Good price for the Akeda Dovetail Jig?

[Lewis Perry]

Went to woodcraft in OKC Saturday and watched a demo of the Akeda jig-- they have them on sale this month with the accessery kit for $399. Is that a good price?

[CPeter James]

Like the ad says, it saves you about $150. That said, you have to decide if you want all the accessories. I would have gotten that deal if it had been available when I got mine, but it was not, so I just bought the jig and the dust collector and some basic bits and go at it. I find it very versatile and accurate and easy to set up. I made up this jig to set the router bits. It is zeros at 9/16" to compensate for the dovetail jig's thickness.

CPeter
http://members.localnet.com/~cpjvkj/di3.jpg

[Jim Becker]

Since Woodcraft is about the only place to source the Akeda (I believe Highland Hardware also sells it), any sale is likely a good deal. And if it applies to the "accessory" package, too...better deal yet.

[Allen Bookout]

Lewis,

I bought mine about six months ago from Woodcraft and I believe that I paid a little less than that but not a whole lot, and it seemed like that I had to wait forever for that sale. Like Jim said, there are so few retailers that the price seems to be "what it is" so I would say that you could wait a long time and not find any better price. Then again you could wait six months and get a better deal but who knows. Even if you did manage to save a little I do not think that it would be much. If you need it now, or really want it now, I would say go for it and accept the future.

I got the jig and accessory kit thinking that if I bought it piece by piece later that I would end up spending more. I just like to have a whole set of what I might need, especially if it is on sale as a bundle, but that is just me.

Allen

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

If that's the jig you want you might as well pay it.

IMNSHO all the big name DT jig makers are taking us to the cleaners because - well - they can. They are like the oil companies not having to do anything but follow the leader when setting prices.

If you want to pay lots less you'll need to buy used or buy a lesser product.

I have contemplated making a shameless rip off of the Porter Cable Omnijig with extra standard features offering the level of adjustability you get in Leigh's jig through and blind DT, and maybe even a couple of fancy geometrically unique DT formats along the line of the Isolok stuff just not exactly the same. I figure it ought to retail for a couple hundred dollars tops.

I have an engineer friend in Malasia who'd be only too happy to help me with the castings and CNC machining.
I wonder if it'd sell on HSN??

[Allen Bookout]

Cliff,

I say "Go for it". A better product at a lower price. How could you go wrong?

Allen

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Yah huh? I was chatting my brother (the sales geek) up who was seeking products to promote to the TV shopping channels. He actually didn't like my idea of a better cheaper DT jig. Something about the audience not being sophisticated enough.

[Frank Chaffee]

Lewis,
If you will be cutting many dovetailed connections, the Akeda jig will serve you well.

If you intend to cut only a few, you may wish to save your money and invest in the satisfaction derived from cutting them by hand.


I have contemplated making a shameless rip off of the Porter Cable Omnijig with extra standard features offering the level of adjustability you get in Leigh's jig through and blind DT, and maybe even a couple of fancy geometrically unique DT formats along the line of the Isolok stuff just not exactly the same. I figure it ought to retail for a couple hundred dollars tops.
Why stop there Cliff?
Port it to a PC.
Then add DRO for guide placement.
A simple program could simulate human errors in measuring, scribing and cutting.
Just think what such a rig could do for couch potatoes… why, they could become virtually human!

Frank

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Lewis,
Why stop there Cliff?
Port it to a PC.
Then add DRO for guide placement.
A simple program could simulate human errors in measuring, scribing and cutting.
Just think what such a rig could do for couch potatoes… why, they could become virtually human!
Frank

Now there's a concept we can all get behind !!

[Frank Chaffee]

Cliff,
I will get a television set, but just for R&D purposes, mind you.

Frank