Leigh Dovetail jig

[Ed Angell]

Does anyone in the WW NG own the Leigh dovetail jig? If so I would appreciate their comments as to how they like it, etc.

TIA

Ed Angell

[Joe]

Who has the cheapest price for this jig. I too am interested in buying one.

[Mike in Mystic]

I own the D-4 jig and it is a wonderful tool. It does take a BIT of learning to set it up (a lot of people seem to think you need a PhD to understand the thing, which simply isn't true), but its versatility is well worth the initial learning time. I was making perfect through dovetails in about an hour or so after getting the jig clamped to my bench. I just recently finished a dresser where I made 7 drawers with half-blind dovetails with it, and again, it performed wonderfully. The small problems I had were operator error/misjudgement, not the jig. Alignment of the parts and initial accurate set-up of the jig are critical, but after that it really does its job perfectly.

I have yet to try sliding dovetails with it, but plan to do this in the near future and have no reason to believe the jig won't perform this function as well as the other modes of operation. I can't really recommend this jig enough.

As for price, I went with the combo deal at highland hardware which gives you the jig and a 15 bit set (all the bits made by Leigh for the jig) for $500. If you don't want to spend that much and/or don't think you'll need all the bits, I think Lee Valley has the jig for a good price, but I cant' say for sure where the lowest price is. IIRC, most places were within $10 of each other, and I don't think this sells on amazon.

So, that's my take.

Mike

[DJ Delorie]

I have both the D4 and the Incra dovetail system. I use both, depending on the task. The Incra is (IMHO) faster to adjust (but perhaps because I have a PRL with it) but I've gotten the D4 to do many more types of cuts, including M&T (without the M&T jig!) and sliding dovetails. Neither is that complicated to use, although that assumes you do refer to the "quick reminder" sections of the books.

Also, I tend to choose the D4 when strength matters, as the Incra cheats, resulting in less gluable surface area.

[Swingman]

I own the Leight D4 and use it frequently, mostly to make drawers. It is a fine, precision tool, particularly when batch cutting drawer parts for a run of drawers. Repeatability is its forte.

If you don't make much furniture/boxes with dovetails, you may find it pricey and underused. If you do, you will love it.

Finest documentation/manual in the business. Some say the learning curve is steep, but I did not find that to be the case at all. Comes with a Video that makes most use simple to understand. There is some complexity to its use for some tasks, but the manual will walk you though it step by step if you can remember from one use to the next.

You have to do most of the assembly, but this is a good thing, as it familiarizes you with the jig as you do so.

I'd say it is recommended for those who do woodworking as a serious hobby or business.

[Mike at American Sycamore]

Ed, I have 6 Leigh jigs here at the school and have shown 100's how to use the jig. It is a wonderful machine, however one must read the owner's manual. The best manual on the market. The jig is easy to learn how to use and the process is very straight forward. No one really discounts the Leigh Jig very much. Buy one from your local dealer and help support your local economy. WoodCraft usually has a fair price. I use the PC 691 D-handle router on the jig. I like the 8mm shaft bits that Leigh sells. Good Luck, Mike from American Sycamore

[RTH]

Have used the D4 for over a year now. Would not trade it for anything. If you watch the video and follow the step by step instructions in the manual setup and operation is not that difficult. Think Lee Valley had the best price at the time I purchased mine. One suggestion is to get 8MM bits to use with this jig. Makes a HUGE difference in the quality of the joint.

[Eric]

I use mine all the time. Absolutely love it. I used to use the Jointech for dovetails but find the Leigh quicker and easier. As pointed out, it does take a little to learn, but is well worth the effort. A few pointers if you get one: Make sure your stock is perfectly square and measure precisely (guess you should do that for anything though). Being off by as little as 1/64" will glare on some joints (like double through dovetails). For through dovetails I route the tail cuts with a straight bit before using the dovetail on them. Since most cuts use a 1/4" shank bit I've had a problem with chatter. Routing with a straight bit first makes for a cleaner cut. Or you could get the 8mm bits and adapter - that'll probably be my next purchase. If you do many through dovetails it's also nice to have 2 smaller (

[Frank McVey]

Hi Ed,

Just bought the D4 last week 299GBP including cutters + tax + carriage, not that it's much use if you're in the States.

As for the jig, it looks pretty daunting at first, but it soon falls into place. I have to say that the manual and the instructional video which comes with it are probably the best I've ever seen on any tool. If you follow the manual step-by step through the practice exercises, it pays real dividends. This is certainly not a tool where you can easily suss it out and wing it. RTFM!

HTH in your decision.

Cheers

Frank

[JonH]

I have to agree with Mike and Swingman. The D4 is a fine tool and I would buy it again. I bought mine about 7 years ago and sometimes it sits for quite a while. But after about 15 minutes of review in the very well written manual, I'm off and running again, making perfect dovetails. I tried the sliding dovetails a couple of times and it works just as well as the others. I hope this helps. Jon Healy Saugus, CA

[Larry Bud]

Here's my review from last year:

will add that I have just bought the Lee Valley dovetail bit set for this jig, but have yet to use it. Now I can make something like 3 or

4 different sized dovetails.

[Bill Rittner]

I just bought the Leigh jig and love it. It is not hard to setup and will produce perfect dovetails. The manual is first rate and easy to understand and the video is a great help.

-- Bill Rittner R & B ENTERPRISES Manchester, CT

[e-mail]

"Don't take this life too seriously.......nobody gets out alive" (Unknown)

[william kossack]

I've had the D4 for more than 2 years and added the MMT and box joint templates. I've joined boards as wide as 22 inches with dovetails in minutes.

I built 40 boxes as gifts for christmas

only problem I've ever had was when I started out with a crappy router and a saw that took for ever to make square cuts (ever try to to make perfectly square and equal cuts with a circular saw?)

Ed Angell wrote: