duckkisser Posted June 17, 2019 Report Share Posted June 17, 2019 Thinking of building a spice cabinet was going to try making my own box or dovetail joint for first time to joint the 4 sides of the cabinet. How does everyone cut their joints and should I invest in a decent hand saw to cut the joint? I’m more of a power tool user but I’m not aposed to hand tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted June 17, 2019 Report Share Posted June 17, 2019 I’ve been using this for years for box joints and am well satisfied. https://www.rockler.com/router-table-box-joint-jig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted June 17, 2019 Report Share Posted June 17, 2019 William Ng has an excellent video on how to make and use a simple jig to make box joints. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted June 17, 2019 Report Share Posted June 17, 2019 I usually prefer to cut joints on the table saw, but box joints are the one case where the router table does a cleaner job, IMO. The jig is the same design, but needs to be sturdy to resist twisting as the router bites in. A spiral cut bit might help that, but I haven't tried one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted June 17, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2019 15 minutes ago, wtnhighlander said: I usually prefer to cut joints on the table saw, but box joints are the one case where the router table does a cleaner job, IMO. The jig is the same design, but needs to be sturdy to resist twisting as the router bites in. A spiral cut bit might help that, but I haven't tried one. I was thinking of doing it on router because I don’t want to purchase a dado stack right now kinda broke. So was going to do a router based jig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Swanson Jr. Posted June 17, 2019 Report Share Posted June 17, 2019 Whichever way to choose to go, I strongly recommend milling some practice stock to try the joint a few times before trying it on your project. There is a learning curve as you have to defend against blowout and make tiny adjustments to fit it correctly. Whether dovetails or box joints, you'll usually want to cut them slightly proud so you can sand or handplane them flush. Good luck, please report back with what you end up doing, how it went for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted June 17, 2019 Report Share Posted June 17, 2019 4 hours ago, wtnhighlander said: I usually prefer to cut joints on the table saw, but box joints are the one case where the router table does a cleaner job, IMO. The jig is the same design, but needs to be sturdy to resist twisting as the router bites in. A spiral cut bit might help that, but I haven't tried one. I haven't tried the router for box joints, but what you say makes sense. I've yet to see a dado stack that leave a perfectly flat bottom. 2 hours ago, applejackson said: Whichever way to choose to go, I strongly recommend milling some practice stock to try the joint a few times before trying it on your project. Very important point. Box joints need to be very precise in order to get a gapless joint that you can actually get together in glue up. There are many box joint jigs out there, some being extremely complex. I prefer simplicity, hence my recommendation of William Ng's jig. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlyoak Posted June 17, 2019 Report Share Posted June 17, 2019 Regardless of hand tools or power, the first thing to do is dress the lumber. If it is not dressed right it may impede your ability to make everything fit.. Make the wood flat and even in thickness. Then the pieces must be square and opposing pieces must be exactly the same before you begin to make the joint... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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