Replies

1. 
   user-7624188 | Aug 31, 2021 09:26am | #1

   Man! I know what you mean. That problem used to drive me crazy until I switched to a dovetail saw.

1. 
   vwalla281 | Aug 31, 2021 09:31am | #2

   Sounds like it's pretty common then?

1. 
   user-7624188 | Aug 31, 2021 07:00pm | #19

   It absolutely is.

2. 
   Deleted | Aug 31, 2021 10:07am | #3

   “[Deleted]”

3. FWW Editor
   ben_strano | Aug 31, 2021 10:23am | #4

   How long is the box? If you can set the whole box on the top of your tablesaw would use the tablesaw as a reference and scribe a line around the box on one side.

   Handplane to the line, or cut to the line using an l-fence and a guide board on the tablesaw ( https://www.finewoodworking.com/project-guides/shop-projects/the-incredible-l-fence )

   Then, once you have one side straight, I would set my tablesaw fence and rip the wonky top off the box.

1. 
   vwalla281 | Aug 31, 2021 10:51am | #11

   its 34" long. I'll look into the L fence. I was sort of thinking I could scribe the boards and trim them flat, then assemble and trim flush on the other end. Thanks for the info!

4. 
   john_c2 | Aug 31, 2021 10:31am | #5

   I have no idea why the jig is giving those results. But a few swipes with a plane will even things out.

5. 
   DRBWWing | Aug 31, 2021 10:44am | #6

   Does this make the box is out of square, right?

1. 
   vwalla281 | Aug 31, 2021 10:49am | #9

   The box is square, just has high spots in the corners, which means the ends were not perfectly square (though I though they were. I have similar (but to a lesser degree) on pieces that are about 2" wide. Could be the jig. It's used, but I checked the squareness of the fingers to the side adjustments and that is dead on. I can only assume my boards are a bit off and the problem is exacerbated on the long boards.

6. 
   Deleted | Aug 31, 2021 10:46am | #7

   “[Deleted]”

7. 
   _mj_ | Aug 31, 2021 10:47am | #8

   Handplane one side until it sits square, take it to the tablesaw to get it close, then finish with a plane. Put it on a carrier so it will ride flat through the saw, plane off the proud pins last.

1. 
   vwalla281 | Aug 31, 2021 10:50am | #10

   Thanks!

8. 
   roy.unit8c | Aug 31, 2021 11:04am | #12

   Those pictures and diagrams show relatively small uneven places. I agree with using planes and if parts are more uneven than shown, I use a flush cut saw followed by planes or chisels to even things out.

1. 
   vwalla281 | Aug 31, 2021 11:15am | #13

   Thanks ecyor. It is about 1/16" or less. I'm def going to go home and stare at it for some time. Thanks for the feedback!

1. 
   john_c2 | Aug 31, 2021 11:34am | #14

   Knocking off high corners will, geometrically, make the box un-square. But 1/16 over 34 inches is negligible for woodworking. A few more plane swipes and your top will sit just fine. If it were me, I'd glue it up and make adjustments after.

1. 
   vwalla281 | Aug 31, 2021 12:16pm | #15

   Thanks for the info! V

2. 
   vwalla281 | Aug 31, 2021 01:09pm | #16

   John_C2, I was doing a bit of searching on this some more. What are your thoughts on glueing up the box, then adhering sand paper to a flat board and sanding it flat that way? Since it's not a lot of material and I don't want to make a mistake with a hand plane (have not mastered that quite yet).

1. 
   john_c2 | Aug 31, 2021 07:51pm | #20

   I've never done it that way. You could, but it would be slow. You can use a power saner, but there is the possibility of munging it up.

9. 
   jim_hall | Aug 31, 2021 05:42pm | #17

   Probably a stupid question, but wondering if you tried flipping the tail board over so that the outside of the tail board is now on the inside and current inside of the tail board is now on the outside? If they fit better that way, then boards may not have been facing the jig correctly when dovetailed.

