Half Blind dovetails on a Leigh

[Steven Bolton]

I am quite the beginner. Looking through various articles, including this forum, makes me think the Leigh would best suit my needs.

I talked to a guy who has one and he indicates that the half blinds are a little fussy to get to fit correctly. He likes the Leigh and he is a professional, but states he usually has be do a some adjusting before each new job (for the half blinds).

He also states that half blinds work best if the wood is set on the right hand side of the jig, so the rotation of the router pushes the wood into the side guide and not away from it.

The joints look very nice on the things I have seen, including some on this forum. Next thing to the finest of handcut dovetails it appears to me.

Any comments are welcome, as these jigs aren't exactly given away. Is setting up the half blinds going to drive a person nuts?


Steven Bolton

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/images/misc/progress.gif

[Dave Avery]

Steven,

The Leigh is clearly preferred by pro's and serious hobbiests. I have the Akeda and find its ease of set-up and use to be worth the slight reduction in capability. I did HB DT's on the Akeda perfectly the first time. If you're going to use it monthly and don't mind the learning curve, go with the Leigh. If you use it once a year like I do, consider the Akeda (or learn to chop them by hand). Best. Dave.

[Chris Rosenberger]

I have been using a Leigh jig for several years. I do mostly half blind dovetails with it. I have a dedicated router setup for the half blind dovetails. The only adjustment I have to make each time I use it is to adjust the front to rear setting of the finger template to compensate for differences in material thickness from job to job. I always cut with the parts on the left side of the jig. The only times I have had the parts move is if I did not get the clamps tight enough on the D4 jig. I have not had that problem at all on the D4R jig because the clamp bars are better & the clamping surfaces are textured.
There is a learning curve, but the manual explains the process very well.

[Jim Becker]

I have had no real issues with doing half-blind dovetails on my Leigh D4. I keep the amount of fiddling to a minimum by making and keeping "setup" pieces that quickly allow me to get the bit hight set exactly for a given thickness of material. One test cut usually is all that is required in most cases. I have not experienced the need to use the right side of the jig, but may try it the next time just for grins...

[Phil Clark]

I use the Leigh jig but I am not a production woody, just 40 years of having a good time with wood. When I travel around North America I always visit woodworking shops along the way - my warped sense of a good time while away from the shop. My point is that I occassionally see a Leigh jig gathering dust in production shops while the porter cables are set up at a work station ready to go. It seems to come down to the set-up time that production guys want to avoid. Since I don't get paid for my furniture and kitchens except for hugs and a good meal, I like my D4 for its flexibility. Besides the learning curve is greatly helped by what has been repeatedly ranked as the best operator's manual in the industry. If you want flexiblility in dovetail choices, I say go for the Leigh jig.

[Rick de Roque]

The key for me is to always keep a router setup with the bit. So all I have to adjust is the thickness of the material. With my last project I did over 480 - 1/2 blind DT (with graduated drawers and the case DT's) and the D4 did well. Get an inexpensive PC 690 and keep the DT bit setup in it and its not hard to whip out DT quickly.

Rick

[Greg Funk]

I feel like a bit of a wimp now having just completed only 8 graduated drawers with rabetted HB dovetails. I didn't have any problems completing them on the left side of the jig. I was given the jig (D4) about 5 yrs ago but this was the first time I had a chance to use it. I probably made at least 4 test joints initially to set the bit depth but after that it was straightforward with no more adjustments. It's a bit fussy initially but it isn't difficult. I kept a sample piece so next time I expect it to be a little quicker.

I like being able to adjust the pin spacing to match the drawer sides and the adjustment and alignment of the fingers is very easy.

I see their new super jig has a newly designed template bushing (E bush) which is supposed to simplify the adjustments. I would want to have a look at the new jigs before buying another D4

Greg