Leigh jigs?

[John Miliunas]

LOML has been showing me any number of projects she'd like for me to do, sometime in the future. A number of them either, have or would benefit from nice dovetail joinery. Some of the pieces she likes would definitely look nicer with wider-spaced dovetails. Lucky for me, all I have for through DT's is a Keller. I say "lucky", because that gives me an excuse to possibly get another tool. :D The Leigh D4 appears to be the proven workhorse. Now, to the crux of this post: Does anyone know where a guy can get his mitts on one of these for anything less than the $389.00 advertised everywhere? It's $427.00 at Leigh's own site! Does *anybody* discount these things for less than the 389.00? If you don't care to post names/sites, I'd be happy with a PM! Appreciate any info and/or leads! :cool:

[Scott Coffelt]

I saw at my local Woodcrafters that they had it on sell for $359 the other day. Also, Lee Valley has it for $369 on their web site. I picked mine up at the WW show for a little less than that, but not much. You can also look for a used one.

[John Miliunas]

Thanks for the lead at LV, Scott. I did a "Google" on it and LV must not have hit their "radar". I've looked around a bit for a used one (eBay and similar) with no luck. I'll check out LV. Great customer service, too! :cool:

[Lloyd Robins]

John, this would be a great time to get a dovetail saw (Adria, LV, Spehar, or an old Disston) and start saving electrons! :D You can then set up any dovetail spacing that you want. Of course it might set you on another slippery slope. Good luck and good dovetailing.

[John Miliunas]

John, this would be a great time to get a dovetail saw (Adria, LV, Spehar, or an old Disston) and start saving electrons! :D You can then set up any dovetail spacing that you want. Of course it might set you on another slippery slope. Good luck and good dovetailing.

Lloyd, I know what you're saying, but you're talking to a guy who's "all thumbs" and, at least the two original ones, suffer from arthritis. In actuallity, I've tried the Neander way and I can honestly say that I only succeeded in proving out the above point! :( Seriously, if I can get some of this pain under control, I've thought about taking in a class to do them by hand. In the meantime, watch out electrons, 'cuz here I come! :cool:

[Jim Becker]

I see that someone already mentioned Lee Valley...and no finer an online retailer there is. I bought my D4 from them a few years ago ($329 at the time). As to the jig...awesome and has the best manual in the business. Do take note that the two bits that come with the machine are only for through dovetails. You'll at least need the equivalent of a Leigh #120 bit to do half-blinds in 1/2" material. Consider buying a full set of bits for the Leigh system. (I bought Jesada, although in hindsight, the 8mm set from Leigh might have been a better choice with their stronger shanks) You do need to buy bits designed for the Leigh jig (or the same size) as the shanks are a little longer to accommodate the jig, itself.

[John Weber]

John,

The bit sets are nice, I have the Jesada set, however the 8mm bits are the way to go. Performance is really improved IMO. I've used about half the bits for different thicknesses and types of dovetails. However I've used a couple sets of the basic 2 that come with the jig. Once you learn the little tricks and practice a bit the jig does a super job.

John

P.S. I took a hand cut DT class before I bought the jig so I at least could say I've done it...

[John Weber]

I found my notes from another post:

I did some work on 8 small dovetail boxes I'm building for some friends. Cut all the dovetails with the Leigh Jig. I've used the jig for a number of small jobs, but this was the first multiple unit very small production run. I thought I would pass along some of my thoughts:

2 routers don't really buy you much, I went ahead and set up both routers thinking I might need to go back and touch something up - I did not and checking and double checking for center is an extra step not needed when using one router.

Brass bushings seem to do better that the steel Leigh bushings. I use a Leigh bushing and a brass (generic) bushing. The brass seemed to slide and follow the jig fingers easier.

Be careful when centering the bit in the bushing. If you hold the router the same way each time your joints should fit fine regardless, but having the bit as close to center as possible makes everything better. My Porter Cable routers seem prone to off center out of the box. By rotating the sub-base I was able to get the guide bushing reasonably centered. If you have not used your router with guide bushing before, you might want to double check, as it doesn't make a difference for most normal operations.

8mm bits are "THE WAY TO GO"! I only could use the straight 8mm bit, but it seemed to do remarkably better with less chatter.

