I am thinking of buying this jig and was wondering what your opinions of the jig are. I saw it being used on TV and was impressed by its versatility. It seems like a no-brainer to use. One doesn't have to have a tennoning jig or mortiser to fool with. Thanks for your help.
Preface: I'm a tool phreak
More at the following link.
Works great for mortises - if you go with "loose tenon" M&T joints then you use the largest diameter router guide, just one bit and one set up.
If you want to due mortise AND tenon joints - not so good. That requires two router guides, two router bits and two set ups. In addition to that, you really have to be careful to keep the guide against the jig ALL THE WAY AROUND THE TENON. If you lose contact with the jig you lose some of your tenon. Then there's the "specs/theoretical" vs reality thing. If the jigs off by a couple of thousandths AND the router guide diameter is off by a couple of thousandths AND the router bit diameter is off by a couple of thousandths - the out of specs errors WILL ALWAYS ACCUMULATE (despite what the statisticians tell you).
Some of the guides in the unit I bought were spot on to the specs - some weren't. Some of their router bits were to specs, some weren't. So some tenons were right on the money - and some weren't.
BUT - it's great for loose tenon M&T joints.
These bonsai display tables were joined with the Trend M&T Jig. 18 M&T joint for two of them, 20 for the tallest narrow one.
charile b
I tried one. Then I ended up returning it and buying the Leigh FMT. The Trend cuts nice mortices, but the tenons are frequently too small to fit the mortices properly, and there's no adjustment capability in the jig to allow you to make them fit. The FMT costs more, but the accuracy and quality of construction make it do exactly what it's supposed to do. It has an adjustment for making the tenons fit the mortices perfectly and you can make them fit as loose or as tight as you want. Their manual is second to none, and you can get good joints the first time and every time after with it (if you don't do something stupid). Have you ever made a mortice and tenon joint that "pops" from vacuum when you pull it apart, like toy pop gun? The Leigh FMT jig can make them fit this good repeatably. I've made at least 700 joints with my FMT since I bought it.
If you don't have the money to buy the FMT you will be better off if you make a jig to cut mortices with your router and then make floating tenons to fit them with your table saw. The edges of these tenons don't have to be round. Leave the ends of the mortices open for the excess glue to squeeze into. It's the sides of the tenon that need a close fit to get a good joint.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.