# PC 4216 Dovetail nagging alignment issue



## RoyBullets (May 26, 2008)

I was happily cutting my half blind joints to make some boxes and the joints were fitting just right. Once I went to dry fit all four sides I realized that the tail boards are always sitting proud of the pin boards by 1/64" to 1/32". I tried to take pictures but my old crummy camera just cannot hack it, but imagine the box all dry fit sitting level with no bottom yet and the edges (width of the board)do not line up side to side and have a lip at the corners.

After pondering over it for a while I realized the only possible way for this to happen is the black alignment bracket must not be cut right. So I clamped some test boards in place then loosened the screw and moved the bracket left and put 3 playing cards in as spacers then tightened back up. Now the boards are aligned very close to where they should be.

For those familar with with jig 4210, 4212, 4216, am I missing something in the alignment? My only way to solve this I think is to file down the edge of the bracket where the tail board aligns.

Hopefully this make sense without photos. Any suggestions are appreciated.


----------



## jlord (Nov 16, 2009)

I use this jig & have not had the problem you described. I have a dedicated router for the half-blind dovetails that is setup & never moved. The bit should be set about 5/8" off the base of the router ( 3/8" cutting depth & 1/4" bracket thickness). This will get you in the ball park & very little adjustment to fine tune to your liking on fit. 

Are you sure your cuts are square to start with? Sometimes this can be the problem. Is the bracket skewed in position? Are the clamps tight enough to hold the parts tight so they do not move while routing the joints? Just very little movement or parts not cut at a true 90º will cause the same symptoms as you described. Then it could just be a defective bracket as you described. You can check to see if it was cutout square.


----------



## dutchman 46 (May 23, 2007)

Hello Roy! I would be very careful with amputation, That would be My last choice. I would think that it might be a alignment that someone knows about . Cutting is so final*


----------



## RoyBullets (May 26, 2008)

jlord said:


> I use this jig & have not had the problem you described. I have a dedicated router for the half-blind dovetails that is setup & never moved. The bit should be set about 5/8" off the base of the router ( 3/8" cutting depth & 1/4" bracket thickness). This will get you in the ball park & very little adjustment to fine tune to your liking on fit.
> 
> Are you sure your cuts are square to start with? Sometimes this can be the problem. Is the bracket skewed in position? Are the clamps tight enough to hold the parts tight so they do not move while routing the joints? Just very little movement or parts not cut at a true 90º will cause the same symptoms as you described. Then it could just be a defective bracket as you described. You can check to see if it was cutout square.


Thanks for the reply. My joints are nice an tight and working just the way I want other than this alignment. My setup block gets me to the right place for depth.

I finally got back to the garage tonight trying to figure this out and was thinking actually the same thing about the bracket being skewed. I noticed this was possibility the first time I used it since it locks down with just one screw but I figured as long as my work piece was flush with the template it should not matter. There is not a clear way to put a square on it unless I register off of the template which I will try. 

I have some time this weekend to really work with it again and I plan on just cutting a bunch of tests. BTW I have only been using the left side and have not seen a good reason to use the right side yet but maybe I will try that too.




dutchman 46 said:


> Hello Roy! I would be very careful with amputation, That would be My last choice. I would think that it might be a alignment that someone knows about . Cutting is so final*


LOL.  I have not done it yet. I could actually use the card trick forever if that really is the problem but it would be a pain. If I determine it is skewed, maybe instead of surgery I could drill another hole for a second set screw. This would fix the bracket with more than one point so it would not cantiliever so to speak.

Thanks for the feedback!


----------



## jlord (Nov 16, 2009)

I use both sides. I number my corners 1,2,3,4. I will do the even number corners on one side of the jig & odd number on the other side. 

I also made a short corner joint to use on opposite side of jig for narrower parts to keep template & clamp from flexing. Wide parts do not really need additional support. It's just a couple of inches wide with a half-blind joint & long enough so it will reach the clamps. The joint is so it can slip together into the jig. I use no glue or fasteners so it can be slipped out of the jig for wider drawer stock. When the clamps are released the verticle support parts won't fall on the floor (only have 2 hands).


----------



## RoyBullets (May 26, 2008)

jlord said:


> I use both sides. I number my corners 1,2,3,4. I will do the even number corners on one side of the jig & odd number on the other side.
> 
> I also made a short corner joint to use on opposite side of jig for narrower parts to keep template & clamp from flexing. Wide parts do not really need additional support. It's just a couple of inches wide with a half-blind joint & long enough so it will reach the clamps. The joint is so it can slip together into the jig. I use no glue or fasteners so it can be slipped out of the jig for wider drawer stock. When the clamps are released the verticle support parts won't fall on the floor (only have 2 hands).


I did something like that as well if I understand you. I used one of my test pieces to sort of brace things. Need to do more work in this area and thinking about a jig to help with short pieces or I am going to mount the templates for table work like others have done.

BTW I solved my alignment mystery since I had enough time to really work with it today. It turns out 2 of my boards were not the same width and off by about 1/32" as I suspected.

I tracked it down to either a saw fence alignment or just crappy lumber from the big box store. Re-squared my fence and ripped all the boards again. Problem solved. 
Simple problem that did not appear quite that simple at the time since not all stock was wrong.

Also realized that even if the left or right bracket is not exactly square it just does not matter. Square the stock to the template and the other half of the joint and you are good to go. I learned a similar lesson on my table saw sled long ago but forgot.


----------



## jlord (Nov 16, 2009)

Good to see it turned out to be a simple problem.


----------



## Jokool (Mar 14, 2017)

The black bracket is skewed just a bit. Tighten it down and then mark its outline with a pencil. Remove bracket and clamp in a vise. Figure out which way it needs to be aligned and then give it a tap over with a hammer and block of wood. Reinstall back on the pencil outline to verify amount of adjustment. It only needs a slight tap to make it perfect. This end stop needs to be made from a much heavier gauge steel. It obviously gets misaligned during the stamping process.


----------



## 4DThinker (Feb 16, 2014)

Check to make sure the bit is centered in the bushing. I have that same jig and nearly threw it away until I realized the bushing had play room in the router base, and could be installed out-of-alignment with the bits.


----------

