# Which dovetail jig?



## altstuder (May 28, 2012)

I'm looking at buying a Leigh or maybe Porter Cable dovetail jig (those happen to be at Woodworkers Suppyl). I haven't done dovetails before and was looking for input. I don't mind spending good money for a good tool and have found that, you get what you pay for, especially these days. In my experience with tools (and everything else) that if you don't buy the best, you are buying crap. Any thoughts?


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## woodworker478 (Feb 21, 2012)

Sommerfeld tools has a great Katie Jig available for $239.00 that works very well.


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## CharleyL (Feb 28, 2009)

Leigh jigs do what they say they will do and to a very high accuracy level. I'm very happy with my FMT Pro and D4R jigs. They were expensive, but I wasted money buying cheaper alternatives for both before I finally bought the Leigh jigs. 

Charley


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## williamm (Oct 10, 2011)

*Never did dovetails before either*

I have just finished putting together a complete PC 4200 12 inch dovetail jig. I bought it in pieces because of money availability even though it was a little more expensive.

I have to say that I am very happy with the performance I have seen so far. I have done a couple of small projects with blind dovetails and a couple of projects with box joints. I consider these projects "practice" and am happy that they still came out looking very good. 

I can't complain.


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## billyjim (Feb 11, 2012)

I just bought the jig that Rockler sells. I haven't used it yet so I can't give you any feedback. It does seem like a decent piece of equipment.


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## KenBee (Jan 1, 2011)

I have the Porter Cable 4216 jig that is simple to operate without a very steep learning curve, which is good for anybody that is partially brain dead like I am. 

Seriously though the PC 4212 or 4216 jig is a nice jig and will serve anybody very well and for the cost is well worth it due to the wide range of plain and decorative dovetails and box joints it will produce. It really is very easy to set up and operate with a couple of practice runs.The one thing that is almost required with the PC 4200 series dovetail jig is the supplemental instruction booklet that is free from several places on the net. I will even post a downloadable PDF copy if asked.


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## bowyer392 (Oct 19, 2010)

Be sure to look at AKEDA jigs. They are comparable in price to Liegh and easier to set up and use IMHO.

Tim


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## Imahic (Mar 21, 2010)

I've got the the PC 4212 and as noted above it is pretty to use. There is a manual online that is a lot easier to understand in my opinion. I printed it out and put in 3 ring binder in my shop. I am very satisfied with mine.


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## walowan (Jan 21, 2011)

I have a Leigh D24 and love it. I mostly use it for through dovetails. It allows me to make perfect dovetails all day long, any size or spacing......


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## david cooksey (Jun 3, 2011)

I use the Keller system my self which i got from 3DWoodworkingStore.com but i bought the setup w/ 3- 15" parts for a total of 45" of cut


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## williamm (Oct 10, 2011)

*"Please"*



Ken Bee said:


> I have the Porter Cable 4216 jig that is simple to operate without a very steep learning curve, which is good for anybody that is partially brain dead like I am.
> 
> Seriously though the PC 4212 or 4216 jig is a nice jig and will serve anybody very well and for the cost is well worth it due to the wide range of plain and decorative dovetails and box joints it will produce. It really is very easy to set up and operate with a couple of practice runs.The one thing that is almost required with the PC 4200 series dovetail jig is the supplemental instruction booklet that is free from several places on the net. I will even post a downloadable PDF copy if asked.


I am asking.

I have not seen the online instructions you have mentioned. If you would please supply a link or something, I would like to take a look at it. I am using the instruction manual that came with the jig and have already decided that some of the procedures need to be rewritten. 

Thanks


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## Imahic (Mar 21, 2010)

williamm said:


> I am asking.
> 
> I have not seen the online instructions you have mentioned. If you would please supply a link or something, I would like to take a look at it. I am using the instruction manual that came with the jig and have already decided that some of the procedures need to be rewritten.
> 
> Thanks


 Won't let me post url's but if you google porter cable 4212 manual it should come up with a pdf for you.


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## altstuder (May 28, 2012)

Since the Leigh jig fingers are adjustable, does they provide an easy way to adjust them for accurate spacing? Do you need a jig to adjust the jig? Thanks!


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## CharleyL (Feb 28, 2009)

The beauty of the Leigh dovetail jigs is that the fingers are adjustable. Hand cut dovetail joints vary in width and spacing, so these jigs allow you to produce joints that resemble hand cut dovetail joints, including the variables that are seen in the hand cut dovetails, but with precise fit. With the ability to change the spacing you can also avoid having a partial dovetail at the top or bottom, a common problem with fixed spacing jigs. You can also vary the finger spacing to allow for the drawer bottom groove to be in the middle of a dovetail.

With a ruler you can position the jig fingers at any fixed spacing that you want, but I prefer to position them by eye to get complete joints at the top, bottom, and where the slot will be for the drawer or box bottom. The rest of the fingers in between can be any pattern that pleases the eye and need not be measured. The design of the jig guarantees that the pins and tails will always fit together no matter what finger spacing you use. 

Charley


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## greenacres2 (Dec 23, 2011)

williamm said:


> I am asking.
> 
> I have not seen the online instructions you have mentioned. If you would please supply a link or something, I would like to take a look at it. I am using the instruction manual that came with the jig and have already decided that some of the procedures need to be rewritten.
> 
> Thanks


I have the supplement on my desktop, but i get an "upload failed" message when i try to post it here. So...let me try to link you to it:

http://www.rockler.com/tech/RTD10000211AA.pdf

It's a good document, but it does build on the main manual, so you'll need to go through that one first. Good luck!!


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## jsr (Jun 1, 2012)

I bought the MLCS for blind and through dovetails. Had to watch the tutorial video a couple times for the through set up, but am very happy with it.


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## williamm (Oct 10, 2011)

*Thank you very much*



greenacres2 said:


> I have the supplement on my desktop, but i get an "upload failed" message when i try to post it here. So...let me try to link you to it:
> 
> http://www.rockler.com/tech/RTD10000211AA.pdf
> 
> It's a good document, but it does build on the main manual, so you'll need to go through that one first. Good luck!!


The link worked great. There is a lot of new and interesting info in there from just a preliminary glance.

I may have to print out all the pages and keep it with the jig too.

Thanks again.


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