??? Large finger joints in a 3x6

[Joseph Carter]

Looking for advice on how to fabricate finger joints in the end of a 3x6 billet of hard wood. Trying to make a Nyquist Tail vice for a new work bench. My Table Saw dado stack won't cut deep enough for 3 inch joints. Any help/advice would be appreciated. Thanks

[mike holden]

This is trivial with hand tools. Layout your joint, cut to the line with a handsaw, chop out the waste with a chisel. Pare to fit as needed.

[Jamie Buxton]

Most 10" table saws will cut a tad over 3" tall. Stand the lumber on end, use a good miter gauge, and go at it. You might even clamp the workpiece to the gauge for the initial cuts. You can at least cut the faces of the joint, so you get nice flat glue faces. You can also use the saw to pare the faces, if that turns out to be necessary. You can use multiple passes on the saw to remove the waste. If you're persnickety, you can use a chisel to clean up the end grain in the joint.

[Curt Harms]

Here is one place a table saw tenoning jig, either purchased or home made is useful. A rip blade with a flat tooth grind for 'nibbling' out the waste helps as well. A blade with a flat tooth grind leaves smoother bottoms than the typical ATB (alternate top bevel) blade. A little tune-up with a sharp chisel may still be necessary.

[glenn bradley]

Since Joseph states that his saw will not cut 3" I assume the format or blade size is a restriction. I too would probably just go after this with a hand saw and bench chisels. The bandsaw would be my next choice or a hybrid operation. Cut part of the fingers on the bandsaw with your material well supported on roller stands so that all you have to worry about is moving the material forward. Let your saw come to a full stop before trying to back up as bandsaws are not designed to have the work pulled back during operation and your blade could jump the wheels and become damaged. Finish the fingers with a coping saw and chisels then use those fingers to mark the opposing stock. HTH.

[Jamie Buxton]

Since Joseph states that his saw will not cut 3" I assume the format or blade size is a restriction...

No, he said his dado set will not cut 3" tall. Dado sets are usually 6" or 8" diameter. Cabinet saw blades are usually 10" in diameter.

[glenn bradley]

No, he said his dado set will not cut 3" tall. Dado sets are usually 6" or 8" diameter. Cabinet saw blades are usually 10" in diameter.

Doh! Thanks Jamie ;-)

[Edward Oleen]

Sounds to me like this is a job for a band saw...

Also, just how long is the piece that is to have the fingers cut in it? Both ends or just one end? And a TS tenoning jig isn't that difficult to build: mine is based on a "shoe" which rides along my table fence. I've cut lots of tenons with it. Haven't tried large finger joints, tho. And since I use a Keller Dove tail jig, I've not made any finger joints for boxes, etc.

[Michael Gibbons]

Do you have a bandsaw? Draw the lines on workpiece, line up the fence and go to town. You can turn the work at the bottom, then perpendicular cut when you get the waste out.

[Joe Tuminello]

I used David wades method to make 5/8 inch finger joints. If you need them larger making the jig is even easier. It worked very well. I am not sure if you need to do this for your application however.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHGuqXUI-eg

[Brian Henderson]

Use a bandsaw. You can either cut as deeply as you can on the tablesaw (which strikes me as dangerous as it requires you to stand them on end) and finish up on the bandsaw, or just set up a fence, make all of the cuts, then use a coping saw or similar to take out the waste. I suppose you could always do it on the tablesaw laying down, cut out one side of the joint up to the bottom mark, flip it over and do the other side, then clean up the little "V" remaining with a chisel. It would be safer, at least, not sure about easier.

[Bob Hoffmann]

Granted that a solid piece of wood is a nicer look, but does it really have to be a solid piece?

What I am getting at, is laminate 3/4" pieces together to get the 3" -- that is 4 pieces / or 8 if you laminate over the 6" length. Stagger the piece length, and you automatically have your finger joints -- could also help with stability.

I just went out an looked at my Ulmia bench (German made -- still going strong after being purchased in the Munich in 1986) ... and it is not a solid piece, but is a glued up piece ...

[Brian Henderson]

Granted that a solid piece of wood is a nicer look, but does it really have to be a solid piece?

What I am getting at, is laminate 3/4" pieces together to get the 3" -- that is 4 pieces / or 8 if you laminate over the 6" length. Stagger the piece length, and you automatically have your finger joints -- could also help with stability.

I just went out an looked at my Ulmia bench (German made -- still going strong after being purchased in the Munich in 1986) ... and it is not a solid piece, but is a glued up piece ...

I was also just thinking, do the finger joints have to be the full thickness, or can you go as thick as your dado set can, then cut a miter at the back end where nobody is going to see it anyhow?