Router for Leigh Dovetail Jig

[Eric Arnsdorff]

I’ve recently purchased a used Leigh DR4 dovetail jig and I’d like to dedicate a router to it.
My question is what is your recommendation for which router to use with the jig?

I have an older DeWalt DW621 that I was going to dedicate to it but I’m not crazy about the combination. The weight balance isn’t great and I find it difficult to see what’s being routed with it.

[glenn bradley]

I would probably opt for a light weight model and possibly add a slightly larger base for stability, maybe a d-handle. Folks all have their favorites so I would expect a lot of recommendations. I would pick the brand that you have already decided on. I've got a herd of Milwaukees that continue to work while other colors have faded away . . .

[Christopher Herzog]

I use two d-handled porter cable routers. One for each bit.

[Eric Arnsdorff]

Christopher why the D-handle preference?

[Tom DiBiasio]

I recently bought a festool of1010 primarily for use with my Leigh. I did need to to order a brushing mounting plate from Leigh for this router that was $40ish but in the end I was super happy with the light weight and accuracy this combination gives me. Many will most likely say that the festool option is over priced and not needed, but I have long ago stopped defending my festool purchases and simply enjoy my time using them in my shop and can say without hesitation that I am really happy with the OF1010 for use with my Leigh. If you don’t already have the Leigh vacuum adapter (VRS I believe) it really does make using this jig night and day different. It not only nearly eliminates dust while using it, it also provides much more support of the router during operations.

[Ron Selzer]

TWO Porter Cable 690 routers, have been $100, new this year. Course I paid that used two years ago.
D handle would be nicer and price reflects that
Dedicated to dovetails only, use dust collection!!
Ron

[Larry Frank]

I use a DW621 and PC890 and like the DeWalt better.

I think the most critical thing is the ability to make small, accurate height adjustments.

[johnny means]

I use two Dewalt 618s or 616s, I forget which. Imo, seeing the workpiece is unimportant. I actually do my best to keep my distance and avert my eyes, they seem to attract chips no matter what glasses I wear. The low handles help prevent tipping and the detachable cord is a nice little bonus when using tool activated dust collection.

[Charles Lent]

I too use a pair of DeWalt 618 D handle base routers when doing dovetails on my Leigh D4R. The low weight and balance of the 618's are very good for all day use when cutting dovetails, and the D handle fixed base makes it easy to handle the router and control it with the trigger. You actually don't need this much horsepower to cut dovetails, but you do need a 1/2" or 12 mm collet (depending on which bit you use) to be able to use the larger shank bits because the 1/4" and 6 mm bits flex too much for acceptable dovetails. If you use two identical routers, (one for the straight bit and one for the dovetail bit) put a piece of tape on the top of each motor and draw the shape of the installed bit on it, so you don't grab the wrong router (DAMHIKT).

Orientation of the router is important to keep the exact same distance between the bit and bushing always the same. It can be slightly off center and your joints will fit fine, as long as you keep the router base oriented the same all the time. For this, I drew an arrow on the top edge of my router bases using a black marking pen.
Always point the arrow toward the jig when making your cuts, and any slight error between the bit center and the bushing center will not show up in your joint.

When cutting dovetails all day long, I found that a simple plywood box/platform the same height as the D4R with a large hole in the top makes a good place to put the router being used when you are changing boards or making adjustments to the dovetail jig. On an all day dovetail cutting project, not needing to lift the router off the workbench hundreds of times in one day becomes quite important. Your arms will thank me the following morning. This is even more important if you are using a router that is heavier than my DW618's. I place this box behind, but off to the right side of my D4R, but it can go anywhere that is comfortable for you.

Charley

[Jim Becker]

My preference for this kind of task is a fixed base router. It will have a lower center of gravity and is simpler to micro adjust for height...something you need to do for dovetail work. That "proverbial hair" difference in cutter height can make or break a dovetail cut, especially for half-blinds. It's a great idea to dedicate a router for this work, IMHO. You can dial in that guide bushing to be perfectly concentric and lock in your setup.

[Dick Mahany]

Another D-handle user here. I have a Bosch 1618 and have tried both the plunge base and the fixed D-handle base on the Leigh D4. The combination of a fixed base along with the control and balance of the D-handle have given me the best results. It looks like D-handle routers are becoming rare, but I'll keep mine.

[Eric Arnsdorff]

Thanks all!
It sounds like if I’m buying one it may as well be a D-handle.

However, I saw someone comment about using Bosch Palm router.
Does anyone use this or recommend it for the Leigh jig?
I saw there is an 8 mm collet available for it.
440391

[Eric Arnsdorff]

After posting that I looked at where to purchase the 8mm collet and nothing appears to be available.
It looks like a D-handle DeWalt (unless I find a deal on PC or Milwaukee). I’m sure the Festool is a solid performer but with what I’m willing to spend then I couldn’t get the VRS for now.
I’ll set one up for now to do the blind dovetails I have planned. And if I like it I’ll get a second one later to leave with the jig for through dovetails.
I’m also ordering the VRS as well!

[Dick Mahany]

After posting that I looked at where to purchase the 8mm collet and nothing appears to be available.
It looks like a D-handle DeWalt (unless I find a deal on PC or Milwaukee). I’m sure the Festool is a solid performer but with what I’m willing to spend then I couldn’t get the VRS for now.
I’ll set one up for now to do the blind dovetails I have planned. And if I like it I’ll get a second one later to leave with the jig for through dovetails.
I’m also ordering the VRS as well!

