Just Arrived! Akeda BC24 Dovetail Jig

[Michael Heffernan]

My new Akeda BC24 dovetail jig was just delivered today. Unfortunately, the C-kit that contains all the bits, dust collector and various pin/tail fingers is being shipped separately from Akeda in Canada. So I can't cut any dovetails just yet.
I have been reading all the reviews on the jig and am very excited to start making some drawers for my next project. I just sold my 24" PC Omnijig, after messing with it just to get it dialed in for one or two drawer boxes. Too much of a headache setting it up.
The Akeda BC24 came in one compact box; opened it up, no assembly required! It's ready to go as soon as I get the DT bits. The longest part of the assembly was making the plywood base to secure it to my workbench.
This is an impressive jig; the design is simple and innovative. It's well built of quality materials and the fit and finish is very good. Can't wait to get going with it.
The only thing I wish is that the base system came with a set of DT/Straight bits, at least for 3/4" material. Would like to have done some test DTs tonight. Hopefully the accessory kit will come soon.
Here's a couple of pics of the jig, just waiting to rout! When I get a few cuts under my belt, I'll post my impression of the jig.
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[Howard Miller]

Keep us updated on how you like it vs. the omni.

[James Brandt]

Michael,you will love this jig.Easy to use.hope ya got the dust collection.
have fun.
Jim

[Dan Lee]

Great jig, I sold a Liegh D3 then bought the BC 24. My first test cuts were for a box to hold all the snap in piece's. Perfect fit first time out. It really is built like a tank, very heavy.
Enjoy

[Robert Reece]

I spent considerable time on an older PC omnijig, getting it dialed in and making dust collection system for it. I ended up producing some ok dovetails, but I wasn't moved by the whole process. It just didn't feel fun.

I looked at the Akeda, but didn't pull the trigger yet.
I think I might just use tablesaw cut box joints. I think they'll be faster and certainly stronger.

Definitely let us know how the Akeda does. Please let us know how the dust collection is. I hate working in a mound of sawdust.

[Zach England]

Are the akeda bits the only ones that are compatible, or are there other options?

Do you think the C kit is worth the extra $$$ over the B kit?

[Michael Heffernan]

I'm still waiting for the C-kit accessory package. So I can't cut any DTs until it arrives. From reading all the reviews and posts on this jig, I definitely recommend getting the C-kit when you purchase the jig (16 or 24" models). There is a steep discount when the kit is purchased with the jig. I saved over $80 buying them together.
I think the C-kit is the best value, as it has everything you will need to make all the DT joints for all thicknesses of stock. It also comes with the dust kit, cord wand, oversize/undersize bushings, etc. I don't think I'll need to buy anything else for the jig.
I got the Akeda bits since they now have the 8 mm shank. Larger and more rigid than 1/4" shanks. I've heard mixed reviews on the quality of their bits, but I'm hoping that they're okay. Whiteside makes a set for the Akeda jigs, but they are 1/4" shanks. They are quality bits (I have a bunch of them, including the DT set for my Incra LS router table). If I find that the Akeda bits are not doing the job, I guess I'll bite the bullet and get the Whiteside set.
Robert, I agree with you that the PC jigs are fussy. As I said, I had the newest 24" Omnijig for a while, but I sold it. Took way too much time to dial it in for a DT cut. I wasted a lot of scrap stock just setting it up for a couple of drawers. I bought it for its versatility, but I think the engineering and quality were a little lacking. The one thing that I thought would be a great feature was the single pass HB dovetails. I made a lot of drawers with this method, and once the jig was set up, I ran through them. But in the end, I didn't like the 'production shop' look of the fixed width DTs it produces using the single pass. If you are a small production shop, it might be the right jig for you. As for the rest of the DT cuts, way too time consuming the get the fit just right. You're right it was not any fun using that jig.
Just waiting for the postman to ring twice...

[Jim Eller]

Michael,

I hope you enjoy the Akeda as much as I do. I have had the BC24 for over a year now and would buy it again.

I have both the Akeda and the Whiteside bits. They have both served me well.

Like James said, I hope you got the dust collection. It works fantastic. Picks up almost everything.

Also, don't forget you can work from both ends of the jig if the project isn't over 12" wide. Pins on one end and tails on the other. If you don't have a second router, get one. I prefer the 1617 Bosch with a D-handle for this jig.

