Dovetail jig

[Luckbox]

I am looking into buying a dovetail jig and was wonder if anyone has any suggestions. Is it better to go with the porter cable style, the katie jig, the prazi chestmate, or is there a better jig?

[dstenson]

I think it depends on what you want to do with it, but for my money, it's all about the Leigh D4R 24". http://www.leighjigs.com/d4.php
I have the optional vacuum attachment and the system is simply a joy to use. Perfect dovetails every time.

[RayintheUK]

I wholeheartedly agree with dstenson about what you want it for, plus what budget you have in mind. I bought the Leigh D4 as my first jig, knowing that I would grow into it (and I certainly have). Aside from being a pleasure to use, it also allows asymmetric and/or individually-spaced dovetails, giving that "hand-cut" look that's impossible to achieve with a fixed template jig.

That said, if all you need to do is make half-blind dovetails for plain drawer-fronts, then a cheaper jig will suffice. That then makes the choice one of ease of use, so others will need to advise you there.

It has been discussed before, so a forum search may be all that you need.

Ray

[JimD]

At the other end of the spectrum is the HF fixed spacing half blind dovetail jig. The instructions are terrible but there are better ones available over the net. I have to finish the carcase first but I'm getting ready to pull out my HF to do 8 kitchen drawers. I would want one for this kind of simple stuff even if I had a Leigh. The HF is similar to many other half blind dovetail jigs and it is the least expensive. You can get it for $30-$40 on sale. For furniture the leigh may be worth the money but for kitchen drawers, the HF jig dovetails are pretty nice compared to what I have now (stapled and glued softwood).

Jim

[John Hunter]

Another option if cost is a consideration is the Rockler Incra Universal Precision Positioning Jig http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?p...er=incra%20jig If you have a router table then this makes dovetails both half blind and through easy.

[drumpriest]

I have the D4R setup with vac attachment, and love it. Having said that, I would think that it's a bit much of a jig for most people. The big difference between the Leigh jigs and the PC, for instance, is the variable spacing.

I think right now Leigh has the best bang for the buck with the super jigs, woodcraft has them on sale at the moment, which doesn't happen often.

Basically they have a 12" variable space jig for only a handful of dollars more than the PC4212. I have taught dovetail classes using Rockler's jig, the PC and the D4R, and I can say that by far the D4R is the easiest to use with the most predictable results. The PC is also quite good, but you have to cut stock to certain widths. I have also taugh on the Incra, and had one for a while. It's great for smaller box projects, but felt really odd to use for large drawer construction.

So I guess I would recommend looking hard at the 12" and 18" Leigh super jigs. 180-220$ and it's probably all the jig that you'll ever need.

[cgallery]

Could one make their own version of the Katie (http://www.katiejig.com/) or Gifkins (http://www.gifkins.com.au/) by employing the components (templates, for the most part) from another package (like the HF/Rockler)?

I ask because making dovetails at the router table appeals to me (it is more comfortable for my back).

[Luckbox]

I do have a router table it is the Bosch RA1171 Benchtop Router Cabinet-Style Table . Is that a large enough surface for the Incra jig? For the price it seems like a great deal. I have been looking and the D4R because I want to buy the tool once and be able to do what ever I want. I like the variable spaced dovetails, but that comes with a much steaper price tag.

[Luckbox]

What is the major differance betwee the Leigh super jig and the Leigh D4R jig? Also what would have more uses the Leigh or the Incra style?

[drumpriest]

Here is a great comparison

http://www.leighjigs.com/download/Co...%20Chart-1.pdf

There are a few differences, capacity in terms of thickness of stock being a large one. Another is pin sizing.

Now compared to the incra, there are other types of differences. The incra is indexed in 1/32" spaces, so it is not infinitely variably spaced. The incra takes longer to setup in my experience. I can setup my D4R very quickly indeed. To get variable spacing, you need to generate a template, or use one provided by incra, there are 2 provided, and books of templates and projects available. The incra is plastic and not meant to wear as well as the Leigh jigs.

Board length limitation is a key difference. On a leigh jig, you are limited by the distance between the cam clamp and the bottom of the template, you cannot reasonably work pieces smaller than this distance. On the incra jig, you can work smaller pieces, however you cut the tails by having the piece standing upright off of the table attached to a right angle jig. As the pieces get long or wide, this becomes increasingly more precarious.