I am looking for a dovetail jig that can do both half-blind-dovetails or through-dovetails.
The 12" Porter-Cable dovetail jig looks very nice, and seems to be able to do everything. But it costs $110.
The 12" JET dovetail jig is priced very reasonable. But its product description says that it handles half-blind-dovetails; I assume this means it cannot handle through-dovetails.
The 12" Central Machine dovetail jig in Harbor Freight is priced very very low ($30). But it seems to be able to cut half-bind-dovetails just like the JET. Moreover, its template seems to be black. According to some messages in this newsgroup, I should avoid the one from Harbor Freight that has black template because it is made from plastic.
Another 12" dovetail jig in Harbor Freight is also priced quite reasonable ($46). It claims that it can handle half-blind-dovetails and standard-dovetails (I assume this means through-dovetails). This is good. But it says that it only comes with one template. I am wondering how I can cut both half-blind and through-dovetails with one template. May be I am not understanding this correctly. Currently, this one is the most promising for me. Does anyone use this particular model? You can see it here:
Jay Chan