PC Omni, Akeda or Leigh DT Jig??

[John Fabre]

I have a question of those of you that own DT jigs already. How many of you find it important to have the 24" capacity instead of just having the 16" capacity?

Really depends on your build, if building blanket chests go with the 24in, if only drawers go with the 16in. I only used 10in of all the jigs I used.

[Al Navas]

I have a question of those of you that own DT jigs already. How many of you find it important to have the 24" capacity instead of just having the 16" capacity?

Brandon,

I think that knowing what type of project you will tackle truly helps in making a decision on the size of jig to get. If you want to make only small projects, the smaller jigs will be fine. But if you want to make both large and small projects, then a larger jig with more flexibility might be your ticket.

For best flexibility, the 24" jigs give the most. I just know that anything smaller would have me looking for something larger, eventually. For example, I made large panels, all dovetailed:



And cut sliding dovetails to fit a divider -= here, I am ready to cut the slot:



And here I am cutting the sliding tail:



Results:



And the whole thing becomes a changing table, which later can be used as a chest of drawers:



Of course, it also allows making smaller projects (from the Leigh Inlaid Dovetails Gallery):



and:



Early on I decided I wanted to make blanket chests, and large cabinets, with solid wood. But I also love making smaller jewelry boxes:



Flexibility is wonderful when you have the larger jigs, especially the Leigh. But the other half is the requirement to get to *know* the capability of *your* jig, as well as its limitations.

[Erik Christensen]

I have a Leigh D4 and love it. My first dovetail jig. Yah it takes some setup but no it is not hard - the manual is just about fool proof. I got it for infinite spacing & the iso-lock joints.

It takes no longer to setup & test a few samples to dial in a perfect joint than it does to setup a precise dado cut on a table saw much less setup anything on a power fed shaper. To me the setup is not unreasonable and only required for a specific dovetail size - you can cut any number of different spaced joints on any number of drawer sizes and never have to do any more 'setup'.

Why the infinite spacing is important to me - I can make drawers of any height, with any bottom thickness with the drawer bottom dado any height up drawer side bottom edge and still have the tail perfectly cover the dado.

[Jay Allen]

I bought a 12" Leigh Super jig a few years ago, when they were first introduced. It was my first step away from the "fixed" half blind type jigs. If I had known how much I would like it (and use it), I would have saved a little longer and gotten a bigger one.

[roman fedyk]

I have all three dovetail machines. The Akeda 16 (have two of them), the Leigh D4R with the VRS system and a 24" Omnijig.

Of the these machines I always wind up using the Akeda, because it is always ready to go with no major "thinking" about how to get started.

I have an extra Akeda 16 that is unused if anyone needs one.

[Brandon Weiss]

I have all three dovetail machines. The Akeda 16 (have two of them), the Leigh D4R with the VRS system and a 24" Omnijig.

Of the these machines I always wind up using the Akeda, because it is always ready to go with no major "thinking" about how to get started.

I have an extra Akeda 16 that is unused if anyone needs one.

Just sent you a PM. Not sure if it went thru. How much do you want for your unused Akeda?

[roman fedyk]

The inserts are made from a carbon fiber material. It is extremely strong, as witnessed by fighter planes being made from this type of material.

I have used them for years and have not had to replace one yet.....

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I finally cut some through DT's with my Incra yesterday. Man that sucker takes some time to set up..... I was so concentrated on the joints themselves that I pulled a bone head move and labeled my boards wrong and cut the tails in the top and bottom boards. All that work to cut a decorative type joint and I put it in the boards that will never be seen. Can't cut them out and re do either as that will make the cabinet too small. Dammit... Yep, I'm most definitely going to get something easier to use.

One thing I am a bit troubled by with the Leigh, is the "infinitely adjustable" part. If there is no way to index the fingers mechanically, there is no way to have them repeatable. Even 10 thou of a difference can screw up a project. I think I'm leaning towards the Adeda. I can deal with an 1/8" limitation for finger positioning.

The Akeda inserts look kinda cheesy to me, as well as how they snap in. I have not actually held these parts, so I'm only speculating here, but they look as if they are not very robust. The snap in feature also looks like it might be prone to premature wear. Those who have the Akeda have any input regarding this?

[Michael Drew]

I think I've decided to go with the 24" Akeda.

I'm having trouble finding one to buy though. Any suggestions?

[Frank Martin]

How about the Router Boss or Wood Rat? Do they have any merit? I use an Incra fence on my router table but it's not simple. I just cut some box joints tonight, they are good but a bit too tight. I think I'll go back to the tablesaw with my shop built fixture and Freud box blade for those. I built a DT jig for my table saw, but it's still complicated so I'm still looking for the perfect DT jig too. May try the band saw next.

I have been using a WoodRat for 6 years for dovetails. I really like it. I actually think it is fairly simple to set up. I have always used it for through dovetails though, have not had a need to do half blinds yet.

Before getting the WoodRat I had purchased the Leigh jig. After reading the manual, I returned it unused to get the WoodRat as I thought Leigh required too many set-up steps. My shop time is limited and infrequent, so did not want to re-learn each time when I need to to dovetails, hence the WoodRat. I have not regretted my decision yet. I have also used WoodRat for many other joints, including mortise & tenon, loose tenon, etc. After getting the Festool Domino, now I use it for nearly all my loose tenon joinery.

If I was looking into WoodRat now, I would likely opt for the Router Boss. It solved one of the annoyances I have with the WoodRat, which is the slop in the carriage assembly. This slop is not important for dovetails or box joints, but more for other joints....

[Al Navas]

I think I've decided to go with the 24" Akeda...

Michael,

Congratulations on making a decision! I would love to see a project made with it, as I have yet to see one, even from the guys who like them so much. My advice: Practice, and get to know the jig as well as you can, regardless the brand or type. Only practice will make perfect.

Al

[Chris Harry]

I think I've decided to go with the 24" Akeda.

I'm having trouble finding one to buy though. Any suggestions?

Last communication I had with Kevan at Akeda was it (the 24" model) would be available March/April of 2011 at the earliest.

Only thejigstore.com is a reseller in the US....someone on this forum linked to a place in Canada that apparently had one remaining but never got back to me on it. At least a fellow creeker was able to get it but they said they had no more left.

[Michael Drew]

Bummer. So much for adding this to my Christmas wish list then. Might have to get the Leigh another look.

[Al Navas]

Michael,

Please, let me know if I can answer any questions you might have about the Leigh jig. If I cannot answer them, I will try my best to give you an answer quickly. Alternatively, you might want to call Leigh Technical Support - they will address any question you might have prior to buying, and after. Terrific Customer Service, and fantastic Technical Support.

Do you have a Woodworkers Guild close by? Members might be able to show you the jig features, and share their experience with you

Al

[John Fabre]

I think I've decided to go with the 24" Akeda.

I'm having trouble finding one to buy though. Any suggestions?

It might be a long shot but you can post a wanting to buy (WTB) ad in the classifieds here for a 24" Akeda jig. Check the Bay and CL.

[Phillip Ngan]

One of the things I like about the Leigh system is that they offer upgrades for older models so that you can take advantage of the new features as they are introduced. I bought a D4, which I upgraded to a D4R, which in turn can be upgraded to a D4R Pro. So your investment is less likely to be made obsolete. The upgrades are pretty inexpensive too because it is just a matter of buying the new parts individually, and you can pick and choose which parts you desire.