Trouble with Finger Joint Jig

[bill epstein]

Haven't made them in years so fashioned a new jig. The peg fit nice and tight in the kerf and was of a piece with the spacer. The result was joints I couldn't tap into place until I pared a few thou' from each kerf.

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What did I do wrong?

[John TenEyck]

If the fingers fit too tightly, then you need to move the spacer closer to the blade/bit.

John

[Lee Schierer]

The slots and the pins need to be slightly different in size. Add a shim to your dado to cut slots a few thousand wider.

[Bruce Wrenn]

If memory serves me correct, and it may not. (I have CRS.) William Ng does a video on box joints that well worth the time.

[Thomas McCurnin]

Bruce is correct. Mr Ng’s video is amazing and he gets the joint within 4 thousandths of accuracy using a feeler gauge.

[bill epstein]

If memory serves me correct, and it may not. (I have CRS.) William Ng does a video on box joints that well worth the time.

A very worthwhile video indeed. While paring one set of parts didn't take longer than his set-up, Mr. Ng's overall methods are a joy to watch and worthy of adoption. If I were to build a 6 drawer bureau, for example, I would certainly do just as he clearly explains.

Thanks for the recommendation.

[Dave Mills]

I put a screw to the left of my jig, to act as a stop to allow micro adjustments when the fingers are too tight or too loose. Then I can use that on a test piece each time I reassemble the jig.

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