Introduction: Creating a Finger Joint Box

Ever wanted to create a box out of fingers made of wood?

Make a finger joint box!

Materials:

  • Silver Wattle (or any appropriate piece of wood), 50x100x12mm, x4
  • Base wood, 237x237x6mm, x1
  • Brass Butt Hinge 25mm set (x2 hinges + screws)
  • 15x12x250, 45º mitre cut on short ends, x4
  • 230x230mm perspex sheet, x1

Step 1: Measuring Finger Joints and Cutouts for Base

The first step is marking out the cuts. Grab the four 50x100x12mm x4 pieces of wood. These will be the sides of the finger joint box.

Placing two of the pieces of wood together in a vice that are to be joined makes for more accurate marking. Use a square to mark the cut lines across both pieces simultaneously. This allows you to close to perfectly line up what will become the positives and negatives of the finger joint. Clearly marking the areas to be removed will help to prevent unwanted errors when you saw.
After marking the face of the box joint you need to mark the depth of the joint. Use each piece to mark the other and so ensure cutting the joint at the correct depth when sawing. Once this has been done use your try square once again to mark the depth cut lines using the already marked lines as references. Once again clearly mark the areas to be removed to avoid confusion. Once completed you will start removing the negative areas of the finger joints

5mm off the long end of each 50x100x12mm piece of wood, mark out a 6mm cutout for the base to sit in.

Step 2: Cutting the Finger Joints

Using a scroll saw, carefully cut out the marked out areas on each piece. Be sure to cut inside the lines, to leave room for error and to ensure a snug fit. between each piece.

The channel marked out should be removed also, as a slot for the base of the finger joint box.

Step 3: Gluing Together the Box

Once all the 4 sides of the box have been cut and fit snuggly, its time to assemble the main box.

Start by glueing all the contact surfaces of the box, and insert the base into the slits made in the sides of the box during the gluing process. Use clamps and a square to keep the box square.

Step 4: Creating the Box's Lid

Use the cutout