# Delta 24" Omnijig



## BigJimAK (Mar 13, 2009)

Does anyone that has one of these find them straightforward to use? I've heard people talk about the difficulties but is this just a startup thing or is it like that for every cut? 

The manager of the industrial tool supplier (who is also in my local WW club) has told me that he won one in a Delta contest. He has never used it but has offered to loan it to me if I ever want to try it.

Somewhere down the road I need to build a bookcase for binders for 11"x17" sheets. The binders are about 12" high and 18"-19" deep (I'd need 5'-6' of total shelves, was contemplating a 30-36" wide two-shelf bookcase for my office) and I was contemplating using through dovetails with a clear or stained finish as a conversation piece.

It'd be a single bookcase though, so a major setup investment isn't worth it as I could accomplish the same thing with my Incra table. I'm considering it as a learning experience but, if the "learning experience" is not to ever use an Omnijig, I'd like to learn from *others* experience!


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## allthunbs (Jun 22, 2008)

define "startup?"

I have written several times on this type of dovetail jig.


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## BigJimAK (Mar 13, 2009)

I've read many reviews on them from people who did not like them. It's kind of like restaurants though, we usually hear from people who had abysmal experiences even though there may be dozens who had good ones but they are usually quiet.

Since I've been offered the use of one free of charge any time I want to use it, I thought I'd see if anyone here liked theirs. If that person or persons exist, I'd like to see if they figured out some tricks that others haven't, to make it "dance".

By "startup", I'd say to that person "What do you wish you'd known before you started this? and "Is the learning curve too long for the casual user?" and "Is it practical for one book case?", assuming they had used theirs and everything was aligned and worked properly.

If there is no one here who responds that they have bought one and think good of it, that gives me some good insight in and of itself!!!


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

Hey Jim...

I think you are going to find folks on both sides of the fence on this jig. I was at a local Rocklers a few weeks back, and they told me that their HQ had called them and told them to pull all of the omnijigs. Didn't give them a reason why, just pull them. However, they still do sell them. When I mentioned some of the issues that came with the jig (namely those mentioned in this forum) the saleman acknowledged that he too had heard there were some problems. Mostly production. NOW, shortly after having been at rocklers, I drove down to Parkersburg WVA, and spoke to the guy down there, He had nothing but glowing things to say about the jig. I have to say I thought he was being sincere in his praise. Went on to say, how easy it is to setup once you know exactly what to do.. blah, blah, blah.. Personally, I'm saving my pennies for a D4R. I've tried cutting DT's on longer boards on my incra and found it to be a bit ackward. That was on the old crappy TS extension I was using at the time. Havn't had cause to give it a try on the new RT and with the Mit-R-Slide attachment...soooooooo we shall see..


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## Fotch (Mar 11, 2009)

Great jig, just follow the instructions. There is also a video on set up.


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## Lemuzz (Jul 25, 2008)

BigJimAK said:


> Does anyone that has one of these find them straightforward to use? I've heard people talk about the difficulties but is this just a startup thing or is it like that for every cut?
> 
> The manager of the industrial tool supplier (who is also in my local WW club) has told me that he won one in a Delta contest. He has never used it but has offered to loan it to me if I ever want to try it.
> 
> ...


Hi Jim If you look at the post a few lines`down titled Oak Park Jig. I posted a few photos showing a simple jig I use to make box joints. As I say in this post I only make an occasional box so I cannot justify a commercial jig. You say you only want to make a "one off" bookcase. Why not make a similar jig as shown. Just clamp your two pieces at 90 deg and run your dovetail bit to the required distance and depth. After each run add a spacer to the fence and repeat. If you look at any video showing how a dovetail jig works you will see how to set up the pieces for cutting :moil:


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## BigJimAK (Mar 13, 2009)

Lemuzz said:


> Hi Jim If you look at the post a few lines`down titled Oak Park Jig. I posted a few photos showing a simple jig I use to make box joints. As I say in this post I only make an occasional box so I cannot justify a commercial jig. You say you only want to make a "one off" bookcase. Why not make a similar jig as shown. Just clamp your two pieces at 90 deg and run your dovetail bit to the required distance and depth. After each run add a spacer to the fence and repeat. If you look at any video showing how a dovetail jig works you will see how to set up the pieces for cutting :moil:


Murray,

I've got an Incra LS25 and I have made some 3.5 - 8" deep 24"x24" dovetail drawers with it and it worked great. With that kind of fence, the spacers are unnecessary as the fence provides the resolution necessary for precise offsets. 

I asked about the Omni since I'd been offered the use of the jig and I'd get to try a different way of making them. Also, as Bill said above, there'd be an advantage to having the wood clamped still and moving the router when the wood is ~20" wide (where dovetailed) and 24-36" in length.

The reason for doing the dovetails would be just for a conversation piece at work, to get those people interested in woodworking talking about it. I currently have a few "samples" of maple, padauk, lacewood and tigerwood, each about 1"x2"x6" on my desk, each with half of one side sprayed in lacquer and all within the beam of my incandescent desk lamp. Just about everyone coming into my office stops to look at and feel them. 

Since I now have ~16-18 3-inch 3-ring binders, each 12"x18" in my office, I've been thinking about throwing together a bookcase for them and got to thinking about using dovetails.


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