A good router for a Leigh dovetail jig - advice appreciated.

[Bluekingfisher]

I have a rudimentary grasp of the router, however, and although I own a few, I have never utilised their range or expanded beyond the relative basics. Why? I don’t know, I suppose because I have often found a way of getting the job done without the mess, noise and fuss associated with setting up a router.

Having purchased a Leigh dovetail jig a couple of years ago I thought it about time I pulled it from the box and makie use of it.

I know there are some great routing aficianados out there so I am hoping some one can point me in the right direction??

The Leigh jig makes use of 8mm cutters, and although most 1/2” routers come supplied with the additional 8 mm collet to fit the smaller cutters, the router itself can be a fairly weighty machine, which may be difficult to control when edge routing or when working on a dovetail jig

So, my question, or questions are as follows -

Is there a preferred router for use on dovetail jigs? would a mid size 1/2” router due to its smaller mass be more effective, comparative to its lesser power output. If so, which models are recommended?

Is a plunge or fixed base router more suited to this procedure?

Alternatively, should a dedicated 8mm router be considered?

Is a variable speed control necessary for this particular operation?

Dust control – The jig is supplied with vacum attachment, will this be enough to deal with chips and dust. Or, is a vac attachment for the router required, or is the additional hose to the router just an unnecessary obstruction?

Sub base – The bushing supplied with the jig may only fit specific routers, will I have to consider the additional expense of a sub base?

Quite a few questions there guys and gals I know but if anyone would like to take the time to share their experiences or advice then it would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks in advance

David

 

[gasman]

Expensive I know - but my Festool 1010 that I use with my Leigh 18" superjig is absolutely outstanding - light, versatile, 8mm and 6.25mm collets, dust extraction is fantastic - worth every penny IMHO

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

I've always used a dewalt 1/4"router with my dovetail jig as the cuts don't put much stress on the motor. Larger routers aren't really necessary and just add annoying weight when what you want is agility and manoeuvrability round the template pins

Make sure you use a backing board to prevent tearout at the edges but I would use the lightest router you have for the job that has the appropriate collet size

 

[Bluekingfisher]

Thanks boys, pretty much answered my question, in this case smaller it would appear is more suited.

Much appreciated.

David

 

[mseries]

you may find a sub base with a smaller apperture helps to support the router too. Dust will be thrown sideways so needn't worry about it being blocked by the subbase

 

[Bluekingfisher]

mseries - I sent you a PM on the other thread.

Thanks for your advice.

 

[dexter]

I`ve had a Leigh jig for years and use the Dewalt DW615, the Leigh bush fits straight onto the router base and it`s just the right weight and size for me. Remember though that the cutters take quite a bit of a hammering and need to be kept sharp.

Dex

 

[Ed Bray]

I have a ELU MOF096E, a Dewalt DW621 and a Triton TRA001, but my favourite router for my Leigh Jig is my little Ryobi ERT1400RV which I bought new for £65. Its powerful, has variable speed and a very precise micro adjust.

 

[Bluekingfisher]

Dexter & Ed - thanks for the tips gents, it seems the smaller 1/4" collet routers are the preferred option. It makes sense i suppose to have the smaller more controld routers.

Ed, I had a look at the Ryobi, a wide range of reviews and price for this machine, interesting.

 

[Krysstel]

I have a ELU MOF096E, a Dewalt DW621 and a Triton TRA001, but my favourite router for my Leigh Jig is my little Ryobi ERT1400RV which I bought new for £65. Its powerful, has variable speed and a very precise micro adjust.

Coincidently I own the exact same trio - in addition to a newly aquired Triton JOF001.
The only complaint I ever had with the Elu was the complete lack of dust extraction but when used with a Leigh jig + the Leigh VRS you don't need extraction directly from the router itself as the VRS extracts almost everything . This has given my Elu a new lease of life and it's now permanently fitted with the Leigh bush and is only used with the dovetail jig. The bush bolts directly onto the base of both the Elu and the DW621 (and probably other Elu based routers - Trend, Dewalt etc). I use 8mm cutters, not 1/4".

