I am interested in knowing what dovetail jig is considered a good value. I like to use box joints frequently and dovetail. I have read about the ones Porter Cable, Sears, Leigh, Wood Rat….
I have never used one and would like something that does not take allday to set up or understand yet does a nice job.
Would really be interested to hear what others recommend.
Thank you
Replies
I have only used a Leigh dovetail jig, so I can't offer you any advice about "which is better." But I don't have any major gripes with the Leigh jig. Set up does not need to take a lot of time--but you do need to do a trial and error fitting the first time for a particular bushing and router bit. An hour at the most, 15 minutes or less if you're handy with your router(s). The main benefit of the Leigh jig is the ability to adjust the dovetail layout. I don't see how you could possibly do decent dovetails without this option.
You can use the Leigh for box joints, but why bother? I always use the table saw and a shop-made jig. This has always worked well for me.
Good luck picking and choosing,
Paul
For me I have only used the Omni Jig(Porter Cable).
I got it when i was doing kitchens and wanted dovetailed drawers.
It works good, easy to set up and does a great job.
I dont think it has the features that the Leigh has but it didnt cost what the Leigh did either.
Doug
I like the Leigh jig for through dovetails, and the PC Omnijig for half blind.
Daryl,
The Leigh jig is particularly great for customizing the dovetail layout and for through joints. I would not use it if I had a large production run like for a larger drawer set using half-blind dovetails: for this purpose I would use the Porter Cable Omijig. Like most tools, once you have a little experience with it the Leigh jig as really simple to setup and use. You can use it with wood as thin as 3/8".
Doug
it all depends, I use the cheap PC jig and does all I need it to. It runs about 100 bucks or so. I dont DT enough to justify spending 300-400 bucks on a jig. By the choices you gave Id go with the 100 buck pc. I did and love it.
Darkworksite4: I'm RonT and I have approved this message
Depends on how much you want to spend. I had a Leigh dovetail jig for years and used it so infrequently it must have cost me $100 per dovetail. I can do hand cut ones a lot faster.
This past year I made a Chippendale slant lid desk. Although I did hand dovetails for the carcase and large drawers, there were 15-20 small drawers inside.
So I bought a Woodrat. It is rpicey $600 or so, and requires a plunge router. But it does dovetails very easily and does mortise and tenons and sliding dovetails even more easily. I think it is a great device.
see:
http://woodrat.com/index.html
Stephen J. Gaal
Stephen,
My apologies to Daryl for hyjacking the thread but I seriously considered the Woodrat before buying the Leigh but couldn't find anyone with hands-on expereince with it. I was particularly interested in the mortise and tenoning aspects. What is your impression regarding the M&T capabilities. Is it more difficult to use for dovetails than the Liegh? Woodrat sent me a email indicating they will be a vendor at WW'ing shows this year and I, anxious to see the product firsthand.
Doug
It makes M&T a breeze. And it is SIGNIFICANTLY EASIER for dovetails than Leigh. And the HSS bits allow very fine dovetails that closely resemble hand cut period dovetails. I think it is one of the best designed and built pieces of equipment I have ever seen. You can get a DVD of the designer doing stuff with it at the website I put in the previous e-mail.Stephen J. Gaal
Ditto what Stephen says. I own three (3) dovetail jigs. Here are the pros and cons:
The Leigh. What a complete rip off. This thing with all the bits, templates and do-dads was over $600. It took me 2 days to set the thing up and another 2 days to get it to cut fine dovetails. Set up time, even if you know what you are doing is close to 30-60 minutes for both routers. Yes you need two router bits. The pros have 2 dedicated D grip routers, one for pins and one for tails. Then set up time would be about 15-20 minutes. I think the jig is too complicated, but for through adjustable dovetails is really the only one that does a good job. But how many times does one need through dovetails?
Porter Cable. This design has been around for 30 years, and cuts the pins and tails in one set up with one bit. PC's advantage is that it uses aluminum templates. Nice design, good price, but not terrifically versital. They have upgraded it to cut adjustable pins and tails now. I have one of the older models, and PC has really done a great job in making a good jig better, not more complicated.
Keller. Made right here in California, is more verstial than the PC and cuts through dovetails as well. Unlike the Leigh they are non-adjustable. They look machine cut. If that really bothers you, then get therapy, cut them by hand or get the Leigh.
Rockler: The basic dovetail jig, like what the Onmijig used to be. It is $30. You can find them used on ebay for like $20.
Bottom Line: I'd go with the Porter Cable, but I am very prejudiced against Leigh, and had a horrible experience understanding their product.
Boris
"Sir, I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow" -- WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1934
Good reply all in all. Fair and properly prejudicial :-)
Dare I even say this: O
I've two dovetail jigs.
(Ducking around the corner...) Each is a Craftsman. One is the cheap one; the other is the Professional one that includes all of the other big-time templates for through dovetails and box joints.
Guess what!
They Both Work.
One drawback for the Craftsman Professional, however, is cost and that infernal proprietary nonsense that Sears' <insert your own cussword here> "people" chose to come up with to make life incompatible. (It DOES DO one heck of a fine job of making the joints -- if you play by its rules.)
--Steve
http://www.ApacheTrail.com/ww/
I think I seen this in AW, the new Omni has a jig that allows you to do through dovetails now, I think it can done on the old Omni's, assuming you get the part.
Doug
You're right. The template that comes with the Omni jig is for half blind dt's, but they do sell a number of other templates -- including one for through dovetails. I am not sure, but as I recall they cost somewhere in the vicinity of $100 each.
Daryl1, I bought the Leigh a couple of weeks ago. At first the size of the manual was a bit intimidating, but after getting into it I found that the reason it is so thick is that it is very thorough and explicit, with many drawings. None of it is particularly complicated. My first attempt came out poorly but the next was quite good. After spending the time to set it up and become familiar with how to use it, it is really quite simple. It may be a little time consuming compared to some, but as I don't care so much about production efficiency, it is really not an issue for me as it may be for others. I am looking forward to using it again on my next project. -JohnD
Edited 11/16/2004 10:48 am ET by JohnD
The Leigh is hands-down the best. Put all others out of your mind. Either cut them by hand or buy the Leigh.
FWIW, I have the Akeda jig (see http://www.akedajigs.com/). It's adjustable like the Leigh (albeit in 1/8th inch increments), does all the basic DT joints, is pretty simple to set up and use (you don't need to do test pieces), dust collection is easy adn effective, and it's very solid and well made. The big disadvantage is that the jig is in the shape of a closed-end box, so the joint is limited to 16 inches in length. It's a bit pricey too -- if you consider this, you should strongly consider the accessory package, which brings the price to $500 or so? (Good news is that). If I recall correctly, the Akeda was designed by a guy that left Leigh, but I could be wrong.
I don't use it too much (I just don't get the chance to spend nearly as much time in the shop as I'd like), but when I've used it the joints are very strong and clean, and very easy to make.
I have a Leigh jig, didn't find initial set-up to be too difficult, and have had no trouble setting it to deliver nice tight and defect free joints. That said if I only have a few dovetails to cut, it's probably quicker to cut them by hand. The big advantage is that the jig delivers a near perfect result everytime without risk. For me cutting them by hand is however satisfying.
The PC Omni Jig looks ideal for production half blind joints. From memory Australian Wood Review did a comprehensive review of the market a little while ago and they came to some similar conclusions.
I think it depends on what you want to do and how frequently.
Ted
Edited 11/16/2004 11:18 pm ET by Ted
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