Dove tail jigs

[Don Wacker]

Im looking for a dovetail jig for my son in law for christmas. I only have experience with the Leigh DR4 and dont have that much love for the kid. Obviously I want something that works properly and is not such a PITA that he wont use it. Safety is also a little bit concern, he will probably be letting my grandson use the thing also. Anyone have any suggestions?

Thank you
Don

[Jerome Hanby]

How about a Stots jig? Pretty simple, pretty affordable, and you can expand it to whatever size you want. The jig and a set of bits would be a pretty affordable gift...

[Jim Rimmer]

My first jig was a Rockler - it has some limitations but a good jig with a low learning curve and not too pricey. Porter Cable jig is a good one, too. I bought a used Leigh and really like it.

[Jeff Monson]

I have a new omni jig, it works well, dc is great and its a very versatile jig. For through dovetails it is easy to setup and use. For 1/2 blinds (which is 90% of the time I use it) it's very finicky to setup, this may be the result of varying thickness of the crappy BORG plywood I buy, so its probably not the jigs fault. I had major setup issues with 1/2 blind variable spaced dovetails in hardwood, the guide they recemmond does not work, I finally gave up as it just would not give me acceptable results.

[Cary Falk]

I would say you can't go wrong with the Porter Cable 4210 or 4212.. I have one and it is enough for me. Thae have an excellent manual online that shows you hoiw to use the jig past the 12" limt as well as variable spacing and inlayed dovetails. It is realatively inexpensive and you can find them at Lowe's if you want to pick up one locally.

[Bill White]

I second the Porter Cable. I have the 4210 'cause I only use the half blind feature for drawers.
Bill

[jonathan eagle]

I have the leigh D4 and find it tedious.
I had the PC 4210 and it was easy to use. I was actually thinking of getting the 4212.
Jonathan

[Ray Newman]

First and most important: what is your price limit???

How about the Keller "Journeyman Series"?

http://www.kellerdovetail.com/models.html

Based upon my useage of the 1600 and 2400 Keller Jigs, the Kellers are very easy to set up and use. The 12 minute video is worth it.

I also believe that keller jigs will work with a router table.

[Brian W Evans]

I have the Keller Journeyman. It is a very flexible and capable jig though it only does through dovetails. Can be used in the router table as well, as Ray said. The router bits that came with mine were junk but this was several years ago so maybe they're better now. Whiteside makes excellent bits for the Keller.

[Derek Gilmer]

I've got the pc 4212 and think it is great for the price.

[Jeff Monson]

I second the Porter Cable. I have the 4210 'cause I only use the half blind feature for drawers.
Bill

I totally argree the PC4210 is a easy to use and setup jig for 1/2 blinds, I had one and regret selling it for that reason. If the OP just wants to use the jig for 1/2 blinds the 4210 or 4212 are great choices.

[Ken Shoemaker]

I have the PC 4212 and would recommend it to anyone.

[Bruce Wrenn]

With the PC 4212, you can do typical 1/2" spaced half blinds, box joints, and through dove tails. You can remove the through dovetail comb from jig and use it either with a hand held router (similar to Keller,) or on the router table (similar to a Katie Jig.) By removing comb, you can do infinite lengths. Woodcraft often has replacement bits (Whiteside) in their monthly sales flyer. I own two of the 4212's. Bought the second just to get the bits (Whiteside) that the seller was including.

[Don Wacker]

Thanks folks I ended up buying a couple 4216's. Thought I might as well get one for myself and see how it worked. It took about five minutes to get a perfect 1/2 blind so all in all Id say for the money it was a great choice. I did notice the depth gauge seems to flex so just a scribe lines gets the depth perfect first time around and the template flexes so a deep throat clamp holds it down long enough to get the tail board clamped down. The board thickness scribe line is fat so transfering it down the sides of the finger with a knife works better than eyeballing the fat scribe line.
Thanks for suggesting it. Looks like it will be a good gift and I'll leave mine set up to do drawers with a dedicated router.

Don

[Don Dorn]

I would say you can't go wrong with the Porter Cable 4210 or 4212.. I have one and it is enough for me. Thae have an excellent manual online that shows you hoiw to use the jig past the 12" limt as well as variable spacing and inlayed dovetails. It is realatively inexpensive and you can find them at Lowe's if you want to pick up one locally.

I agree - it's very versitle and with the advanced manual, you can actually do variable spacing (to a degree). Bit's are now all over the place and it's well built and not overly expensive. Should you want more capacity than 12", you can remove the template and attach it like you would a Keller. I don't use jig anymore, but if I were going to back to a machine, the 4212 would it. It was the best one I've owned and I tried a few including the Stots, Omnijig, old PC half blind and a Keller copy.

[Brian Penning]

I have the 4212 also. Best thing I ever did was dedicate 2 routers for it -1 for the pins and 1 for the tails.

[jay gill]

I have the 4216 and found that it works well. I'm pleased with the money I spent on it.