First Dovetail Joint!!!!! aka first SMC documented tool gloat

[Jason Morgan]

UPS guy showed up with two boxes today. In one is my new Hitachi M12V router destined for the router table I am starting this weekend.

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Under his other arm he held a new Porter Cable 4212 Dovetail Jig. This thing is AWESOME.

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Very well thought out. In a matter of about 20 minutes I went from opening the box to this.

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They really thought of everything when they put this together. And, to include Whitesides bits, that's something. This joint isnt perfect (spacing was off a little for the size of the piece) but it only took a few minutes to do. I am going to try all of the joints in the next couple of nights and Ill give you progress reports. I still must give props to those that are able to cut them by hand, but for ~$100 this jig will get me most of the joints I will ever use. I cant wait to try the through template next.

Still on the road are a Woodpeckers Plungelift Kit and a Frued rip blade, pics to follow on their arrival.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Congrats Jason! I have the 4112 and I found it easy to use. Would I like one of the more expensive more adjustable models?.......Yes! Could I justify it? No! Congrats!

[Larry Fox]

Congrats Jason. I also have the 4212 and like it quite a bit and find it very easy to use. One easy improvement that I have found to be helpful is to put a standard 3/8 (I believe) nut behind the brass adjustment knob that holds the template in-place. This knob tends to move a bit and if you are making a lot of joints you want it to stay put once you set it. The idea is to back it off a bit, make your adjustments and tighten it against the back of the brass adjuster to really hold it in-place.

L

[Ken Alcott]

Nice work Jason.

[Anthony Anderson]

Congratulations Jason, I just bought a pc jig this year and like it a lot too. Looking forward to the through template review as I have not used mine yet. Regards, Bill

[Corey Hallagan]

Very nice, been thinking of that jig myself. Congrats!

Corey

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Boy a double gloat and some sawdust too!

You done good! :D

Cheers!

[Mike Goetzke]

Hey - I got the same tools one Friday and one today. Hope I have the same luck on the dovetails as you did......now who wants my HF DT machine????

(If it only took 20 min. to get a dovetail done that should have left plenty of time to wack the ears off that router!)

[Michael Gibbons]

Isn't it just great seeing brown boxes left on your doorstep?

[Darl Bundren]

I am glad to see your success! I bought the 4212 three or so weeks ago but have not tried it out yet--I had to wait for waay too long to get the templet adapter so I can use the PC bushings on my Bosch router. I've now got all the parts, but no time. Funny how that works out.

[Chris Barton]

Great gloat and great looking DT!!!! Enjoy!

[Mike Goetzke]

They really thought of everything when they put this together. And, to include Whitesides bits, that's something.

I just got this jig but mine came with P-C bits. Can you confirm how you know you got Whitesides bits?

Thanks,

Mike

EDITED: I called P-C and they said they have never supplied any other bits except their own with these jigs.

[Tyler Howell]

Nice haul. Love those Brown boxes.

[Julio Navarro]

Cool!! I got the that jig too, and I love it!!! it trruely is very easy to use and the idea about putting a nut behind the brash adjusting nut is great, I am gonna do it tonight whne I get home!!

I also ordered the miniature DT templet for that jig and I cant wait to use it.

I made four drawers with that jig, Ive made both half blind DT and through DT and they come out great. The first drawer was a nightmare!! I must not have tightened the bit enough cos it came off during a cut and just mangeled the guide bushing!!! Lucky that bushing was there! But after waiting a week for PC to send a new bushing (oddly enough the 3/4" x5/16" high bushing is a special order part..imagine that)

I was finally able to finish the rest of the drawer after a little grinding and filing the mangled bushing back to nominal health. But I went full bore after the new one got here and completed three more drawers in one after noon.

I am gonna get my digital camera out this weekend and post some pics.