leigh super jig

[Mike Newell]

I would finally like to get a nice dovetail jig. I'm considering a leigh 18" super jig. Price and size seem good. I'm just wondering if I will be disappointed later if I don't get the 24" version? I can't imagine I'd make a dovetail joint over 18"? Comments appreciated as always.

Mike

[Jared Cuneo]

2 words....Carcase construction.

Most dressers and such are over 18" deep....I had the same dilemna....got the 24...

JC

[Larry McCoy]

Mike,

I bought the 24 inch but have yet to use it for anything but drawers, so the 18 would have been ok. If there is not a lot of price difference go with the 24 inch just for the flexibility. You never know what that next project will be.

[Denny Rice]

Mike go to the Leigh website or to woodcraft site. Either will send you a free DVD of the different series of Leigh jigs. You can weigh the pro's and cons of each jig. I purchased the D4R-24 and I love it. The construction of this jig is great. It will probably last forever/

[Bryan Berguson]

My first project with the Leigh was a 19.5 inch joint for a blanket chest. I bought the D4R for $399.

Bryan

[Mark Carlson]

Mike,

Heres another consideration for you if you want to go 24in and dont have your heart set on the Leigh.

Akeda is now selling a 24in blanket chest version of their jig.

~mark

[Tom Cowie]

I use the 24" D4 regularly. I need the 24" jig on many but not all projects.

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Tom

[Rick Cicciarelli]

I'm planning on the D4R....I looked at the cheaper things, but I figure I will only buy one jig...why not save up and get the best with the most options. I'd be pretty pissed off if I save myself a couple hundred bucks and the first thing I need my jig for is a 19.5" joint that it can't handle. D4R ugh ugh ugh :D

[Mike Newell]

Thank you all for the input. I think I'll go with the 24". I wouldn't want to spend a bunch of money on a tool that I will later replace.(i've never done that before:))

Thanks, Mike

[Carl Crout]

You can use the 18", just make the boards in 2 pieces.

How often do you plan on making projects over 18" wide? Where are you going to store the 24" jig? 18" is big enough to try to find a good place to store.

[Rick Cicciarelli]

I am intending on building a router table cabinet. Bottom drawer will be devoted to the 24" Leigh jig. Next drawer up with hold my Bosch 1617EV hand held. Above and to the sides will be bit drawers. Storage problem solved :D

[Bryan Berguson]

Rick,

I don't think you'll be dissappointed with the Leigh. I love mine and it's a pleasure to use.

Bryan

[Jared Cuneo]

I found a bit of strangeness on the setup of the Superjig.

In the manual, the upper guide surface is bolted down then the lower guide is matched up to it and bolted down to provide a left reference surface.

They need to add to the manual, that when you tighten down that upper guide, use a small square to keep it 90 degrees to the jig body so that your half blinds do not have a mismatched surface....very important....took me an hour to figure out why everything but HB's were fine....

JC

[Jeffrey Iwasaki]

I've got the super 18, and having the hardest time getting the simplest one pass half bind dovetails. I've already called support 4 times. I'm doing everything they tell me and follow the manual to the T, but I get mismatched shoulders. I must have made one and a half dozen test pieces. None came out aligned at the edges. So frustrated, I'm about to throw this thing in the dumpster! If I could get rid of this Leigh I think I would go with the Akeda. With Akeda's setup, the entire jig is square out of the box.

Jeff

[Brandon Shew]

I've got the super 18, and having the hardest time getting the simplest one pass half bind dovetails. I've already called support 4 times. I'm doing everything they tell me and follow the manual to the T, but I get mismatched shoulders. I must have made one and a half dozen test pieces. None came out aligned at the edges. So frustrated, I'm about to throw this thing in the dumpster! If I could get rid of this Leigh I think I would go with the Akeda. With Akeda's setup, the entire jig is square out of the box.

Jeff

Have you tested your jig for squareness/straightness? There was a post on Woodnet by a guy that got an 18" superjig for Christmas and he found that it wasn't straight.

[Jared Cuneo]

I'd be willing to bet that this is a setup issue with those damn plastic guides.....I had the same problem till I got serious about alignment. The manual's instructions for alignment are poor at best and downright backwards at worst.

I would recommend aligning the guides with a straightedge against the jig body.

I would be willing to bet also that your half blinds have a gap at one side and either perfect or tight at the other.....

Thankfully, its somewhat easily resolved....just frustrating...



JC

[Jim Becker]

The incremental cost difference between the smaller product and the D4R over it's lifetime is minuscule compared to the additional utility that the D4R offers. If you have the extra capacity, you can potentially use it. If you don't, you can't without increasing the complexity of a project, such as splitting a panel into two halves and hoping that things will line up for a good nearly invisible joint after the fact. IMHO, of course...and we all have different needs and points of view.