# Which is best?



## papa76302 (Jan 12, 2011)

I am going to purchase a router jig. My questions are which brands are pretty much universal ( come with collars and bits or are interchangeable with other bits ) and maintain a parts line for future opperations without chunking the old jig. I also would like one that has a fairly available parts in town or on line that will not be so easily discontinued. All help and input appreciated. I have moderate skills in carpentry and am going to use this on a frequent basis ( untill all my little projects get done ). I will be working with thin stock 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

Howdy Steve..
welcome to the community...

Just what kind of jig are you looking for? what are you looking to accomplish?


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## jschaben (Jun 21, 2009)

papa76302 said:


> I am going to purchase a router jig. My questions are which brands are pretty much universal ( come with collars and bits or are interchangeable with other bits ) and maintain a parts line for future opperations without chunking the old jig. I also would like one that has a fairly available parts in town or on line that will not be so easily discontinued. All help and input appreciated. I have moderate skills in carpentry and am going to use this on a frequent basis ( untill all my little projects get done ). I will be working with thin stock 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch


Hi Steve - welcome to the forum
Might narrrow it down some if you specified just which jig. I assume you are talking about a dovetail jig but there are all kinds of others, ie; dado jig, morticeing jig, ski jig, hinge jigs, shelf pin jig, etc, etc, etc,


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## Ralph Barker (Dec 15, 2008)

I'll go out on the proverbial limb and assume that you're talking about a dovetail jig, Steve. 

There are many available - both for use with a hand-held router, and for use on a router table. My preference is for hand-held router use.

I like the Porter Cable 4200 series with the mini template for use with thin stock. It is, however, a fixed-spacing design. If you want variable spacing on through dovetails, consider either the Porter Cable OmniJig, or the Leigh DR4. Leigh also has fixed-spacing jigs. Both companies have been around for a long time, and are likely to remain in business. Other manufacturers seem to come and go.


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## papa76302 (Jan 12, 2011)

I am going to do (HOPEFULLY,,lol) Box joints and Dovetail joints. Perhaps as my skillz increase I might try some of the other Exotic stuff. I am 57 yrs. old, retired and have too much time, so I do projects in metal, wood and some prefab. Pretty much a croos between Yankie ingenuety and Southern riggin. One thing I have found is these forums are a wealth of knowledge and a great source of neighbor willing to help neighbor. Something that was common when I was young and lived in a rural area. Thanks to all for any and all help.


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## papa76302 (Jan 12, 2011)

I am looking to perform Box joints, Dovetail joints and later maybe something harder.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

HI Steve

You may want to take a hard look at the jig below. you can use it with a hand router or router table, it comes with all you need..it can be used on 1/4" to 3/4" thick stock..and all with one bit.

The General Tools & Instruments Newsroom | The EZ Pro Dovetail Jig Instructional Videos

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papa76302 said:


> I am going to purchase a router jig. My questions are which brands are pretty much universal ( come with collars and bits or are interchangeable with other bits ) and maintain a parts line for future opperations without chunking the old jig. I also would like one that has a fairly available parts in town or on line that will not be so easily discontinued. All help and input appreciated. I have moderate skills in carpentry and am going to use this on a frequent basis ( untill all my little projects get done ). I will be working with thin stock 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch


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## papa76302 (Jan 12, 2011)

After initially being embarrassed, perhaps now I can be more candid. I purchased a Craftsman Professional Fixture used, it didn't' come with bushings or bits. I then tried to buy them from Sears with little results. I tried to make 1/4 inch box joints with the new plate and bushings ( seamed to fit well ) but result was pins 5/16- slots 1/4. I am now going to buy a 9/32 inch bit, I hope it solves the issue. Again sorry for being less than candid, didn't want to show my ignorance. I still believe a jig that comes with all needed and easy access to replacement bits is going to be better and less hassle. If this doesn't work I will sell it and purchased a new one bases on the input and research found in this forum. Steve


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## Ralph Barker (Dec 15, 2008)

Look in the Reference section here. You might find the manual you need.

Router Reference - Router Forums

Jigs that use hand-held routers are designed to use a specific size of guide bushing, along with a specific size of bit. That combination provides the bushing/bit offset around which the template in the jig is designed. Unfortunately, there are no real standards that are followed by all jig manufacturers, so you have to find and read the specs or instructions.