I purchased an 8mm collet for my Bosch Colt palm router from Elaire Corp online. It works great although I don't have extensive experience using that router on the Leigh D4.

I don't know if the current Bosch palm router uses the same collet as the Colt, but it might be worth checking out.

As for the VRS, it is an excellent attachment for the Leigh. The additional stability and super effective chip collection make a huge difference compared to using the jig alone.

[Ron Selzer]

The VRS is a very important part, it makes the router way more stable, keeps almost all of the waste from being thrown at you. I have 8 mm collects and have never used them. I use 1/2" router bits on 7/8" thru dovetail. This is My experience, yours will be different depending on what size you are milling. I keep two PC 690's set all the time, plugged into Harbor Freight foot switches with router switch turned on.
Ron




I purchased an 8mm collet for my Bosch Colt palm router from Elaire Corp online. It works great although I don't have extensive experience using that router on the Leigh D4.

I don't know if the current Bosch palm router uses the same collet as the Colt, but it might be worth checking out.

As for the VRS, it is an excellent attachment for the Leigh. The additional stability and super effective chip collection make a huge difference compared to using the jig alone.

[Jim Becker]

Ron, many of the dovetail bit sets designed for use with the Leigh jig are 8mm shank tooling because of the extra strength it provides over what is a longer cutter due to the nature of the jig without clearance issues that can come with the larger .5" shank bits. I'm talking about "designed for Leigh" tooling. There are certainly other options, but the 8mm collet is necessary if one has the tooling I mention, including the bits that come with the jig from the manufacturer.

[lowell holmes]

Why don't you go to the toy stores, Lowes and Home Depot, and pick up the routers and see if there is one you like.
Or better yet,

https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ALeKk026M3mx1Rh3sKekkU2be4hWNx74GQ%3A 1599339431662&ei=p_tTX9-FKJDwsQWipYDIDA&q=wood+routers&oq=wood+routers&gs_lcp=CgZwc3ktYWIQDDIECAAQQzIHCAAQFBCHAjIICAAQBxA KEB4yAggAMgIIADICCAAyBggAEAcQHjICCAAyAggAMgIIADoHC CMQsQIQJzoECAAQDVCTPVjBTWCQZ2gAcAB4AIABUIgB2AKSAQE 1mAEAoAEBqgEHZ3dzLXdpesABAQ&sclient=psy-ab&ved=0ahUKEwif9cvV89LrAhUQeKwKHaISAMkQ4dUDCA0

[Ron Selzer]

The Leigh bits that came with the dovetail jig which I bought used, had 1\2" and 1 /4" shanks. I bought 3 8 mmm collets for my PC 690' s before I checked the smaller bits. I then bought the Whiteside Leigh router bit set with 8mmm and 1/2" bits. Have not used them yet, hover they are there when needed
Ron

[William Chain]

The VRS is a very important part.

This 1000X - the VRS upgrade will make your life so much nicer. Extra support, and pretty effective dust collection. I resisted this extra expense, but lordy was this worth every penny.

[Will Blick]

I posed this question to Leigh Jig Owner and developer at a trade show...
He thinks the Bosch 1617 is ideal, as it has a perfect low center of gravity as Jim mentioned...as the two handles are very low.
And the two handles placed 180 deg provides for ease of keeping the router orientation fixed when moving it in and out. This is critical, as the system relies on the non concentric, "elliptical guide bushing." Changing router orientation the slightest bit will alter cut to/fro the guides, which defeats the premise of the elliptical guide bushing.
A luxury is to own 2 routers of the same type, so u dont have to re set the bit depths if doing a lot of the same work over and over...
The 1617's can be purchased quite reasonably as there is always Bosch sales....

[Eric Arnsdorff]

I like the Bosch stuff and I have a Bosch 1617EVS mounted in my router table lift. I bought the adapter for it thinking I may use it on the Leigh jig but it completely blocks the view of the bit and guide. Maybe I’m just a newbie with the Leigh but I chose to go with the DeWalt 618 for a few reasons.
1. The lowest CG from a visual analysis. I’m hoping this helps with the stability along with the VRS I ordered.
2. It has a clear base that accepts the Leigh (PC style) guide bushings.
3. I expect I’ll purchase a 2nd router for the jig and the DW616 has basically the same features and with sales is around $105 ($125 regular price).
4. I was cheap and didn’t buy the D-handle but it is available for it.

PC has a very similar offering in a fixed speed and variable speed with the costs being close. I went with the DeWalt mainly because of the clear base. The PC has some advantages too.

I’m still learning the jig so I’ll see how this goes.

Thanks to everyone for your feedback!

[Malcolm McLeod]

You won't regret the VRS. Try the jig once w/o the VRS, then the VRS will amaze you. (I use PC 690s, but I think the VRS makes this irrelevant -- YMMV.)

I'll second the 2-router approach. It seems inevitable that I would get everything dialed in, cut tails, switch over to pins, and then have a train wreck:mad: - - and had to switch back. Second time it happened, I bought a 2nd router.:cool: I don't touch the bit setups until the 'box' is in clamps.

[johnny means]

I would absolutely not want to use any of the mini routers. Cutting dovetails can get a little jumpy and the extra mass is helpful in keeping the tool steady. I've even mused about fabbing up a baseplate of 1/2" steel to absorb some of the vibrations before it gets to my hands.