The Festool is a versatile jig capable of dovetails, box joints, and even shelf-support holes and dowel joints. It also has very solid clamping bars with a third knob in the middle for narrow stock.

Adjusted front-to-back, the templates are the only ones that hold their settings when removed from the jig. The jig must be used with a Festool router, but these come with a tapered pin that makes installing the guide bushing a breeze, and the 8-mm-dia. Festool bits are stiffer than the 1/4-in. competition.

However, the jig’s design is troublesome. Because it uses a special guide bushing with a lipped collar, the stock can’t be pushed flush against the template. This makes it harder to align the template with the work or to align two boards when cutting half-blinds. And the long, thin templates tended to flex under the weight of the router, or bow on top of narrow boards. On the upside, the Festool templates retain their front-to-back settings when removed from the jig. Last, the jig is only the base unit; you must buy bits and at least one template to cut a joint. Add the router and the price approaches $800.

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