Building a cabinet...wrong tools

[KeepInTune]

I'm wanting to make a simple cabinet for a 1x12 extension (which I'll tolex or tweed). I want to make it finger-joint, but I only have a circular saw (hand held), a hand held jig saw, and a router.

Any advice/suggestions from those of you who have built a finger-joint box without a table saw?

[keithb7]

I have tried this and the results, I was not happy with. You do not have to go with finger joints. Do you have a plunge router? What about using dowel pins in the corners? Use your plunge router to drill the holes and glue in dowels. I was thinking this should be adequate. I have seen others make cabs like this.

[keithb7]

See this post right here: Dowels used in the head and the 1x12 cab.

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/shock-bro...net-build.html

[motor_city_tele]

Pocket Screws and glue if you plan on covering the joints anyroad.
or you could make them with a router table and a guide the same width as the bit. That is how I did mine. Not great like Norm Abrahms would make, but good enough for me.

Check out these finger joints


they used to look like this

[KeepInTune]

Thanks so much. I think I'll just find a local carpenter and pay him to cut the finger joints. I'm guessing it might be a $25+- charge if I supply the pine.

That would definately make this an easier project!

[cigarman]

Originally Posted by keithb7

See this post right here: Dowels used in the head and the 1x12 cab.

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/shock-bro...net-build.html

Originally Posted by KeepInTune

Thanks so much. I think I'll just find a local carpenter and pay him to cut the finger joints. I'm guessing it might be a $25+- charge if I supply the pine.

That would definately make this an easier project!

Doweling jig from Rockler was 15.00, I am limited to just a few tools also.

[Bellybuster]

box joints can easily be cut with a router (table mounted)
heres a commercial version but a DIY version is pretty easy to toss together
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMYTWwDGynA

[Jimclarke100]

I did the finger joints for the cab for my Princeton using a simple homemade jig in combination with a home made router table. I found the designs via the search engine of your choice (in fact it may even have been on TDPRI) and they were pretty easy to throw together.

I'm probably not the worlds greatest woodworker, but it worked ok.

[telex76]

I made some very nice finger joints with just a pull saw and a chisel and file. All with hand tools. Took me about an hour for each side, 4 hours spread over 2 days. Borrowed a router to roundover the edges.

[celeste]

Hand cut finger joints are not uncommon, there should be good instruction on the web. Have you googled "hand sawing finger joints"?

[adjason]

you can cut finger joints but you will need a hand saw and decent chisel. You can buy both tools for around $25.

[printer2]

Easiest way would be to make a jig for the router. Well getting the local carpenter to do it would be easier. Mind you he may not have the jig for it either.

[rogb]

I've made 4 cabs so far with a simple 1/2" box cutter on my router mounted upside down in my Workmate , which becomes a basic router table. I made a guide with an offcut of ply mounted on to the router metal guide. Marked the 1/2" joints out and slide it along for each cut.
I cut down the side cuts with a jigsaw and also some diagonal cuts to remove most of the ply, which saves your bit and stops much of the splitting.

The box cutter is really only truing up the sides and making the flat end cut in the finger joint.

It really is quite easy and once you have done a few you will wonder why you even worried about it!

[woodbutcher]

I knew there was a pretty slick router jig somewhere. This is Che Guitarra's jig. It took me a few weeks to run across it. Just in case you haven't got things figured out already.

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/shock-bro...ml#post4269565

[trancedental]

Use a Coping Saw & a chisel to cut finger joints, 3/8" or 1/2" wide you really don't need a expensive router & jig to do simple joints! It's not as it they are dovetails or other even more complicated joints.

Just basic woodwork like you learnt in school when you were 12 years old!

[Che_Guitarra]

I make cabs using only an electric jigsaw to cut to rough size and a router for final trimming, and a $20 DIY jig for finger cutting joints. A practice run or two and now no issues getting a nice tight result:





I go into more detail here: http://www.thegearpage.net/board/sho....php?t=1142395

[Mr Ridesglide]

Really Nice!