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begginer finger joints

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8/6/2000 10:51 PM

begginer finger joints

ive never tried doing this but am going to build 1 or 2 cabs for myself. below it says you can do finger joints w/ a table saw, how do you do this? it would be alot easier then haveing to get a jig since im not making many cabs. or would dovetails be easier? my other option is taking it to someone and haveing them do the joint, and then do the rest. i'd be nice to do it myself though. I checked out the link for the DIY finger jig. seems like alot of work to get the metal machined, and i didn't really get how it worked from looking at it. im sure if i saw it done it would make sense though. thanks for the input!
rich

8/6/2000 11:13 PM
R.G.	Harbor Freight Tools has a "dovetail jig" for $39 - $49 depending on your timing and their sales. Should last OK for a few boxes.

8/6/2000 11:29 PM
Mike Shaw	The Harbor Freight one looks similar to the lowend Sears one. Might want to check out a Sears store and take a look firsthand and then buy from whereever you get the better deal. Hey RG, what's a recommendation for a good solid jig without getting too expensive? Mike

8/7/2000 12:42 AM

Are you going to use solid wood or plywood?
If you are using plywood are you using construction grade AC fir ply or furniture grade birch ply with 7,9,11 or 13 plies? etc.
While dovetails are nice looking and they are a superior wood joint, it is not necessary in this type of construction and you could well with 5/16" to 3/8" box joints or even a very commonly used joint called a sliding drawer box joint... the easiest of all with a table saw and pretty strong.
It's a basic 1/4" to 3/8" tongue and groove joint across the inside face of the cabinet sides, but offset so the grove is about 3/8" to 1/2" below the top of the joint.
Not like a dado lap joint.
Personally, for home built stuff, I wouldn't bother with a dovetail jig unless you really enjoy brain damage from learning new woodworking tricks.

Bruce

8/9/2000 9:52 PM

I always did my joints with dowels until last week when Eric H. pointed out that in an amp of the caliber that I'm building dowels are a pretty sleazy way to go. Well I guess he was right even though I felt pretty dumb after building nearly 100 amps this way, so I built a cab using finger joints. It was alot of work....I still have the blisters on my hands from the chisel and hammer. It came out great though and looked pretty cool. I've always covered my amps with leather, but I like the look of laquered wood, so I'm going to be building nitrocellulose laquered hardwood cabs for while. I noticed a considerable improvement in tone since there's no leather to dull the resonance of the wood now. The cab "sings' quite a bit more, which IMHO is mark of a really great amp. Anyway, I bought a dovetail jig a couple days ago because I thought that the dovetail saw, hammer and chisel were just a bit too much work. I practiced on some scrap for about an hour and figured out how to use the Dovetail jig. Then I built a head cab using the new jig. This IS the way to do it for sure. It was easy, much easier than making the doweled buttjoints by hand like I've always done or the handcut fingerjoints. The dowel jig saves me alot of time, the joints look great, they are strong, and I don't have blisters. I also really love the sound of the uncovered wood and I don't have to fork out a bundle for leather covering material. I see a price reduction in my amps coming soon.

Peter S

8/9/2000 11:35 PM

i was thinking of getting a dovetail jig, but am worried that i wont get the right one or it wont work. i found this one for $39
http://www.toolmarts.com/dovetailjigs.html
then i need 2 different blades right? not sure which ones i need to get. do you think if i get this thing it wont be too hard to figure out and will work for the few cabs im going to build? just wondering if anyone has any other suggestions
thanks,
rich

8/10/2000 4:42 AM

Those 1/2" spacings make for pretty large looking tails and pins.
You shouldn't need two different bits if you are making box joints... Fender and everyone else in mass production I can think of DOES NOT do dovetailing but instead builds the carcass using box joints.
A dovetail joint will need two bits, a straight flute and a dovetail cutter.
I still think true dovetailing is a waste of time for a homebrewer unless you are not covering the cabinet and want the look of joint to be part of the sizzle.
If you want to use a jig and router for jointery, I'd try for a jig that lets you use a straight 5/16' cutter for the tails and pins of a basic box joint....etc etc.
Pretty simple to do after that first set up.
Oh yeah, it makes a huge mess on the floor and everywhere else within an 8 foot circle.
Bruce

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