Now that I've bought Dan's Leigh jig....upgrade?

[Eric Larsen]

[I searched. Honest I did. And I read many threads saying, "don't be afraid to pull the trigger on a D4." My question is about the sensibility about upgrading the D4 I just bought. Seems there's a Leigh jig thread every two weeks.]




So, here I sit, dreaming of all the cool dovetails I'm going to churn out -- as soon as the (clearance) bits arrive from Leigh. I've built a fixture that allows me to clamp the jig to a table (why didn't Leigh make that easier, I wonder?)

I've got the D-1258R24. I see I can buy about 75 bucks worth of hardware from Leigh and basically have the latest model. http://www.leighjigs.com/upgrades.php

Has anyone done this? And, is it worth it?

I'm short on cash and long on elbow grease. But if the upgrade is a significant improvement, I'm willing to spend for it.


Merci!

Eric

[Jay Jolliffe]

I wish I could tell you if it's worth it as I have the same jig that I bought at a yard sale for $50.00 with 2 bits. I upgraded to the new cam clamps & stops first. Tried it & wasn't to happy about the dove tails. It was me not the jig. Then decided to buy the new scales & have never installed them. If you don't have the new manual get it. It's much better than the one that comes with it. Keep telling my self to try again but haven't got to it yet.

[Chris Rosenberger]

I used a D-1258R24 for several years & made the upgrades to it.
The order of priority I would suggest making the upgrades would be.

1 - Stops
2 - Scales
3 - Cam clamps

The stops & scales help you cut better dovetails with the stops being the most important. The clamps mostly add speed to the clamping process.

Also as Jay stated read the updated manual. A copy is available on line for free.

http://www.leighjigs.com/support.php#r3

[Chip Lindley]

Eric, hopefully you did not spend TOO MUCH on this earlier Leigh model. Thusly, you can afford to upgrade!

I agree with Chris, as to the order of importance of upgrades. The scales and stops assure better accuracy at setup. The cam clamps are very convenient rather than torquing down a knob with wrist action.

My D4 bought new in the '90s, performs flawlessly! I took the time to study Leigh's setup prodecure in the excellent D4 manual, and I cut perfect dovetails in 3/4" stock, for a blanket chest, the very first time.

Do the upgrades as your funds permit. You won't be sorry you did!

[Paul Murphy]

Have a look at the VRS vacuum router support. It will fit your jig, and will help support the router when at the tip of the finger or beginning of cut. Cutting a big (or many) dovetail is nice without a shower of chips.

As others have mentioned, the sidestops on the original jig are the first priority of upgrade. Chip is right about studying the manual, it is fairly well done, and will help you do a better job.