Try and Try Again !!!

Incra Fence with the two sets of scales installed.  Also notice the Micro adjuster to the right.

Multiple tries and lots of scrap wood, is the secret???

     As you will see by the pictures that I'm going to post, perseverance is the key to learning.  At least for me repetition seems to be the best teacher, but even then I sometimes wonder.  I gain confidence in the creation of an acceptable fit for the joint and in just the next try it seems as if I have learned nothing!  Does this sound familiar or is it just me?  Things just weren't going all that well and I kept searching for answers and finally like a bolt of lightening I realized that I was using a thin kerf blade not the standard 1/8" kerf (saw cut) but 3/32" instead.  Now that may not sound like a big deal but let me tell you that when making multiple cuts that little 1/32" adds up to quite an error!  So, change the blade and go through the trial and error again and again, finally better results.
     When I first made my finger joint sled I was indexing it against my regular fence, which I had always had great results with.  Of course the thinner blade was on the saw and of course that ended up being part of the problem.  In order to obtain more precise settings and better control for all the cuts needed to make one half of the finger joint, 9 in all.  I decided to install my Incra Ultra Fence on the table saw and see if that would help to remedy some of the trouble that I had been having.  Through the use of slide in templates that have precise spacing over their 16" length I felt sure that this would be a big asset.  To make it even more precise the Incra fence has a micro adjustment incorporated within the assembly.  The micro adjustment will allow you to make 1/64" adjustments left or right of the index marks.  Using a 3/8" box joint template, the table saw blade set to 4 degrees of right tilt and a blade height of 7/8" on the highest point of the saw blade's tooth.  A joint blank properly marked I attempted another cut, aah finally progress.  More practice joints and I had it fairly well dialed in.
     On the top of the Incra Fence there is room for two numerical templates and two spacing templates.  This feature allowed me to use one of each of these to make a set for cutting one half and another set for cutting the other half.  During the making of the joint one must cut all the finger across the board and then turn the board 180 degrees and make the angle cut for the opposite side of the finger.

More later from---Beneath The Bark