Router Table Box Joint Jig - Finger Joint Indexing Keys w/Three Finger Widths ¼”, ⅜” & ½” - Stable MDF Router Fence w/Low-Friction Melamine Coating - Knobs to Lock Platform w/ ¾” Miter Slot

I was looking to get into small box-making in the simplest way possible. I used a portable router, with an array of portable tables and jigs. For 1/4 inch joints, I started with a Dewalt 600b cordless router, a Bosch portable workbench, a Rockler Trim Router Table, a good carbide spiral up cut bit, and and this Rockler Box Joint Jig. After several days of experimentation, I came up with some pretty good, repeatable box joints. The procedure is as follows:1) Clamp the Router Trim Table to the work bench.2) Loosely clamp the Box Joint Jig the the Trim Table.3) For 1/4 inch jigs, I used a 0.25 drill bit to set the distance from the 1/4 inch brass key to the router bit. A set of feeler gauges can help zero in on the distance.4) Clamp everything tight.5) Use a digital gauge to set bit height. Set the height roughly 0.010 more than the mating material thickness. I used a Wixey WR25 3" Mini Digital Height Gauge. This gauge really makes things easy.5) Press work piece tightly against brass key, and make a test cut.6) With a 1/4 inch joint, that first pin thickness should be 0.245-0.250. If the thickness is less than 0.245, the fit will get sloppy. If it is more than 0.250, it will be too tight, and the joints will not go together. For me, about 0.248 is the sweet spot. Get some digital calipers, and learn how to use it.7) A second cut isn't necessary to dial in the fit. Loosen the clamps, and tap the Box Jig left or right as necessary to achieve the 0.245-0.250 pin width that you are looking for.8) After the first cut is dialed in, make sure subsequent cuts ae made by pressing the workpiece tightly against the brass key. The key is only about 0.243 inch in width, so this step is important.The 3/8 and 1/2 inch joints follow the same procedure. This method is working for me, particularly for small, one-off projects. You would want something more substantial for making larger quantities of joints. I want to stress, that using digital calipers, and a digital gauge for router bit depth really help make this, or any other project less frustrating.

I bought this knowing I would need to fabricate my Kobalt router table to work with it. It can be done. My pictures have the instructions on how I did it. You will need to use the table from front to back in the opposite direction with the on/off facing away from you but it can be done.Remove all pieces of the Kobalt table first. Then remove the little bit of aluminum to allow your slide bolt to move further. Drill two holes in the Kobalt slide. You will not use the slides that came with the jig. Also, only use the hold down bolts and knobs from the Kobalt table. Hope this helps! Makes a great tool for making boxes. I love it so far! YOU WILL NEED TO PURCHASE THE SPACERS SEPARATELY. That note was conveniently tucked away at the end of the instruction booklet.

I've been using the jig for about 2 weeks to make a series of shop cabinets for my tools. The unit does work well with my router table (MCLS Bench Top) and DeWalt 618 router, but the jig is a little tricky to dial in on the right size for the interlocking joints. I even use a set of brass setup bars to establish the distance between the bit and the brass key on the jig but it's still tricky to get it just right. The waste material does seem to build up under the jig sled and you will have to clean it out after each side of your work is cut. That may be part of the problem if waste is not clearing as use index each cut. It is also difficult to see the cuts in progress since the bench top table is a little higher than eye level (not the fault of the Rockler jig). I use a clamp on the first cut to ensure the workpiece is tight against the brass key pin and fence and the jig does provide adequate space for clamping smaller workpieces. It might be nice for the piece to ride on a slide (like a cross cut sled) to avoid catching on the bit opening in the jig (a problem with the waste material buildup), although varying pin and notch sizes might make that more complicated. I will be building a less tall stand for the table top in the future, and see if I can improve the dust collection as well. I do like the jig and will continue to learn how to use it better, but plan to waste a few practice pieces for each project.

Nice tool, well build and easy to use.and works perfect with JessEm router-Lift.It is not compatible with Kobalt router table :-(

Very nice Jig…”BUT”….doesn’t fit my older Craftsman bench top router table, I made adjustments, and have to use clamps 🗜️, and shims…made my first box joint, turned out nice

Overall good product, does what it's intended to do. However, the price, I would have expected better packaging to avoid damage during shipping.

I built two boxes the very first week. Both came out great and looked like a professional had made them. This is one item, if you are looking to get into boxes, that should be indispensable for any shop. You can buy a much more costly jig, but why should you. The only way to know how it works is for you to try it. Amazon will stand behind this product if you don't like it. (get it)

This isn't a precision jig, the sled has some side to side slop from manufacturing. There's about a 1/16th of an inch wobble in the sled which makes joints needing "work" to fit perfect. I used a little blue tape to help a little. How about just manufacture your crap better? You claim to be one of the top woodworking products but you manufacture junk like this that is far from precision. I literally just destroyed $30 worth of maple and walnut because of that 1/16th inch slop. Thanks rockler for wasting my money.