ROCKLER 59032 Router Table Box Joint Jig Instructions

Effective May 2022
59032 Router Table Box Joint Jig
Instructions

Review full manual instructions prior to use for important safety information. Always checkRockler.com to confirm that you are using the most recent manual version for your product.

GENERAL SAFETY WARNINGS

This product is designed only for specific applications as defined in the instructions and should not be modified or used in any manner not described in these instructions. Use only recommended accessories. Before using the Router Table Box Joint Jig: READ, UNDERSTAND and FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS AND SAFETY WARNINGS. KEEP THESE INSTRUCTIONS READILY AVAILABLE FOR FUTURE REFERENCE.

Always confirm that you are using the most recent version of the Instructions and safety warnings for your product (see the Instructions link on the product page at Rockler.com)..)

Before using another tool with this product, always read, understand and follow the instructions and safety warnings in the owner’s manual for that tool. If you do not have the owner’s manual, obtain one from the tool’s manufacturer before using it with this product.
Before using any chemical with this product, always read, understand and follow all safety warnings and guidelines in the manufacturer’s Safety Data Sheet (SDS; formerly called “MSDS”), especially regarding:

• How to safely use the chemical, including potential hazards and recommended first aid measures;
• Personal safety equipment required to safely use the chemical (e.g. gloves, eye protection, mask/respirator, etc.);
• Proper and safe handling, storage, and disposal of the chemical.

Before using this product, review and verify that all tools to be used with it have safety equipment installed and are in proper working order as defined by the tool’s owner’s manual.
Do not use this product until you have read and are confident you understand:

• Product Specific Safety Warnings (p. 3);
• Parts List (p. 4);
• Setup (pp. 5-7);
• Use (pp. 7-8).

The user assumes all risk and responsibility for the proper and safe use of this product and for ensuring product suitability for the intended application.
It is the sole responsibility of the purchaser of this product to ensure that anyone you allow to use this product reads and complies with all instructions and safety precautions
outlined in this manual prior to use.

Follow all standard shop safety practices, including:

• Keep children and bystanders away from the tool operating area;
• Do NOT use power tools in explosive environments, or in the presence of flammable liquids, fumes, or dust;
• TURN OFF AND UNPLUG all power tools BEFORE making any adjustments or changing accessories;
• Remain alert and use good judgment. Do not use this product if you are in any way impaired by medications, alcohol, drugs, or fatigue;
• Keep your work area well lit and clean;
• Dress appropriately. Secure loose clothing, remove all jewelry, and tie up long hair before using this product;
• ALWAYS wear safety glasses, hearing protection, and respiratory protection that complies with NIOSH/OSHA/ANSI safety standards;
• Use dust collection tools and dust face masks to reduce exposure to dust;
• Use safety equipment such as weatherboards, push sticks and push blocks, etc., when appropriate;
• Maintain proper footing at all times and do not overreach;
• Do NOT force woodworking tools.

These warnings and instructions do NOT represent the total of all information available regarding tool safety, use, and technique. Always seek out opportunities to learn more
and improve your skills and knowledge.

WARNING: Drilling, sawing, sanding, or machining wood products can expose you to wood dust, a substance known to the State of California to cause cancer. Avoid inhaling wood dust or use a dust mask or other safeguards for personal protection. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/wood.

DANGER Danger indicates a hazardous situation that, if not avoided, will result in death or serious injury.
WARNING Warning indicates a hazardous situation that, if not avoided, could result in death or serious injury.
CAUTION Caution indicates a hazardous situation that, if not avoided, may result in minor or moderate injury or property damage.
NOTICE Notice indicates important or helpful information and/or user tips.

PRODUCT-SPECIFIC SAFETY WARNINGS

DANGER

• To avoid serious injury, keep hands and fingers away from the rotating cutter. Maintain awareness of the rotating cutter at all times.

WARNING

• Use only with wood and MDF no more than 1″ thick.
• Platform (1) MUST be secured in the router table miter slot by fully tightening the five-star knobs of the Miter Slot Hardware (2).
• Indexing Key (7, 8, or 9) and MDF Sacrificial Fence (10) MUST be securely attached to Sled (3).
• Sled (3) must be able to slide smoothly in Platform (1) slots.
• To avoid the risk of serious injury, unplug the router before installing, removing, or adjusting the bit.
• To avoid the chance of serious injury, keep fingers away from spinning router bit.
• Maintain control of the Sled and workpiece at all times. Rockler recommends securing the workpiece with clamps to the Sacrificial Fence/Sled’s flat clamping areas. Holding the piece securely with your hands is possible, but maintain awareness of your fingers, hands, and the bit, as serious injury could occur.
• To avoid the risk of serious injury and damage to the jig, never set the bit cutting height more than 1″ above the surface of the jig Platform (1).
• If you encounter excessive resistance when routing, turn off the router immediately and determine the cause (for example, a dull bit).
• Do NOT attempt to machine more than one workpiece at a time (for example, by stacking).

