D4R vs Omnijig ?

[Swingman]

Sorry, Tom ... got the flu, not thinking clearly, and probably missing the point. You mean a setup template for the jig itself?

[dpb]

Many will make whatever you want to whatever sizes you wish...they'll build to spec; their advantage is they've got the volume to afford the CNC to allow it that unless you're Morris most ( :) ) don't in small/mid-production shops.

If I were again to think of it, I'd far rather do the "more funner" stuff and pass off the routine repetitive stuff...

Last one I used was in Morristown, TN, (before came back to the farm) but I know there are many others. They got into the widespread custom business when the furniture manufacturing for which they were supplier started to disappear from VA/TN/NC/etc. ...

[Tom Watson]

Swing: Try these guys. They're the real deal. I've bought a lot from them in the past. They stay on spec and on time.

Tom Watson

[Tom Watson]

No Sir: I meant to set up the fingers perfectly and then use them to create a solid template that would replace the movable fingers for production runs.

Regards,

Tom Watson

[Swingman]

No thanks ... nothing in your argument is new to me as I've used that rationale on cabinet _doors_ for years, but made the decision a long time ago to draw the line at drawers, and always will.

You reach a point where you take away too much of the "by hand" aspect of the work and you end up with the problem Tom Plaman had when he switched to using a CNC on some of his carvings ... he found out quickly it was the "by hand" aspect his clients wanted, not the product of something that was merely a convenience to him.

My kitchens are not the fanciest, and far from the best out there, but they sell themselves, and, more often then not, a house or two ... and I'm still building them in today's economic climate.

[Lee Michaels]

"Swingman" wrote

Would a new (or different brand) dovetail jig be a solution for your "creeping fingers" problem? It seems that if this jig did a good job in the past, and you are having problems now, it is time for an upgrade of some kind. Have you talked to the Leigh people about this?

[Swingman]

Hell NO, Lee!! There is NO problem now because this last batch of drawers are made, installed, the kitchen turned over to the client already!

There is NO problem ... until next time.

And, like I said, I won't have time to deal with it until then.

(but you're right ... I do need to contact Leigh, RSN)

[dpb]

There's a difference between us on what we think is "funner" then... :)

It's the doors I'd not want to part with...

I agree wholeheartedly w/ turnings; but I really don't see the difference at all on routed dovetail drawers; after all, we're not cutting them by hand (and I'm certainly not claiming I _EVER_ did that for anything but the one-off piece of actual furniture, not kitchen/desk/etc. drawers) so the visual result is the same. Maybe you leave some parts laying around in the shop for the visitors... :)

But, you're in business yet and doing well and I'm not going to argue; only a suggestion...

Meanwhile, I'm tryin' to survive again on the farm and doing only a little work for myself other than the extensive outbuilding repair/restoration work...

I've thought several times that if were in larger market area, it would be fun to have an architectural millworks, but this is too small a population base close by and certainly not in current building climate.

And, given how old I've gotten somehow while not paying attention... :)

--

[Swingman]

Different preferences ... I've always had a, well fetish is too strong a word, liking/attraction for boxes since I was a kid ... even spilling over to my computer days when I visualized database programming as dealing with "boxes of data" ... go figure.

That would explain the attraction, drawers being definitely boxlike, of why I prefer to outsource doors, and not drawers. :)

I know what you mean, but even with routed dovetails, the drawers are obviously done "by hand" ... maybe it's the lousy craftsmanship? :)

Ever notice that folks who are not familiar with hand crafted kitchens will walk through the Borg and think the KraftMaid kitchens are beautiful; while those whose eye has gotten used to seeing hand crafted cabinets will remark that the KraftMaid look "cheap" ... heard that remarked on countless times from clients.

Know the feeling ...

[Leon]

And to add to that, the pieces that actually do have DT'S, are NOT suppose to give you splinters when you run your hand over the joint. Shocking how furniture manufacturers skip the detail of sanding the DT'S.

[Andrew Barss]

Anyone in this thread considered/used the Woodrat?

-- Andy Barss

[dpb]

Swingman wrote: ...

Maybe that difference is why I avoided database programming like the plague... :)

...

OK, get them to ship them preassembled and rough up some edges w/ the block plane and a chisel slip here and there ya' have it: ...voila!--"craftsmanship"!!!

...

Yeah, I do know precisely what you mean. It's been ages so don't have a recent one, but the pieces returned from the Morristown boys back then still "looked like" wood despite the precision if you can figure.

On present consideration, probably mostly because I was getting them returned unfinished and unassembled; if they had one of the catalyzed finishes they used for the large manufacturers they could well have had that ugly (to us) plastic/obviously large manufacturer look.

But again, of course, if it's the piece of the pie that's your favorite, I'm not agonna say nuttin' agin doin' whatcha likes (not that it'd make any difference anyway... :) ).

--

[dpb]

...

...

Ooops, lousy craftsmanship there as well--obviously, that was intended as "unassembled" to make any sense at all; and even then it's only a very poor attempt at a joke...

--

[smandel]

ahso! Thanks for the info. didn't know that.

shelly

[smandel]

again, thanks for the info. I knew that the fingers were adjustable, had assumed that in a standard dt setup they would all be next to one another, and hence couldn't flex independently... wrong assumption!

shelly

[Leon]

shelly

;~) and the halves can be seperated so far that a spacer/filler is used in between the area between the fingers so that the router bit will not go where it should not.