Box Joint Jig | Build It | Ask This Old House
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- čas přidán 3. 06. 2024
- In this Build It video, Tom Silva and Kevin O’Connor build a basic serving tray as a means for illustrating the box joint-a commonly used method for joining corners for drawers, boxes, trays, and the like.
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Kevin O’Connor joins general contractor Tom Silva in the woodshop to build a sturdy serving tray with the help of a custom jig and box joints. Tom makes the tray from half-inch walnut and explains how the box joint is one of the strongest joints you can choose. He shows us how to make a dado sled to efficiently and evenly cut box joints with a table saw. Finally, once the glue dries, it’s time for sanding and a mineral oil finish.
Skill level: 3/5
Cost: About $150
Time: 4-6 hours (a few hours to wait for the glue to dry)
Materials
1/2 inch pine stock [thd.co/3rnKrG9] (for the sled)
1/2 inch walnut stock [thd.co/34KU1ur]
Wood glue [amzn.to/3gQ7hAo]
Painter’s tape [amzn.to/3sI4XB0]
Food-safe oil [amzn.to/3gOGWCF]
Tools
Table saw [amzn.to/3Bs64sC] equipped with a dado blade
Drill/driver [amzn.to/3Jvrt6V]
Bar clamps [amzn.to/3JvGlC9]
Straightedge [amzn.to/3gNl3DJ]
Pencil [amzn.to/3gOVCBQ]
Tape measure [amzn.to/3HWIlTy]
Jig saw [amzn.to/34KCTor]
Router [amzn.to/3uRdm7I]
Palm sander [amzn.to/3JqcfQo]
Sanding block [amzn.to/3rQPtLA]
Plane [amzn.to/3BCrXWh]
Acid brushes [amzn.to/3BqWMNy]
Rags [amzn.to/34Kp75o] (to apply the mineral oil)
How to build a box joint jig
1. Start by building a special sled for creating the box joints. On the table saw, cut the base and the glides.
2. Attach the glides to the sled base. Make sure the glides slide easily in the miter slots, and ensure that everything is square to the blade.
3. Add 2x stock along the back to register the pieces as they’re being cut. This also protects your hands from the blade.
4. Make sure there are enough slots or fingers in the width stock to make a strong joint without leaving one that’s too small or big at either edge. Tom notes that 1/4” to 3/8” is his typical reference width.
5. Set the dado blade to the width, then make the cut.
6. Establish the point for a reference peg on the sled. This will keep the spacing consistent.
7. Fine-tune the placement until the joint fits the way you want it to.
8. Cut all the notches on all four pieces using the peg as a spacer.
9. Cut the bottom tray pieces on the table saw.
10. Assemble the tray by spreading glue throughout the pieces, including the area that will accept the bottom.
11. Put the pieces together. Tom notes that the joints will overhang a bit because he wants some extra space to sand the pieces down smooth and even-which would be hard to do if the joints are not cut correctly and if they lined up perfectly.
12. Clamp the pieces and wait for them to dry.
13. Sand the assembled piece until everything is nice and flush.
14. Coat the finished piece with food-safe mineral oil.
Where to find it?
Tom uses an old milk crate that has a series of box joints to demonstrate the amount of glue surface that the joint creates. Each of these “fingers”, as Tom calls them, presents more gluing surface, and therefore more holding power. Building the joint can be done on either a router or a table saw. Tom decides to use a table saw [amzn.to/3Bs64sC] equipped with a dado blade [amzn.to/3rPsFvY]. He and Kevin build a box joint jig which is a simple table saw sled equipped with adjustable stops and a pin. The pin allows for even spacing between dados. Tom and Kevin use black walnut to make the tray, which they sand, assemble, and then finish with food-safe oil [amzn.to/3gOGWCF].