NOTICE

• For best results, we strongly recommend applying a blade and bit lubricant such as Bostik GlideCote (97594, sold separately) to the router bit before cutting box joints. This will greatly reduce heat buildup and scorching, which are likely to produce poor results and shorten the life of your bit.

Setup
THESE WARNINGS PERTAIN TO ALL REMAINING STEPS:
DANGER

• To avoid serious injury, keep hands and fingers away from the rotating cutter. Maintain awareness of the rotating cutter at all times.

WARNING

• Use only with wood and MDF no more than 1″ thick.
• Platform (1) MUST be secured in the router table miter slot by fully tightening the five-star knobs of the Miter Slot Hardware (2).
• Indexing Key (7, 8, or 9) and MDF Sacrificial Fence (10) MUST be securely attached to Sled (6).
• Sled (6) MUST be able to slide smoothly in Platform (1) slots.
• Maintain control of the Sled and workpiece at all times. Rockler recommends securing the workpiece with clamps to the Sacrificial Fence/Sled’s flat clamping areas. Holding the piece securely with your hands is possible, but maintain awareness of your fingers, hands, and the bit, as serious injury could occur.
• If you encounter excessive resistance when routing, turn off the router immediately and determine the cause (for example, a dull bit).

NOTICE

The Router Table Box Joint Jig is designed for use with router tables that have a standard 3/4″ x 3/8″ miter slot. The near edge of the miter slot must be between 4 1 ⁄2″ and 6
1 ⁄4″ from the center of the router bit for the jig to work without modification.

1. 1. Assemble the jig, but leave off the MDF Sacrificial Fence (10) for now.  

   NOTICE Store the Indexing Keys that aren’t being used in the onboard compartments incorporated in the Sled.

2. Select the appropriate Indexing Key (7, 8, or 9) for the width of the box joint fingers you want to cut and securely install the key in the Sled (6), using the provided 1/4″-20 machine screws (11). The Router Table Box Joint Jig includes Indexing Keys for 1/4″, 3/8″ and 1/2″ box joints. Make sure that the Indexing Key extends out the front side of the Sled and that the flat face of the Key is down. Fig. 1.
   WARNING To avoid the risk of serious injury, unplug the router before installing, removing, or adjusting the bit.
   NOTICE For the jig to work, the width of the   Indexing Key must match the diameter of the router bit.
   and bit lubricant such as Bostik GlideCote (97594, sold For best results, we strongly recommend applying a blade separately) to the router bit before cutting box joints. This will greatly reduce heat buildup and scorching, which are likely to produce poor results and shorten the life of your bit.

3. Chuck a straight router bit with a diameter matching the width of the Indexing Key in your table-mounted router. For example, 1/4″ wide box joint fingers would require a 1/4″ diameter bit. For best results, use an up-cut spiral bit.

4. Position the Platform (1) on your router table so that the Expandable Miter Bars (4) fit in your table’s miter slot and the bit extends up through the oblong hole in the platform. Do not tighten the Five-Star Knobs (2) yet. Fig. 2.
   
   WARNING To avoid the risk of serious injury and damage to the jig, never set the bit cutting height more than 1″ above the surface of the jig Platform (1).
   NOTICE If you have a router lift on your table, you might need to drill a hole in Platform (1) to be able to access the adjustment mechanism. Drill a hole that’s large enough to allow adjustment of the Platform location for differing box joint finger widths.

5. Set the cutting height of your router bit so that the top extends above the Platform (1) surface just a hair more than the thickness of your material. (This will make the fingers of the joint stand a little proud when assembled so that you can sand them flush for a perfect joint.) Fig. 3.
   

6. Place the Sled (6), with Indexing Key attached, on the Platform (1) so that its runners slide in the slots in the Platform (1).

7. With the Sled (6) slid back away from the bit, install the MDF Sacrificial Fence (10). Fit the notch in the MDF Sacrificial Fence (10) over the Indexing Key and align the Fence with the sides of the Sled (6). Before attaching, place a few thicknesses of paper or another thin spacer under the MDF Sacrificial Fence (10) to raise it off the Platform (1) to ensure that the Sled (6) will slide freely. Drill pilot holes with a 3/32″ bit and then attach the MDF Sacrificial Fence (10) with the included 1″ Panhead Screws (12) through the mounting holes in the Sled (6). Test to be sure the Sled (6) will slide smoothly. Fig. 4.
   

