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Table Saw Jig for Stronger Boxes

By: Woodsmith staff
Miter joints are ideal for great-looking boxes. To increase strength to the joinery, take a few minutes to build this jig for adding splines.

Miter joints are nice to look at, but the end grain surface doesn’t offer a lot of gluing strength. One way to reinforce the miter (and add a decorative touch) is to add keys that run across the joint. But cutting perfect slots for the keys isn’t always easy. You need to hold the assembled workpiece at 45° and then pass it over a table saw blade or router bit. The jig shown above makes it easy to cut slots for miter keys.

the jig consists of two plywood sides that hold a carriage. The carriage supports the box at the correct angle. The jig also has a replaceable hardboard backer that acts as a zero-clearance insert to support the cut and help prevent tearout.

To keep the workpiece stable during the cut, I added a toggle clamp fastened to an easily adjustable base. With this jig, the quality of the boxes I make has gone up. I get clean, accurate cuts every time.

Published: July 21, 2016
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