Bits for Katie 7/16" jig

[Phil Thien]

Last summer I purchased a Katie 7/16" dovetail jig. I got it from a guy that I believe purchased it at a show and never used it. He lost track of the bits.

I have never used it because I have no bits.

I can buy some from Katie, but they're kinda expensive ($37 for the dovetail, $26 for the straight).

This came up last year here (can't find thread now), and people suggested the Sommerfeld bits. Those are more affordable at $19 each.

Are there any other sources? It seems Whiteside makes a piloted 7/16" dovetail bit, but the cutting length is 3/4" instead of 1" (in the case of Sommerfeld), and I don't know if this makes a difference. I'm not sure what the cutting length is on the original Katie bits (the web site doesn't seem to indicate). And I don't know the size of the bearing, either.

I'd be working on stock in the 1/2 to 5/8" thickness range, if that matters.

There is a spec. sheet at Katie:
http://www.katiejig.com/kjJointSpecsDiag.pdf

And it says the 5/8" design calls for a 7-degree bit. However, it doesn't say what the 7/16" design calls for. The Whiteside bit I mention above is 7-degrees.

I don't have a problem ordering from Sommerfeld. I'd just like to know what all my options are.

[Jamie Buxton]

Pretty much all router mfgs make bits spec'd for the Keller jig -- dovetail and straight bits with bearings. Maybe those would work in the Katie jig, which seems to be a variable-spacing version of the Keller. The Keller dovetail bit for middle-thickness joints is 7/16, 7 degree. The bearing is 5/8 OD. But you need to know what bearing diameter the Katie wants. It might well be 5/8". You might just have to buy from Katie or Sommerfield to find out.