Hello Again, It's about time that I learn how to make dovetails. Any opinions for a jig that doesn't have too steep of learning curve? I don't need anything larger than a 12" and nothing too fancy. Price isn't too important, quality is. I'll mainly be making drawer boxes and misc projects. I saw a mention for the P-C 77240, but haven't seen one. Many thanks for your input, Mark
at the Baltimore woodworking show I saw the new Porter cable jig and was very impressed with it .its worth taking a look over the Leigh
len
I'm of two minds here. I don't own a jig, but from what I've read, the better ones have learning curves that are not atrocious. Leigh comes to mind, and Porter Cable has one that looks nice as well. There are some guys here who own jigs and I'm sure they'll give you their impressions of them.
Although I don't own a jig, I've made passable dovetails, both full and half-blind. I made them by hand with a a couple of saddle markers
The dovetails I made did not turn out even close to acceptable the first time. Nor were the second ones anything I'd bring in and show my wife. But with practice they turned out not too bad eventually.
The jigs will make them faster, and they'll make them consistent and uniform. Attributes that don't appeal to me that much. Making them by hand gives you more freedom than the jigs allow.
One member of this NG has put together an excellent set of webpages that outlines his way of doing them by hand. Before you get a jig take a look at charlieb's site:
Having said that, if I had to do a lot of them, I'm sure I'd opt for one of the better jigs.
Are you doing this as a hobby or for production work? Do you have a router table?
If you have a router table and aren't looking to do high volume production, then I'd go with an Incra. The one that Rockler sells for a hundred bucks works fine (it's the original Incra jig that started the company), has the capacity you want, and will do just about any kind of dovetail. There's some learning involved but if you get the "Incra Projects and Techniques" book and work through it you'll be pretty far along by the end of it.
Even if you decide after trying it that the Inca isn't the way you want to go, the jig is still a useful thing to have around.
Mark,
I have the Leigh and the learning curve was pretty flat. Mine came with a video ( yes video, I have had it for a bit) that was a tremendous help in setting up and first using the jig. I was making basic dovetails in no time. With the adjustable fingers, and practice, you can really make some interesting dovetails.
Not sure if there is one near you but, I think Rockler sells all three of the jigs previously mentioned in this thread. You could stop by and size them up.
Larry C
IMHO the cheapie jigs have a pretty shallow learning curve. There is not much to do with them except put the wood in and tweak the bit height and make your cuts. At least that is how my first jig worked in 1980.
From there I bought a Leigh but there are others that compare to the Leigh. Because each has more adjustments and settings the jigs can be more confusing and the learning curve can be bigger. For me the Leigh was pretty simple after the first try out but then I had a pretty good working knowledge of how these jigs work in the first place.
Most any jig requires "exact" bit depth and 99% of the time determining that depth is not an exact science. The more complicated jigs also have to have the bit depth set correctly for the "right fit". Learning to get this setting correct if first and fore most. This setting along with the more complicated settings can confuse some one new to cutting dovetails with a jig.
I have used several different "suposedly" high end dovetail jigs and they ALL have a learning curve. The new Porter Cable is a good jig but, in my opinion, it's not as good or as versatile as a Leigh jig. The best, and easiest to use (if you can read and follow a very well written manual) are the Leigh jigs. They can make half blind, through dovetail, and sliding dovetail joints (the only one tthat can do all three) and they can do it perfectly every time. Their manual is so thorough that you will make a perfect dovetail the first time you try if you carefully read and follow the manual, but you will need to make a few of each type of dovetail to get comfortable with the process. Making dovetails with any jig requires many steps to be followed perfectly to get good results. If the instructions aren't well written or followed you will not succeed no matter what jig you use.
I now own a Leigh D4R, but have previously used Porter Cable, Akeda, Katie, and a few that I can't even remember the names of.
Charley
Thanks All, I'm definitely leaning towards the Leigh line. Time to go out and see them upclose and personal.
Almost right....
The Porter Cable 4212(the new >The best, and
I have the PC 4212 and the Incra-Jig from Rockler
Incra I got the $60 one:
If I had bought this first I probably would not have gotten the PC jig. You don't need to buy the fence and sled kit, the instructions explain fully how to make them and it takes maybe an hour. Comes with a DVD that is very good and you can make perfect fitting dovetails the first time. That being said, the half-blind dovetails are note 'true' dovetails. By this I mean that they are unsupported on the inside of the joint, nothing you can see once assembled but the joint is not fully supported. This is not a concern on small projects like boxes and probably not even an issue on drawer fronts but could be a concern for a larger project. The width with this jig is about 8" but you could reset it and go wider without much trouble.
PC 4212 Easy to use and you can make great fitting joints the first time you try it. One drawback I found was the 'stops' for setting the cutting depth are slighty rounded so repeating the depth setting is tricky without a layout joint. Great tool and Shop Notes has a plan for a box and holding fixture for this jig. IIRC you are also limited to using PC bits because of the angle of the tails but I may be wrong. Here is a link to the PC 4212 videos and the advanced joint manual that didn't come with my jig.
Here is a link to a picture of the ShopNotes jig for the PC 4212
I would go with the Incra unless you plan on building chests.
AKEDA dovetail jig. Variable spacing in 1/8th inch increments, "fingers" snap in place - and stay there - no screws to tighten and maybe move while tightening. Router isn't supported by the "fingers" but by the jig body which is beefy. Dust is constrained by the way the jig is made - can fall out the bottom, but can't fly out into the shop. If you get the "accessories kit" which includes ALL the "finger sets", all the other router bits and a dust collector port thing-a-ma - jig which, connected to a vac gets ALL the dust before it gets into the room. No 200 page, well illustrated, manual - don't need much instruction to use the jig. My only gripe with the AKEDA is all the snap in fingers - there's a SH*T Load - five sets of 6, or maybe it's six sets. What I REALLY appreciate is the clamping system
- turn either end and the fence face moves parallel to the back of the part of the jig that the vertical part is held to - one hand operation so the other hand can hold the part. Same goes for the clamp for holding down horizontal parts. And the inside ends of the jig are big and square - so the part goes in square and stays there - no rocking, no tilting. These are subtle things - but really appreciated AFTER "doing it the other way".
Earlier poster added the Incra Router Fence System, or whatever it's called. If you're thinking of going the router table and precision postionable fence system - add JoinTech's Cabinet Maker Fence and precision fence positioner.
Note that with all the router methods, getting the joint fit is a function of the depth of cut. In a router table and fence set up the memory air is HEIGHTEN TO TIGHTEN, LOWER TO LOOSEN. (that's a reminder that the deeper the sockets the tighter the joint fit ).
But, if you've got a saw, some chisels, a marking gauge and a mallet have a go at handcutting at least three dovetail joints. Keep it real simple - two half pins and one dovetail. You should be able to cut a joint that holds the two parts together at or before the third attempt. Refining is just a matter of practice. Oh - and don't try to learn on pine - unless you have REALLY sharp chisels pine will discourage the hell out of you. Practice on cherry, or maple, or even poplar.
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