iBox jig users

Carol Reed

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Coolidge, AZ
Tell me about the blades you use in your saw with this jig. I have a 6" Freud stacking dado set I plan to use in that little Rockwell saw I picked up a while back. Didn't come with a fence so this is perfect for it. It is a 10" saw but the dado set will work.

Anybody get the blade specific for this jig? Worth it?

Plan to make a bunch of trays for the 39 file cabinet drawers. Thinking 1/4" fingers with 1/4" ply.
 
I haven't used my iBox very much. My testing has been with my Freud 8" dado set. The specific set shouldn't make a difference due to the way the jig calibrates to the blade.

Saying that, I did have an issue with fit when I started testing it. I followed the instructions and video and still didn't get a good fit. I emailed Incra tech support and was told that you usually have to use a shim against the blade to get a tight-fitting joint. He said it takes a little experimentation, which is what I found. The shim I used was a folded Post-It note.
 
Hmmmm.....gonna have to find the DVD or get a remedial lesson from Glenn. My dado set has a bunch of shim stock. Just wonder if a dedicated 1/4" blade made things less fussy.

The toolaholic in me is nudging my empty wallet.

Thanks, Bill, for the shim tip.
 
Sorry if I wasn't clear. The shim is not on the blade set, it's used between the blade and the side of the iBox tab to improve the fit. I checked my dado set with the outer blades and they measure exactly 0.25" on a good caliper. The shim has to go between the iBox tab and blade before lockdown. I know the jig is supposed to take care of itself, but .....
 
easy to adjust.

As in, No adjustments! Put it together one way, your get 1/4, the other way, 3/8. No shims or nothing.

I believe a wise wood worker once told me something about adjustability, marketing and tools. I think she had some very strong opinions about it!
 
As much as I use a sac-fence with a key stuck in it, I do have the i-Box and do use it. The width of the kerf is of little consequence as long as it is consitent. It does not have to be perfectly one quarter inch or perfectly three eights inch, etc. unless you are spacing fingers along a pre-defined width (which I do not recommend).

The depth of the cut needs to be adequate to make the finger seat just slightly proud of the surface so that it can be sanded or pared down (IMHO). The width does need to be consistent but, the jig takes care of the spacing for you.

The ability of the cutter to cut cleanly is important. On ply, I run a wheel gauge across the back edge to help with this as I find it quicker than re-clamping the stock to the backer board for each cut. Clamping (or a stronger grip than I have) to the backer will also help with a cleaner cut.

As to the refresher lessons . . . anytime.
 
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The Freud dado I have is the only thing I've used, and it works fine. But this set has been sharpened twice, and i noticed the little raised corners (devils ears) in the cut are smaller than when it was new. Pronounced Devil's ears (or whatever term you use) may not be real attractive on that joint. To me, that would be the reason to buy the box joint blade set, but I'm pretty cheap so I'll stick with what I have.
 
Well, though my dado blades work, I've seen ones that Jim D. did in a box he sent to me and they looked a lot better than mine. It sounds like the box joint blades are going on my amazon wish list. I spent the money for the jig, might as well get the right blades if they work as well as everyone says.
 
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