Half-blind finger joints using the F3 template

In a recent article about the F3, I made regular (“through”) finger joints using the new F3 template mounted on my old D4 jig. In this episode I show how I made half-blind finger joints quickly and accurately.

I skip the details of the basic setup; however, I do cover the steps required to ensure a tight joint, as follows:

1. Always use scraps when making adjustments — don’t sacrifice project wood, especially if you are using exotic woods
2. Minimize or eliminate turning the router in any way — doing so is the best way to mess up the joint fit
3. Always push the router through the template fingers in a straight line — just another way of saying #2 above
4. Make adjustments to the fit in small increments of the e-Bush; using calipers I am able to get the final fit in two tries

In the closeups in the video, you will notice that the router base moves in a straight line. I concentrated on this, to ensure the best joint fit. Because the e-Bush is elliptical, rotation of the router as the cut is made will cause the fit to vary.

You can access the F3 User Guide at this link. This document is also the guide for all the new finger joint templates made by Leigh. The procedure for half-blind finger joints starts on Page 17 (Chapter 7).

Now, the video – lots of router action, to emphasize the items 1-4, above:

Download this video in Quicktime format
(In Windows, Right-click | Save Link As…)
Duration: 16:23 minutes
File size: 279 MB

Let me know if you use a finger joint jig of any kind:

• Do you make boxes with finger joints? If you do:

1. Do you make finger joints with help of a shop-made jig?
2. Do you use a commercial jig or template to make finger joints?
3. If you use a commercial jig, which one?

I look forward to your comments.

Acknowledgement: My thanks to my friend, Jason Riley, Professional Guitarist, for allowing me to use his music in my videos. Jason lives in St Joseph, Missouri, USA.

Disclosure: Leigh Industries is a sponsor of this blog. On occasion, I receive tools and jig templates for evaluation; and I maintain total editorial freedom of the reviews I present on the blog. Plain and simple, I never receive or accept cash for anything I review.

— Al Navas