KellerJig

[Jerry Thompson]

I was told one can do variable spaced dovetails with this jig. If so how?
Thank you.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

The simple (wrong) answer is no. The complicated correct answer is yes. So, how do you do it. Pain in the butt. To quote one source:


You can do variable-spaced dovetails, though it requires that you mark each tail onto the pin work piece.

I never tried it, but, I believe that what this really means is that you need to literally move the jig around and then mark where you need to remove (and not remove) wood. The easiest way to do this would be to route say every other one, or similar, but, I have never been brave enough to try it. I just cut them by hand.

From their site:

https://kellerdovetail.com/performance/whatjoinery.html


Variable Spacing: If your design calls for unique spacing or proportions, you can easily skip spaces, shift the templates between cuts or change router bit sizes while maintaining excellent accuracy and simplicity.

[Jerry Thompson]

Thank you. This may be down the road a bit for me. It would be nice if there were a video of these options.

[Edwin Santos]

I was told one can do variable spaced dovetails with this jig. If so how?
Thank you.

Yes, like Andrew has answered, the way to do variable spaced dovetails is to lay out your joint, unclamp the board and move it so the bit is cutting where you want it to cut. It's really not that hard IMO because the jig uses bearing mounted bits so what you see is what you get. In other words, re-clamp the board right to your layout line and that is where the bit will cut.

Easier yet, assuming you like the look, is to skip ever other slot with the dovetail bit thereby creating tails that are twice as big. Then when routing the pins, you will have to unclamp and move the board once, to expose and rout away the unnecessary pins.

The one limitation is that the pins are limited to the width of the dovetail bit. The only way to have a narrower pin is to cut your dovetails by hand. And of course the jig is built around a 7 degree (1:8) angle.

Hope this makes sense.

[Richard Coers]

Another way to do variable spacing is with a stop on the fixture back board, and spacer inserts. I have T track in the faces and top of my mounting board. Those let me use small Destaco clamps and stops. Just have the right sized spacers and stack them to get any spacing you want. I'm not a contributor, so pictures are out.