Replies

1. 
   QCInspector | Dec 18, 2005 12:46pm | #1

   I've just got mine and it still in the box so I can't yet tell you how good it is. I have been wanting one for 10 to 15 years, ever since I first saw it in British magazines, but wasn't willing to fork over the money until I could look at one personally. Now that Lee Valley has started selling them, I was able to go down to the local store and look at it. After having seen it and watching their demo DVD, I obviously bought one. I plan on setting it up during the holidays, so I can play.

   There was a post earlier this month, just like yours, and it got one response. It has a lot of good links to web sites that will give you the information you may need.

   http://forums.taunton.com/fw-tools/messages?msg=7216.2

2. 
   Gerry_G | Dec 20, 2005 12:19am | #2

   I bought a WR5 about 9 months ago. I haven't tried doing dovetails with it yet, but I can tell you it's fantastic for mortise and tenons It is also very flexible in doing different types of cuts. Usually if I have a difficult cut on something, I end up figuring out how to do it with the Rat. Case in point, at the end of the last school year a octagon shaped frame joined with splines (with the spline grain going in the wrong direction) fell and cracked 3 of the joints. The frame held a woven web of yarn and beads which has some symbolism for the school community and they didn't want to unstring the web. My wife volunteered for me to fix it. So here I am with this broken frame with all these friggin strings all tangled up in it and I looked at her with a "you've gotta be kidding" looks. After thinking about it a bit though, I realized I could realign the broken joints, clamp them under the rat and recut the splines. It was actually very simple and SAFE with the rat. Any other way I could think of would've been much less safe. (A spline cutter on a router...nope probably catch a piece of yarn and you'd read about me in the newspaper..

   The Aluminum girder that mounts to the wall is very robust. In some ways it's a kit tho... There are certain pieces you have to sand to get to fit properly. By having the end user do the final finishing on these parts they keep the price down on the rat. The plate that the router mounts to is adequate, but they warn you not to leave your router parked at it's furthest from the wall position or it can warp the plate. The clamps are fast to use and apply a fair amount of pressure. When I was cutting tenons on a fairly heavy head board, I was a little concerned that the piece might slip, but it never did. Definitely get the plunge bar for your router if you buy the rat. The only thing I'd really like to see on the rat is a left and right stop setting. It's not absolutely essential, but it would be nice. There are some rat owners who've posted many modifications (including the stops) to their rat in the woodrat users group. Dust collection with the rat isn't too good. Prepare to be covered with wood chips.

   All in all I'm very happy with it. It has earned a permanent place in my shop, and I KNOW I haven't even scratched the surface of what it can do yet. A very flexible machine.

   Gerry

1. 
   Thylacine | Feb 21, 2006 03:50am | #3

   I got mine back during the summer. I love it! I laugh when I see any kind of article on joining with the router. Get the DVD. As far as custom joints and dovetails there is nothing that can beat it. However when you buy all of the accesories and router bits, It is very expensive. ( the hss ones give you lovely dovetails but they are disposable I am afraid.) The inventor has insisted on markiting it himself and they do a lousey job. I had bits and pieces coming in for weeks. there is a guy in Ohio selling them
   and I hear he is doing a better job of marketing it. http://www.chipsfly.com
   I bought some after market add ons from him and his service was great. Just don't buy it from http://www.woodrat.com.

1. 
   Gerry_G | Feb 21, 2006 06:50am | #4

   I did get mine from chipsfly, and he is VERY helpful, quick at responding to emails, and any problems you might have. I haven't actually used it for dovetails yet. It's on my list of things to try.
   Love it for mortise and tenons!
   Have you ever used a leigh jig? Just wondering how it compares.Gerry

1. 
   Thylacine | Feb 21, 2006 05:14pm | #5

   I tried just about all of them. The problem with those other jigs is they commit you to their spacing and dovetail bits. they are templates.
   The wood rat is something more. Be carefull with those little dovetail bits. They are disposable.

1. 
   John_D | Feb 21, 2006 09:53pm | #6

   With the Leigh you can create your own spacing for pins and tails.  It ships with Whiteside router bits, but you could use any brand that has the same geometry.

   I don't know if it's true of the WoodRat, but with the Leigh you can't make a pin smaller than about your DT bit's width, so there are some limits to the flexibility.My goal is for my work to outlast me.  Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.

2. 
   Thylacine | Feb 21, 2006 11:04pm | #7

   Yeah, your right I forgot how the leigh worked. I thought it was the spacing the limited you to, but it was the proprietary dovetails. I belive you are limited to the width of the jig as well right?

3. 
   John_D | Feb 21, 2006 11:54pm | #8

   Not sure what you mean by proprietary dovetails.  It's a pretty established geometry, and pretty much every router bit manufacturer makes compatible bits.

   And yes, you're limited to the width of the jig.  24" is as wide a panel as I can use the Leigh on.  Maybe someone knows a workaround, but other than ripping, DTing the pieces, and gluing, I don't see how one would do wider.  Also there are limits to stock thickness as well, though I can't say precisely what those limits are (I'm not near the jig or manual at this instant).My goal is for my work to outlast me.  Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.