I made my first clean dovetails using the HF 34102 jig tonight. Thought I'd post my notes so that it is less painful for the next person.
the pic is a bit blurry but the joint is nice and clean. Just some scrap wood.
I am using a Bosch 1617 router with plunge base. I picked up a Whiteside D14-50 1/2" 14d bit from Router Bit World for $11.09 shipping/tax included. I may pick up a few more at that price. It's a nice bit.
I used the Woodstock D2796 manual for most of the setup. The items that differ are the router bit depth. The manual states that the bit depth should be 9/16" from the base. I found that 9/16 was too loose. I set it to 21/32" and the fit was snug. Had to give it one good whack with the deadblow. The second diff is the fence depth chart. I found that I had to subtract 1/8" from the quoted fence depth.
I took about 8 practice runs before I got it right, but it wasn't that tough. I think the HF jig is worth every cent of the $24 that I paid. I also think that the Whiteside bit is worth every cent. I started out with a cheaper bit and it burned out pretty quickly. The Whiteside was super smooth.
Hope this helps someone out there.
Jason
the pic is a bit blurry but the joint is nice and clean. Just some scrap wood.
I am using a Bosch 1617 router with plunge base. I picked up a Whiteside D14-50 1/2" 14d bit from Router Bit World for $11.09 shipping/tax included. I may pick up a few more at that price. It's a nice bit.
I used the Woodstock D2796 manual for most of the setup. The items that differ are the router bit depth. The manual states that the bit depth should be 9/16" from the base. I found that 9/16 was too loose. I set it to 21/32" and the fit was snug. Had to give it one good whack with the deadblow. The second diff is the fence depth chart. I found that I had to subtract 1/8" from the quoted fence depth.
I took about 8 practice runs before I got it right, but it wasn't that tough. I think the HF jig is worth every cent of the $24 that I paid. I also think that the Whiteside bit is worth every cent. I started out with a cheaper bit and it burned out pretty quickly. The Whiteside was super smooth.
Hope this helps someone out there.
Jason
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