AKEDA computer animations (require Flash Player 7 hi-speed connection)

I had to boot into Mac OSX and use Safari to watch them, but AKEDA has some great Flash animations

Clamping 1 min. 45 sec 5.5 MB file. The front clamp's two modes of use are difficult to explain with words

Guide Fingers 2 min 38 sec 7.6 MB file. How the guides are postioned and "snap in" to the 1/8th inch incremented "ladder"

Through Dovetails 4 min 43 seconds 13.6 MB file. Excellent computer animation of the process, including the bit spinning up to speed and slowing to a stop at the end - AND sawdust shooting out as cuts are made. Worth seeing because most of what you'll see is applicabl to any router based dovetail jig

Half Blind Dovetails 4 min 39 sec 13.4 MB (see above but for half blinds)

Box Joints 5 min 17 sec 19.1 MB (didn't watch this one but judging from the above videos I did watch I'm betting it'll be just as useful to see

Given the file sizes those who still have dial up connections probably will never consider downloading any of these files. And you need Flash 7 or later to view them IIRC.

Here's the url - scroll down to get to the videos

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b

Sure would be nice if AKEDA had mpeg versions of these computer animations - that you could download and view when you want to.

Reply to
charlieb
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SNIP

After I watch them all and become a registered user, I may get email them with that.

I don't know what Akeda page I was on before, but it wasn't that one. The one I was on looked the same, but wasn't. I found the whole manual on that site.

But for anyone with a Windows computer, I watched them with no problem through Firefox. The correct flash player you need is linked on the page Charlie posted.

And man.. I thought I was a detail guy. I watch the half blind dovetail video and it was scary. Simple, but scary. Just the little things, like the climbing cut to avoid chipping when starting out on a larger cut, the direction and proper color of the sawdust (as noted), and even seeing the bit come to a stop after cutting.

You could literally cut your dovetails on that jig based on those videos alone.

Robert

Reply to
nailshooter41

Wow... thanks Charlie! I had never seen the Akeda jig before. Now I want one! The computer graphics could make George Lucas envious!

I remember reading something recently about these jigs being offered at a sale price, but I can't remember where. Do you recall?

Cheers.

Reply to
toolman946 via CraftKB.com

I was thinking the same thing.

Try this, it should take you there. Be sure and read Charlie's earlier posts on this subject if you haven't already.

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Reply to
nailshooter41

They played fine on my WinXP/ IE7. The video files are cached to the Temp Internet Files and have FLV extensions. You can "google" for a FLV player. I viewed my offline just fine.

Reply to
Saudade

Thanks Charlie, I had no problem watching them on XP IE7.0 Seeing the statement on the link about this being the worlds only permanently parallel clamp jig reminded me of a comment you made in another post concerning one handed operation of the clamps.

Because wider panels are not always perfectly flat and when laid on a flat surface often exhibit some cupping I was wondering if you have enough leverage/torque using a single knob to tighten the parallel clamping bar enough to flatten out a cupped panel? Do you know the thread pitch on the clamping knob screws?

Reply to
Leon

Wow! Thanks Robert. They're closing out the unit for $289.99!!! including the accessory kit.

Where's my credit card....

Reply to
toolman946 via CraftKB.com

I ordered mine by phone today, and the told me they were finally starting to run low on the jigs. I don't know what their idea of low is, but they told me they had all the stores send back their jigs and they are selling them from the home office now.

Just a tip or two here. Make sure you get the waste collector ($20 - stock number 143583) to get with this. The only tool I have that makes a more uncontrollable mess than my dovetail jig is my lathe. And you might consider the Akeda router bit set to go with this. Their price for all the necessary bits (which you will already have one set of in the DC package) is $59, item #143582.

I went ahead and bit on these as they are carbide, made to Akeda's specs, and they will warrant them. They tech guy I talked to before ordering told me to consider the Whiteside bits for Akeda, and I actually did for a minute. They were something like $189!! THREE times the amount of the Akeda branded bits. Ouch!

So at the end of it all, I go the jig, the waste/dust collection kit with the extra bits, and another set of bits to the door including shipping fro about $380.

That sure worked for me. Check out the prices at some of the folks that are handling this jig and you will be stunned at how much more they cost. Woodcraft didn't even get to me on shipping - it was something like $13 !

Robert

Reply to
nailshooter41

Attention to details - even in the videos on the AKEDA - is an indication of how well thought out the jig is. Having done some coputer generated animation, just getting the point of view right so nothing obscures the thing you want the viewer to see is tricky to work out. And to have the bit spin up, make it's passes to avoid climb cuts that could get away - WITH SAWDUST FLYING - and then have the bit wind down and stop at the end . . .

And while it's a subtle, but significant thing, the video on the moveable clamp jaw allowing you to clamp in front of it AND, if needed, behind it shows you something important that is not obvious just looking at the jig. I'm really impressed with the "turn in tandem toothed belt and sprockets" mechanism the keep the jaw parallel to the reference face(s) - one for the horizontal clamp and two for the vertical clamp.

YUP - it's a simple, elegant jig that's pretty bullet proof - for the things that a jig can do for you. However, like ALL router based dovetail jig systems, it's still up to you to orient and manipulate the parts correctly. While it's easy to route through dovetails for one joint and have them fit together properly - getting the "outside" actually facing out for just two parts is a 50-50 thing if you don't understant WHY parts have to be oriented a specific way, the odd go down to 1 in 4 or 1 in 6 that all the joints will fit together right - and have all their "outsides" actually facing outside.

