How to store a Leigh D4?

[Larry Kraus]

I picked up a D4 yesterday, spent a few hours watching the tape, reading the manual, assembling the jig, making a box. I've been looking for a good jig for some time, my wife has been pushing me to get one (thanks to Mike at American Sycamore), this one works great, joy prevails.

OK, enough playing with the new toy, I've got a project to finish, it does not require dovetails, time to clean up and get back to work. So where do I put this thing? I do not think it was intended to be disassembled after use, and it will not fit back in the box. The edge guides hang down in front so it has to sit on the edge of something. I can probably figure a way to put a cleat on the back to hang it up, but that leaves the edge guides exposed and likely to be damaged. I have a good sized shop, but not so big that I can dedicate permanent bench space to this monster. It's too long to fit inside any of my current cabinets. I can clamp it on the edge of a shelf, but that makes it hard to reach the stuff behind it. After assembling, even the basic jig has a number of loose parts that I think should be kept with the jig - manual, driver, bolts, wrench, crosscut bar, router bits, etc.

I'm thinking it needs some sort of stacking trays or boxes. Maybe a deep lid that would come off the top and sit underneath in use to raise the jig up. Maybe a compartment or drawer to hold the pieces and manual. Maybe part of it could serve as a router stand like in the manual. (Why do I keep thinking up projects for the shop instead of for the honey-do list?)

So how do you other D4 owners store your jig?

Part of the aforementioned joy is that I have been wanting this jig for several years but could not locate a sufficiently long crowbar to get one out of the store. Months of Ebay watching found most going for nearly full list price. My local Rockler's is moving and having a clearance sale in preparation. While making a fourth pass through the emptying shelves, looking for small shop supplies I didn't need but might someday, I found a plain cardboard box leaning alone under a shelf of bandsaw blades. And yes, when I tilted it out, I saw in plain black type, "Contains one Leigh D4 dovetail jig".

All items were 30% off.

[Mike in Mystic]

This is the most complete solution I've ever seen (and the only one, hehe):

I mounted the jig to a box, per the manual's suggestion, and I place that on a shelf under one of my workbenchs with a canvas cloth over it to keep the dust off. The box provides a good place to store things - if needed. It is a bit big and cumbersome to store. I'm building a 6' run of floor and wall storage cabinets and I am thinking the jig will fit nicely on top of one end of the wall cabinets. We'll see.

[MikeG]

I just keep mine on a shelf, and the little bits and pieces in a drawer.

Sorry its not very elegant, but it works for me.

[DJ Delorie]

Mine sits on the top shelf of a small bookcase next to the bench, which normally holds an assortment of tools anyway. The guides hang in front of the shelf edge, and it pretty much takes up the whole shelf.

Alternately, build a tortion box for it to be based on instead of a sheet of ply. Make the box just tall enough so the guides clear, and build a few small drawers for it to hold the loose bits.

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[Charley]

You're a very lucky guy to find one for 30% off.

Now that you've got such a nice dovetail jig, why don't you design and build a nice dovetailed box to store it in. Add spaces in it to hold all of the accessory parts and design it to hold everything in a way that will protect it all, but allow easy access to it. Make it from a good quality wood and finish it like a piece of furniture. It will then show off what fine work you can do with it.

I just got one of their FMT jigs and am presently planning to do the same for it. I picked up some 1/2 inch Baltic Birch last Monday to make it from and will start on it as soon as my latest project is complete, which will probably be sometime next week.

[SonomaProducts.com]

I've got room in my shop.o ahead and send it over ;^)

[LRod]

Screw this trying to help you store your Leigh jig;

YOU SUCK!

[rickluce]

Same as many other people. On a high shelf with the bolts and aligning pieces hanging over the edge just enough.

[Steve Peterson]

I mounted mine on a board, with a cleat on the bottom that can go into the vise on my bench. It is easy to mount in the vise, and when done I loosen the vise and store the jig on its end, standing up in a corner like a naughty boy.

Steve

[Larry Bud]

Mine stays semi-permanent mounted to my bench since I use it so much. However, I saw an article in I believe Woodwork magazine 6 months ago that was a very simple fold down stand/storage device.

It wasn't specific for the D4, but for any dovetail jig. It featured fold down legs which you could clamp to your work surface. When done, fold them up, and hang the whole thing on a hook on the wall.

[aswr]

Hey Larry!!!

Great choice and welcome to the club. I really enjoy using my Leigh Jig. I just finished a commercial job making 111 drawers for a client. The Leigh worked and performed flawlessly. I know that you will be happy with your choice of joinery jigs.

Mike from American Sycamore