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I built the following dovetail jig station shown in Issue #160 of Wood Magazine
The stability, convenience, and comfortable working height all contribute to a more pleasurable experience when using a dovetail jig. Unfortunately, there’s still the matter of chips and dust spraying everywhere, creating an annoying mess. Sometimes, it takes longer to clean up the mess than it does to knock out a few drawers, so I’m often inclined to use other options for drawer joinery. Plus, there’s still the uncomfortable feeling of not having some type of protection from injury should the spinning router bit fail.
To combat those problems, I devised an easy to build and very effective dust collection shield that also provides protection from flying chips and possible router bit failure.
This dust collection shield is designed to be easy-on/off, allows for indexing to the thickness of the stock, and appears to be adapted easily to accommodate the dimensions of most of the workbench mounted jigs reviewed in WOOD Magazine Issue #175.
The following photo shows the two brackets that attach the shield to the dovetail jig station, and that allow for indexing to the thickness of the stock.
The following photo shows a side view with the dust collection pipe (ASTM 3034) inserted into the base of the shield.
The next two photos illustrate how the shield can be indexed to the stock; note that the base of the shield also rests on the clamping mechanism of the dovetail jig. The protective shield was made from polycarbonate, heated and formed to the profile of the sides.
Construction Notes
Construction of the shield is not difficult. I used ½” Baltic birch plywood. The first step is, of course, to make the dovetail jig station in Wood Magazine Issue #160 (December/January, 2004/2005). After constructing the dovetail jig station, it’s important to setup the dovetail jig (including the router) as if you were going to cut dovetails. This is important because differences in the dimensions of the various workbench mounted dovetail jigs, and the specific settings required for the router used, determine the final dimensions of the shield. All of the following constuction tips are for the HF dovetail jig.
The second step is to construct and locate the brackets that are used to attach the shield to the dovetail jig station.
I made the brackets out of stock 2” wide. The long arm is 6” long, and the short arm is 3-5/8” long. Drill a 5/16” hole, located on-center, approximately 1” from the end of the short arm. Drill a 5/16” hole (again, on center) approximately 3-3/4” from the end of the long arm. Cut slots (I used a bandsaw) in the arms of the brackets and then join the arms of the brackets by using #4 flathead screws. To locate the correct placement for the threaded inserts that attach the brackets to the dovetail jig station, butt the brackets to the side of the dovetail jig, and make sure that the top of the long arm of the bracket is flush with the top of the clamping bar that holds the vertical piece of stock. Mark the location for the threaded insert (I used 3/8-16 brass inserts), drill the appropriate sized hole, and install the inserts. I used nylon thumbscrews to attach the brackets to the dovetail jig station.
The third step is to build the base for the dust shield.
The length of the base should equal the distance from the outside edge of one bracket to the other (mine is 21”). The width of the base may depend on the clamping mechanism of the dovetail jig. Furthermore, it’s important to allow enough space to accommodate the dust collection fitting. I made the width of the base 6-1/2”. Rip a 45° bevel along one edge of the shield base; this will be the outside edge, to which the polycarbonate shield will be mounted.
Locate the hole for dust collection centered to the length of the base, but slightly off center to the width to allow sufficient room to avoid interference between the pipe and the clamping mechanism of the dovetail jig. An adjustable circle cutter is a good choice for making the hole for the dust collection pipe (ASTM 3034). The pipe should fit snugly in the hole, but allow for a slip fit. Insert two, #4 panhead screws into the inside edges of the hole, and use a coping saw to cut “elbow” slots, slightly larger than the diameter of the screw threads, in the end of the pipe. This forms a twist lock for the pipe into the base, which makes for quick and easy attachment and removal when necessary (inset photo above).
Next, clamp the base to the long arms of the support bracket; ensure that the base abuts the stock clamped in the dovetail jig. Mark locations for t-nuts (I used ¼”-20 t-nuts) that are used for attaching the shield base to the long arms of the brackets, drill the holes, and seat the t-nuts into the holes.
The fourth step is to make the sides.
The dimensions of the sides depend on the router and the dovetail jig being used. The height of the sides plus the thickness of the polycarbonate (approximately 1/8”) should allow enough clearance between the template of the dovetail jig and the polycarbonate shield to allow the base of the router to move freely down the length of the jig. Furthermore, the placement of the polycarbonate should allow for enough clearance for the router base to move in and out of the fingers of the dovetail template as shown in the following photo.
A height of 3” for the sides worked for my dovetail jig and router. Rip stock to the width required to match the height of the sides, and then cut a 45° miter at each end. Align the tip of the mitered end with the bevel on the outside edge of the shield base, and then mark and crosscut to length. Attach the sides by using glue and #6 flathead screws.
Finally, it’s on to forming the polycarbonate. I neglected to take pictures of this process. The length of polycarbonate needed is equal to the length of the base of the shield. The width of the polycarbonate is determined by summing the hypotenuse (in my case, 4-3/4”) and the remainder of space not required for clearance of the router (in my case, 1-1/2”, as shown in the preceeding photo).
To form the 135° angle, first clamp the polycarbonate to a length of 1-1/2” aluminum angle stock (or other nonflammable material with a square edge), making sure that one edge of the polycarbonate is flush to the edge of the leg of the aluminum angle. Then clamp the other leg of the aluminum angle stock in a vise. Sandwich and clamp the free end of the polycarbonate between two lengths of scrap.
Carefully heat the polycarbonate by passing a heat source (I used a propane torch) rapidly along the length of the polycarbonate. Keep the flame moving to maintain even heat, but avoid melting the polycarbonate. Pay particular attention to the heat applied to the ends; I had some issues with overheating and bubbling. When the polycarbonate begins to soften, apply even pressure along its length to form the angle. The angle doesn’t have to be perfect, but get it close without overheating and melting the polycarbonate. Once satisfied with the angle, allow the polycarbonate to cool. Check the fit (fine tune if needed), and then attach the polycarbonate by using #4 panhead screws.
That's it! Whew! Now, how well does it work? I cut some samples in 3/4" plywood, just to test. The following photo shows a small amount of dust in the right corner of the shield, and an example of what my shop floor looked like. That's quite a contrast to how it ordinarily would look after cutting dovetails! Plus, there was no dust on me!
This morning's round of email messages included a notice from Rocker that they now have a dust collection fitting for their dovetail jig.
New Rocker Dovetail Jig Dust Collection Fitting.
I suppose there may be ways to retrofit the Rocker version to most other dovetail jigs. I'll bet you can make one cheaper and just as (if not more) effective and safe.
The stability, convenience, and comfortable working height all contribute to a more pleasurable experience when using a dovetail jig. Unfortunately, there’s still the matter of chips and dust spraying everywhere, creating an annoying mess. Sometimes, it takes longer to clean up the mess than it does to knock out a few drawers, so I’m often inclined to use other options for drawer joinery. Plus, there’s still the uncomfortable feeling of not having some type of protection from injury should the spinning router bit fail.
To combat those problems, I devised an easy to build and very effective dust collection shield that also provides protection from flying chips and possible router bit failure.
This dust collection shield is designed to be easy-on/off, allows for indexing to the thickness of the stock, and appears to be adapted easily to accommodate the dimensions of most of the workbench mounted jigs reviewed in WOOD Magazine Issue #175.
The following photo shows the two brackets that attach the shield to the dovetail jig station, and that allow for indexing to the thickness of the stock.
The following photo shows a side view with the dust collection pipe (ASTM 3034) inserted into the base of the shield.
The next two photos illustrate how the shield can be indexed to the stock; note that the base of the shield also rests on the clamping mechanism of the dovetail jig. The protective shield was made from polycarbonate, heated and formed to the profile of the sides.
Construction Notes
Construction of the shield is not difficult. I used ½” Baltic birch plywood. The first step is, of course, to make the dovetail jig station in Wood Magazine Issue #160 (December/January, 2004/2005). After constructing the dovetail jig station, it’s important to setup the dovetail jig (including the router) as if you were going to cut dovetails. This is important because differences in the dimensions of the various workbench mounted dovetail jigs, and the specific settings required for the router used, determine the final dimensions of the shield. All of the following constuction tips are for the HF dovetail jig.
The second step is to construct and locate the brackets that are used to attach the shield to the dovetail jig station.
I made the brackets out of stock 2” wide. The long arm is 6” long, and the short arm is 3-5/8” long. Drill a 5/16” hole, located on-center, approximately 1” from the end of the short arm. Drill a 5/16” hole (again, on center) approximately 3-3/4” from the end of the long arm. Cut slots (I used a bandsaw) in the arms of the brackets and then join the arms of the brackets by using #4 flathead screws. To locate the correct placement for the threaded inserts that attach the brackets to the dovetail jig station, butt the brackets to the side of the dovetail jig, and make sure that the top of the long arm of the bracket is flush with the top of the clamping bar that holds the vertical piece of stock. Mark the location for the threaded insert (I used 3/8-16 brass inserts), drill the appropriate sized hole, and install the inserts. I used nylon thumbscrews to attach the brackets to the dovetail jig station.
