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Thread: Leigh RTJ400 - Initial Impressions

  1. #1
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    Oct 2013
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    Leigh RTJ400 - Initial Impressions

    Received my Leigh RTJ400 Router Table Dovetail Jig yesterday from Highland Woodworking and was able to spend an hour or so tinkering with it last night so wanted to share my initial impressions. Intro price from Highland is $299 including free shipping through December 31, and was the best price I could find anywhere. Curiously, Woodcraft still doesn't make any mention of this jig on their website and the local store had never heard of it when I called.

    First off, the packaging and instructions are top-flight -- everything was packed nicely and it took less than 10 minutes to assemble the jig completely. A DVD is included that demonstrates how to make all the different types of joints, and one particularly handy feature of the jig is a "quick reference" strip that is inserted into a slot at the top of the jig that gives a condensed version of the steps required to set up for each joint type.

    I have a Kreg router table with the Kreg lift and a Porter-Cable 7518 router. The lift has a set of plastic ring inserts, one of which is sized for the "standard" Porter-Cable type bushing, which the Leigh "e-Bush" matches.

    My first project with the jig is to do a set of half-blind dovetail drawers for the workbench I'm building, so that's where I started with the jig. Fortunately, both pins and tails are routed at the same time when doing half-blind dovetails on this jig so I didn't have to swap router bits back and forth as I would with through dovetails.

    I found that setting the height of the router bit was a bit obnoxious - for half-blind dovetails, the jig comes with a height gauge; you're supposed to raise the bit until it just touches the gauge, using a piece of paper as a "feeler gauge" - when the bit grabs the paper, you're done. Good idea in theory, but in practice it's a bit tough -- the jig sits on the router table and covers up the height adjustment wheel, and the router table fence won't move back far enough that you could turn the jig around and work with it from the other side of the bit. In the end, I just made a little adjustment, checked the height with my paper feeler gauge and repeated until it was just right.

    My router table has a Porter Cable 7518 3HP motor installed, and I found that I have to install the router bit with it sticking considerably farther out of the collet than I'd like, otherwise the collet runs into the bottom nut on the "e-Bush" bushing. I think I still managed to get it a little too close, as the e-bush got a little warm while running the router, which I assume is the collet making light contact with the bushing nut. Unlike older Leigh jigs, the bushing is larger than the bit (in older jigs, you have to insert the bit through the "e-Bush" and into the router collet; obviously, that wouldn't work on a table-mounted router.)

    Setting up the stock to be dovetailed is pretty simple - you just eyeball center it over the fingers on the jig, clamp it in place and then put the drawer front piece (is it pins or tails? I can never decide..) right behind it and clamp in place. There's an adjustable edge locating piece that ensures subsequent pieces are clamped in the same position.

    In an earlier thread about the jig, someone was adamantly opposed to it because of the lack of dust collection. This is a complete non-issue if your router table has a fence with built-in dust collection as the Kreg router table does -- simply position the fence a few inches behind the bit, open the gap in the fence and turn on the vacuum and nearly all of the sawdust is collected.

    As for routing the half-blind dovetails, I found it easy to move the jig along, going in and out of the fingers on the jig as needed. I had to make 2 adjustments, one for the fit of the dovetails and another for the flushness of the joint. On my third attempt, I had snug (as in "use a mallet") fitting half-blind dovetails that were only slightly (maybe 1/64") over flush, which is easily addressed with a few swipes of a hand plane.

    So far, I've not had time to play with other dovetail joint types but will do so in the coming days.

    My assessment at this point, however, is that the RTJ400 is going to be a great addition to my workshop and will make selling my old D4R jig a no-brainer.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
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    Great write up. However, not having the adjustable pin/tails, makes them no more than any of the others out there.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Cicero (syracuse) NY
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    Marty, thanks very much for the review. I don't have a dovetail jig, (been borrowing brother in laws omnijig) and I mentioned this one to my wife. I know she ordered it for me. I have a Jessum router lift in my router table, with a Milwaukee 3 1/2 horse router (5625). hopefully this set up will work. I need mostly half blind dovetails, but maybe I'll learn to use it and get more creative. I'm very pleased to see it works OK so far.

    Alan

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
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    You say the fence got in the way. What do you need the fence for?

    I had a superjig and found the bushing difficult to adjust. Not a problem here?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
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    Nashville, TN
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    Remove your fence and swing the jig around to face you and make your bit adjustments. I use a Keller dovetail jig which works similarly but with fewer options. Start with a router table top free of anything (fence, dust collection) and work with the jig in that way. Pushing the jig into the bit or pulling the jig to you into the bit performs the same task. But it's much easier to view what you're doing rather than crane over the top to barely see a thing.

  6. #6
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    Oct 2013
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wade Lippman View Post
    You say the fence got in the way. What do you need the fence for?
    Dust collection. Works like a champ.

    Quote Originally Posted by Wade Lippman View Post
    I had a superjig and found the bushing difficult to adjust. Not a problem here?
    No problems, the "e-Bush" bushing comes with a pin wrench and you can twist it either way to adjust the tightness of the joint. The directions tell you to then make sure the nut on the back of the e-Bush is tight after every adjustment, but you'd have to remove the insert to do that. I had it very tight to begin with and the adjustment I made (going to a higher number on the e-Bush for a tighter fit) made it even tighter.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by John Schweikert View Post
    Remove your fence and swing the jig around to face you and make your bit adjustments. I use a Keller dovetail jig which works similarly but with fewer options. Start with a router table top free of anything (fence, dust collection) and work with the jig in that way. Pushing the jig into the bit or pulling the jig to you into the bit performs the same task. But it's much easier to view what you're doing rather than crane over the top to barely see a thing.
    And have the bit spew a stream of shavings directly at you the whole time? Not sure I like that prospect, but I do agree that its difficult to have to look over the top of the jig to see what you're doing.

    Perhaps it would be easier to turn the whole table around, leave the fence in place and just work from the other side? (My table is up against a wall; obviously not a big deal to work from the other side if the table is out in the open.)

  8. #8
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    Sep 2007
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    Quote Originally Posted by Marty Tippin View Post
    And have the bit spew a stream of shavings directly at you the whole time? Not sure I like that prospect, but I do agree that its difficult to have to look over the top of the jig to see what you're doing.
    If you have DC through the bottom of the table, would that be adequate; or would the opening be too small to be effective?

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wade Lippman View Post
    If you have DC through the bottom of the table, would that be adequate; or would the opening be too small to be effective?
    There's only a tiny gap between the e-Bush and the bit (1/16" at most, probably way less); I don't think any significant amount of sawdust will get under the table no matter how good your DC is. Also, the stream of sawdust is being ejected horizontally toward the fence (when it's in place behind the jig) and would never have a chance to go down under the table in any case.

    I have a simple shop-vac attached to the DC port on the fence and it gets at least 90% of the sawdust, maybe more. Better than I expected and far better than the "typical" routing I do on the table without the jig.

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