Router Table Works

[shoottx]

This is so very cool I just had to share it.

When I built my router table,one of the main purposes was to be able to use the Jointech I have had for a long long time. Well I finally set the machine up land tried it . I started with a box joints on some old oak. Here is a picture of the router table set up and a couple of pictures of my first box joints.

[jhart]

Look pretty nice, Mike. Why'd you wait so long to try it?

[radhak]

Interesting. I have an Incra, which I guess is pretty similar.

But how exactly do you get box-joints on a setup like this? I thought the trick is to increment the position of the workpiece very precisely from one to cut to next...


(Yes, I am that lazy - I am aware the incra allows me to do it according to their advertisements, but never got around to checking it out )

[LCHIEN]

Interesting. I have an Incra, which I guess is pretty similar.

But how exactly do you get box-joints on a setup like this? I thought the trick is to increment the position of the workpiece very precisely from one to cut to next...


(Yes, I am that lazy - I am aware the incra allows me to do it according to their advertisements, but never got around to checking it out )

the jointech and incra allow precise incremental advance. You cut the pins say with a 3/8" straight bit and advance the workpiece exactly 3/4" every cut.

[poolhound]

I was also wondering how you get the setup to create such tight box joints. Does it not have an indexing pin arrangement? I would have thought that having to eyeball evey movement of the fence however accurate could lead to minor variances and be rather a pain.

[radhak]

I was also wondering how you get the setup to create such tight box joints. Does it not have an indexing pin arrangement? I would have thought that having to eyeball evey movement of the fence however accurate could lead to minor variances and be rather a pain.

Exactly my point - for all the accuracy of the Incra, I would not want to bet my eyeballing precision against the surety of an indexing pin.

I googled and found this post on how to do it on an Incra, and my doubts still hold. I'd be interested to know if Mike (OP) did it similarly - maybe I'm over-thinking this.

[Ed62]

That's a pretty impressive joint. Very nice. It seems like it would take much longer to make them on a router table, than a table saw. Is there a big advantage to using a router table?

Ed

[garymuto]

The incra has toothed advance points that are exactly 1/32" so you can actually determine which tooth is the correct one using the integral scale on the device. It's not hard, but you can make a mistake if you are not careful.

[shoottx]

Let me see If I can answer the questions here.

jhart Look pretty nice, Mike. Why'd you wait so long to try it?

Working for a living which meant a lot of travel and no time in the shop.

radhak But how exactly do you get box-joints on a setup like this? I thought the trick is to increment the position of the workpiece very precisely from one to cut to next...

The Jointech and The Incra have templates based on constructs of the joint. After getting the set up complete( zeroing th fence and setting the bit height) you move the fence cording to the template. Picture attached

poolhound I was also wondering how you get the setup to create such tight box joints. Does it not have an indexing pin arrangement? I would have thought that having to eyeball evey movement of the fence however accurate could lead to minor variances and be rather a pain.

Once set up all you have to do is follow the template. You should know if it were me eyeballing it the boards wouldn't have even come close to fitting together

radhak I googled and found this post on how to do it on an Incra, and my doubts still hold. I'd be interested to know if Mike (OP) did it similarly - maybe I'm over-thinking this.

I am not sure on the incra (I have one of those somewhere as well) but the templates are the real key for accuracy.

Ed62 That's a pretty impressive joint. Very nice. It seems like it would take much longer to make them on a router table, than a table saw. Is there a big advantage to using a router table?

I think the set up is about the same amount of time, and once you start cutting it is about the same amount of time. I don't have a Dado set for the saw, and I can keep the saw open for other requirements (like remaking a couple of boards when you make a mistake)

And here are my 1st tries at blind dovetails in soft pine

[bmyers]

That's a pretty impressive joint. Very nice. It seems like it would take much longer to make them on a router table, than a table saw. Is there a big advantage to using a router table?

Ed

For simple box joints it might be faster on the TS with a square stick for an index.

I couldn't make up my mind when I was shopping for a fence like this so I bought both

In function they are the same thing. Some minor differences but the templates are interchangable.

Where this type of fence comes into it's own is when you use fancy templates. A box joint that has varying finger sizes is one example. Harder do that on a TS because you need the index for the next finger of the joint with simple box joint fixtures.

The Incra/Jointech fence does not need this. It knows right where it is from the template and where you zero'd the fence. It's easy to make the mating piece from the template, one board you do the red cuts, the mating board gets the blue cuts of a varying pattern.

Of course, you could just put this fence on the TS and do the same thing with the dado if you prefer. Just set you dado width to the width of the router bit called for in the template.

Bill