Dovetail jig

[paul cottingham]

I know this is the woodworkers equivalent to religion or politics, but I am considering a dovetail jig. My two preferences are the Akeda 16" and the Leigh 18." I would welcome any and all opinions on this, including any trying to persuade me just to do them by hand, although that may be problematic for me.

Thanks,

Paul

[Tom Hintz]

I tried cutting dovetails by hand and they were in fact "problematic" for me as well, hence my extensive history with dovetail jigs.
I am a devout Leigh jig supporter, have ownd a few, looked at more and love them all. I have not tried the Akeda so can't speak to that. I have several dovetail jig reviews at the lnk below with photos, some with video if that kind of information would be of help to you.
As you might suspect I would suggest at least taking a hard look at Leigh jigs. They have sold me on their quality, ease of use and accuracy.

http://www.newwoodworker.com/reviews/index.html#routerjigs

[Jim Eller]

paul,

Here is my take on the subject. See #13 http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=98823&highlight=dovetail

Jim

[Thomas Pender]

Have had my Akeda jig for about three years - use it when I need to - depends on what I am doing.

Regardless, I just finished cutting dovetails for six drawers on some nightstands into QSWO, etc., on my Akeda jig. I upgraded to the 8mm bits and used by Bosh 1617 with a 8mm collet and a clear base from Pat Warner - hooking up by Oneida to the bottom of the Akeda with a 2" reduction hose.

Results: Not much dust or clean up. Really smooth bottoms and sides, great fit. (Look like they have been sanded on the end grain.) Key is to take it slow and easy at the ends and apply a steady pressure (not hard) - almost finger control, but hold it tight. Practice is also good and I set the bit about 1/32 deeper than the thickness of the drawer sides and cut off a piece of the drawer to make sure the front comes out no thicker than the drawer. I also wax the bottom of the router base and the top of the jig and that helps.

I have made some real artistic dovetails with this thing. Once you get used to it, it is a pleasure to use.

Hand cutting dovetails is problematic for me too. I like to work with oak and cherry and when I see guys at WW shows hand cutting dovetails they are doing with with pine or poplar - much easier.

I recommend Akeda. The guy fromt the Jigstore is great on parts and he is very easy to deal with.

[roman fedyk]

I agree that the Akeda is the way to go. It is simple to set up, virtually no adjustments needed. The Leigh on the other hand is a complicated machine no doubt about it. I have two Akedas set up with tails in one and pins in the other and the parts fit together perfectly. Try doing that on any other DT machine.

You will be very pleased with this machine.

[Denny Rice]

I own a D4R and love it. I have never looked at the Leigh 18" dovetail jig, but I have never seen too much from Leigh I didn't like. If there is one drawback to a Leigh jig compared to a lot of other jigs on the market is the ability to cut the pins and tails at the same time. But Leigh gives you a lot of freedom in pin and tail placement as far as spacing. I guess i just comes down to what you want and need in a dovetail jig.

[Danny Hamsley]

I second what Denny said. The D4R is about as versatile as you can get.

If you are only making dovetail drawers, either of the two that you are looking at will do great. However, if you ever want to build a blanket chest with sides around 20" high, then the D4R with the 24 inch capacity is a must.

[Rick Alexander]

I've seen both Leigh and Porter Cable jigs on there a good bit in the last year in the Atlanta area. In fact, I got a 24 inch PC last year for $125 with the bit, video, and instruction manual off CL. Since I saved so much on the jig, I just got a Hitachi router from Reconditioned Tools for $59 that's dedicated to it and now as long as I use 3/4" front and back and 1/2" sides, the dovetailing is the fast step in the process in that it takes longer to cut to length and dato the bottom than to make the dovetails and they are perfect every time. I would like to have a Leigh D4 though to play with.

[paul cottingham]

Just for giggles, anyone have an opinion on the keller jig?