Dovetail Jig?

[hermit]

I have the HF and the only thing your students will learn on it is not to go cheap. I've produced acceptable drawers with mine, after hours of test cuts and adjusting, but still never got it perfectly aligned. The template casting is so rough as to almost be unusable, you could slice a finger open on the edge.

Spend a little extra and at least go with the MLCS.

I agree here. I don't have a HF, but I did buy a Homier one for around $30 I think a few years ago. I think they are the same. I did use it for some drawers on an entertainment center, but its the biggest piece of @$ this side of the Missippi. I haven't looked into a replacement much so don't have a recommendation besides not buying the cheapo stuff. If anyone wants one come get it. Its getting a $10 price tag on my wifes next garage sale, complete with extra templates.

Todd

[Stan]

For half-blind dovetails, I think the Harbor Freight jig is the way to go, especially with students. It is all metal so it is difficult to damage.

Jim

Jim,
I have a HF dovetail jig that I've been trying to give away. For the cost of shipping it is yours. Let me know.

[BrazosJake]

Jim,
I have a HF dovetail jig that I've been trying to give away. For the cost of shipping it is yours. Let me know.

LOL Stan,

I'd throw mine in the recycling bin, but then I'd be afraid it would be melted down and the scrap sold to China, where they'd just make another one.

SAVE THE PLANET, DON'T BUY THE HF JIG!

[Jeffrey Schronce]

Agreed. After spending hours and hours and hours with the HF jig I eventually stripped the knobs, etc for future use and tossed the jig.

Having said that some people love it. I admitted in my venting thread over a year ago that they are just better than I am! LOL!

Here's the thing. I got the PC 4212 jig, read the manual on night, next day went out and banged out perfect half blind dovetail drawers on the second try. The manual was still inside the house! The markings and instructions engraved on the PC 4212 are great.

[ssmith1627]

I got some decent results with the HF jig about a year ago -- making drawers for my workbench:

http://ssmith1627.myphotoalbum.com/v...d=150_5051_IMG

But like the others have said, it's tedious to set up. I was trying some a few nights ago and after about 5 tries I still didn't have it right.

At the risk of hijacking the thread -- can we talk a little about what the other jigs are really like ? You see the Leigh jigs used on the TV shows but they're pretty darn expensive. The PC 4212 jig isn't that horribly expensive but how does it compare ? Would love to hear people's thoughts on these. Are the Leigh and PC jigs that much easier to set up properly ?

I do like the idea of learning hand cut dovetails. I've spent a LITTLE time playing with it using some articles from Fine Woodworking. I really need to just bite the bullet and sign up for a class at Woodcraft. It's hard when you don't have someone teaching you these skills in person.

I also like the idea of setting up a jig to make the dovetails with the bandsaw. My Delta saw will only tilt one direction so I couldn't make all of the cuts unless I create a jig "table" that gives me the opposite tilt. I've seen the guy on Woodworks do it and it doesn't look that hard.

Steve

[LarryG]

I've not used the Leigh ... I'm thinking about buying one ... but can confirm that the P-C 4212 is every bit as easy to use as Jeff says.

The principal advantage of a more expensive jig like the Leigh or the new version of the P-C OmniJig is that you'll be able to easily do variably-spaced dovetails, to avoid what David Marks on WoodWorks calls "that corn on the cob look" that you get with the typical fixed-spacing jig.

My Delta saw will only tilt one direction

Are you sure about that? My Grizzly G0555 has an adjustable stop bolt so the table can easily and accurately be returned to zero, but when the stop bolt is removed the table will tilt about 15deg the other way. The angle indicator under the table even has markings for this direction.

I put a couple jam nuts on the stop bolt, so I can easily remove it and replace it to the same point, without having to recalibrate every time.

[ssmith1627]

That's interesting. I'll take a closer look at it now. Thanks for the tip.

Steve

[dkerfoot]

I'd throw mine in the recycling bin, but then I'd be afraid it would be melted down and the scrap sold to China, where they'd just make another one.

