# box joint jig



## maplek (Sep 22, 2007)

*Dovetail Jig*

I use a porter cable half blind dovetail jig. It works great, and I think the boxes are a lot stronger than ones with square box joints. Search on amazon.com, they sell all kinds of stuff like that.
~Andy


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## Alex Cantacuzene (May 29, 2003)

*Box joint jig*

Hi, we have been building our own hive boxes (although we are just hobbyists) for some time now and have been using a router with a simple and quite old dove tail jig from Sears. The boxes have served us well and are holding up great although they have no nails in them, just glue. We do paint the outside with Houselatex. Take care and have fun


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

Is the Johnston dovetailing jig still manufactured? Sold in the Bee journals in the '80s.


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## MapMan (May 24, 2007)

Woodsmith makes a nice aluminum box joint jig - work great - for around 100 bucks. Woodcraft sells them, or you can get them directly through the Woodsmith store, I think they have free shipping.

MM


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## coondogger (May 30, 2007)

*box joint*

Ok, I found a box joint jig from a company called Woodhaven (woodhaven .com). They also sell on Amazon. It's supposedly adjustable to 13/16, so that would allow 3/4" box joints. It's called the 4554 model. Is anyone familiar with it?


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## Ross (Apr 30, 2003)

http://www.myoldtools.com/Bees/sled/


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## Ravenseye (Apr 2, 2006)

I use this one.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00924030000P


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## coondogger (May 30, 2007)

*box joint*



Ravenseye said:


> I use this one.
> 
> http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00924030000P


Can this one be used with a router table?


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## drobbins (Jun 1, 2005)

I built one like the pictures Ross posted
I must admit the first attempt or two ended up in the burn pile, you gotta get the dimensions exact, but I was building it outta scrap that came out of the burn pile so ???
works like a champ now that I got it right


Dave


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## Ravenseye (Apr 2, 2006)

coondogger said:


> Can this one be used with a router table?


It's for a table saw. I doubt it could be converted. I think they make one for routers but I don't recall that the tool could make 3/4" pins. I also remember the router tool being a lot of $$$.


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## Ben Brewcat (Oct 27, 2004)

I made one too, it really is pretty easy and fun.


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## tjenkins (Oct 3, 2007)

Where are you buying wood cheap enough to make making your own frames economical. A friend in the bee club sells deeps and mediums for less than buying the piiece of wood. I would for sure make my own if I could save some bucks.
Tom


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## Ravenseye (Apr 2, 2006)

There's a lumber yard down the road from here. A real lumber yard, not a Home Depot or Lowes. The kind that you can drive in, pick out your stock, load it up, drive back to the office, tell them what you have and pay for it. I find stuff there all the time and get it at a discount. A lot of it is waste but I use it for kindling. 

My real savings is the shipping. No one around here sells woodenware that they make themselves. They either buy it in quantity and ship it to their shop, thus building the shipping costs into the final product or I have to buy it and have it shipped, paying shipping costs directly. I can buy low grade lumber, joint it and assemble it at a per box cost less than the landed cost of something ordered from one of the major suppliers. Not a huge savings, but some savings. I do NOT factor in my own labor cost because I enjoy doing it. If I didn't, I would buy it and have it shipped in a heartbeat.


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## Jack Grimshaw (Feb 10, 2001)

Back before Beesource,Barry Birkey had a web page,I think on his brothers web site,that gave detailed instructions on making a jig to make box joints for beehives.

I think we have now come full circle.

I made the jig,made one super which is still in use.I now make all my boxes with rabbeted joints.Less end grain exposed and faster.


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## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

http://www.beesource.com/plans/boxjoint/index1.htm


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## deantn (Jan 3, 2007)

Jack Grimshaw said:


> Back before Beesource,Barry Birkey had a web page,I think on his brothers web site,that gave detailed instructions on making a jig to make box joints for beehives.
> 
> I think we have now come full circle.
> 
> I made the jig,made one super which is still in use.I now make all my boxes with rabbeted joints.Less end grain exposed and faster.



Would you mind sharing some pictures of your supers and maybe the dimensions for building them, sounds interesting. Build mine with an older Sears jig for dovetails, working out exact measurements was fun the first time building but after a few mistakes got it right and wrote them down and put on computer also.


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## Jack Grimshaw (Feb 10, 2001)

deantn said:


> Would you mind sharing some pictures of your supers and maybe the dimensions for building them, sounds interesting. Build mine with an older Sears jig for dovetails, working out exact measurements was fun the first time building but after a few mistakes got it right and wrote them down and put on computer also.


Sorry deantn but I'm a little behind in the digital camera dept.

My wife has a camera and it's on my Winter to do list.

Been busy with work(commercial snow removal---another storm tonite!!) I haven't been productive in the workshop for a while.

I'll try to get to it.

Jack


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