# Which Dovetail Jig to buy ?



## Bobby V (Oct 19, 2009)

HI
I am a entry level woodworker here and still setting up shop. I’m about to choose a dovetail Jig and I like the Rockler for the $$ but I’m wondering if I can justify the $$ for the Porta-cable 4212. I would appreciate any advice. 
Thanks
Bobby V


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## Itchy Brother (Aug 22, 2008)

I have the porter cable that u mention and am satisfied with it but have only made box joints with it.Itchy


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## Bobby V (Oct 19, 2009)

*thank you*



Itchy Brother said:


> I have the porter cable that u mention and am satisfied with it but have only made box joints with it.Itchy


 Thanks Itchy


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## mwhafner (Jan 16, 2009)

I have the PC 4212, and highly recommend it. Make sure you download the supplemental manual.


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## Bobby V (Oct 19, 2009)

Thank you for the tip


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## Texas Sawduster (Apr 27, 2009)

Bobby V said:


> HI
> I am a entry level woodworker here and still setting up shop. I’m about to choose a dovetail Jig and I like the Rockler for the $$ but I’m wondering if I can justify the $$ for the Porta-cable 4212. I would appreciate any advice.
> Thanks
> Bobby V


The PC is a good one. I have a different brand with shaped templates to make curved designs. I would recommend that you get some good chisels and a good dovetail saw and try that as well. It will help you to develop your dovetails to be able to cut them by hand. It really is easier than it looks.
:thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Bobby V (Oct 19, 2009)

I think trying by hand is something that just needs to be done. I would love to be able to create a tight fitting dovetail by hand but I have always found the idea rather intimidating. I'll say this,,, the best thing that has come out of my question of which to buy is finding this great support team. I find myself coming here and just reading and reading and reading LOL
thanks guys


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## wicked (Nov 4, 2009)

Do you want absolutely perfect joints of varying designs? The you need a Leigh Super Jig. They come in 12,18, and 24" widths and you can additional templates for different design templates. I don't know where you would obtain them in the States but mine came from Lee Valley tools. They have their own website of course and will send you a free DVD which shows all the attributes of the Leigh jigs. Take a look, what have you got to lose
Wicked


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## mwhafner (Jan 16, 2009)

> Do you want absolutely perfect joints of varying designs? The you need a Leigh Super Jig. They come in 12,18, and 24" widths and you can additional templates for different design templates. I don't know where you would obtain them in the States but mine came from Lee Valley tools. They have their own website of course and will send you a free DVD which shows all the attributes of the Leigh jigs. Take a look, what have you got to lose
> Wicked


I would recommend the D4 over the Super Jig offerings. It is not a lot more money, and the D4 is far easier to use and offers more options. Nothing wrong with anything Leigh makes, just my personal preference. 

For a beginner, I would still recommend the PC. It offers the best, IMHO, bang for your buck. 

Dovetail jigs are great for production work, but hand-cutting is a very rewarding skill to have. When you factor in the setup time, I can usually cut a couple of drawers by hand in the same time it takes to setup and dial in a jig.


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## wicked (Nov 4, 2009)

Hi mwhafner. I'm in Canada and I have heard of the D4. What is it?
wicked


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*This is a slightjy different Jig up to 30"*

Most typical jigs hold the workpiece between side plates which limits the width of the material. This one is "free standing" an can be used metal side or fingers down on a router table with a bushing or the workpiece can be clamped to the block, (not provided) and the router moved across the jig in the familiar fashion. BTW I own the 30" wide one. Here's the link:
http://www.ptreeusa.com/ptree_dovetail_system.htm
:thumbsup: bill


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## mwhafner (Jan 16, 2009)

> Hi mwhafner. I'm in Canada and I have heard of the D4. What is it?
> wicked


The D4 (D4R is latest version), is one of Leigh Industries' product offerings - http://leighjigs.com/d4.php

The D4 offers several joint template options that I don't think are available with the Superjigs. Fit adjustment is done on the jig, where I think you have to adjust the guide bushing on the Superjigs. 

The one limitation of the D4 is that you can't cut "single-pass" half-blind dovetails. That is the reason that I have kept the PC, and about all that I use it for anymore. I think that the Leigh Superjigs have that capability, but I am not sure.


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## wicked (Nov 4, 2009)

*reply to Leigh jigs*

Yes the super jigs do have the capability of single pass bling dovetails but I also like that it cuts sliding dovetails really well. It works very well for cabinet shelves and gives a really finished look. I haven't had a lot of time to experiment with it but the DVD sure gives very good instruction and illustration but the accompanying manuals really set this apart from other jigs. Everyone has their personal preferences but for someone like me who had never used a jig before, I really found the jig itself very easy to set up using the instructional manual.


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## rustbucket (Nov 13, 2009)

I bought a Leigh D4R a couple of years ago. I had never used a jig before that one, and I don't regret my decision. The instructions are very good, and the jig itself is very versatile. I like the fact that you can vary the size and spacing of the pins and tails. That gives you a little artistic freedom when building the drawers. They don't look as machine cut as the even spacing of most dovetail jigs. It's a great jig once you learn how to use it properly. 

I recently picked up a router bit depth guide from Porter Cable to use with it. It's the one on the Omni-Jig. I haven't set it up yet, but will do so this weekend. I'm hoping that will cut down on the fiddling with the bit depth. 

To all you hand-cut dovetail guys out there: I will learn to make them! I only have to finish my wife's kitchen first:sweatdrop::shutup:


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## clarionflyer (Apr 27, 2008)

Wow! You guy's are going way over my head.
What the heck is a "bling" dovetail?
I see Rockler is having a good sale.

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=17367&utm_source=NL&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=V0710

Seems like a good buy.


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## txtoolman (Nov 16, 2009)

I use the porter cable. I heard the Rockler was a decent jig but it takes a lot of time to set up. The big issue with the Rockler is the fence it has to be adjusted to the correct location so that your router base will contact it in the precise location. The PC uses a bushing that bottoms out when the pass is complete. There also some jigs that come with the better package of PC that can be used for continuous DT that won't limit the size of the peice.


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## rph816 (Dec 10, 2009)

*Akeda*

I have the akeda 16", it's pretty impressive, not quite as infinitely variable as the leigh, but it has much better dust collection and router support, plus it's a little more idiot proof than the leigh. I'm a router jig junky with the akeda, a leigh fmt and a legacy ornamental mill, thinking about looking into building a CNC next... but I digress, I understand why people like handcut dovetails, but with any of the mentioned jigs, PC, Leigh, Akeda, you can have custom variable spaced and sized through and half-blind dovetails that are exceptional quality, strength and fit in a fraction of the time. You can even do some cool shadow or outlined joints that look amazing. In the time I would have learned to hand-cut or build tablesaw jigs, I've built 3 dressers, two nightstands, jewelery boxes and lots of other drawer boxes and trinkets all with custom variable spaced dovetailed joints. I'd spend the cash and get right to cutting.

Ryan


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