I've never used the HF jig, but that quote is classic!

[JimD]

For those of you who have been frustrated by the HF jig, I am sorry for your bad experience. I can understand your frustration. My HF is my third dovetail jig, I built the second one, so I understood the principals well by the time I got the HF. I think it is frustrating to some because it is so flexible. I have a friend that builds cabinets full time. He got a jig functionally identical to the HF and gave up on it in frustration (he now uses pocket screws for drawer joints, I think). The dovetail jig I built will not handle material thinner than 1/2 inch. Not 1/2 inch plywood, real 1/2 inch thick material. It also only works with a 7/16 finger spacing template guide (or I would have to make new side stops for a new template guide). The HF adjusts well for the depth of cut into the front piece which lets me use 1/2 bb plywood for the drawer sides but then it results in one more setup to make. I made a little jig that hooks to the template guide for the 1/2 bb. I also made a setup jig for the side stops and for the bit depth.

Mine sits on a stand that lifts it 6 inches (good idea for any dovetail jig) and includes a drawer (HF dovetails on all 4 corners, of course) for the setup jigs. The stand also has lines on it that help with setup and extra side stops for better support of the pieces.

You can get jigs that are easier to setup but they will not be as versatile as the HF (which is also sold by other companies for more money). There is nothing wrong with the design and the admittedly crude template guide cuts fine dovetails, IMHO.

I do not need two, the one I have is well made and will outlast me.

Anybody that has not given up on their HF, may want to try making a few simple jigs to aid setup. If you get it cutting right once, making an extra joint will make a nice setup jig for the side stops, for instance. It could also be used to get the back stop set, I think. Making a stand will help any dovetail jig be easier to use since it will lift it to a more comfortable working height.

Jim

[drumpriest]

Well, I have used the Rockler, PC4212 and the D4R, and I can tell you that this order holds true for ease of use. The D4R is the easiest to use of the 3, the Rockler is significantly more finicky.

As I pointed out, Leigh has released the super jigs, which brings the Leigh style of jig into a friendlier price range. The 12" being about 200$ makes the argument for PC4212 a little harder to make. I still think that the PC is better for a production environment, where you are going to churn through tons of 1/2 blind DTs, but for the home wood worker, the Leigh is a pretty nice setup.

Yeah, I've gotten good DTs from the Rockler jig too, but it's a much larger pain in the neck.

Again, I would ask what the price range really is, as "an inexpensive DT jig" is somewhat vague. To some a 200$ DT jig is reasonable, to others, anything over 50$ is unacceptable. To me personally, I have a 480$ DT jig, though I don't even cut DTs often, it just makes doing it SO much nicer when I have to.

[dkerfoot]

Just used my new $139 PC 4212 for the first time. I am impressed. I just did 3 or 4 half-blind tests on 1/2" and 3/4" scraps. The 1/2" came out perfectly without touching the factory setup. The 3/4" was perfect on the 2nd try.

The thing is built like a tank and should last forever. I am very pleased with the purchase.

[ssmith1627]

I don't own a PC or Leigh jig so I'm speaking just from looking at the 2 and reading reviews.

Variable spacing is only an option with the Leigh or the higher end PC jig, correct ? I don't think you have that option with the PC4212 and I know you don't with the HF jig.

Thought it was worth mentioning.

Steve

[dkerfoot]

I don't own a PC or Leigh jig so I'm speaking just from looking at the 2 and reading reviews.

Variable spacing is only an option with the Leigh or the higher end PC jig, correct ? I don't think you have that option with the PC4212 and I know you don't with the HF jig.

Thought it was worth mentioning.

Steve

Correct - variable spacing is not an option on the PC 4212.

I considered that and decided if I ever really want them to look like hand-cut dovetails, I learn to hand-cut dovetails.

[JimD]

The very good PC manual explains how to do dovetails with missing pins which gives you a look something like a variable spaced dovetail. You can get the manual on-line from PC.

Jim