I BOX review of sorts (spoiler alert)

[dgreen810]

Dusty

If you look carefully at Ed Reible's photos in the beginning, he has the I-Box set up to use the it in the right slot and turned it 180 degrees and located it in the left slot. It shows that the miter bar is in the front but in fact it is located to the rear as it should be if you want to use the right slot. He needs to turn it 180 and re-locate the miter bar to the rear of the left side.

Don G

[reible]

I finally got out to the shop today and dug out the I jig. It was in a cart with a chest opening top and a grinder and miter saw piled on top....

Last night I stayed up late and redid some of my posts to get the pictures back in the text rather then all collected on the bottom, (that happen when we changed forum software) I don't like to have to go from text to image to text to image....

I also found a few of my pictures were actually the wrong ones to be posted here. I was playing around with some different configurations and those pictures did not represent how most people are going to want to use the jig. I removed those.

What I was most interested in was why some people were seeing the mounting hardware problem with the guards and others were not. I can now see how that is happening. I have no idea which is the right or wrong way but I can see that people are doing it differently. To that end I have redone one of my earlier posts on the subject and posted fresh pictures.

http://www.shopsmith.com/ss_forum/viewt ... 94#p145994

This should make things as clear as mud again.

Ed

[dusty]

So for all of you who own and use this ibox, what do you think of the results? Perfect joints, all the time? Worth the money?

"Perfect Joints All the Time"??? No way. This jig must be setup and used according to the instructions. If that is done, good joints are probable but not guaranteed. Some 'skill and cunning' is still required.

[dusty]

I hate to be the one to say it but we are still not in perfect harmony with this I-Box thing.

Looking at your blade guards vs mine, we are direct opposites. The location of the "tall tunnel" (on the blade guards) is what I am referring to.

Reference this image first and I will add one of the blade guards later.

I-Box addendum 003.jpg (1.68 MiB) Viewed 8903 times

The Front Blade Guard 001.jpg (1.52 MiB) Viewed 8903 times

Notice the tall tunnel. This is where the blade travels. The guide pins are set for a 3/32" blade which would be to the right of the guide pins. As the blade width is increased the guide pins separate and move to the left. The blade remains in the tall tunnel.

Thus, it is my belief that the tall tunnel in the front blade guard should also be to the right of center. In the updated photo (your photo "B") shows the tall tunnel to be left of center.

In these last two photos you can see how the blade pins travel. Notice that they both move to the left as dado width is increased BUT the blade remains in the tall tunnel.

I-Box addendum 017.jpg (1.84 MiB) Viewed 8903 times

[dgreen810]

Dusty

I agree. Your photo is exactly like my set up. I just haven't installed the Incra miter yet. Mine works just fine so far so just haven't seen the need.

You will notice in the photos I got the blade guards mixed up initially and proceeded to make a couple of cuts that were not necessary

Senility again !!!

Also a tip. Did you notice the stop block in the left hand miter slot. Just don not like the blade coming out the back when making cuts.

Don G

[reible]

So lets get the two images in one post, first the one from dusty and then the one I just shot.

IBox 003.jpg (1.52 MiB) Viewed 8911 times

IMG_3248sc.jpg (275.67 KiB) Viewed 8911 times

OK now what differences do we see?

Dusty's label are different then mine but neither of us put them on so that is an Incra thing.

Dusty has his set for a 3/32" cut which by the way is cautioned against on page 7 top right in LARGE letters.

Mine is set at 3/8" and as I have mentioned I've only done 1/4" and 3/8" joints on this jig.

So have at the rest of the things you see that are different.

Ed

[dgreen810]

Dusty

you made a post before I got my 2 cents in Bummer!

Dusty's top photo is set for 3/16" but the bottom photos is set for about 1/2"

Don G

[jsburger]

So for all of you who own and use this ibox, what do you think of the results? Perfect joints, all the time? Worth the money?

"Perfect Joints All the Time"??? No way. This jig must be setup and used according to the instructions. If that is done, good joints are probable but not guaranteed. Some 'skill and cunning' is still required.

I think "No way" is not really the correct answer. Yes there is a learning curve with this jig. Some individuals may find it steeper than others. It has a number of adjustments and one has to understand what each one does and the relationship between them. Each one affects the others.

Once you get it dialed in for a particular width and don't change anything it will cut perfect joints every time for that width. That is my experience anyhow. The blades you use will make a difference. Right now I am using a set of Forrest box joint blades that cut 1/4" or 3/8" joints. They have off set carbide teeth so depending on the way you stack them on the arbor it changes the width of the cut. There are no shims involved. They are dead on every time. So if the I-Box is set up for perfect 1/4" joints and you don't touch it you get perfect joints every time you put the blade set on the saw.

If you use a stacked dado set and use shims unless you put the exact same shims in even a thou will make a difference in the fit.

Skill is always required for a perfect anything.

[dusty]

So lets get the two images in one post, first the one from dusty and then the one I just shot.

IBox 003.jpg

IMG_3248sc.jpg

OK now what differences do we see?

Dusty's label are different then mine but neither of us put them on so that is an Incra thing.

Dusty has his set for a 3/32" cut which by the way is cautioned against on page 7 top right in LARGE letters.

Mine is set at 3/8" and as I have mentioned I've only done 1/4" and 3/8" joints on this jig.

So have at the rest of the things you see that are different.

Ed

I do not disagree with these two photos. It is after you add the blade guards that we differ. You show two photos with the blade guards label "A and "B". I have one photo posted that shows a blade guard. It is not labeled but note that the tall tunnel (where the blade travels" is offset to the right. Your blade guard, labeled "B" (in same position as mine) has the tall tunnel offset to the left.

I can't locate the two images to which I refer in the previous paragraph. But in the photos to which I referred, you had the two wooden blade guards reversed from what I show.

[dusty]

So for all of you who own and use this ibox, what do you think of the results? Perfect joints, all the time? Worth the money?

"Perfect Joints All the Time"??? No way. This jig must be setup and used according to the instructions. If that is done, good joints are probable but not guaranteed. Some 'skill and cunning' is still required.

I think "No way" is not really the correct answer. Yes there is a learning curve with this jig. Some individuals may find it steeper than others. It has a number of adjustments and one has to understand what each one does and the relationship between them. Each one affects the others.

Once you get it dialed in for a particular width and don't change anything it will cut perfect joints every time for that width. That is my experience anyhow. The blades you use will make a difference. Right now I am using a set of Forrest box joint blades that cut 1/4" or 3/8" joints. They have off set carbide teeth so depending on the way you stack them on the arbor it changes the width of the cut. There are no shims involved. They are dead on every time. So if the I-Box is set up for perfect 1/4" joints and you don't touch it you get perfect joints every time you put the blade set on the saw.

If you use a stacked dado set and use shims unless you put the exact same shims in even a thou will make a difference in the fit.

Skill is always required for a perfect anything.

OKAY. I give. Maybe you expect to make "perfect joints all the time" but I don't. What you state here, "Once you get it dialed in for a particular width and don't change anything it will cut perfect joints every time for that width." is a panacea that will not occur in my shop. Not due to the I-Box but my human frailties.

Good Luck