I am trying, and failing, to make two jigs (one for the lid and one for the box) for making repeated boxes with sliding dovetail lids.  I’m using a bearing guided dovetail bit.  I want a fit that is not so tight it can’t be slid open but not too loose that it falls out with gravity.  Here’s what I’ve tried:

Before I thought of the jig idea, I just used a regular dovetail jig in the router table and inched the fence over to make the lid to match the box.  This worked ok but I kept making the lid too skinny so the lid slid out too eaisily.  This also doesn’t work well for making multiple boxes at different times since I have to reset the fence exactly each time I want to do it.

Today has been nothing but frustration in trying to make two jigs, one for the body one for the lid.  I’m using a bearing guided dovetail bit and two parallel pieces of wood routing between the pieces to make the cut in the box body.  Then another jig with a piece of wood as wide as the gap between the rails on the other jig with the lid under it.  I thought this would work but it doesn’t.  Too loose.

Who can give me some direction on how to make a perfect sliding dovetail lidded box, WITHOUT buying a Leigh jig.

Jeffrey