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Thread: D4R Pro HB DT Help...

  1. #1

    D4R Pro HB DT Help...

    1. I've been making a concerted effort to learn this jig and I have a question on HB DTs. Following the manual, I adjust my bit height so that I have a tight fit. Now, with using the same Pin scale adjustment as I used with Tails, the Tail Board sits a little too far in the Pin Board. So to correct that, I adjust my scale toward me by an 1/8" and with a freshly cut PB, my TB outside surface sits flush with the PB edge. Question is, am I correct in using a different scale adjustment for the PB, as for the TB? If I use the same scale adjustment, then again, the TB will sit too far into the PB.
    And while I've got your attention...
    2. I've been using my PC 690, because I can mount all the bits all the way into the collet, which gives the bit full support. I also like the lite weight and low center of gravity. Although it is a bit heavier and taller, I'd like to use my Bosch 1617, however the way the collect is made, it doesn't fit inside the Leigh bushing, so I have to mount the bits a little more out from the collet than I'm comfortable with. I don't want to create more chatter or runout than I have to. If I could use the PC collet in the Bosch, problem would be solved. Am I explaining this clearly? Hope so. Is there another maker 8mm collet that I could use?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Central North Carolina
    Posts
    1,830
    Bottoming out router bits is not a good idea, because the collet pulls the bit down a little further as you tighten it, and it's possible to end up with the bit locked in the collet. I insert a rubber grommet into the router and then replace the collet. This provides a soft, but quite repeatable, stop for the bit that keeps the bit from getting locked in. You could use O-rings for this purpose too. Just find an O-ring or grommet that fits the router shaft hole snug enough to keep it from falling out if you should remove the collet for any reason in the future.

    Half blind dovetails require very careful setting of the router bit depths and making certain that the guide pins on the top of the D4R jig are always down flat against the work before routing. I always use two routers, one for the dovetail bit and one for the straight bit, so once the bit depth is set, I don't have to change it when switching between the dovetail and straight bits. If you use two identical routers, put a piece of tape on the top of the router with a picture of the shape of the installed bit. DAMHIKT. Once the bit depth is correct and the D4R is adjusted correctly, you will be able to make half blind dovetail joints all day long without the need to make any changes at all, as long as your stock remains the same thickness. For drawers that are less than 12" tall, I like to set up the jig so that I can cut both the left and right sides of the drawer at the same time, by installing both in the D4R side by side and cutting both at once. Your choice of router should not matter if there is no run out in the router shaft.

    Put an arrow or other mark on the top of the router bases and always orient this mark toward the router jig when doing the routing. Doing this will eliminate any router base to bit offset errors from your dovetail joints. Not not keeping the router oriented the same way every time can cause your finished joints to not fit together correctly.

    Charley

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    NW Indiana
    Posts
    3,078
    +1 on the advice Charley provided.

    Make certain boards are in the jig exactly right. I also use some sand paper between the clamp and the board. I make double sided sand paper by gluing some back to back. Using it will keep boards from slipping and over tightening the clamp.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Modesto, CA, USA
    Posts
    9,882
    No idea what you are talking about. You might do a search with a more generic name for the tool? you are asking about.
    D4R is a standard headlight bulb and those adjusting jigs do not have any adjustment on the tool itself. the vehicle has to be parked on a level surface is the only requirement.
    Bill D
    Last edited by Bill Dufour; 10-10-2018 at 9:57 AM.

  5. #5
    I ended up calling Leigh. They told me that often, the Scale settings come out different on Tail Boards vs Pin Boards, so that's OK. On the question 2., he said the shanks are made extra long in order to accommodate different routers and their collets. Use the router that gives the least chatter. And, because every router has different runout and bushing orientation, be sure to use the same router for both DT bit and Straight bit when doing Through Dovetails.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Central North Carolina
    Posts
    1,830
    Your first post talked about doing Half Blind dovetails. Now in the above post you make a comment about Through Dovetails. You are comparing apples and oranges, and need to keep on the same subject if you want to learn how to do this.

    The guide scale on the jig is used to determine the tightness of the joint and the scale just helps you repeat a setting or see how much you have moved. It is not accurately calibrated otherwise. Once you get the jig set so it cuts a perfect joint, keep a note in your jig manual listing the type of wood being cut, the exact bits used, their exact length beyond the router base, measured with a precision caliper, and the scale settings for cutting both the pins and tails, so you can get all of the settings close the next time. For a perfect fit joint, you will still need to fine tune the settings and make test cuts.

    Keeping the router always pointed in the same direction when using any router dovetail jig will produce the most accurate joints because this eliminates any router base and bushing offset errors from the joint. The whole dovetail joint may be shifted slightly left or right, but the pins and tails size and spacing will not include these errors and the joint will fit together very accurately.

    I always use two routers for cutting dovetail joints, one for the straight bit and one for the dovetail bit, to eliminate the need to change the bits and then reset the bit heights. In fact, the Leigh booth demonstrations of the D4R jig at trade shows use two identical routers too. My routers of choice for cutting dovetails on my Leigh D4R jig are two of my DeWalt DW618 routers with the D handle fixed bases attached. I believe that the ones that Leigh used at the trade show were Makita brand, but I don't know the model number. The brand and model of router isn't important, but they should be fixed base, have 1/2" collets, and be capable of using Porter Cable style guide bushings, of which the Leigh provided guide bushings are. I also use wave washers under the router bushing nuts to keep them from loosening. I bought mine from Peachtree Woodworking. This page https://www.ptreeusa.com/rtr_bushing.htm look down on the page to find item #2903. I've had and used mine for years. They don't wear out, but I seem to loose them occasionally.

    Yes, Leigh router bits are longer because of the additional thickness of the guide plate on the top of the dovetail jig that the bit needs to reach through, and the 1/2" shanks are preferred to reduce the flexing of the bits to reduce bit chatter. Use the 1/2" shank Leigh router bits in a router that does not have worn out bearings, and your only chatter will come from not holding the router securely. Don't use a router with a worn bearing.

    Charley

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