Woodworker's Journal 2009-33-6, страница 76
Skill Builder Box and Finger Joints Joinery for everyday ideas Mortise and Tenon Joints Although not as dressy as dovetails, box joints are versatile joints great for all kinds of everyday projects. You can use them to build attractive boxes and trays, good-look-ing drawers and carcasses, and tool totes and chests strong enough to withstand daily use. Sometimes confusingly referred to as "finger joints" (see below), box joints arc best for joining two frame or carcass members to form a corner. With a series of evenly sized pins and notches spaced along the length of a corner, box joints form simple but attractive exposed connections. They don't mechanically interlock like dovetails, but box joints do have lots of surface area, so they're very strong when glued together. Finger joints feature a series of finger-like pins and corresponding tapered notches that interlock to joint two parts together. They're best used to scarf frame Box Joint or panel members end to end, to form longer members. Finger joints are very handy for creating parts longer than the stock you have on hand; say, for a crown molding that traverses the entire length of a kitchen or den. Finger-joined scarf joints Box joints (top two photos) are used in boxes, trays and drawers. You can purchase box joint jigs for the table saw or router table. Finger joints (bottom photo, above) are another type of strong machined joint. arc also commonly used in boat building; say, for forming the gunwale on a canoe or sailboat. While you could cut box and finger joints by hand, both joints are most quickly and efficiently cut with power tools, in either solid wood or plywood. The easiest methods include using a sliding jig and a table saw, a portable router and a template-style joinery jig, or a router table and sliding fence jig or dedicated box joint router bit. Cutting finger joints requires a special bit used with a hefty router in a router table, or a finger-joint cutter used with a shaper. Sandor Nagyszalanczy Box and Finger Joints ^MORG ON THG W6B Skill Builder For more details about box and finger joints, go to www.woodworkersjournai.com and click on the More on the Web tab. Or send a large SASE to Woodworker's Journal, Skill Builder 12, 4365 Willow Drive, Medina, MN 55340. 78 December 2009 Woodworker's Journal |
