T ,r i
.s
*'".*'".#..fu
fi:
Waitinguntilthe priceis right to acquirea box-jointiig?Byusingshopscraps,
zero,andcameup with a methodthat makesadjacentbox sidesinterchangeable
,ii' -#, ': hilt' ntakirtg tl're box-ictintecl
i-. *qfr.. il
trio oll po:l(' 78, I{OOD
iri,.,jl'S*,ui'
"
W "ryi nraguzine lvlastcr C.raftsnran
Cl-nrck Hcclh-rnclcantc r-r1t rvitl-t atr ittt'tit-
vativc l\,.lv to nrakc bctx ioints ttsit-tgit
sinrplc bor-ioint iig. Hc alsct it'tcorpo-
i
r ' .
, ; - ; l r :
T h e b o x i o i n tr e l i e so n s i m p l e
g eom et r y A : ll of t h e c u tsa re
souar et o eac hot he ra n d to th e
fa c eof t he lum ber.S o b e fo rey o u
mak et he jig, t ak ea fe w mi n u te sto
ve r if yy our t ables a w 'sse tti n g sa n d
to m ak eany adjus tme n ts .
F i r s te, n s u r et h a t t h e b l a d ei s
abs olut ely par allelto th e mi te r-
g a u g es l o t .N e x t ,s e tt h e b l a d e
perfectlp y e r p e n d i c u l taor t h e
t a b l e t o pF. i n a l l yl o, c ky o u r m i t e r
g a u g ea t a r i g h ta n g l et o t h e b l a d e .
i. i.:i; ,ia:: - i,.r
74
lr
i,
l i
'. j:Jffi
lt*t
ii
1l.1t,,*"
r1i
,.1
i'
i ,ri ,ri
we got the costdown to
for foolproofassembly.
ratccla sr-rbtlccl'rangeirt tl'rearrattgettretlt
'l-l'rc
of thc fir-rgers. traclitional method: L_,__
IVIakctno siclesthat start r,r,itha fir-rgerat I
I
tl'rc tou ancl two ends tl'rat start u'itl-t TRADITIONA BLO XI O I N T=
sockets at tl'rc top, as sl-town at riglrt tttp. Endsof workpiece
Inste;rcl,(lhLrck ntac1cfour interchange- I mirroreachother.
ablc sides, eaclt witl-r a fingcr at the top
o f o n e c n c l ,a n c l a s o c k c t a t t h e t o p o f t h e
- 'f
clther, as shott'n ttt t'i.glttltottttttt. hts
techr-ricluenrakcs it nearlv irttpctssiltlctcl [-
assenrblea lror ir-tcorrectlr'.Hcre's hctr,t'
I
t o m a k c t h e j i g a n c lc u t t h e i o i n t s .
Every good box ioint
needs an accurate flg
'lo
e n s u r c s L l c c c s isn n ' r a k i l r gb o x i o i r t t s , INTERCHANGEABLE
f i r s t c l ' r c c kt l - r ea l i g n t l e n t o f v o t t r t a b l e - B O X' O r N T
Ends of workpiece
s a n ' .l r o r t u n e - t r p t i p s , s e e t h e s i d e b a r a t
laft. \,Vith votrr tablcsan reacl\', begirt
r n a k i n g t h e y i gb , vc u t t i n g a . l x l 8 " e x t e n -
-r complement each other.
sion for vorlr rniter gauge frotn 3/4"
mc'cliurn-densitv fiberboard (MDF).
Ml)| 15 lypicalh' flat, but check vour
piccc' after cutting bv laying eacl-t sicle
flat on yoLlr sa\ r table. Dott't attacl'r the
extcr-rsior-tto voLlr tniter gaugc ,v"et. Notch the extension
lnstall a 1/s"dttclo ltlade and a zero- and in: tall an index pin
c l e a r a n c c i n s e r t i n v o t t r t a b l e s a w .R a i s e Set votrr rip fence to cut a notch 7" froni
t h c d a d o b l a d c t o t n a k e a c - t t tj u s t a h a i r tl-rc cr-rd of the l\,lDF rrite;' gauge exten-
nrorc tl1ar1 1/s"clcclt. Verifv thc clcpth sion IPhoto A]. Holding the extensiotr
r,r,itha tcst ctrt in scrap. a g a i n s tv o r r r n r i t c r g a t r g c c. r t t t h e n o t c h .
200712008
WOODmagazine December/January
 (Don't pull the extension backward
through the blade and don't move the
rip fence after the cut.)
To make the indexing pin, start by
planing a'/-.2"length of hardwood scrap
(we used maple) until you have a per-
fectly square section that'fits snugly into
the notch in the extension [Photo B]. As
you approach t}re Y+"thickness on the
pin, lower the cutterhead in tiny incre-
ments to sneak up on a snug fit and
rotate the stock 90o for a second pass at
each height setting to keep it square.
When you're satisfied with the fit,
crosscut the strip in half. Place the two
strips side by side against the fence
[PhotoC]. Holding the extension against
the strips, cut a second notch. Again, cut
only on the forward stroke.
Turn the extension upside down and
insert one of the hard*ciod strips into
the second notch, leaving about L" pro-
jecting from the front, [Photo D]. Drive a
nail to hold this indexing pin in place.
(To avoid splitting, drill a pilot hole
first.) Set the second hardwood strip
aside: You'll need it later.
Finally, apply double-faced tape to the
back of the extension. With the end of
the extension against the rip fence, slide
woodmagazlne.com
the miter gauge squarely into position
against the back of the extension, adher-
ing it with the tape. tJsescrewsto secure
the extension to the miter gauge. After
