akeda dovetail jig?

[Tim Malyszko]

I was doing some searching and saw some posts from July comparing the akeda to the d1600 and the akeda posts seemed very favorable.

This weekend, I was planning on purchasing the d1600, but just looked at the woodcraft ad and saw the akeda on sale with the accessory kit for $30 less than the price of the d1600 with its accessory kit.

At this price, I'm now reconsidering my decision to go with the d1600, especially considering the favorable reviews the akeda received back in July on this forum.

Now that an additional 6 months have passed, have any of the Akeda users found anything with the jig that would discourage me from going with the akeda and going back to the d1600?

It sounds like I really cannot go wrong with either one, but with the prices being so close to one another, price is no longer a factor so I'm strictly concerned with performance, durability and ease of use.

Thanks in advance.

[Jim Hill]

Tim,

I have both an Akeda and a D4. There's no question that the D4 can produce a wider range of dovetail spacing, but I really prefer the Akeda. I find the Akeda quicker to set up. Because the Akeda uses 1/8 inch spacing, you have to pay close attention to the width of your stock. However, what I really like most about the Akeda is the dust collection. Even when I use the Leigh dust collector on my D4, it doesn't seem to collect as much waste as the Akeda does.

Jim

[Mike Hill]

I vote for the Akeda also. It is very easy to use and the dust collection is a real plus. The instructions are well thought out and easy to comprehend.
Mike

[Allen Bookout]

I have the Akeda a really like it but do not have the Leigh so cannot compare the two.

There evidently is a way to get around the spacing problem with an Akeda add on. Look down the page a little way and look under "New Accessory". http://www.akedajigs.com/product_availability.html

This is the way that I got around the problem. Look about half way down the page. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=36158&highlight=akeda

[Tim Malyszko]

Thanks for the advice.

Now, to complicated matters further, I found a used Leigh D-1258R 24 that comes with everything except the manual for $300. Should I consider this jig or stick with the new Akeda?

Thanks.

[Tim Malyszko]

Well, I ended up purchasing the Akeda jig today. I went up to Woodcraft and they had 1 left - the floor model. Since my local store is no longer stocking this particular Jig, they went ahead and gave me the jig and accessory pack at their cost, which came to just over $320.:D

I haven't had the opportunity to use it yet, since I am doing some finishing work in my shop right now, but I'm looking forward to it.

Thanks again for all the help in selecting the jig.

[Allen Bookout]

That's a great buy Tim!!!! You are going to really like it.

As a matter of curiosity is Woodcraft going to abandon Akeda altogether or just your local store or what it the story?

[Tim Malyszko]

That's a great buy Tim!!!! You are going to really like it.

As a matter of curiosity is Woodcraft going to abandon Akeda altogether or just your local store or what it the story?

I asked them the same question and it's just a decision the St. Louis store made because they had 6 types of Jigs on-hand and don't sell enough of them to justify the wide selection. If Woodcraft is dropping Akeda completely, they didn't make any mention of it today.

[Allen Bookout]

I asked them the same question and it's just a decision the St. Louis store made because they had 6 types of Jigs on-hand and don't sell enough of them to justify the wide selection. If Woodcraft is dropping Akeda completely, they didn't make any mention of it today.
That is real interesting. Thanks for the reply. I was in Dallas last year and visited their store in the Norhtwest part of Dallas and one of the guys there told me that they were not going to handle either the Akeda or Leigh, I do not remember which one, anymore because their local "expert" was having trouble with repeatability which really blew my mind as both are very good jigs. I guess that it is up to each store what they carry. Enjoy!

[Jim Becker]

Now, to complicated matters further, I found a used Leigh D-1258R 24 that comes with everything except the manual for $300. Should I consider this jig or stick with the new Akeda?

Please define "everything"...$300 would be a bit rich for this fine, but older model D series, unless it comes with additional templates, etc. IMHO, of course. I paid $329 for my D4 a few years ago new from Lee Valley, although the prices have increased significantly since then. I'm sure you can get a manual directly from Leigh, however, as well as the upgrade parts to turn it into a D4.