I've been working on a one page How To and WHY cheat sheet to keep with my jig. Should be applicable to the LEIGH and PC OmniJig as well. Download the image file, print at your leisure, keep with the jig and refer to before doing any through dovetails. Will post the url to it in a new thread - "Through Dovetail Jig Cheat Sheet - Need Beta Testers"

Reply to
charlieb

I spend way too much on tools, seriously... you name it and I probably have it... 2 table saws, 9 cordless drills, 3 arc welders, 3 roto hammers, 6 routers, 5 circular saws, 9 sanders, 3 Paslode Impulse nailers, 8 pneumatic nailers/staplers, 2 drill presses, 3 air compressors, 15 pneumatic tools, 9 angle grinders, 4 band saws, lathe, jointer, 2 thickness planers... and on and on and on {note: I'm not bragging... just acknowledging my addiction... lol!!!}

I have a dovetail jig, but, after much searching around the web for reviews and hands-on experience I decided to bite the bullet and add the Akeda jig to the collection. I've ordered the DC16 with the DC accessory kit and after shipping, handling, taxes and Cdn. exchange it will arrive at my door for $379.47. A bargain that I couldn't pass up!

Ping to Charlie: have you tried using stock dovetail bits instead of the Akeda proprietary ones? Could they work with this system and if you think not. . why not?

I can't wait for it to arrive (it's like Christmas in February!)

Cheers,

Michael

p.s. this link provides an extensive, hands-on review to using the Akeda jig and clicking on the red highlighted words links to excellent photos. Howard Ruttan's review underscores the need to pay attention to set-up detail and shows the problems inherent to using any jig, as well as depicting the positive results after accurately setting up your tools:

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Reply to
toolman946 via CraftKB.com

Oops! Should have read: the "blue" highlighted words...

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Reply to
toolman946 via CraftKB.com

I'll be looking for it! The jig will be here by the end of next week if I am lucky and I can get on it this weekend. If not, a couple of more days.

Robert

Reply to
nailshooter41

If you look at #6 on this page you'll see an illustration of the bits

- red for the Akeda and green are the "other jig's".

Notice that, regardless of the dovetail bit angle, and AKEDA has FIVE bits, each with a different dovtail angle, the bottom of the bit is always 1/2" regardless of the dovetail angle. The AKEDA pin and tail guides are designed to the bits - five different sets, one for each of the five dovetail Tail angles.

The "other jig" uses a fixed dovetail angle (8 degrees) and varies the bottom diameter to get the different "stock thickness" pin sockets in the Tails part of the joint. There's only one set of pin guides.

So you can hold the angle constant the tail AND pin guides constant and vary the diameter of the bottom of the bit

OR

Hold the diameter of the bottom of the bits constant and vary the bit dovetail angles with corresponding Pin guides Different approaches to arrive at similar results.

I haven't measure the other dovetail bits I have, one set for the JoinTech Cabinet Maker System and another set of "generic" dovetail bits to see if there's any "non-jig-specific" bits that match either dovetail jig's dimensions. BUT - I suspect each jig has bits specific to it.

Since Whiteside (I think it's Whiteside) that makes dovetail bits specifically for the AKEDA, I'm betting that they're unique to the AKEDA.

There does seem to be a very good reason for going with AKEDA's one "bottom of the bit diameter" - all at 1/2". The amount of torque exerted on the shank of the bit is related to the maximum diameter of the bit - smaller bit diameter exerting less torque than larger bit diameter. Not a big deal when cutting thinner stock because the "end of bit to router collet" distance is less with thinner stock bits than it is with thicker stock.

When you have the most bit hanging out of the collet, with the "other jig's" bit you have the largest bit diameter. That means 26% more torque on the "other jig's" shank than on the AKEDA bit's shank ( [0.63 - 0.50]/0.50 ) x 100%

The more I study the AKEDA the more I appreciate the thought that went into its design - lots of subtle, but important "little things".

Have I answered your question?

charlie b

Reply to
charlieb

It does help to have learned to layout and handcut dovetails BEFORE getting and using a router based dovetail jig system so you understand what does what and WHY

When laying out the dovetails you have to scribe the thickness of the Pins part on to the Tails part to get the depth of the the sockets for the pins to later fit into.

And you must scribe the thickness of the Tails part on the Pins part to get the the depth of cut for the tails' socket for the pins to fit into.

That experience makes the importance of the correct depth of cut of the router bit clearer.

You focused on the "set up" and may have overlooked a very important prior step - stock prep. If your parts aren't "Four Square" and the flat parts aren't flat, the faces aren't parallel and edges straight - no matter how well you did the router bit and jig set up right - you won't get a nicely fitted dovetail joined "box". And no matter how good you are at laying out dovetails and cutting them with hand tools, if the stock ain't prepped right you ain't gonna get good dovetail joined boxes.

The dovetail jig is a handy thing to have. But when the results have a problem, it's more difficult to diagnose what went wrong and what you need to do to fix it - unless you know the How - AND - WHY of the process. The Step By Step procedures in The Manual will get you decent results - IF you follow them exactly. But if you skip a step, or DON'T follow them - to the letter - it's hard to figure out what went wrong and how to not repeat the error.

late - sleep is necessary - every once in a while

charlie b

Reply to
charlieb

Yeah... thanks Charlie.

Reply to
toolman946 via CraftKB.com

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