# Box Joint Jig



## donald_archer (May 24, 2012)

Hello

I am looking top make my own box joint jig for the router table. I have looked through the past posts on the subject and they all either seem to be a)for the table saw with a dado blade or b)a commercial endorsement for the Incra Ibox product. 

Are there any jigs out there that somebody has made. 

Many thanks


----------



## matt1710 (Sep 21, 2010)

Hi Don

I made the jig exactly as shown in this video (https://youtu.be/eKEB-BIq9qI) and it works SO well. I've used it to make countless box joints - they're invariably perfect, and it's safe to use too. 

Matthew


----------



## KenBee (Jan 1, 2011)

Check out You Tube. There are plans for box joint jigs that range from simple to difficult. Just type in Box Joint Jigs in the You Tube search engine and pick out your favorite from the dozens demonstrated.

I have Amazon Prime and Amazon Fire TV and can watch You Tube on my TV which I spend 2 or 3 hours each day searching out woodworking videos.


----------



## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Don, I have found that of all the box joint jigs available the Oak Park style jig works the best. The HDPE material lets the wood glide past the bit; set up is quick, easy and accurate. Oak Park is no longer producing their jigs; the best clone is sold by Peachtree. It is easy enough to copy the design.

You can use the holes for quick set up or just clamp it to your table. The second photo show how I modified the jig to work with my under table dust collection. You will find many threads about these jigs on the forums.


----------



## TWheels (May 26, 2006)

Mike, I for one feel the the RouterForums has come back much closer to "normal" with your return.:smile:

I fully agree the Oak Park (Router Workshop) system has no equal. We are left with the Peachtree and similar knockoffs. As of this writing, MLCS has a system identical (right down to the photograph!) to the Peachtree system for sale for about $40 less. Multi-Joint Spacing System

I for one am glad I was able to obtain the Oak Park set some years ago. It seems to me that it would not be all that difficult to build them from UHMW PE sheets.


----------



## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Tom, thanks for the thought but what makes the forums the best place on the web is member participation. You and every other member who reads this and takes the time to respond. So let me thank you for doing your part.


----------



## KenBee (Jan 1, 2011)

I have the Woodhaven box joint jig for use on the router table. It attaches to the Miter Gauge and can be set from 1/8 to 1/2 inch. It is simple to set up and cuts the joints very well. It has a backing board to minimize tear out and that also works very well. I made a separate backing board for both the 1/4 and 1/2 cut out sizes though. 

If I knew back then what I know now I could have saved $60.00 or $70.00 by building my own with wood out of my scrap heap.


----------



## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Building these jigs is best done using HDPE.


----------



## 4DThinker (Feb 16, 2014)

We have and use an assortment of simple jigs for use on a router table, one for each finger size (1/4,3/8,1/2 etc.). Start with a piece of key stock, commonly available 1ft long, the same width as the bit you want to use. Embed this 1/16" or so into the base board of your jig. Drill a hole slightly larger than the bit and one bit width away from the rail, near and end of the rail and near the center of your base board. 

Make a 90 degree push plate you can clamp/hold your project pieces to with a slot in the bottom to slide over the rail. 

Clamp this board to your router table, with the bit protruding the same or slightly more than your part thickness. Adjust so the space between bit and rail is one bit width. 

It may take a few test cuts to dial in the spacing between rail and bit, but once you have it making box joints is quick and accurate. 

Not all bits are the diameter they claim to be. We find Onsrude bits to be very close. If the bit is smaller than the key stock your first cut won't fit over it to make the second cut, and so on. You could make the rail from HDPE or brass or whatever.


----------



## mbar57 (Apr 20, 2015)

matt1710 said:


> Hi Don
> 
> I made the jig exactly as shown in this video (https://youtu.be/eKEB-BIq9qI) and it works SO well. I've used it to make countless box joints - they're invariably perfect, and it's safe to use too.
> 
> Matthew


Hey Don, I second Matt. I just built this right off the video about a week ago. I also flipped the fence and repeated the process in the other side with a different size peg, and made a second fence with two more. I don't know why the guy in the video was so surprised when it worked the first time, I never had to use the adjustment screw on any of the fences.


----------



## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

4DThinker said:


> Not all bits are the diameter they claim to be. We find Onsrude bits to be very close. If the bit is smaller than the key stock your first cut won't fit over it to make the second cut, and so on. You could make the rail from HDPE or brass or whatever.


It isn't always the bit that is off. There can also be collet runout which can add up to .01". Doesn't sound like much but that is enough to make for visibly loose pins. 

If you are having problems, measure the bit and then measure the cut from the bit. If the cut is wider than the bit, rotate the bit 90 degrees in the collet and try again.

One cause of runout is not inserting the bit as far as possible. I had a Freud straight bit that was exactly 3/8" but was cutting slightly wider by 6/1000" and the gaps were quite obvious. I had inserted it well past the "minimum insertion line" on the shaft but there was maybe 1/4" more it could go. Inserting it as far as possible (minus a little bit) completely solved the problem.


----------