double-checking the set-up, you can
remove the rip fence.
Buildinq a better box
starts rr7ittr stock prep
When building boxes, spending a few
extra minutes properly preparing stock
will pay big dividends when the ioints
slide together sweetly. Here's the
sequencethat produces that big payoff.
Step I Use your jointer to flatten one
face of each board, and then plane the
opposite face smooth, parallel, and to
the desiredthickness.
Step 2 With one face held flat against
the iointer fence, machine one edge of
each board straight, smooth, and square.
Rip the opposite edge %" wider than
your box's finished height, and mark
the ripped edge with a continuous pen-
cil line. Why the extra width? Becausea
tiny error in the width of each cut mul-
tiplies with each subsequent cut across
the width of the workpiece. Cutting the
pieces oversize accommodates that
accumulation. If your ioint cuts wind up
dead-on, you simply trim away the
excess after cutting the joint. If they
don't, each ioint still sports a full set of
identical pins and sockets.
Step 3 With the jointed edgeagainst the
miter gauge,cut the box piecesto length.
An extension with a stopblock ensures
identical lengths.
While you're preparing your proiect
stock, it's a good idea to give identical
treatment to some extra scrapsthat you
can use for test cuts.
Test cuts prove the
accuracy a}fyour setup
Making test cuts in scrap will familiafize
you with the cutting technique and
confirm the iig setup.
With the pencil-marked edge away
from the blade, [Photo E], hold a box
side flat against the miter gauge exten-
sion, butted against the indexing pin.
Cut the first socket, and after the jig
clears the dado head, lift the box side
clear instead of pulling it- backward
through the blade. (At tbis time, pulling
the jig itself backward over the blade is
fine.) Now fit the first $otket over fhe
indexing pin [Photo F], and. make the
second cut. Continue pldcing the iust-
75
cut socket onto the indexing pin until
the ioint is complete.
Consistency counts when you make How a mirror
the multiple passesrequired to make a savesyour neck
box joint. For the best results, try to keep Craningyour neckto look
over the box-joint jig to
your body mechanics identical on each
align the socketon the
stroke. For example, your miter-gauge indexing pin can quickly
bar has a small amount of clearance to becomeuncomfortable.
permit it to slide. To prevent that slight Eliminatethis problem by
allowance from introducing a problerrt, proppingand clampinga
exert the same amount of sidewayspres- mirror at the end of your
sure on the gauge as you make each cut. saw table, as shown at
right. A12' mirror tile is an
Cut the opposite end inexpensivesolutionyou
of the wo-rkpiece can find at nearlyany
home center.Apply tape to
Begin the opposite-end cuts by placing
its edgesto prevent cuts.
the hardwood strip between the index-
ing pin and the box side [PhotoG]. Keep
the end of the box side flat against the
table, and the pencil-marked edge away Trim the sides to width
from the indexing pin. Make the cut, After you've cut ioints in all of the sides, socket (the one at the pencil-marked
and set aside the strip. Register the end it's time to rip them to final width. Set edge) [Piroto l], and rip alithe sides.ll
socket against the indexing pln and your tablesawrip fence to precisely align
the blade with the bottom of the last Written by Robert Settlch with Chuck Hedlund
make the secondcut [PhotoH]. Continue
this sequenceto complete the ioint.
After cutting two sides, dry-assemble
them to check the joint fit. The ideal
box ioint fits together with only slight
resistance.
If the joint is too tight, the space
between the dado blade and the pin is
too wide. To fix this, make pencil regis-
tration marks' on both the extension
and the miter gauge indicating their
current position. Remove the iig from
the miter gauge, strip away the carpet
tape, and move the extension slightly to
the left. Carefully snug down the screws
to hold it in this new position. If the
joint' has visible gaps, the spacebetween
the dado blade and pin is too small. Fol-
low the procedure'outlined above, but
this time shift the extension slightly to
the right. Prove the setup with a new Practiceusing the jig and refine your box-joint making technique by buildingthirhandsome
seriesof test cuts. trio of boxes from the step-by-step plans starting on page 78.