Backer blocks help a bunch! In addition to the normal rear block, a side piece mounted next to the work piece really helped with blowout.
Technique is everything! By the end of each stack, my dovetails had improved a fair bit - from some slight tear out to almost no tear out. Smooth action, don't rush and they did great. I was using walnut that seemed to machine well, one or two boards were a bit stringy.

I think I like my regular 690 over the d-handle base. I've always used my d-handle with the jig, but after using my regular base 690 it seemed to work better. I was cutting dovetails in thin material so you space the work out and it there isn't as much of the jig hanging over. The d-handle base seemed to add weight off the jig causing a greater tendency to tip. The regular base seemed to keep my hands and weight over the jig for better support.

I like the jig high. My jig is mounted to a box that is secured to the workbench with the vice a bench dog. I'm not sure the height, but the box is about 7" putting the jig around 40" (I think). If you really want to know I can measure it later. I initially had the jig mounted on a board like in the manual, but the extra height is great and I like the storage too.

Full-length stop block. When using thin stock, you use a spacer with a full-length stop. I think I prefer this to the two-point stop on the jig. Full length just seemed easier to mount and you could quickly notice if you were not square.

Has anyone polished the jig fingers with a buffer? I thought I read it somewhere, but never did it. Anyone do it - any difference? Wax seems to really help as well.

I’m sure most of this is old hat for most of you, but for some of the more novice users a few ideas might come in handy.

John

[John Miliunas]

You guys are *truly* a wealth of information! Sheeeesh...Where would I be without you?! (Poorer than I am now, I'd bet!) :rolleyes: One other question: What's up with this 8mm business? I know I've seen the Festool router, which comes with 1/4" & 8mm collects, but mine are all 1/4" and/or 1/2". Are there specific collets one gets? Or do all you guys using the 8mm already have the Festool router?! :rolleyes: Thanks again, gentlemen! :cool:

[Jim Becker]

One other question: What's up with this 8mm business? I know I've seen the Festool router, which comes with 1/4" & 8mm collects, but mine are all 1/4" and/or 1/2". Are there specific collets one gets?

If an 8mm collet is not available for your router, you can usually get a sleeve that you use with your 1/2" collet. (PC has them available, for example) Be sure that the slot in the sleeve lines up with one of the slots in your collet to avoid something coming loose at high speed.

The 8mm shanks are small enough to work well with the jig yet have a lot more metal in them than 1/4" shafts.

[John Miliunas]

Thanks Jim! Just the info I was looking for. Think it's something I can order up through my Woodcraft store or will I need to go directly to PC with that? I can always check tomorrow. (I haven't seen the guys over there for a while, anyway!) :cool:

[Jim Becker]

Think it's something I can order up through my Woodcraft store or will I need to go directly to PC with that?

When I actually "had" a local Woodcraft...they used to carry PC collets on the wall. But considering that WC franchises are generally carrying less inventory locally in favor of things that "move", you'll probably need to order it. 8mm collets are probably not flying off the shelves on a regular basis... :rolleyes:

[David Rose]

John, when I was looking for a Leigh FMT jig, I called then to ask about returns or blems possible if I waited a while on the jig. They mentioned that in all the years that they had sold the Dovetail jigs (over 20 I think), the only returns had gone to woodworking schools and blems were always rebuilt before they were sold.

At another time I found a few Ds on Ebay. They resell really high IMO. And with anything used there is always the possibility of something wrong with the tool. Leigh is super to help with things like that, but with a new tool that I am not familiar with I prefer to go new. Leigh does have upgrade kits for the older models.

David, who needs a D-4, if you find 2 cheap :D

[Keith Starosta]

While I do not yet own the Leigh jig (maybe Santa will bring it this year :D), I'm bookmarking this thread in my "Tips & Tricks" folder. Thanks for all the great information, guys!

Keith

[Tom Peterson]

I always thought I needed the Leigh jig, but settled on the Akeda. If they ever get back to shipping again, you may want to consider that system. Sure it is no D4, but is easy to use and cuts most joints the typical worker needs

[Charles McKinley]

Hi Tom,

I believe that the Woodcraft in Pittsburgh still has some of the Akeda's in stock. If you are interested I can get you their number. The phone number is on the Woodcraft website also.

no affiliation

[Tom Peterson]

I believe that the Woodcraft in Pittsburgh still has some of the Akeda's in stock. If you are interested I can get you their number. The phone number is on the Woodcraft website also.

