Any good I-Box tutorials out there?

[Matt Meiser]

I've gone over it now several times more. I VERY consistently get pins about 1/32 too small following the calibration procedure. Its like the pins don't move far enough away from the blade as they spread to match the cut. I can't see that anything is in the way stopping travel. I've got an email into Incra support and will follow up with a phone call in the morning but in the mean time, anyone have any suggestions?

IMG_1753.jpg

The pictured board has perfect width pins, set by trial an error adjustment of the silver knob. When I rerun the calibration procedure from the beginning, as you can see the tooth of the blade wants to cut about 1/32 off the pin. The stock ledge is loose, so its not hitting that and stopping. It appears that when I turn the red knob, the silver knob turns 1:1.

The blade is one of the Freud box joint blades on the 1/4" setting.

[Mark Carlson]

Matt,

Did you do the kiss calibrate step?

~mark

[Matt Meiser]

Yes...several times.

[Alan Lightstone]

It appears that when I turn the red knob, the silver knob turns 1:1.

The blade is one of the Freud box joint blades on the 1/4" setting.

I'll have to look at mine again, but aren't the red and silver knobs supposed to turn independently. I thought you loosened the black knob on top, held the red knob, and turned the silver knob slightly. Then retightened the silver knob.

[Dan Lee]

Matt
My intial problem, which if I recall correctly caused the problem you are having was the step bringing the 2 pins together then over tightening after they had touched. I learned to just get them to touch and not much tighter.
Dan

[Cameron Hood]

Like Matt Meiser, I have exactly the same problem and after doing the whole process about a half dozen times, I came to the conclusion that this jig is no better than my home made ones. After running test pieces, I have a sloppy joint and no amount of cranking the silver knob does anything that will tighten it up. If there isn't something wrong with my particular jig, then I am extremely disappointed. At this point, I don't know what to do.

[Alan Lightstone]

Have you tried posting a message to Alan Schaffter, on that "other" forum. He's the inventor and usually can be found there.

[John Conklin]

Glad that you started this thread Matt. I too got an iBox jig for Christmas and haven't had a chance to use it yet. I'll be watching your progress!

[Matt Meiser]

Ugh, guess it has to wait until at least Monday as my email netted an auto-reply that the tech support guy is out until Monday. Going to re-watch the video this morning, maybe there's a nuance I'm missing reading the manual.

Matt
My intial problem, which if I recall correctly caused the problem you are having was the step bringing the 2 pins together then over tightening after they had touched. I learned to just get them to touch and not much tighter.
Dan

I read some stuff about that so the last round I used a piece of note paper and stopped when the paper had some drag on it when I tried to pull it out, but not tight enough that I couldn't. Same with KISS-ing the blade.

Like Matt Meiser, I have exactly the same problem and after doing the whole process about a half dozen times, I came to the conclusion that this jig is no better than my home made ones. After running test pieces, I have a sloppy joint and no amount of cranking the silver knob does anything that will tighten it up. If there isn't something wrong with my particular jig, then I am extremely disappointed. At this point, I don't know what to do.

That sounds different...are you saying turning the silver knob doesn't move the set of fingers left or right? Did you loosen the stock ledge and the black knob on top? Both things I got caught by. But yeah, for $150 I expect it to work as advertised. Not convinced my problem isn't user-error but getting there.

Have you tried posting a message to Alan Schaffter, on that "other" forum. He's the inventor and usually can be found there.

Which "other" forum? Woodnet? Family Woodworking? Lumberjocks?

[Michael Heffernan]

Matt, Alan's on Woodnet.

[Matt Meiser]

Thanks. Going to watch the video again and also check that I'm not calibrating against the wrong blade's tooth--noticed that looks to be about the same distance as my problem, but I can't imagine I've made that mistake this many times.

[Harold Burrell]

Matt, Alan's on Woodnet.

He used to be here. Why'd he leave???

[Bill Huber]

Unlock the top black knob.

Turn the red knob counter clockwise until the two plates just touch, I use a sheet of paper to do this, don't go to far.

Turn the silver knob until it just touches the widest tooth on the blade, the kiss adjustment.

Turn the red knob clockwise to get the plates away from the blade and make a test cut, this cut is for the width of the blade.

Turn the red knob clockwise until the notch just fits over the 2 plates, no slop but not tight, watch it that you don't over do it and bend the plates, it can be done, I know.

LOCK the black knob on the top and do a test cut, I do 4 of them on each board and check it. I just use MDF or something like that.

If adjustment are needed you unlock the top knob and turn the silver one only, then LOCK the black knob again.

Set the blade height for the wood you will be using.

I never have to hold the red knob while turning the silver or hold the silver one while turning the red one. The problems that I have had is when I do the finial adjustment and forget to unlock the black knob or after doing adjustments.

At this point you should be ready to go.

[Rick Moyer]

Don't give up on it. Unless yours really has a problem, the I-box is a great tool for box joints. Haven't used mine lately but I suspect Bill Huber has outlined the procedure very well.

[Matt Meiser]

Doing what Bill says exactly to a T. I tried switching blades to my too just in case it was something about the geometry of the Freud box joint blade. Same thing. This time I measured with calipers--my dado stack is cutting a hair over 15/64 slot (just under 1/64 less than 1/4 for those not good with fractions .) When I adjust the plates with the red knob to fit that tightly, the resulting pin is virtually exactly 1/32 too small. Sure I can adjust that with the silver knob, but I can make a shop-made jig that does that. I also did an experiment and switched to a 1/2" dado stack. The stack cuts just a hair under 1/2" (about the needle width) and the resulting pins from following the procedure above are exactly 3/64" undersized.