# Dovetails



## mjadams61 (Dec 24, 2015)

Before I use to cut dovetails by hand especially restoring antique dresser drawers and desk. Now since my stroke I have weakness in my right side especially my arm so I am going to do dovetails with a jig. Right now I have no bench or really no shop to work in and doing everything off the deck. So I am looking into some dovetail jigs like the general ez pro and I also just bought the Wolf 4250 to try out first.

My question though as soon as some land my wife and I got sales I am planning on building a small shop so I can set up and not have to worry about portability like I do now since I am doing stuff off my deck. I was wondering about what dovetail jigs y'all use?


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## schnewj (Nov 18, 2013)

mjadams61 said:


> Before I use to cut dovetails by hand especially restoring antique dresser drawers and desk. Now since my stroke I have weakness in my right side especially my arm so I am going to do dovetails with a jig. Right now I have no bench or really no shop to work in and doing everything off the deck. So I am looking into some dovetail jigs like the general ez pro and I also just bought the Wolf 4250 to try out first.
> 
> My question though as soon as some land my wife and I got sales I am planning on building a small shop so I can set up and not have to worry about portability like I do now since I am doing stuff off my deck. I was wondering about what dovetail jigs y'all use?


Welcome to the forum, Marlin.

You will get varying opinions here. The Leigh seems to be a favorite among the members. I have a Porter Cable that I picked up from an estate sale for $40. It was never used, but it is not a favorite tool of mine. It is fussy to set up and adjust, but once there, it does a "decent" job. Again, not a favorite tool. 

I'm sure that some of the more experienced members will be able to offer some solid advice on what would suit you needs.

Again, welcome to the forum.

Bill


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

For portability, you can't beat the General...have used it to make drawers for folks on their site. Makes 1/2 only but can handle rabbeted, through and half-blind. Can do box but only as a template doing one board at a time. Can also do long boards by moving them in the jig.

It works better using freehand routing...router table seemed to make the board move as the holding clamps are not that solid so the wood would move under the pressure...1/4 inch...

Have built a couple of DIY's (Shopsmith mag) for box joints on table saw and router table and have a Porter Cable type that works also. Heck...they all work...each with their own little quirks...

Good luck, Marlin...I'm sure you'll hear from others...

Merry Christmas...


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

mjadams61 said:


> Before I use to cut dovetails by hand especially restoring antique dresser drawers and desk. Now since my stroke I have weakness in my right side especially my arm so I am going to do dovetails with a jig. Right now I have no bench or really no shop to work in and doing everything off the deck. So I am looking into some dovetail jigs like the general ez pro and I also just bought the Wolf 4250 to try out first.
> 
> My question though as soon as some land my wife and I got sales I am planning on building a small shop so I can set up and not have to worry about portability like I do now since I am doing stuff off my deck. I was wondering about what dovetail jigs y'all use?


Welcome Marlin...
I have the Leigh....
Had the PC and re-gifted it...
there is nothing like...
it's latitudes are outstanding an about limitless....
https://www.leighjigs.com/d4_overview.php

.





.


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## DonkeyHody (Jan 22, 2015)

I have the Leigh D4R. I'm very impressed with how well thought-out it is. It's very versatile and adjustable. You should at least look into it.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Welcome Marlin. Besides asking directly you can always use the Community Search to look up past posts on different topics. The forum is also divided up among many sub forums that you can find by clicking on the large Routerforums.com logo and going to our home page.

There are a number of cheap dove tail jigs but most have deficiencies according to user's comments. The good ones are all pricey and if you plan on spending enough to get a good one the D4R always has the most positive comments associated with it.


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## mjadams61 (Dec 24, 2015)

Yea I look at the Leigh jigs and y'all are correct that they are expensive. But I figure I be wanting to go the route of the Keller or MCLS dovetails jigs where I am not limited to how long or wide the board is. My dad before he past away was a master at two things. He was a master mechanic and a master woodworker. And he taught me well in both. One summer when I was 15 i decided to build a couple of book cases that was 4ft wide and 7ft tall out of 1 inch cherry planks just by doing handcut dovetails and dowels and glue. I finish both by the end of summer. I sold both to some friends of my dad and mom. So I want to have a dovetail system where I aint limited on length or width and maybe do something like that for my wife and kids. I did order the wolfcraft 4250 but lol it only does 7 at a time but I aint limited to board length or width.

I also look at Milescraft DoveTail Template Master and from the youtube videos I can make long dovetail templates.

But I am just now getting back into woodworking and buying stuff when I can and afford.


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## Arcola60 (Jul 4, 2009)

Hi Martin, I have the Milescraft Dovetail Template Master and the General Dovetail II. Both work as described. Slight learning curve on both.
The General has been covered pretty well on this forum. The info was very helpful.
These are the only two that I have used, to be able to comment on. Good luck with your quest.

Ellery Becnel


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## neville9999 (Jul 22, 2010)

Stick486 said:


> Welcome Marlin...
> I have the Leigh....
> Had the PC and re-gifted it...
> there is nothing like...
> ...


Thanks for the links, Leigh DR4 24inch, the real deal. N


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

neville9999 said:


> Thanks for the links, Leigh DR4 24inch, the real deal. N


everybody is a wanna be...


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## Ray Newman (Mar 9, 2009)

MJAdams: in your original post you mentioned that you have "some weakness" in your right arm. Will that effect your ability to control and hold the router while making the cuts?

Have you worked with a router since your stroke? I have a friend who suffered a stroke has problems with some hand-held power tools.

You mention the Keller. It can be utilized upside down on a router table. This might be more applicable to your situation?? And by shifting the jig on the work, you are not limited to the width of the jig or the work. See: Keller dovetail jigs: Simple, fast & accurate woodworking tools

I run Leigh jig and a Keller. Both are top quality. I find the he Keller is easier to set up than the Leigh. But I do believe that I have utilized the Keller more than the Leigh. A now-deceased Fellow Worker was amazingly fast at setting up and cutting dovetails with the Leigh. I have never cut half blind dovetails with either jig.


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## mjadams61 (Dec 24, 2015)

Yea I have try using the router in fact I have one of the craftsman 315 router and it is pretty light and manageable. Plus like I mention before I can take my time and when I get tired I can set everything down take a seat and drink me some cold ice tea while I rest up:wink:. I got some router bits from rockler and highland woodworking that was recommended to me from a friend that dabbles in woodworking that stay sharp and I also used some of his equipment to make sure I can go back to doing woodworking at least at my own pace:smile:


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## IRestore (Mar 28, 2015)

Leigh D4R Pro


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