dovetail jig

[fiasco]

What is a decent (and inexpensive) dovetail jig for doing drawers?

I am a novice wood worker.

I have been remodeling my basement and installed a new bathroom w/ no roughed in plumbing (had to do slab work to do the drain lines.). My shower is a 60x32 dual head using Kerdi shower system and ceramic. I also put in heated floors under the tiles.

It's 100% done except cabinets. Cabinets priced at lowes were over $900. I figured I could make the same cabinets for less then half that in materials and get some nice tools in the process

Am I going to need a jointer or a planer?

I'm getting either the BT3100 (if it can be found) or the 21829 craftsman.

[Rob R]

for drawers, depending on what you are doing a rabbet and some fresh titebond will serve you well.

if you are making period pieces, maybe not, but for starting out, it'll work great.

if you have to have dovetails, Scott Phillips from the AmericanHome/WoodShop demonstrated live one from porter cable this past weekend. totally awesome. it had the instructions printed on the sides of it and one set up did both boards at the same time the spacing was auto matic including the depth of the router bit. i'm sure someone knows what the model number is, just not me!

rob

[JR]

I think Rob's right, Fiasco. Unless you have your heart set on dovetails I's pass on it for this job.

it sounds like you've got your hands full getting your woodworking tools together, so I'd do rabetted-box construction for the drawers. The dado set-up you'll use will serve you well in doing the cabinet construction also.

As far as buying a DT jig, they can be found at HarborFreight for as little $29 when on sale or look for the Leigh D4 for megabucks at the usual places like Rockler or Woodcraft. There are many choices in between.

JR

[Tarheel]

if you have to have dovetails, Scott Phillips from the AmericanHome/WoodShop demonstrated live one from porter cable this past weekend. totally awesome. it had the instructions printed on the sides of it and one set up did both boards at the same time the spacing was auto matic including the depth of the router bit. i'm sure someone knows what the model number is, just not me!

rob

Didn't see the show, but by your description, it sounds like the PC4212. I have the jig and it works extremely well for half-blind DT's for drawers. Cuts both pins and tails at the same time. I did find that it took a while to get it set up, but once done, easily repeatable. (BTW: It will cut thru DT's as well as sliding DT's and box joints.) Look for sales on Amazon.com. Listed for $159 when I bought mine and received for $109 on sale.

Also. Do a search on the PC on this forum for more discussion regarding this jig.

Good Luck,

Wayne

[scorrpio]

Was a review in FWW just recently - $150 Porter Cable getting the Best Value, and $450 Leigh getting the best overall.

They did not review smaller 'budget' jigs.

[Rob R]

Was a review in FWW just recently - $150 Porter Cable getting the Best Value, and $450 Leigh getting the best overall.

They did not review smaller 'budget' jigs.

why would they? the folks at FWW have an idea that none of thier readers shop harbor freight.

[havighurst]

They reviewed the half-blind Rockler jig which is similar to the HF jig. It was on-line only. I was at the Scott Phillips demonstration also and it was the PC4212.

[drumpriest]

I've used the Rockler jig, the PC 4212, and the D4R. I bought the D4R, fantastic jig. The Rockler was a real pain to setup. The PC is a great jig for the money.

Reenforced rabbet joints are great as well. Far easier to do. Just rabbet the sides, glue it up, then drill through the joint and glue in a dowel. The look nice, are strong, and a good joint for a beginner.

Then when you are ready you can buy a dovetail jig that will last you and not be frustrating.

[dlminehart]

You don't indicate your location, but in many urban areas it's possible to have the drawers custom built by local companies that specialize in this. They buy materials wholesale, and have computerized setups that are so efficient that the finished drawers cost you no more than the materials alone would cost you at retail. A woodworking friend of mine turned me on to this. He remodeled his kitchen, doing the cabinets but leaving the doors and drawers to this custom shop. Saved him a lot of time on a project that was a disruption to the household.

[fiasco]

I got the craftsman saw today ($399).

A big step up from my crappy Delta $90 job.

What should I expect to pay for a dado blade?

[drumpriest]

I would plan to spend about 100$ for a reasonably good dado blade. I found 2 avenger sets at 40$ a piece last year. That might give you an idea. You can spend up to 300$ or so on a set though.

[LarryG]

What should I expect to pay for a dado blade?

You can actually spend a little less than the $100 Keith suggests, provided a 6" dado set is sufficient for your needs (and unless you're notching 4x4s, it should be). Many of us here own the excellent Freud SD206 set, which amazon.com currently has for $84.99, with free shipping.

This is a nice set ... plenty of shims, cuts perfectly flat bottomed grooves (something not all dado sets do).

[scorrpio]

I just recently got a Freud SD206 for ~$78 from Amazon. VERY nice.

[JimD]

Just for the record, I have been a multi-year subscriber to FWW and I like the Harbor Freight dovetail jig. It is the third dovetail jig I have owned and I think it is better than the more expensive ones for half-blind joints. It is a bit more complicated but will work well with 1/2 baltic birch plywood which I like to use for drawers. It saves a lot of time relative to solid wood and looks better than other plywood.

I also agree that dovetails are unnecessary for drawers that will hold up, however. When I did the cabinets in my basement, I did not have the Harbor Freight nor the stand I built for it so I just glued and pneumatic nailed the drawers. I have drawers that way on my BT3100 stand, as well as dovetails, just to illustrate the different types. No drawer I have built with these simple butt joints has failed. I also have not built one this way since getting the Harbor Freight and making a stand for it. When you know what you are doing it does not take much time - I dovetail the back too. If you have never done it before, you would need to be patient and plan on making a few joints before you get the hang of it.

Jim

[Jeffrey Schronce]

I had a little different experience with the Harbor Freight jig. It was the most difficult thing I have ever done in WWing and eventually I salvaged the knobs off of it and threw it away.
The PC 4212 was a dream come true. 1 adjustment to bit depth and I was knocking them out. I personally like the instructions being engraved on the jig. That way you know which way to move the fence when a fit is too tight, etc. Seriously, the PC 4212 was a life saver for me.
One thing to remember about the PC 4212 is that it comes with everything you need to bang out DT's. It includes, DT bit ($15 value), straight bit ($10 value used for through and box joints), bushings ($5 value), through DT template ($25 value), box joint template ($25 value). The fact that all these items are included, fit preciously and there is no guessing whether you need a 14 degree DT bit or a 9 degree DT bit . . . priceless.
Given everything included with the PC 4212 that would cost you extra with other jigs, I think it is a great value.

FWI, as a beginner I would stick with rabbeted drawers. You could use your standard blade to "nibble" away the rabbet or buy the mentioned SD-206 at Amazon (which is currently 84.99 - 10%)