Enjoy your new toy.

Jim

[Terry Barr]

I got my Akeda 10 years ago and it still works fine. When woodcraft stopped carrying the accessories i bought extra bits and the snap in bar so i can keep several projects snapped in place and i use three routers at that point.

[roman fedyk]

I have the Akeda router bits, as well as some Whiteside. The Akeda have been working great so far. The one thing I have noticed when people use DT's is that for some reason they push real hard on the router and bits. If the bits are allowed to cut on their own, without a lot of pressure, even 1/4" bits do well. I have some of the older 1/4" Akeda, as well as the newer 8mm and both do the job very nicely.

I look forward to hearing more about your machine when the parts arrive. Usually the Jig Store ships fast and I get my stuff in about five days.

[Scott Stafford]

Maybe somebody here knows the details, but it seems to me that I remember that the Akeda was developed by an associate of Leigh.

Anyhow, I've had the 24 for over a year now and can't say a bad word about it.


Scott in Montana

[roman fedyk]

The owner of Akeda, Kevan Lear, was the designer of the Leigh jig. Then he decided to try his hand at his own machine with an attempt to create a totally new concept in jigs. He wanted to make one that required minimal adjustment and still come out with the best dovetails possible. Another thing he wanted to do was to create a jig that did not require all sorts of templates to work.

I believe he succeeded brilliantly!!!!

[Stephen Edwards]

For those of you have tried other DT jigs and the Akeda, what are the pros and cons of the Akeda? When I finally do purchase one, I want one that is as user friendly as possible. I'm not interested in a long learning curve and constant fussy setups.

Thanks.

[roman fedyk]

I have the Leigh D4R, an Omnijig and two Akedas. The Akeda is extremely simple to setup and make joints. The learning curve is almost non existant even if you do not use it all the time. The other DT's are very complex and require that you purchase additional templates if you want to make box joints, etc.

With the Akeda you can make through, half blind, sliding dovetail and box joints without any additional templates. It also has the ability to cut different angle dovetails for thinner woods. Available from 7 to 20 degrees, which is nice, because it matches the angle and depth of the joint to the wood thickness.

I don't think there is a better jig out there.

[Roger Jensen]

Wow, I feel stupid. It never occurred to me I could use both ends and not be swapping fingers all of the time. Now I just need to get a second dedicated router...

Roger

[Jim Eller]

Well Roger, now you have the excuse "Why I need another router" and you can blame me.

Jim


Wow, I feel stupid. It never occurred to me I could use both ends and not be swapping fingers all of the time. Now I just need to get a second dedicated router...

Roger

[Michael Heffernan]

The accessory C-kit for my Akeda BC24, with all the bits and guide pins, finally came yesterday.

I had the new 24 inch PC Omnijig, but was frustrated with the time to set-up and having to make multiple test cuts to get it dialed in. I wound up selling it and got the Akeda.

Out of the box, and there is nothing to assemble. The jig itself is self-contained; no finger template bars, stops, router rest to add to the jig. It's all in one slick, well-designed system. I snapped in the dust collection port and plenum in about a minute. The longest part of getting it ready was making the plywood sub-base to mount the jig to my workbench. Once that was done, I was ready to cut some DTs.

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I purchased the complete 64 piece accessory kit with the jig. It has all the guide fingers, guide bushings, DT and straight bits, spacers, collet reducer, dust collection, etc. for all the DTs and box joints the jig can make. Other than new router bits when these wear out, I won't need to buy any other add-ons.
The accessories are a lot of little pieces that screamed for a storage case. I could see some pieces getting lost unless I organized them right out of the packaging. So my first DTs were for building the storage case for all the parts. I laid them out and sketched up a measured drawing. All of the components are separated in compartments, making it easy to grab the right guide fingers, bit and bushing for the project at hand. I used some scrap maple and mahogany to make the case.

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Oh, and the accessory C-kit comes with an 'Akeda' lapel pin, which made a great storage case logo!
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I read the manual before making any cuts. But the jig is incredibly intuitive that I could have snapped the fingers into place and ploughed out the DTs without it. I didn't make any test cuts before making the case, just went right at it. The DTs were little shallow and a slightly loose, due to operator error. I don't think I set the bit depth correctly. I just adjusted the depth, re-routed the pins and planed the tail boards down about 1/64 inch. Since it was just a storage case, I wasn't worried about it.