8. Slide the Sled (6) forward in its slots until the Indexing Key is even with the bit.

9. Adjust the Platform (1) side to side until the space between the bit and Indexing Key is equal to the diameter of the bit (and width of the Indexing Key). For example, box joints with 1/4″ fingers require a 1/4″ gap between the two. We recommend Precision Brass Setup Bars (36918 or 51936, sold separately) for easy, accurate setup. Fig. 5.
   
   WARNING The Five-star Knobs (2) MUST be securely tightened to avoid the chance of the Platform shifting, potentially causing serious injury.

10. Once the precise spacing has been achieved, lock Platform (1) in position by securely tightening the Five-Star Knobs (2) of the miter slot hardware. Test to be sure Platform (1) cannot shift.

11. Plug in the router and, using test pieces that are the same thickness as your final workpieces, make test cuts to verify that the spacing is correct and the joints will fit snugly together. After each pass, fit the area and just cut over the Indexing Key for the next cut.
    NOTICE You will need to make dedicated MDF Sacrificial Fences for the other Indexing Keys. Simply cut a piece of 1/2″ thick MDF 3 1 ⁄8″ wide x 6″ long and notch it to allow clearance for each Indexing Key. You can use the original MDF Sacrificial Fence as a guide for laying out the notched area.
    WARNING To avoid the risk of serious injury, unplug the router before installing, removing or adjusting the bit.

12. If needed, adjust the spacing between the bit and
    Indexing Key. Unplug the router and loosen one of the Five-Star Knobs (2) on the Platform (1). If the fit of your box joints is too tight, nudge the Platform slightly so that the Indexing Key is closer to the bit. If the fit is too loose, nudge the Platform to move the Indexing Key a hair farther from the bit.

Use
THESE WARNINGS PERTAIN TO ALL REMAINING STEPS:

DANGER

• To avoid serious injury, keep hands and fingers away from rotating cutter. Maintain awareness of the rotating cutter at all times.

WARNING

• Use only with wood and MDF no more than 1″ thick.
• Platform (1) MUST be secured in the router table miter slot by fully tightening the five-star knobs of the Miter Slot Hardware (2).
• Indexing Key (7, 8, or 9) and MDF Sacrificial Fence (10) MUST be securely attached to Sled (6).
• Sled (6) MUST be able to slide smoothly in Platform (1) slots.
• Maintain control of the Sled and workpiece at all times. Rockler recommends securing the workpiece with clamps to the Sacrificial Fence/Sled’s flat clamping areas. Holding the piece securely with your hands is possible, but maintain awareness of your fingers, hands, and the bit, as serious injury could occur.
• If you encounter excessive resistance when routing, turn off the router immediately and determine the cause (for example, a dull bit).
• Do NOT attempt to machine more than one workpiece at a time (for example, by stacking).

NOTICE The Router Table Box Joint Jig is intended for use in cutting end- grain joints like those shown. Joints cut across the grain could result in significant tear-out
unless an additional sacrificial backer is used.

1. After setting up the jig for your application, lay out all four sides of your box with the inside faces up. Label each piece on the inside face (A, B, C, and D) and mark the top and bottom edges (T and B). Fig. 6.

2. To make the first cut, position the top edge of Workpiece A flush against the Indexing Key’s left edge and hold or clamp it there. Make the cut by sliding the Sled forward across the bit and then back to the starting point. Fig. 7.

3. For successive cuts, reposition Workpiece A with the previous cut over the Indexing Key and hold or clamp in place. Slide the Sled forward across the bit and then back to the starting point to make the cut. Repeat until all cuts have been made on that edge. Fig. 8.

4. To make the first cut in the adjacent side piece (Workpiece B), use the original piece (Workpiece A) as a spacer. Position Workpiece A with the top edge positioned as
   shown in Fig. 9. Butt Workpiece B against Workpiece A, hold or clamp the workpieces and make the cut.

5. Remove Workpiece A, reposition Workpiece B so the area just cut is on the Indexing Key, hold or clamp it in place and make the second cut. Fig. 10. For successive cuts, reposition Workpiece B with the previous cut over the indexing key. Repeat until all cuts have been made on that edge.

6. To make the cuts in workpieces C and D, follow the process outlined in Steps 2-5.
   Check Rockler.com for updates. If you have further questions, please contact our Technical Support Department at 1-800-260-9663 or support@rockler.com

59032
Rev 05/22
Distributed by Rockler Companies, Inc.
Medina, Mn 55340

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