Weekend Box

From J:

One of the classic techniques for casework is the box joint (or finger joint). It's useful for everything from drawers to boxes to carcases. I've got an upcoming project that I'm considering using these for, so I needed to practice them!

Step 1: make a jig. I used some leftover pine and birch plywood to make a tablesaw jig that works with a dado stack to make joints with a 1/2" spacing. I modeled this after some commercial jigs that are admittedly much nicer but are also not free.

This is why you keep scraps.

Step 2: take some scrap cherry plywood from your storage cabinet build and cut it to some rough size. Really, I was just winging it for the sizes here.

Step 3: add box joints to the plywood. Now it fits together like a box!

It's a really neat visual effect.

Step 4: rout a slot for the bottom (also cherry plywood) and chisel it square. Cut the bottom to fit.

Step 5: take another piece of cherry plywood and cut the top to size, then rout a nice little curve on it. Add a couple of blocks on the underside to define how it sits in the box. Take some scrap solid cherry and cut it to make a handle. Dry fit, it looks like a box!

Step 6: glue it all up!

Something something, can't have enough clamps, something something.

The whole project took a few hours in the shop this weekend and was a lot of fun. It also gave me an excuse to use my newest tool, a Festool dust extractor. Welcome to the tool club, Uncle Festool.

My most expensive tool. It cost as much as my next two most expensive tools combined.