76 WOODmagazlne December/laaqry200712008
 rF0

Tempting
trro

Thesecatchallcontainers,
with beautifulfingerjoints,
aredeceptively simple
to make.

I Overall widex
dimensions:7Y+"
longx 57a"high.
19s/a"
I Thestaggered arrangement of the lWith the finger joints complete,
boxesshowsoff the cornerjoinery. &dry-assemble the boxes, and rout a
I Makeit with oddsandendsyou groor,. into each one for the bottom (B)
alreadyhavein yourshop. [Drawing1, PhotoA]. (SeeSourcefor the
Skill Builders router bit.) Then make a snug-fitting
I A clevervariationin techniquemakes box-squaringjig [Drawing2]. (We used
boxjointseasierto cut. /+" hardboard.)
(B) to size, and
I Discoverhowa special routerbit takes Q Cut the bottom
the hassle
out of installing
the bottoms rJradius the corners[Drawing1]. For a
in box-jointed
boxes. quick way to form perfect radii, seethe
I Learnhowto makeperfectradius ShopTip on the nextpage.
cornerson yourroutertable. the bottoms (B) into the
flDry-tit
Tboxes. Then separatethe sides (A)
Build the boxes and bottoms, and finish-sandthe inside
from 7+"stock, cut the box sides(A) faces of the parts. Mask the fingers
{
I to length and 7s"wider than listed [PhotoB], and apply a clear finish to the
81....
- \ f 8ffi7
Clampeachbox togetherwithout glue,and
fMaterialsLast,page 80]. Now, to form inside facesof the sidesand the bottoms. usea 7c"box-slotbit to rout a slot aroundthe
the finger joints, seepage74. (We applied three coatsof aerosolsatin insidefor the bottom (B).

78 WOOD magazine December/lanuary

200712008
 28mm knob

IexeloDEDvrEW

/+"groovest/e"deep
t/4

tA" trom the bottom

routedafter

23mm
s/gz"hole
0
\s
ringpull
(

Cutscrew
to z/ro"long.
v+

[ ....-
u."-Fh
I
1 /c" a
Locationof

How to form perfect

To protect the glue surfacesof the box sides
(A)when finishing the insidesurfaces,cover
the fingers with maskingtape.
corner radii
Usinga box-slotbit to form groovesin
the box sidesfor the bottom savesyou
the troubleof filling in gapsat the
corners,made by cutting the grooves
on the tablesawor routertable with a
straightbit. The trade-off is that you
must round the cornersof the bottom
to match the radiusof the slot bit.
Here'sa simpleway to quicklyform
perfectcorner radii:
Chucka round-overbit that matches
the radiusof the slot cutter into your
s
table-mountedrouter (sAs"for this bit). Miter-gauge
Positionthe fenceflush with the bit round-over
extension
pilot bearingand parallelto the miter-
gaugeslot.Then attachan extensionto with the bottom (B) againstthe fence
the miter gaugewith the end just and backedby the extensidn,rout the
grazingthe face of the fence. Now, corners,as shown above..