There was some tearout in the mahogany pin sides, even though I was careful to do a climb cut (right to left), slowly plough out the middle material and finish along the pin guides. This Mahogany is a bit stringy (African), so I'll attribute the tearout to the wood and not the straight bit. There was no tearout on the maple tail boards.

From start to finish, including set-up of the jig was about 20 minutes. I was going slow to make sure that everything was right. I bet that once I get used to it, I could knock out a drawer box in 5 minutes, set-up to finish. IMO, it's that easy.

Dust collection is incredible on this jig. There was virtually no chips or dust on the floor or bench after making the cuts. I hooked it up to my shopvac and the chips disappeared. I always found the PC Omnijig dust chute to be large, clunky and in the way. You also had to remove it when changing fingers for pins/tails.

I have a Pat Warner clear precision plate on my Bosch 1617EVS router and I could see what I was doing while making the cuts. I never was able to clearly see the cuts on the Omnijig; too much metal obscured the view.

The fact that the router rest is built in to the jig and the router never touches the pin or tail guides, makes the cutting operation smooth and friction free. I waxed the router base and jig guide rails and the router slides smooth as silk. The Omnijig router rest was the fingers and a slide-on bar that never felt smooth to me.

Laying out the DT joint for the storage case couldn't be easier. I snapped the first tail guide in the jig, clamped the tail board in place, mirrored the tail guide on the right of the workpiece and filled in the guides in between. Depending on the width of your piece, you can easily play around with tail/pin positioning for variable spaced DTs. The fact that the guides snap in in 1/8 inch increments doesn't bother me. I feel that I'll get as much variation as I need with the jig. If your board widths are in 1/8 inch increments, everything will fall out just fine. I saw on the Akeda website that they are coming out with an 'Index Strip Adjuster' that basically offsets the index strip on the jig for widths other than 1/8 inch increments. This will solve the issue that some have with the jig.

http://akeda.com/jig.new-products.html

When I'm finished using the jig, it's easy to store (especially with my new case). I don't have a large shop, so it doesn't have a dedicated station.

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I have a couple of minor things that I think that Akeda should change.

1. The jig itself doesn't come with any DT or straight bits. Since the bits are specific to the jig (you can't just use any DT bits), it would be nice to get at least one DT and straight bit with the jig, maybe for 3/4 inch or 5/8inch stock.
2. Everyone recommends (including Akeda) purchasing the dust collection port/plenum for the jig. The jig was designed with integrated dust collection, so why is it an add-on? I don't think I would use this jig without the dust port. I could see the enclosed chamber getting clogged very quickly.
3. Storage case? Even though it was fun and a great way to test out the jig, by making my own case, I think it would be wise for Akeda to offer a dedicated case for all the parts. The pin/tail guides could easily get lost, as well as all the other things. If you are thinking of getting this jig with the accessory kit(s), either make a case right away, or have some stackable lidded plastic containers ready and labeled to store everything. You'll go crazy if you just put all the pins/tails in a bin together.



I've got a Arts & Crafts style dresser to make next. Can't wait to get to the drawers and use the jig again. I may just get out some scraps and play with it just for kicks.

[Jim Eller]

See! We told ya so.:D

Jim

[Vince Shriver]

Your little storage container is way cool. I was wondering what that piece of metal was, until you explained. Excellent.

[Christopher Kanda]

can the akeda make the double DT joints like the leigh?

[Michael Heffernan]

Christopher,
Yes you can make these special dovetail joints with the Akeda. Some people call them inlay dovetails, double dovetails. Akeda calls them shadow dovetails.
IMO, it is actually incredibly easier on the Akeda than the Leigh jigs. Since the guide fingers snap in place on the index strip of the jig at 1/8 inch increments, the offset is guaranteed to be precise, keeping the workpiece in the same location; tight up against the jig stops. With the Leigh jig, I believe, you need to precisely offset the workpiece with a user made shim to make these DTs. Akeda has a little info about these joints in their user manual (near the end), that you can download from their website (www.akeda.com (http://www.akeda.com))

[Erik Frederiksen]

Beautiful storage box!

I've been getting ready to get a DT jig and have decided on the Akeda.

Your box inspired me to do something along those lines when I get mine.

Erik