In an odd moment or two, I though there would be a better way to make a jig for box joints rather than the jump over a spacer version that you can use on a router table or table saw with dado blade.

I figured if I made a jig with a bunch of guides of the same width and just ran a zero-clearance router bearing router bit down each side, I'd get well-matching finger joints.   With that in mind, I cobbled the jig below.  Ripped a piece of maple and glued it together, offsetting each side.   Stop block at the end and just a piece in the middle to hold it down.  You can do two adjacent sides in one clamping.

It worked OK, nothing fabulous,  nothing failure.   I'd rate it a B+    Like most box joint jigs, it's got a fixed spacing, but that's OK, I can make more if/when needed.

 

 

 

That's really cool!!!

Interesting, will have to look into giving this a shot and see how it goes.  

There is a manufactured jig like this and I cannot recall it now but I do have one.

11 hours ago, Gerald said:

There is a manufactured jig like this and I cannot recall it now but I do have one.

Ah, so not an original idea?    How well does the manufactured one work?

I've done the dado blade thing on the table saw.   Found out my dado set is not an exact size.  Not a problem, but have to fuss with it every time.    

 

I tried doing box joints on a sewing machine case a couple of years ago.   Because the wood was thin (1/4", wife said, "Don't make it so darned heavy.") I tried making 1/4" finger joints.  By the time I got to the end of the 16" run, being off just 0.0002" was starting to jam up at one end after 32 cuts.  Ended up just doing keys as I didn't trust myself getting that many dovetails tight either.

I've also used a router bit on a router table with an Incra jig to move the piece.   That seemed to work well.

 

I think with my dovetail router jig I can probably figure out a way, too, but like I may have said before, it's very complex and something only a mechanical engineer of the 1960s would love.

 

Just experimenting with different options.  Might need to make some more beehive boxes in a few years.

Edited June 6, 20205 yr by kmealy

The one I have is called a Keller Dovetail Jig. It was designed to work in a router table, but from looking at some others maybe could be used handheld. It has been a while since I have used it . Seems like it worked well but again the further out you get and it not being very long the more any error or adding on length is multiplied. I think I used it to make a cradle for our grandson and one joint was about 14 inches and the other maybe 23. The fit was fairly good with only a little fill and chisel fitting.

https://woodworker.com/15-journeyman-jig-system-mssu-934-385.asp?GF=934-385&gclid=Cj0KCQjw_ez2BRCyARIsAJfg-ku5bduILzfyljv_5iDn1BT5l5x2KdAJ0zylCRJbBcLlX3_IU_NvtD0aAgjIEALw_wcB

You guys are going to make @steven newman do cartwheels talking about using a machine to do dovetails.

 

Nah..I'd already be back upstairs, sipping a COLD Guinness Blonde....

1/4" box joints...vs...

1/4" through dovetails...

16 hours ago, Gerald said:

The one I have is called a Keller Dovetail Jig. It was designed to work in a router table, but from looking at some others maybe could be used handheld. It has been a while since I have used it . Seems like it worked well but again the further out you get and it not being very long the more any error or adding on length is multiplied. I think I used it to make a cradle for our grandson and one joint was about 14 inches and the other maybe 23. The fit was fairly good with only a little fill and chisel fitting.

https://woodworker.com/15-journeyman-jig-system-mssu-934-385.asp?GF=934-385&gclid=Cj0KCQjw_ez2BRCyARIsAJfg-ku5bduILzfyljv_5iDn1BT5l5x2KdAJ0zylCRJbBcLlX3_IU_NvtD0aAgjIEALw_wcB

The best luck I've had is with the Incra Jig on a router table to do the stepping.

Welcome to TPWW forum, Natosha. Tell us about yourself and your woodworking interests.

1 hour ago, Gene Howe said:

Welcome to TPWW forum, Natosha. Tell us about yourself and your woodworking interests.

 

What Gene said.  Welcome aboard!