Advice on buying older Leigh 24" dovetail jig

[Mike Manning]

I've got a line on an older Leigh TD-514-L dovetail jig. I've never owned a dovetail jig. I have downloaded what info Leigh has on this jig (instructions & parts list). I'm going to see it tomorrow. I'll take the parts diag and list with me in an effort to see if it's missing any major parts. The older gentlemen selling it said he's selling it for an old friend (his comment "old like me"). He doesn't know much of anything about it. Said he does have a bag of some parts.

I've included two pics (only one of which is of much help). It doesn't appear to have been used hard or abused from the photo. I can already see from comparing parts diag & list to the pic there are only 26 fingers, there should be 28 (14 left & 14 right) but these are fairly cheap to replace if needed. I also called Leigh and they have parts even for this older jig.

Anything I should be sure to check or be wary of? Just out of my element here and want to make a good decision rather than buying because I've been wanting one of these for years but have felt they were too expensive for the amount of use it'll probably get. Thanks for any advice or knowledge you guys can provide!

Mike

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[Ken Krawford]

I sold that same jig a couple of years ago. Aside from almost never needing the 24" capacity, I detested the knobs use to hold the workpieces in place. They have been replaced by cam type levers in later models and are available as an upgrade for older models. The difference is substantial. I'd price the cost of new new hold downs into my buying decision. Otherwise it's a great jig.

[Clint Baxter]

I had one and used It for years. You need to have the right size dovetail bit, the straight bit is just a standard 1/2”. And the bushing I had for that bit needed to be cut off to clear the bit. I still have some of the fingers for it if you get the jig and want them. PM me if so.

The jig is limited to a larger dovetail with the bits I had. I don’t remember smaller bits and smaller dovetails being an option.

I gifted mine to a fellow woodworker when I upgraded to a PC Omnijig that emulates the higher end Leigh jigs.

Clint

[Bob Falk]

I have that jig.....bought it over 20 yrs ago used. I replaced the knobs with the cam locks. It works well. I would say that if you can get it for a good price (I think I paid $100 with several bits), go for it.

[Jeff Ramsey]

This "looks" like the Leigh I used to own (I don't recall the model) before I bought a Keller, and have since upgraded to a Leigh D4R Pro. If this is the one I used to own, it has shims and I didn't care for the shims. But once setup, I recall that it cuts nice joints.

[Jim Becker]

If it's in otherwise good condition, as has already been mentioned, I believe you can update/upgrade certain components on that version to be at or close to the current version. Leigh is pretty good about that kind of thing. It's a quality tool.

[lowell holmes]

I have an old Leigh jig. I don't use it anymore, but then I'm not doing dovetails these days. It is a solid tool.
I will keep it though. You can never tell when I might get into a dovetail making period. :)

[Perry Holbrook]

So what is a fair price?

Perry

[Mike Manning]

I have that jig.....bought it over 20 yrs ago used. I replaced the knobs with the cam locks. It works well. I would say that if you can get it for a good price (I think I paid $100 with several bits), go for it.

Bob,
Asking price is $55. I'm thinking that's a fair price. Before I go, I will see what the cam-lever cost from Leigh will be though as suggested by Ken.
Mike

PS (edit): Just got off the phone with Leigh. The cam action speed clamps do NOT work with this jig. They do work with the D series which was after the TD. She is going to have someone from tech support call me to see if there might be some work around.

[Jim Becker]

Bob,
Asking price is $55. I'm thinking that's a fair price. Before I go, I will see what the cam-lever cost from Leigh will be though as suggested by Ken.
Mike
And why isn't it in your shop already? Geepers...that's grand theft at that price!

[Mike Manning]

I had one and used It for years. You need to have the right size dovetail bit, the straight bit is just a standard 1/2”. And the bushing I had for that bit needed to be cut off to clear the bit. I still have some of the fingers for it if you get the jig and want them. PM me if so.
...
Clint

Thank you Clint. I will do that.

