Help! gaps in finger joints

[John Daugherty]

Hello, everyone

I am building a medicine cabinet. I decided to us box joints for the case. I have been cutting the pins slightly long and sanding them flush. I am having a problem with my joints not fitting tightly on every pin. How would you fill these gaps?

[Jim Becker]

I'd fill the larger gaps with slivers of end-grain from the same species. The narrowest gaps will fill nicely when you finish, and if not, you can use a wax pencil that matches your final color just before your last coat of clear.

[John Daugherty]

Thanks Jim

[Keel McDonald]

You can also use glue and sawdust to fill the gaps. I have had pretty good success doing this myself. Good luck!

[Jim Becker]

You can also use glue and sawdust to fill the gaps. I have had pretty good success doing this myself. Good luck!

True, but there are finishing implications due to the properties of the glue, particularly if you are using a penetrating finish or something to impart color.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I'm with Jim about using "slivers" to fill the gaps. I tried the glue/saw dust method on an oak buffet. Glue doesn't take stain as well and sticks out like a sore thumb!

[Keel McDonald]

True, but there are finishing implications due to the properties of the glue, particularly if you are using a penetrating finish or something to impart color.

Jim,

The only time I ever used it was on an oak bed and the stain was very dark. It was very hard to see where the glue was. I agree that the slivers are probably a better alternative.

[John Daugherty]

Thanks guys,

The wood I am using is basswood. I will be staining the wood with a cherry stain. The gaps are aprox. 1/64 of an inch. They are really small.

[Russ Filtz]

Good taste in clamps. I have four of them and actually like them better than (gasp!) my K-bodies.

[Donnie Raines]

I have always used the glue and sandpaper trick(same as the glue and sawdust trick)

I place a dab of yellow glue on the "issue" and then use the random orbit sander to create a slurry of glue and sawdust. I have never ever had an issue with the glue negatively effecting the woods ability to take color. Mostly becuase the sander removes 99.9% of the glue and burnihses the end grain..

Though what Jim and Ken said would(could) be true if you were simply mixing the glue by hand.

[John Lucas]

I don't have the best eyes, but your joint seems ok...what may be wrong is the clamping. It seems to me that the pins (end sections showing) are all just a slight bit up. It also seems that your clamp is directly over the joint. Move the clamp away just a bit and see if you can't close the joint.

[John Daugherty]

Russ,

I got a couple at the recent woodcraft sale. I really like them a lot.

Jim and Ken,

I cut some slivers and filled the gaps that where large enough to fill this way. It worked great, you can't tell there ever was a gap!

Donnie,

I will try to fill the smaller gaps with the glue/sander trick.

Thanks for all your help.


John,

The clamp is at the end of the top pins (back side). I went back and looked at the picture, it does look like the clap is over the pins.