Some thoughts on Akeda DT jig

[Craig Zettle]

I've only had it a couple of weeks, but I just can't get next to it. I hand cut the few DT's I made before the Akeda, and was thinking I could knock 'em off like a production line. Here are my problems.



Set up is pretty straight forward, but I didn't know how limited I would be with the actual number of pins/tails I could put in.
I am limited by the number of guides I can crowd in to the board size. They are all like that, right?

If I make the cut and take the board out to check if the fit is tight or loose, when I re insert the board for a second attempt, as straight forward as that is, it never lines up the same, and a tight cut is now the dreaded loose cut, which in other words is firewood.

I can't seem to see the cut as I am making it well enough. I took the plexiglass off so the chips would not gather in front of the board, but kneeling down while I am routing just seems awkward.

I have the bit package with the tight and loose straight bit sizes, BTW.

I also looked at John Lucas' EXCELLENT tutorial on the Akeda. Picked up some tips there also.

I am going to keep ruining drawers until I decide if me and Akeda are not meant to co-exist or I am just missing some layout technique. (This is not a knock on the jig, just wondering if any of you guys have run in to similar problems or if it is just me)

Craig

[Gail O'Rourke]

Craig, I can't offer any advice other than, I just got mine a few months ago. I had trouble the first time I had it out and was messing around with it, but then, I had to put it away and haven't been able to get it out again.

I will be also watching this thread with interest.

Good luck.

[CPeter James]

I have had mine for about three months and have used it several times. I can take it out and set it up and go and get good dovetails the first time. I did make a jig to set the router bit height (I'll get a pic and post it sometime soon) and I did get the clear base from Pat Warner to allow me to see the cut. Also I have the dust collector hooked up. I am ery satisfied with mine.

CPeter

[Tim Sproul]

Set up is pretty straight forward, but I didn't know how limited I would be with the actual number of pins/tails I could put in.
I am limited by the number of guides I can crowd in to the board size. They are all like that, right?

How many you want? You only need 2 tails on a typical 4 inch high drawer. I'd wager one tail would suffice as long as the half pins were adequate. There is no need for 3 or 4 tails on such a drawer....even if you were to load it with 100 pounds of stuff. Most folks also find that a few wide tails with a few pins is aesthetically more pleasing than lots of narrow tails and lots of pins.


If I make the cut and take the board out to check if the fit is tight or loose, when I re insert the board for a second attempt, as straight forward as that is, it never lines up the same, and a tight cut is now the dreaded loose cut, which in other words is firewood.

You're not supposed to do that. When adjusting the jig (or any other router dovetail jig) to get the fit you desire, you lop off the tails and pins that don't quite fit well. Change the bit height or fiddle with this or that....then rout new joint. If you set up your table saw with a crosscut sled or miter gauge, you can do many test joints using only 2 drawers - pieces -. I typically mill up enough material for an extra drawer....use the extra drawer to dial in the jig.

[Craig Zettle]

How many DT's I put in to a board is something I want to control, not the jig. This is not a structural issue as much as an astetic one. Guys that hand cut will bring that up every time.

This post exsists because before I bought I read several posts on the wonders of this jig. Right out of the box perfect DT's. So easy even my wife cut some (sorry Gail, I'm just quoting). I admit I wasn't born to cut DT's, and wanted a jig that made this easy, so when I am assembling a room full of kitchen cabinets I could just knock them off.

I am going to keep messing with the jig because it is a solid unit and John Lucas says it is worth it, but I am surprised how quirkey it is (to me). Even just setting the height of the bits is trial and error, as the instructions say to set at a certain height, then add a little. What? And do I measure from the base or the guide bushing that sets a little below the base? There are way more little adjustments than I was ready for.

[Jim Becker]

Even just setting the height of the bits is trial and error, as the instructions say to set at a certain height, then add a little. What?

This is a "feature" of virtually all dovetail jigs...once I get a great joint in a specific thickness of material, I cut a sample and keep it for setting bit height "next time". The actual measurment from the base is dependent on the jig, so the sample is put in the jig and then the bit height is set with the router sitting on the fingers.

[Tim Sproul]

How many DT's I put in to a board is something I want to control, not the jig. This is not a structural issue as much as an astetic one.

Well, you are out of the 'norm' to want more tails than less.


Guys that hand cut will bring that up every time.

Well, hand cutting dovetails is certainly fun. It isn't something to do if you want to get a lot of work done. Unless you are working softwood drawers. Then you simply cut those quickly and leave the sockets just a wee bit undersized. The very tight fit will hide any small gaps as you put the joint together. When I hand cut, I always go for as few wide tails as I think looks appropriate. My Akeda doesn't have any problems replicating hand cut tails. As with any router dovetail, it falls short on getting as thin a pin as I or most others can hand cut.


Even just setting the height of the bits is trial and error, as the instructions say to set at a certain height, then add a little. What? And do I measure from the base or the guide bushing that sets a little below the base? There are way more little adjustments than I was ready for.

As Jim said, this is normal for any router dovetail jig. Heck, this is normal with any machine cut joint. There is always a bit of set up time to dial in the machine settings to get a good fit. There are other 'nuances' to joint fitting. The wood you're dovetailing also dictates the joint fit. More compressible woods (ie, softer) can have a tighter fitting joint than less compressible (ie, harder) woods. Have you not machined joinery before? I'm trying to think of any joint I've ever machined that didn't require some set up time and some trial and error to get a good joint. I guess biscuits and dowels require little or no dialing in.

[Jeff A. Smith]

Well, you are out of the 'norm' to want more tails than less.


Maybe he is, but if I opened a drawer and saw one joint, I'd wonder why they even bothered. And anyway... it should be a matter of taste, not a "jig-imposed" restriction.

I don't own a dovetail jig of any type, other than my Jointech SmartFence, which I don't use for dovetails any more and my JDS Multi-Router, which makes perfect dovetails for most applications.

Jeff Smith
Athens, AL