any tips on making Box/Finger joint?

[info]

Hello, 

I'm doing some laser cutting projects and am a little stumped on a effective work flow for doing box joints. 

I tend to extrude a sold box, and then shell and split the body till I have 6 objects that are the right dimension to the sheet material I want to cut from. 

like this:

But the way I'm doing the box joints is quite laborious, and was wondering If anyone could give me some tips of a quicker workflow then the one I'm using right now for the joints.......I'm doing this:

 https://knowledge.autodesk.com/community/screencast/375baa9d-ded8-4f28-a665-3e18530c85d9

Is there a way to make something like a pattern I can just apply to each side and get them all done in one go, rather then having to do multiple cuts and cuts and combines for each face? 

[I_Forge_KC]

There are a bunch fo different workflows to get finger joints going.

Here is a python script that builds them...

https://github.com/scottkildall/Fusion360FJBox

And here is a quick video tutorial on making parametric fingers...

Then... use something like NESTER to lay it all out and get your CNC ready...

https://github.com/tapnair/NESTER

[info]

Thanks I_Forge_KC, 

I have seen the parametric fingers video, and as good as it its, I don't like having to flatten everything out and split single parts in two to make it work.

NESTER looks very handy, will certainly grab that, but I know nothing about python scripts, so Fusion360FJBox looks a little intimidating! 

[daniel_lyall]

just draw them in and demention them in if it is a squire box you only need to draw one, if it's a rectangle and if you get the paramaters correct you just draw onces copy past new then change the dementions on the new bit, it should bring the paramaters with it you will just need to change one letter.

[JamieGilchrist]

Hi info,

yes as @daniel_lyall said, you can use parameters to do this.  I've a ttached two sample files and a demo video that corresponds to the parameter box v0.f3d.  feel free to use and play with as much as you like.

note: the screencast will take a short time to finishing processing.

hope this helps

[daniel_lyall]

@JamieGilchrist you beat me to it, @info I have done a finger joint example file, not as fancy as what @JamieGilchrist has done but it will give you the idea, with @JamieGilchrist vid and files as well. I learn't how to do this from @JamieGilchrist

[daniel_lyall]

@info here is a parametric finger joint file all you have to change on it is it's length, finger amount and you just need to add a press/pull what will be material thickness and you will have to change the finger length to material thickness, it's all joined together so the amount of finger's changes the width, you can use the same set up to do dovetails.

what it is is a squire then one finger drawn as a squire with a mirror to the other side then the first finger's are done as a pattern along the length of the material up both side's.

[daniel_lyall]

@info just for fun I have done the complete finger jointed box for you, it would take quite a lot to show you how to do it the correct way, it was hard, but it's done now. so I know what I am doing now it was a good learning thing for me.

it is adjustable up to 20 fingers high and as long and as wide as you wont. changing the finger amount changes the height from 3 fingers to 20 what ever.

in it's parameters to change the right and left side you change the the parameters for (thinnger test) parameters only the left side parameters are linked to the right side parameters.

for the front and back you change the parameters for (thinnger test1) front and back parameters are connected.

if you wont a vid for this I can do one if required, the adafruit video's are not done quite correctly they have a step missing I have told them but they think they know better

[JamieGilchrist]

ok, one last sample model.

here i built your box using mor tab/slot (shown in the video you posted, as opposed to fingers) to join the sides.  I used two sketches and parameters to drive the entire design (an exerercise in modeling effeciency  ). There are points where the model will resolve, but not actually be geometrically correct, e.g. if you make the tab/slot larger than any of the boxes volume dimensions.  This otherwise works pretty nicely.  feel free to play around with this as you like.

hope this helps.

[fernandg]

My automated way to make fingered boxes is by using the free website: http://www.makercase.com/#   . It's quick, easy, and works great for my applications of making laser cut boxes. The website allows me to design the box super quick and download the file. I then covert the file to DWG or DXF using another free website.

When I load the file into AutoCAD the only thing I need to change is to select all the lines, open the Properties, and change the parameter Global Width to 0. This is all flat because I'm not a 3D person yet. 

I wonder if there are more easy software like this available? 

Gary

[Anonymous]

I found a great video on how to create a box using parameters so know I can set size and # of fingers in all directions and everything will adjust automatically.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pbdLIeWzpE&t=1305s

It works great for all the boxes I make. HOWEVER, I have searched high and low for a video showing how to prepare a finger joint box for my CNC router. Every time I get to the step to select the 2D Contour and the Contour Selection on the Geometry tab I click on the lower edge of one of the panels, but it will only highlight one small segment of a single finger joint and not the entire border of the panel. I REALLY NEED TO GET THIS FIGURED OUT ASAP as I have products to sell and get out the door. Any help you can provide would be very much appreciated.

[daniel_lyall]

What it shows in this video for selecting toolpaths is what you need to do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATs4rsI_TPc

Just a tip when it comes to cutting the fingers out there needs to be a bit of wast wood on the back of the cut to stop tearout.