Box Joint Jig - Lather Sander - Shop Cabinet

Been busy in my shop!

Fully adjustable box joint jig, plans were from a Shop Notes magazine:

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This jig works extremely well. It uses two mending plates to create fingers that are used as the key. This means you can make any size box joint you want. I did not modify the plans at all, but I did use a piece of aluminum for the micro adjustment mounting plate. I bought a piece of 16 inch square aluminum scrap at the local scrapyard for 9 bucks. I used most of it on the 12 inch sander below. A package of mending plates at the local hardware store cost less than 5 dollars. The rest is just wood and parts I had lying around. So I maybe have all of $10 in this jig.

Here is the disc sander for the lathe:

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Like I said above, the aluminium disc cost 9$ at the scrap yard. I used a 3 inch faceplate to mount the disc to the lathe. The aluminum is 5052 so it was easy to true up the edge with a scraper. I use the lathe, but not all that often. What I really like about this is that I can control the speed of the disc. The lathe is a 1946 Delta with the jack shaft so I have 16 speeds available. At the slowest speed it does not burn edges.

And last, but not least, the wall cabinets:

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There are two cabinets, the nearer once has a door on hinges. The large one to the right has two doors that run on an aluminum track. The plan for that cabinet was in Shop Notes also. It almost doubles the use of the wall space. Before, that wall had two shelves on it. I kept my power hand tools on the shelves. Now they are in the cubbyholes you can just barely see in the lower left of the pic.

I am so freakn' organized these days I can hardly stand it! Out of the things I have been doing to improve my shop lately that cabinet is the hands down winner. Makes it easier to put things away, find things and when I blow the dust around it makes it a lot easier.

Nice! Which Shop Notes was the box joint jig in? DB

Dan, it is in Issue #8 March 1993.

The whole library is available on line, not sure what that costs. Or, all the issues are/were available on DVD, I think I paid about $100 for them. I think that is pretty darn cheap since there were well over 100 issues before they merged it into WoodSmith. I said, were/are because they might be putting them on a thumb drive these days like they have done with WoodSmith.

Thanks! I subscribed when it first came out and for the first 3-4 years, then off and on. That one is in my collection, for a change. A lot of times, the ones I'm interested in fall in one of the gaps. Probably a Murphy's law or something. DB

You might want to check your old emails. I did this year when checking on my WoodSmith subscription. I had a subscription when they ended it they extended my WoodSmith subscription and they gave out an online collection code for being a loyal subscriber. Dan

Thanks for the tip, Dan!

BTW, I have improved that disc sander. Headed over to the local scrap yard, bought a piece of 1/4 thick 12 X 16 5052 aluminum for the top. Cost me a whopping $9 !!!! Also added dust collection to it.

I'm like Dan Bundy, had and off/on subscription. Will be checking to see if I have that issue. Have also been considering the all inclusive thumb-drive but just haven't had the cash. Don't do cabinets or drawers as a routine but need some drawers for some cabinet box/frames currently in my shop. Would love to try my hand at interlaced box joints