the thickness of your wood for the joint to fully seat. By slightly higher I mean just enough to feel or less than 1/32".

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