Box joints are kicking my butt-ox

[JazzGuitarGimp]

I can attest to pocket screws, though I have only used them on 3/4” plywood. But the tools do accommodate 1/2” material, so I’d say it should work well. You have to clamp the two pieces together really well, especially if you’re using glue, which makes everything more slippery. Since the screw goes in at an angle, if there is even a small gap between the boards being joined, you’ll wind up with a joint that exhibits ‘overbite’.

[MakerDP]

https://www.kregtool.com/store/c13/kreg ... jigreg-k5/

Fantastic product right there. Yes it works great with 1/2" stock. I just built a pine combo cab (painted) for an Ibanez TSH-15 using it. Came out great. I also built a garage full of cabinets out of plywood with it, but that's a whole other story.

Yes you do need to clamp it well upon assembly but once the screws are in the clamps can come off immediately.

On a somewhat related note, I went all-in on Kreg tools this summer. I sold two table saws because I was always in mortal fear that I would lose a finger on my left hand. (Woodworking is a hobby, guitar is my passion.) I bought the Kreg Adaptive Cutting System Master Kit and between that and the above K5 pocket hole jig I built more stuff since July of this year than I have in total for the rest of my life and I have WAY more space in my garage! No more fear of losing a finger, unless I have a freak oribital sander accident or something.

[Geeze]

The trick I've found with box or finger joints is the accuracy of the blade width of cut, the width of the key on the jig, a tear out board the exact height of the the cut AND consistent pressure on the jig as I push it through the slots. I drew a big arrow pointing left to remind me to push the jig to the left as it goes through the blade AND back out. .002" added to each cut by not paying attention will stack tolerances across the board and ruin your day. Don't ask me how I know this, suffice it to say I used a great quantity of power words when it came to light.

I also mill hardwood that is typically 7/8" thick or more so I can run the jointed planks through a drum sander to remove any unhappiness.

If you plan to cover the wood with tolex I wouldn't bother with the fuss of finger joints as modern glues like titebond III don't need the extra glue surface for a great joint. The only reason I fool with finger joints is I like the look.

Russ

[drew]

On a somewhat related note, I went all-in on Kreg tools this summer. I sold two table saws because I was always in mortal fear that I would lose a finger on my left hand. (Woodworking is a hobby, guitar is my passion.) I bought the Kreg Adaptive Cutting System Master Kit and between that and the above K5 pocket hole jig I built more stuff since July of this year than I have in total for the rest of my life and I have WAY more space in my garage! No more fear of losing a finger, unless I have a freak oribital sander accident or something.

That’s a pretty slick setup.

[ER]

If you ever want to come up, anytime, PM me and I can show you how I do it on my crusty old craftsman 100. I'm about 30 mins North of Chico.
I made a sled with a back fence from scrap plywood that slides in both table grooves with hardwood guides and a finger the width of the dado on it a distance equal to that width from the blade. Set the blade depth 1/2 a hair higher than the board thickness, do the first cut flush to the edge of the first board and then clamp both boards for that corner to the fence, butted up against the finger. Make the cut, move the notch to sit on the finger, clamp, repeat. You're cutting both boards at the same time so it goes faster and they match exactly, setting spacing on the dado width makes the joint looser or tighter as needed. I like them with no slop on the finger, when you have to just tap them together with a mallet. Cutting two boards and having the back fence just about eliminates tear out.

-Erik

[Faze]

Here is a post I did on finger joints using a jig with a table saw. My brother made the thing and it works great. It will help you with box joints.

I fixed the link. I had the wrong one be for, this should work now.

https://ampgarage.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=26786