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Build It:
This Old House general contractor Tom Silva, This Old House host Kevin O’Connor, and special guests including Jimmy DiResta, take you through step-by-step DIY projects in this popular video series. From end-tables to cutting boards to wine racks to chicken coops and more, learn how to build from the best pros in the game. Segments include mention of all tools and materials needed to get the job done.
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Box Joint Jig | Build It | Ask This Old House
/ thisoldhouse - Jak na to + styl
I am new to woodworking and I watch a lot of videos and must of them confuse the hell out of me. But I I do understand your videos a lot better. I still watch them a couple times because I want to be safe and not lose a finger
Im not sure why I watch other videos for this kind of guidance. I always come back to Tommy's teachings.
Tommy's Jigs / Sleds are genuis. Love watching this master of carpentry at work.
That Tommy is a great showman who knows all the tricks. Never get sick of seeing him do his thing. Thanks for the video.
Really enjoy Tom Silva projects. He is a wealth of knowledge. Thank you Tom for many years of sharing!
Tommy you inspired me to become obsessed with carpentry and woodworking so thanks from ireland for all your inspirational videos
I love every single show.
Box joints are awesome and while you can make them with a router, this is a MUCH better way to do it. Thanks for getting out on line Tommy - we've missed you! (And you too Kevin!)
Love hearing Tommy's voice. So relaxing. 😌😌🤤
That old Tommy the master of carpentry at work. They make it like him anymore.
Great job guys!
Tommys way of explaining, the way he works and the calmness he shows, combined with the relaxed way Kevin moderates the show really make up for good videos!
Please keep more good content coming!
Classic content like this one here is perfect and also modern, electrical, plumbing and modern technologies are very interesting!!!!!
Slow is smooth, smooth is fast
6:08 kinda lost track of what was happening and why before this, but it all became clear and it makes so much sense... yes!!
Very simple tool for making quality joinery
He is a MASTER of his craft ! WOW
What a great teacher. I wish I had half that knowledge and skill.
Such an easy jig and beautiful tray! Thanks for sharing how you made it.
This video/channel brings happiness to me
Nice jig and nice tray. Well done Tommy and TOH.
Really well explained! Tommy nailed it again!
Tommy,
As a long time fan. This project 👌 It just hit me how easy it is. I could make a few for other needed sizes. Thanks again Professor 👍👍👍👍👍
Awesome video. Thank You So Very Much for showing how to make a box joint jig. my Great Grandfather was a box maker when everything came in wooden boxes. now i can make some wooden boxes to put my tools in for my workshop. :)
Such a great teacher Tom
Great job as always Tommy. It’s absolutely beautiful and its made out of my favorite wood too.
Excellent technique. Thanks
That’s so nice to be able too do that.
I made some small boxes using box joints a while back and put a contrasting wood Dowell in each corner
Beautiful serving tray. Simple jig. I think squaring the fence may have been understated (over simplified?). Base was probably squared. Base was squared to fence when it was mounted on rails. No reason it wouldn’t work. But, … a lot of sled construction examples use one screw to “temporarily” mount the fence, make a series of test cuts, and fine tune the squaring.
Wonderful job guys
Love the video! Great presentation as usual. Thank you.
You guys are awesome!
Thank you, Simplicity of a sled 👍🏻 really like it. You got me lost in your explanation when matching the dado corners. 🤔
Hey TOH I had a dream Tommy and Kevin were helping me build a barn last night! haha
Dang, what a job
This jig has a second purpose as a door stile tenon jig without changing anything so long as the fence is square, I like to build a more substantial fence with a cap screw on the back corner for fine tuning square and attach the fence with machine screws and threaded inserts on the base to be able to loosen to make said adjustment, but then it's more intimidating for beginners and that's who this was aimed at.
When are guys coming to California to do your videos. Love them I ve learned many things because of you guys 👍
That looks awesome
Very nicely done ✔
Great idea 💡 👍 👏 👌 😀
Excellent content and excellent production.
Joints on my bee boxes are this way. Holds good.
