Finger Joints - Sequence of Cuts.

It is often confusing how to get the parts of the box the right way up when cutting finger joints with a Router or Saw Table based finger jig. The diagrams below give one way of doing it.

For a suitable jig and practical example see my Fingerbox pages".

The box sides and ends are arranged how they will be fixed, then each piece is folded out flat and marked on the inside of the box, 1 thru 8 with chalk, in rotation as shown

The sides must be planed to identical width, leaving a small amount only, for cleaning up.

The end pieces are arranged against the jig starting with the end marked 1. N.B. "1" means the end marked 1 is held with the number facing out. "(8)" with brackets means the end marked 8 is held with the number facing the jig. It is held against the side of the finger of the jig and the first notch cut. The notch is then placed over the finger and the next notch is cut, and so on. The other end of the piece, 8, is cut the same way, but the "8" is held against the face of the jig - i.e. it cannot be seen. The other end is cut similarly.
The box sides are then cut, starting with the box side marked 2, with the 2 against the face as shown. In order to get the correct spacing, the box end marked 1 is set with the number against the jig face, with the last notch on the jig finger, and then the piece to be cut is placed against it. The first notch is cut, and it will be a partial notch to match the partial finger on the box end. Subsequent notches are then cut and the last cut should be a full width notch.