Also, for any of these jigs to work accurately, the guide bushing needs to be centered precisely in the router base, so the bit is centered precisely in the guide bushing. Otherwise, any rotation of the router base in relation to the template will produce inaccuracies between cuts. Various accessories are available to help with this process - pins, pins with centering cones, etc.

Another option is to replace the original base plate with a more accurate third-party base plate. I use the Pat Warner Precision Base Plates for my routers:

Precision Subbase Kit


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi

That's the neat thing about using router bits with the bearing on them, they are always dead on, the base/guide can be off by as much as 1/4" and the bearing will fix that error in a heart beat. 

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## papa76302 (Jan 12, 2011)

Thanks for input. Steve


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## Ralph Barker (Dec 15, 2008)

bobj3 said:


> Hi
> 
> That's the neat thing about using router bits with the bearing on them, they are always dead on, the base/guide can be off by as much as 1/4" and the bearing will fix that error in a heart beat.
> 
> ========


What kind of hammer do you use to fit a 3/4" bearing into a 1/2" template, Bob?


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Ralph

1/2" OD bearing on dovetail bit and many others is no big deal..

http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shop...ball_bearings.html#ball_bearing_guides_anchor

Come to think about it the 1/2" 14 deg. dovetail bit that comes with the Gen. EZ Pro.dovetail jig is a 1/2" bearing also..

Also the Stots dovetail jig for one more,1/2" pattern bit.
http://www.stots.com/video.htm

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Ralph Barker said:


> What kind of hammer do you use to fit a 3/4" bearing into a 1/2" template, Bob?


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## Ralph Barker (Dec 15, 2008)

Just giving you a "bad time", Bob. You are replacing the function of the guide bushing with a bearing on the bit. Ignoring the desire of the bearing to spin at near the same speed as the bit, the bearing must still be the same size as the bushing designated for the particular jig being used. That is, the bearing has to create the same offset as the guide bushing for which the jig was designed.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi


OK hahahahaha, once the bearing is in the slot it will stop spining at the same speed as the bit, many of the dovetail jigs use a over size slot.
It's just a easy way to get the job done without buying brass guides, a all in one thing..


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Ralph Barker said:


> Just giving you a "bad time", Bob. You are replacing the function of the guide bushing with a bearing on the bit. Ignoring the desire of the bearing to spin at near the same speed as the bit, the bearing must still be the same size as the bushing designated for the particular jig being used. That is, the bearing has to create the same offset as the guide bushing for which the jig was designed.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Ralph

Just one more note about dovetails...
The guy that came up with the EZ Pro. dovetail fixtures got his head around the dovetail joint, so to speak,, many of the manuals down press the point of how important it is to get the dovetail bit on dead center of the guide, the guy knew that many of the guides are Not made true or the user will not take the time to get the guide setup with the dovetail bit (dead center) but he wanted the user not to have that error so he used a .610 wide slot on the template (fixture) and a 1/2" bearing on the bit..that takes the error right out.
Many of the normal dovetail fixtures use a slot for the guide, a push in and pull out type template that's the error on most of them, he makes the user of his jig to go in and come out in offset way,that's to say in one side of the finger template and out the other side of the finger template, that make the dovetail a little bit wider but that's not a big deal because it's the same for both parts of the dovetail joint and they will always line up every time without the need for a hammer, a good dovetail joint just takes a little tap with your hand to set the parts in place..

But the real key to his fixture is the bearing on the dovetail bit, if the bit is not on center with the guide the dovetail joint will not fit right, is not a big deal with one dovetail slot but if you have two or more. Well...

I will say I have about a 100 brass/steel guides and not one of them is the same, they are all off by a little bit on the OD..unlike bearings.


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## BigJimAK (Mar 13, 2009)

Ralph Barker said:


> What kind of hammer do you use to fit a 3/4" bearing into a 1/2" template, Bob?


Ralph,

That's easy... you just go down into your shop and use your 1400 Ton Capacity Example - Beckwood Press Company

After you cycle it, just trim away any excess. :sarcastic:


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## Ralph Barker (Dec 15, 2008)

Bob, I'm not saying the concept of using bearing-guided bits (as opposed to guide bushing-guided bits) doesn't have merit. I'm simply pointing out (and you've confirmed) that the jig or fixture needs to be designed around the associated relative dimensions. Depending on the specs for the jig/fixture, one might be able to find a bearing of the same dimension, or perhaps not. And, there is the additional issue of the limitations on the location of the bearing in relation to the depth of the cut. Here again, the design of the jig or fixture needs to accommodate that limitation.


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