Hello. Very Nice. Thank you for this Video. LG dein Austria
One of Tommy's favorite words....... dado... 😂😂
Steve Ramsey on Wood Working for Mere Mortals also has a good group of videos on how to make sleds. Not that much different, but he has more of a hobbyist vibe
Not to take away from Tommy's sled this just reminded me I once had to make 8000 small finger-jointed jewelry boxes starting from 8/4 rough cut cherry. I had a custom 3 inch tall shaper bit fabricated that would cut all the finger slots in each end in a single pass. 8 passes per box as opposed to about 80 individual cuts per box. The sled is a much better option for joints with 1/2 inch teeth like the ones in this video though.
i guarantee i couldnt do this! you guys rock though
I'm not a big fan of wet lubrication on my cast iron top: Paste wax or similar is just cleaner and longer lasting (beeswax is nice also but can be stickier grabbing fine dust). Also, much less likely to contaminate my work pieces with a drier lubricant. Aside from that: a good jig to start down the rabbit hole of joinery.
I've loved This Old House since I was a kid and watch your CZcams videos all the time, love the updates. But, ya'll about a decade late on the box joint jig video, there is a million of them. How about a review of a circular saw guides or how to on them.
They should have showed everyone how to do it with a router table.
Great onfo
muito fixe
I wonder if Norm got some of his stuff from Tommy or the other way around or did both learn independently. Regardless, some great projects from these guys found their way into our house.
no mention of squaring the fence on the jig to the dado
recommend to install dado first make cut on scrap measure hole then cut pug to that hole dimension
don't ask why if you don't know already....of course you can just skip these steps...hehehehehehehe
Hey Tommy, love what you do....im in Washington St and beginning to build epoxy tables. I would love to learn from you. I have a construction degree but haven't used it in years
Yeah i don't think Tommy personally reads these comments, but hey whatever floats your boat.
@@2loco actually I do, you Wascally Wabbit. Cliff, how about next week? Tom, a.k.a Mark.
What is a "construction" paper degree? aren't they all!
A bee's wax mani by hell probably use bri wax, which is very good .
I actually need one of these, I guess I'm gonna finally have to break down and make one..............Or TOH can just send me that one, signed of course!
Does this need much altering to be able to use on a router table?
I made this jig and been using a few times. One problem. I keep getting break away on the back of each finger joint from the dado blades. I used tape and it works alittle bit but still some. How did he get his with no break away. And with no tape or anything. Any suggestions?
Same here - some things to try: his fence looked planed, meaning his stock and fence probably sit very flush and his fence is acting like a backer board. Try that or try using a planes scrap piece as a backer board to support the wood fibers. He was also using a dado set WAY nicer (i.e. sharper) than mine… I’m sure that helps!
1/2 walnut, euuh about $6000 per linear inch..
Like a complete idiot I threw away my late father's box joint sled. This is going to be a project that I tackle very soon!
Table saws are too dangerous for the average woodworkers. I recommend a track saw.
I just looked up the definition of the word skill and they had a picture of Tommy.
I'm a bit unclear as to what the pencil marks are for... I'm a beginner to this stuff
I note that you use the table saw without a guard of even a riving knife. I guess that safe use of power tools isn't your forte.
kevin starting to look like tommy age wise lol
My table saw can't take dado blades 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
What now?
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Good job old man now pass the torch to the young guys.. Just kidding love your content but it would be cool to see 1/100 of your audience come check out my vids🙃
第一
He oversimplifies a lot of the steps. I make a lot of box joints and it takes a lot ore sneaking up on settings to get the joints to come out tight but not too tight etc.
Wood is expensive now
Video seems too short from start to finish?
I'm gonna really miss Tommy when he retires, this new staff is getting hard to understand and really not worth watching anymore, sounds like a horror movie and all the new players are Dracula
blah, blah, blah, " . . . dado blade . . . " --- ok. I guess we're done here. On to the next box joint video suggestion.