porter cable dovetail jig

[chris rand]

Help! I'm trying to use a Porter Cable 4216 Dovetail Jig, and I'm doing something wrong. My joints are coming out beautifully, but the boards being joined are offset by a significant amount - the top of one board doesn't meet the top of the other board.

I started by putting the tail board the same distance to the right of the template finger farthest to the left as it is to the left of the template finger farthest to the right of the board, and then tightened the guide at that exact location. I cut the board, and then switched the setup to cut the pins in the pin board. The joint itself came out great, but the two boards are offset for some reason.

What am I doing wrong?

[Richard Coers]

I find the instructions on most dovetail fixtures are quite thorough. I know nothing about that fixture

[Richard Verwoest]

I have not used my PC jig in a while. But I seem to recall when building a box, you need to cut the joints for opposing corners on the left side of the jig, then the other 2 opposing corners on the right side of the jig.

[Randy Heinemann]

Download the instruction manual if you don't have one and just do one step at a time. That should show what the problem is. When I had my PC dovetail jig the result was always perfect, so I can't figure out what the problem could be.

[Mike O'Keefe]

I have the same jig and the same problem you are experiencing. Never could figure it out. Mike O'Keefe

[Ron Citerone]

This may help although it is for half blind joints. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOaUtbQVezE

[vince mastrosimone]

I think there are two things you might want to look at. One is the alignment of the boards to the jig. you adjust the brass knobs on the jig to adjust the depth the cut in the boards. And the second would be the cutting depth of the router bit. There are some instructions on the side of the jig about how to set it up.

[chris rand]

I think there are two things you might want to look at. One is the alignment of the boards to the jig. you adjust the brass knobs on the jig to adjust the depth the cut in the boards. And the second would be the cutting depth of the router bit. There are some instructions on the side of the jig about how to set it up.
Those aren't the problem. The joint is fitting together beautifully - the problem is that the top/bottom of the front board is not lining up with the top/bottom of the side board. They are offset by a significant amount. I've watched videos of people using this jig, and the problem didn't happen to them. I'm at a loss as to why this is happening.

[Kent A Bathurst]

The stop block on the left controls this

Yours must be in the wrong place, missing, mis-manufactured? I had this jig in the way back and I had the darndest time on something - too long ago to remember. It was defective and I swapped it out

One other thing - and like me you’ll insist this is wrong. Sometimes I get so invested that I cannot see clearly that there’s an error in my process. I have been over it, it’s correct, quit bugging me. Except it isn’t.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Can’t figure out edit on iPhone

Also - if it is consistently wrong by the same amount, manually offset one board in the proper direction

One last shot- the boards’ faces are facing the correct direction, yes?

[Thomas McCurnin]

There is a "L" shaped black piece of sheet metal adjusted with an Allen Wrench which acts as a top block for the drawer or box parts. It is offset so the parts (drawer parts or box parts, pins and tails) are offset properly when you swap the template. That is likely your problem.

I found that even when I tightened it on the jig body facing you (vertical part of the jig), it was loose on top (horizontal part of the jig). One fix is to drill a hole and tap the jig body, adding another machine screw with an Allen type machine screw, detailed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTRCSAM-YTk at 44 seconds.

[Cary Falk]

I don't know if you are making full dovetails or half blind. I don't know if it matters because I only made half blind with mine when I had it. There are the 2 bent steel stop blocks on each side which are likely the problem but you don't mention them so I'm not sure if you are using them. They flex and were always a problem for me. You do mention cutting the pins and tails separately which also makes me think you are doing full dovetails. I tried to download the manual but it is blank around the section that mentions full dovetails, so I am not sure if this is what you are doing.

[Brian Runau]

Not positioning the wood correctly left to right vs the slots before you set the black stop. You have it to far left or to far right before you set your stop. Review this set up detail in your manual or online videos. Brian

[Tim Greif]

I'm surprised nobody puts this in their manual. I had similar issues years ago with a PC look alike jig sold by Hartville. Great looking and fitting dovetails but the tops of front and side boards were slightly offset vertically. I fiddled with all sorts of adjustments to no avail, until someone suggested checking my router guide bushing alignment with the router bit. I loosened the bushing and made sure it was perfectly centered on the router bit and voila, misalignment disappeared. That bit must be perfectly centered on the bushing or you will get that misalignment.

[Thomas McCurnin]

Yes, I have a copy of the WoodSmith Shop episode which I can sell you for $20. I'll burn the DVD and mail it to you. Just kidding.

Or, you can watch for free here: https://www.woodsmithshop.com/episodes/season3/307/?play=62