IMO you need the lightest, most manouverable router you can find. As long as you also have the Leigh extraction unit then the extraction capabilities of the router are irrelavant.

Mark

 

[Newbie_Neil]

I use a DW621 and it works really well. I would strongly recommend that you use a router with an 8mm collet.

Neil

 

[no idea]

I use a Draper router. I can't remember the model number but it is the twin base one so I use it with the fixed base on the Leigh jig.

 

[Ed Bray]

The Ryobi ERT1400RV came with 1/4" and 8mm collets although it stated 3/8" but it wasn't. My dovetail bits are the 8mm set that comes with the Leigh.

 

[Myfordman]

When doing a run of cuts, it can be very useful to have two routers, one for the dovetail cutter and the other for the straight cutter.
Problem is that when doing your test cuts, you lose the setting when changing bits.
I ended up picking up a couple of cheap Bosch POF(?)900 routers that take 8mm cutters. Not the best router in the world for sure but once set, saves a lot of grief.
Certainly agree with sticking with lighter weight routers for the leigh and don't bother with dust extraction on the routers as it gets in the way of seeing what is going on.

 

[Richard S]

'Morning Davie,
If you are looking for an excuse expand your collection of high quality powered hand tools!!! I find that a fixed base router is ideal for this application. One of the dangers as you probably know, with using a plunge router for this application is if you accidentally release the plunge lock the cutter will raise up into the jig and or the guide bush. A fixed base avoids this risk and has a lower centre of gravity so is easier to balance and control on the comb. I have owned both the Bosch GMF1400 and a Draper Expert multi base router. Whilst the Draper was surprisingly good for the price it still wasn't what you would call a top end machine, the Bosch was excellent but priced accordingly ( the current model is even more expensive). I sold both on during one of my regular clear outs, not surprisingly the only one I miss from time to time is the Bosch. I think the only thing I didn't like about the Bosch was that it was dual base, irrational I know but I have a bit of a thing about dual purpose kit, if it had been just a fixed base I probably would have kept it.
Slightly off topic but the choice of fixed base routers in the States as with most things is much better not to mention much cheaper. For this reason I am almost certainly going to install a dedicated 110v circuit in the workshop ( current one or next one tbc). Again OCD won't allow the use of a site box and trailing lead!!
If you go with a plunge router it may be an idea to use one with a fine height adjuster such as the Freud 1900 or one of the Elu / Trend T5 derivatives with the adjustment rod fitted, this will help with initial setting and also eliminate the risk of raising the cutter accidentally.

Have a merry Christmas old friend and I'll see you in time for the new year.

Cheers
Richard

 

[Bluekingfisher]

Thanks for all the responses fellahs, very much appreciated.

As it turns out and since my last post I have done a little more research on the matter. It would seem all of what has been mentioned on this thread was the pertinent points identified by other users I tapped into online and Youtibe etc.

The idea of two routers was one on which I picked up on first off, so this is the way I will proceed.

All of my units are plunge (with exception of a D handle Makita) routers and for the reason you make mention of Richard I have decided to buy two fixed base machines from the US ( you must have read my mind, or do you know me too well?) Of course they are 120V so a transformer will have to be purchased to run them, not a big deal, just another trailing lead.

I had to take my reviews for these two particular routers from our North American cousins and of course there were many of them, which can only be a positive. In the end I went for the Porter Cable 960LR 1 3/4HP and the Dewalt 618PK 2 1/4 HP. These two seemed to get the thumbs up for the purpose of using on dovetail jigs due to their light weight, balance and manouverability.

I have the VRS dust collection system for the jig so that too has been taken care of. I only have the super 12 model which should fit all of my needs, I have no immediate plans to build transit chests and the like.

If anyone is still reading this, I have a question on guide bushing. The jig provides a bush for use with the 8mm supplied cutters. However, should I need to make deeper cuts in say 18mm stock would I need a larger dovetail cutter with a 1/2" shank? and if so is there a rule of thumb for off set of the bush, bearing in mind the max width of the dovetail cutter (should it exceed the OD of the bushing?)

Thanks again all who contributed, very useful.

David