I picked one up from my Woodcraft store on the 10% off birthday specail last year. I know that they had a fire in their offices so I was not sure if they were shipping product yet. I am satisified wiht mine. Lots of $'s cheaper than the Leigh or Omni.

[Jim Martin]

Lots of $'s cheaper than the Leigh or Omni.

The following site does a head to head comparison of the two and he states that when outfitted the same the price is very close. Some people talk of a learning curve with the Leigh but when I bought mine I was making perfect half blinds within two hours. I think I agree with the author of the comparison, try them both and then decide. http://benchmark.20m.com/articles/LeighVersusAkeda/LeighVersusAkeda.html

[Lynn Kasdorf]

Just a thought, but the Akeda looked to be a better deal to me last time I looked. I think that if I didn't already own a Leigh I'd consider others like the Akeda.

I was lucky in that I picked up a Leigh jig at a hamfest years ago for $40. I didn't know anything about these at the time, but it seemed like a good deal at the time. I've not actually used mine yet- but plan to before long.

I've tooled up with 8mm bits at the suggestion of the Leigh guy.

Regarding templates, my plan is to fabricate a custom baseplate that mounts PC style templates exactly centered. I have a conical gizmo that you mount in the router for the purpose of centering template guides.

[David Rose]

Lynn, I agree. The Akeda looks like a better deal. How 'bout I give you the money you paid for the bits and double your money on the jig? If "forced", I might even throw in a Katie Jig. :D I think your jig (the Leigh) is still the "standard by which to weigh all others".

David



Just a thought, but the Akeda looked to be a better deal to me last time I looked. I think that if I didn't already own a Leigh I'd consider others like the Akeda.

I was lucky in that I picked up a Leigh jig at a hamfest years ago for $40. I didn't know anything about these at the time, but it seemed like a good deal at the time. I've not actually used mine yet- but plan to before long.

I've tooled up with 8mm bits at the suggestion of the Leigh guy.

Regarding templates, my plan is to fabricate a custom baseplate that mounts PC style templates exactly centered. I have a conical gizmo that you mount in the router for the purpose of centering template guides.

[Christian Aufreiter]

You guys are *truly* a wealth of information! Sheeeesh...Where would I be without you?! (Poorer than I am now, I'd bet!) :rolleyes: One other question: What's up with this 8mm business? I know I've seen the Festool router, which comes with 1/4" & 8mm collects, but mine are all 1/4" and/or 1/2". Are there specific collets one gets? Or do all you guys using the 8mm already have the Festool router?! :rolleyes: Thanks again, gentlemen! :cool:

Hi John,

I know this is not that kind of information you were looking for but wouldn't it be a great excuse to get the Festool router? ;)

Regards,

Christian

[John Miliunas]

Hi John,

I know this is not that kind of information you were looking for but wouldn't it be a great excuse to get the Festool router? ;)

Regards,

Christian

Christian,

....And don't think, for one minute, that I haven't *already* considered that! You know how much I already like my Festool equipment and the router would certainly be an awesome addition to my Festool arsenal. BUT, a Leigh AND a Festool, would not only break the bank, but LOML would likely knock me into the middle of next month! :rolleyes: It does, however, remain on my "wish list", dovetail jig or not! :cool:

[Christian Aufreiter]

Christian,

....And don't think, for one minute, that I haven't *already* considered that! You know how much I already like my Festool equipment and the router would certainly be an awesome addition to my Festool arsenal. BUT, a Leigh AND a Festool, would not only break the bank, but LOML would likely knock me into the middle of next month! :rolleyes: It does, however, remain on my "wish list", dovetail jig or not! :cool:

Ok, buying a Festool router would be too dangerous for you. I wouldn't like to see you speding your holidays in a hospital :D
You'll buy a DT jig and can't afford a Festool router, I have a Festool router and can't afford a DT jig. Conclusion: We should work together!

Christian