The third step is to build the base for the dust shield.
The length of the base should equal the distance from the outside edge of one bracket to the other (mine is 21”). The width of the base may depend on the clamping mechanism of the dovetail jig. Furthermore, it’s important to allow enough space to accommodate the dust collection fitting. I made the width of the base 6-1/2”. Rip a 45° bevel along one edge of the shield base; this will be the outside edge, to which the polycarbonate shield will be mounted.
Locate the hole for dust collection centered to the length of the base, but slightly off center to the width to allow sufficient room to avoid interference between the pipe and the clamping mechanism of the dovetail jig. An adjustable circle cutter is a good choice for making the hole for the dust collection pipe (ASTM 3034). The pipe should fit snugly in the hole, but allow for a slip fit. Insert two, #4 panhead screws into the inside edges of the hole, and use a coping saw to cut “elbow” slots, slightly larger than the diameter of the screw threads, in the end of the pipe. This forms a twist lock for the pipe into the base, which makes for quick and easy attachment and removal when necessary (inset photo above).
Next, clamp the base to the long arms of the support bracket; ensure that the base abuts the stock clamped in the dovetail jig. Mark locations for t-nuts (I used ¼”-20 t-nuts) that are used for attaching the shield base to the long arms of the brackets, drill the holes, and seat the t-nuts into the holes.
The fourth step is to make the sides.
The dimensions of the sides depend on the router and the dovetail jig being used. The height of the sides plus the thickness of the polycarbonate (approximately 1/8”) should allow enough clearance between the template of the dovetail jig and the polycarbonate shield to allow the base of the router to move freely down the length of the jig. Furthermore, the placement of the polycarbonate should allow for enough clearance for the router base to move in and out of the fingers of the dovetail template as shown in the following photo.
A height of 3” for the sides worked for my dovetail jig and router. Rip stock to the width required to match the height of the sides, and then cut a 45° miter at each end. Align the tip of the mitered end with the bevel on the outside edge of the shield base, and then mark and crosscut to length. Attach the sides by using glue and #6 flathead screws.
Finally, it’s on to forming the polycarbonate. I neglected to take pictures of this process. The length of polycarbonate needed is equal to the length of the base of the shield. The width of the polycarbonate is determined by summing the hypotenuse (in my case, 4-3/4”) and the remainder of space not required for clearance of the router (in my case, 1-1/2”, as shown in the preceeding photo).
To form the 135° angle, first clamp the polycarbonate to a length of 1-1/2” aluminum angle stock (or other nonflammable material with a square edge), making sure that one edge of the polycarbonate is flush to the edge of the leg of the aluminum angle. Then clamp the other leg of the aluminum angle stock in a vise. Sandwich and clamp the free end of the polycarbonate between two lengths of scrap.
Carefully heat the polycarbonate by passing a heat source (I used a propane torch) rapidly along the length of the polycarbonate. Keep the flame moving to maintain even heat, but avoid melting the polycarbonate. Pay particular attention to the heat applied to the ends; I had some issues with overheating and bubbling. When the polycarbonate begins to soften, apply even pressure along its length to form the angle. The angle doesn’t have to be perfect, but get it close without overheating and melting the polycarbonate. Once satisfied with the angle, allow the polycarbonate to cool. Check the fit (fine tune if needed), and then attach the polycarbonate by using #4 panhead screws.
That's it! Whew! Now, how well does it work? I cut some samples in 3/4" plywood, just to test. The following photo shows a small amount of dust in the right corner of the shield, and an example of what my shop floor looked like. That's quite a contrast to how it ordinarily would look after cutting dovetails! Plus, there was no dust on me!
This morning's round of email messages included a notice from Rocker that they now have a dust collection fitting for their dovetail jig.
New Rocker Dovetail Jig Dust Collection Fitting.
I suppose there may be ways to retrofit the Rocker version to most other dovetail jigs. I'll bet you can make one cheaper and just as (if not more) effective and safe.
I had a different design on the first attempt (more of a curve than an angle), and I wrinkled the polycarbonate beyond use. I'm going to guess that one of those heat guns may work better than a propane torch.
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