Mike

[Mike Manning]

And why isn't it in your shop already? Geepers...that's grand theft at that price!

This afternoon is the earliest he was available to meet. It's a 40 mile drive one way but at least it's in the beautiful Texas hill country.

[Jim Becker]

That drive will be worth it and the scenery is a bonus! Even if you need to replace some parts to bring it current, you'll have a high-end joinery jig at a fraction of the cost of new. These things don't just do dovetails...accessories increase the types of decorative joinery you can do.

[Mike Manning]

This "looks" like the Leigh I used to own (I don't recall the model) before I bought a Keller, and have since upgraded to a Leigh D4R Pro. If this is the one I used to own, it has shims and I didn't care for the shims. But once setup, I recall that it cuts nice joints.

Jeff,
They talk about shims in the instruction manual. I was hoping those were just in the rare case. Now I see there are 20 shims showing on the parts list.
Mike

PS I really need to learn how to use the multi-quote capabilities. :-/

[Mike Manning]

I updated my comment above but for those who are following may not read previous comments so...

Leigh says the cam action speed clamps don't work with this jig. Tech support is going to call me to see if there's a workaround. So far I'm impressed with their customer support.

[Mike Manning]

Just got off the phone with Matt from Leigh tech support. The cam action speed clamps won't work with the TD series jigs. These were produced in the early '80s. They are a completely different design from the D series which came next. The issue is that the cam levers put a lot of torque and pressure in a very small area of the clamp bar. This clamp bar is actually a tube. The way they fix this was to put some baffling in the tube to distribute the pressure. The clamp bar tube is a different size with the TD series and thus the cam action speed clamps are not an option.

This won't keep me from buying the jig.

[Jeff Ramsey]

Mike, even with shims it might do all you need it to do. And if you really start cutting a lot of dovetails, you can always sell it and upgrade. If you're near Austin, here's one at a very friendly price:

https://austin.craigslist.org/tls/d/leigh-dovetail-jig-model-td/6522217329.html

[Mike Manning]

Mike, even with shims it might do all you need it to do. And if you really start cutting a lot of dovetails, you can always sell it and upgrade. If you're near Austin, here's one at a very friendly price:

https://austin.craigslist.org/tls/d/leigh-dovetail-jig-model-td/6522217329.html


Jeff,
That's the jig I'm going to see today.
Mike

[Mike Manning]

More info I picked up from Leigh tech support for the TD series jigs:

- Produced in the early '80s
- Only up to 3/4" material
- Only does through-dovetails

This info may help someone down the line.

[Mike Manning]

Well, I checked the jig out and it looks very lightly used. One finger is missing. Beond that I can't tell if there anything else is missing beyond the #2 Robertson screwdriver for the fingers. Didn't know there were also three Leigh dovetail router bits. Neither did the guy he had never looked at what was in the clear sandwich baggie of parts. There is a bit marked #130, #80-8 and #140-8. They also appear to be very lightly used. Oh yeah, paid an even $50 for everything.

Thanks for the help guys!

Mike

[Jim Becker]

Like I said.... THIEF!!!! :) :D (Enjoy!)

[Jeff Ramsey]

The#80-8 is a tail bit of 8 degrees with a max cut of 13/16"; the #140-8 is a pin bit with a max cut of 1" (these are a mating set). The #130; not sure.

[Mike Manning]

Like I said.... THIEF!!!! :) :D (Enjoy!)

Thanks Jim!


The#80-8 is a tail bit of 8 degrees with a max cut of 13/16"; the #140-8 is a pin bit with a max cut of 1" (these are a mating set). The #130; not sure.

Thanks for the info Jeff!

[Harvey Miller]

Congrats! One piece of advice I gleaned when I got my D4 was to stick some sandpaper on the inside of the clamping bars. Less chance of the workpiece slipping and less need to whale on the clamps.