Jim Eller
10-15-2008, 9:17 PM
After a month of research and reading, I ordered the Akeda BC24 from thejigstore.com on Monday afternoon, it arrived at 9 AM this morning. Not bad FedEx!
When I signed for it and the driver handed it to me, I was impressed. It took two hands to carry it back in the house.
After mounding it as directed I tried a through dovetail. I was skeptical the whole time I was doing the setup and reading the manual on the fly. I ordered an extra guide bushing and collet reducer so I could use two routers and not have to change the bit and reset the depth.
I set up the jig so I could do the tails on one end and the pins on the other.
Turned on the routers and went to work.
To my amazement...................the joint fit perfectly!!!!! On the first try with a new machine. I had tried this over and over again with my PC 4212 and never could get a joint close to what I produced the first time with the Akeda. Maybe it was just luck.
Another big benefit was, the floor, the equipment and me showed no signs of chips or dust. I had the dust collect hooked up to my Onieda Dust Gorilla.
Also, there was no tear out in the oak I used for a trial. There was more tear out from using the cutoff saw then there was from the router.
I had taken pictures of the joint but couldn't figure out how to post them. I went to FAQ and it said to go to User Control Panel and click on "Pictures and Albums" but the "Pictures and Albums" button was not there.
Conclusion: Yes it was fairly costly but it produced just what others and the manufacture had said it would. The lack of frustration and the joy of having it come out right were worth it. And, BTW, Kevan Lear, the inventor of this thing is very helpful and will take all the time needed to answer your questions before you purchase and after.
Jim
When I signed for it and the driver handed it to me, I was impressed. It took two hands to carry it back in the house.
After mounding it as directed I tried a through dovetail. I was skeptical the whole time I was doing the setup and reading the manual on the fly. I ordered an extra guide bushing and collet reducer so I could use two routers and not have to change the bit and reset the depth.
I set up the jig so I could do the tails on one end and the pins on the other.
Turned on the routers and went to work.
To my amazement...................the joint fit perfectly!!!!! On the first try with a new machine. I had tried this over and over again with my PC 4212 and never could get a joint close to what I produced the first time with the Akeda. Maybe it was just luck.
Another big benefit was, the floor, the equipment and me showed no signs of chips or dust. I had the dust collect hooked up to my Onieda Dust Gorilla.
Also, there was no tear out in the oak I used for a trial. There was more tear out from using the cutoff saw then there was from the router.
I had taken pictures of the joint but couldn't figure out how to post them. I went to FAQ and it said to go to User Control Panel and click on "Pictures and Albums" but the "Pictures and Albums" button was not there.
Conclusion: Yes it was fairly costly but it produced just what others and the manufacture had said it would. The lack of frustration and the joy of having it come out right were worth it. And, BTW, Kevan Lear, the inventor of this thing is very helpful and will take all the time needed to answer your questions before you purchase and after.
Jim