woodmagazine.com
79
Protectthe insidefacesof the sides(A)with Insertthe squaringjig intothe box.Then To prevent rounding of the cornersand
masking tape.Thenbrushglueontothe applyclamps,usingscrapwood caulsto edges,adheresandpaperto a flat surface,
fingers,andassemble the box. distributethe pressure. and finish-sandthe outsidesof the boxes.

lacquer, sanding with 320-grit sandpa- as with the boxes,apply masking tape to
per between coats.)Removethe tape. protect the inside surfaces of the base
EsounRlNcJtGs
sidesfrom glue, and glue and clamp the 5" for box
(Assemble the boxes [PhotosC and 4zAa"for base
rrDl. Then sand the outside surfaces bases,inserting the squaring iig.
flush [PhotoE]. Use the same method to !Witfr the squaring jig in place, fin-
sand flat the top and bottom edges of Jish-sand the base sides.Then sand
each box. Now remove the squaring iig flat the top and bottom edges.Remove
and masking tape, and drill holes for the the jig and tape.
ring pulls [Drawing1]. lWtiter the cleats (E) to fit inside the
ttbases.
5" for box
(Cut the lids (C) to size.Then chuck Then glue and clamp them in 4zAa"tor base
lfa /n" covebit into your table-mounted place, allowing the cleatsto protrude /a"
router, and rout the top edges.[Drawing beyond the bottom edges of the base
l_
11. Switch to a rabbet bit, and rout the sides (D) [Drawing 1]. Now glue and 3/+u'
bottom edges.Now drill a hole into each clamp the basesin the staggeredarrange-
lid for the knob. Finish-sand the lids. ment shown. Placethem on a flat surface
l\lote; When routing the covesand rabbets, to dry.
rout the end grain ftrst, and use a follower
block to preventchip-out.Any chippingthat Finish and assemble
doesoccurwill be removedwhen routing the ! Inspectall the parts,and finish-sand
Iong-grain edges. I where needed.Apply the finish.
f Cut the ring pull and knob screwsto
Mahe the bases -length [Drawing1], and install the boxsides W
I Cut the basesides(D) to length and hardware. Placethe boxes into the base t/l' 43/4, 43/i'
B bottoms BP 3
I yB'wider than listed. Then form the frames,resting them on the cleats(E).t
1/2"
C lids 5u 5u
finger ioints in the same manner as for
D* basesides 1/1, M 12
the box sides(A). Written by fan Svec with Chuck Hedlund
lu 5ehd'
1/tu 1/2" M12
lOry-assemble one base,and make a Projectdesign:Kevln Boyle E cleats 51hC'

Gbase-squaring jig [Drawing2]. Then, lllustrations:Roxanne LeMolne; Lorna fohnson *Parts

initially
cutoversize.
Seetheinstructions.

Materlals key: M-mahogany, BP-birch plywood.

Supplles:Masking tape,spray
adhesive.
Blade and blt : Stackdadoset 1/l'box-slot,s/rc"
Find more gift proiect plans at round-over,7+'cove,andrabbetrouterbits.
wood magazine.com/gifts.
Cutting Diagram Source
Router blt: 7+'box-slotting
bitno.16J83.04,526.60.
LeeValley,
800-871-8158,leeval
ley.com.
Hardware:23mm ringpullsno.01A23.21, ea.(6);
$1.35
28mmknobsno.01A03.28, 52.50ea.(3).LeeValley,
above.

t/t x 12 x 12" Birchplywood

s/qx71/+x 96" Mahogany(5.3 bd. ft.) *Planeor resawto the thicknesseslistedin the MaterialsList.

80 WOOD magazlne December/January

2007 12008