MLCS "fast joint system"?

[DaveS]

I just got an email advertising this system...

It looks dirt simple.

Any comments?

http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shops...stem.html#2170

[docrowan]

Seems pretty good to me. I'll probably wait on the Chinese knock-off from Harbor Freight, though. $170 seems a little pricey for what you're getting.

[Hoover]

Just received my MLCS flyer today, and it shows the same price. It looks interesting, you get 4 templates in the set. There are 7 more @ $17.95 per set.

[Bill in Buena Park]

I've seen that ad at MLCS, and it's caught my eye - but my wallet gets the dry heaves at $170. Says it comes with a 30 page manual - seems like a lot of manual for something that appears so straightforward.

[Crash2510]

saw one of these at a woodworking show and I was amazed at how easy it seemed.

The demo guy asked some lady their with her husband to come up and make a joint and it was perfect.

Seemed very straightforward

[Bob Crosley]

Kind of neat, but at $170? For $199, I can get the Leigh Super 12 dovetail jig to give me fully variable space 1/2 blind, through dovetails and finger joints. Sounds like a better deal to me, since I don't know how many times I'd have a call to make teddy bear head joints.

[Shep]

How do you suppose they cut the recessed nook in order to fit the pins? Seems like you would have to put the box front on end and stand it up in the air. Am I missing something simple?

[Mr__Bill]

It looks interesting, however they only show making one side of the joint and you can't read the manual on line. It seems to me that the blind tails would require standing the work on it's end and keeping it at a right angle to the router table. I have tried this with box joints and anything of length is really hard to hold that way even with a good jig.

Bill,
That's my opinion and I'll hold to it until I change my mind

[pelligrini]

Most of those shapes aren't very good looking.

[tlt]

it seems like the magic is in the templates themselves -- the rest was just toggle clamps and some stop blocks. if you have the router bits, and were only interested in a single design, for $18 you might be able to make your own, and save $150...

[Tom Slick]

I'm also curious how they get half-blind and through dovetails from a perpendicular round cutter. Maybe it has an attachment to hold the boards parallel to the cutter. Notice the other joints are all rounded.

[Crash2510]

It looks interesting, however they only show making one side of the joint and you can't read the manual on line. It seems to me that the blind tails would require standing the work on it's end and keeping it at a right angle to the router table. I have tried this with box joints and anything of length is really hard to hold that way even with a good jig.

Bill,
That's my opinion and I'll hold to it until I change my mind

if I recall that is exactly what you do the guy I saw had a special right angle fence he clamped to the template. The fence then had two more toggle clamps on the vertical that he used to clamp it upright.

[Mr__Bill]

Now there is a video on line so we can see.

bill on the sunny oregon coast

[Tom Slick]

That answered my question. simple system, looks easy to setup.

[Mr__Bill]

That answered my question. simple system, looks easy to setup.

That's true, however I would not like to try it on long boards, even a 24" drawer front may be unstable.

Bill