# Leigh FMT



## xpsensation (Sep 15, 2008)

I just got my Leigh FMT. It took a little less than 2 hours to setup , read instructions etc. After my second attempt I made a perfect M & T practice joint. I cannot wait to start my projects.

Phil


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Phil

Leigh makes great tools but you could have a had a V8 ,,from Rockler for about 1/3 the price or better yet the one that Craftsman made, for about 100.oo dolars  off eBay  or the one I got for a song   less than 25.oo dollars , I don't want to rub it in but well   I just wanted you to know about the others as well 

Mortise & Tenon Jig 
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=11367&filter=Mortise & Tenon Jig

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xpsensation said:


> I just got my Leigh FMT. It took a little less than 2 hours to setup , read instructions etc. After my second attempt I made a perfect M & T practice joint. I cannot wait to start my projects.
> 
> Phil


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## dovetail_65 (Jan 22, 2008)

Bob that may be, but have you used that Leigh jig for any period of time?

I have had the pleasure of using a friends for a week and the difference between that and the jigs you mention is like comparing a Chevy and a Ferrari.

They both can work well, but one is more refined, does it with class and has a feel that can not be explained. If I had the money there is no question the Leigh is the one I would choose. Sometimes the most expensive is not the best, but in this case it is.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Nick

That may be,, but you don't need a Ferrari just to go tho the store,,they both do the same job,  if one use it every day then maybe but that's alot of bananas just to put in some slots  ( $800.oo bananas for that Leigh jig)

https://www.highlandwoodworking.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2054
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nickao65 said:


> Bob that may be, but have you used that Leigh jig for any period of time?
> 
> I have had the pleasure of using a friends for a week and the difference between that and the jigs you mention is like comparing a Chevy and a Ferrari.
> 
> They both can work well, but one is more refined, does it with class and has a feel that can not be explained. If I had the money there is no question the Leigh is the one I would choose. Sometimes the most expensive is not the best, but in this case it is.


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## dovetail_65 (Jan 22, 2008)

Like I said *IF* I had the money I would get it in a heartbeat. To some 800.00 is like 50.00 to me. If it were for business I would definitley get it. I know I have some Festool routers that were pretty expensive and I have a Rotex sander that cost a small fortune and I feel they are worth the money for me.

If you look at the R & D needed and the cost of the parts and putting it together I would charge 799.99 my self to make, market and sell it. I mean they paid all these people to design and refine it and then all the money to advertise it. I know for a fact the production molds to mass produce these is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. I am sure the parts cost them 200.00 in addition to that and then the labor to get them made, so I definitely see why it cost what it cost.

Check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq8O...p.com/index.php?topic=3889.msg63773;topicseen

Very expensive at about 1500.00, but worth it and the gentleman who owns the company has spelled out exactly what everything cost to make it and he is not making much money at all..

http://www.bridgecitytools.com/Products/What's+New/Jointmaker+Pro+(Assembled)

My point is those FMT's are not out of line when you consider what goes into them, even though I can not afford one and that one can be made for a 100.00 in your shop, that is irrelevant.

The reason I get worked up over this is that people comment "oh your inlays should cost this or that" and my response is okay make them yourself or have your flooring guy make one then. People have no idea what it takes to make and market stuff especially when they are used to paying prices where stuff is made in china and the people are paid 50 cents a day. In the real world this stuff cost a lot to produce. I bet if you made this FMT from scratch all on your own it would be worth 799.99 for you to sell it when you factor in your time and all the material. Kind of the same boat Oak Park is in and exactly why there stuff seems to cost so much.

In short becasue you can get a differnt one cheaper does not make this unit not worth the money they charge. It may not be worth it to you, but to them they have to charge a certain amount to make it worth while.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Nick

How would you like to have a OLDER son , I could use a daddy war bucks   by the way can you spot me 1000.oo bucks I need to go to the mall..  LOL lOL,lets see that's only 3 saw bucks..

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nickao65 said:


> Like I said *IF* I had the money I would get it in a heartbeat. To some 800.00 is like 50.00 to me. If it were for business I would definitley get it. I know I have some Festool routers that were pretty expensive and I have a Rotex sander that cost a small fortune and I feel they are worth the money for me.
> 
> If you look at the R & D needed and the cost of the parts and putting it together I would charge 799.99 my self to make, market and sell it. I mean they paid all these people to design and refine it and then all the money to advertise it. I know for a fact the production molds to mass produce these is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. I am sure the parts cost them 200.00 in addition to that and then the labor to get them made, so I definitely see why it cost what it cost.
> 
> ...


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## dovetail_65 (Jan 22, 2008)

Check this out:

http://www.bridgecitytools.com/Products/What's+New/CS-2+Centerscribe

Now I have a stick with a hole for the pencil and two little dowels on either end that finds the exact center of a board with no problem. 

How the heck people could spend over 200.00 on this is beyond me. I mean all it does is draw a pencil line in the center of a board. Rockler sells a center finder I think for 5.00 that must work as well.

It sure is pretty though!


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Nick

Me too ,, for a long time  ( simple geometry) 

http://www.routerforums.com/jigs-fixtures/2641-mortise-tenon-jig-plunge-router.html
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nickao65 said:


> Check this out:
> 
> http://www.bridgecitytools.com/Products/What's+New/CS-2+Centerscribe
> 
> ...


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## dovetail_65 (Jan 22, 2008)

That is exactly what I use. It is disposable and if I lose it no big deal I make another one out of scrap in a few minutes.


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