1. 
   vwalla281 | Aug 31, 2021 06:01pm | #18

   I have. The Leigh jig has you mark the inside and oitside of the boards so they fit correctly. When I flipped them, it got worse. I think I’m going to try a big sanding belt glued to some mdf and see if I can flatten it down.

10. 
    rob_ss | Aug 31, 2021 08:45pm | #21

    2 small things to add -

    a belt sander is a very easy way to fix that - if planes are not razor sharp, the outcome may not be great.

    I like Ben's suggestion but herein the problem - it may be that your method of cutting the wood was imperfect, or your Square not quite as square as you thought. Worth checking.

    Most likely the cause was not having the board absolutely flush against the jig - some pins will then get cut deeper and all will be at a very slight angle.

1. 
   vwalla281 | Aug 31, 2021 09:15pm | #22

   Thanks for the feedback Rob. My assumption is prob the boards were not perfectly square. I was pretty detailed about having them flush against the jig. I’m hoping the sanding will workout. I’ll post some updates in a few days when I get back on the project. Thanks for feedback.

11. 
    elmaduro | Aug 31, 2021 09:18pm | #23

    Thinking about the conceal option - glue in an oversized scrap strip to bring the sides up flush with the end. Then trim flush with hand tools or carefully with a sander. Flip the box and then trim the sides flush that sit proud against the ends. I don’t think the glue-up would be noticed by anyone.

12. 
    _mj_ | Sep 01, 2021 06:04am | #24

    Along the same line as Elmaduro... is it an option to move the bottom of the box up? You could then cut away the bottom edge of the box to create feet at the corners that could be leveled easily with your sanding setup.

1. 
   vwalla281 | Sep 01, 2021 06:56am | #25

   It will actually have some rails at the bottom, so the bottom of the case is not that critical (I.e sanding would suffice). I’m going to try the L fence setup, then trim the opp side parallel. I believe this would be the quickest option. I then plan on sanding on a large flat surface at the mating edges of the lid and the box. I think this is prob my best approach given all of the options within my skill set . Thanks!

13. 
    vwalla281 | Sep 17, 2021 05:06pm | #26

    So I went with a large sanding board (25” x 60”). Some elbow grease and it worked out well. Thanks for all the help!

    
1. 
   john_c2 | Sep 17, 2021 06:47pm | #27

   You've got to be mighty pleased with the result!

1. 
   vwalla281 | Sep 18, 2021 08:38am | #32

   Thanks!

2. 
   _mj_ | Sep 17, 2021 07:35pm | #28

   SWEET!

1. 
   vwalla281 | Sep 18, 2021 08:39am | #33

   Thanks!

3. 
   hoovermd | Sep 17, 2021 10:15pm | #29

   That is exactly how I solve this on my smaller boxes.
   Please share the details on how you constructed the large board?
   I typically use a 1" ply with a laminate top.
   To that I use something like the 3M 77 adhesive and full sheets of paper.

1. 
   vwalla281 | Sep 18, 2021 08:41am | #34

   I basically did the same, just in a larger scale. I had to buy a sanding belt for a large belt sander and cut it at the seam. I then used spray adhesive to glue it to the Baltic birch.

14. 
    Go_Bills | Sep 18, 2021 07:40am | #30

    Did you contact Leigh and ask for their advice?

1. 
   vwalla281 | Sep 18, 2021 08:41am | #35

   I have not, but plan on it.

1. 
   jim_hall | Sep 18, 2021 05:13pm | #37

   Box with dovetails and wrap around grain looks great. Nice job.

   I did find one reference to the offset issue you had in their online manual. It happens when using two routers one for the straight bit and one for the dovetail bit. If the bits aren't centered perfectly in the guide bushing on each router the difference can cause the problem you had.

15. 
    nordichomey | Sep 18, 2021 08:07am | #31

    If you can do that you easily can master a hand plane! Just get religious about sharpening. Lie Nielsen has a great jig sharpening tutorial for free.

1. 
   vwalla281 | Sep 18, 2021 08:43am | #36

   Thanks for the advice. I’ll have to do some studying on hand planing. Would have been much quicker I’m sure.