Dovetail Jigs

[JakeS]

Rutlands is offering their Dakota jig for £50, supposedly just for today:

https://www.rutlands.co.uk/cgi-bin/psPr ... ?promo=103

Is this as identical to the Axminster own-brand dovetail jig as it looks from the photos? I mean, aside from being more blue?

(And, I guess: leaving aside the satisfaction (or frustration!) of hand-cutting your own dovetails, are they any good? The two reviews on Axi's site are favourable, although I get the idea one can't really trust the reviews on Rutlands'...)

 

[MickCheese]

I have one that looks identical.

It's OK but I don't use it much as it seems to take an age to set up but maybe that's just because I don't use it much.

I also have a finger joint template to go with it that I have probably only used once.

I tend to try to do my dovetails by hand and whilst they are not perfect they look better spaced and every time I do a set they get better.

If you do still want one of those jigs you can have mine with the finger joint template for less than the Rutlands one.

Mick

 

[mailee]

Mick is correct, they take an age to set up! I also have one I am using as a door stop. I would recommend this one from Rutlands which is a little bit more expensive but miles better to use not to mention far far quicker.
http://www.rutlands.co.uk/workshop-&-po ... il-systems
HTH. :wink:

 

[Webby]

But they are always out of stock :roll:

 

[beech1948]

Jake just forget the jigs.

The only one I have ever used is the STOTS masterjig to make a dovetail template that was 38 inches long.

I either
a) make them freehand after marking up of course
b) Use my bandsaw and a small tilted platform
c) use a router

Jigs are just a waste of cash that could be used to buy wood.
Al

 

[JakeS]

c) use a router

Jigs are just a waste of cash that could be used to buy wood.

I can understand the sentiment, but the point of a jig is to save you time as well as just to make stuff easier, no? You have to balance the cost against the time saved - you could make a similar argument that a table saw is a waste of (quite a lot of!) money which could be used to buy wood, when you can do basically the same thing with a hand panel saw if you're good enough. But it'll take you longer, and some people aren't good enough! (And practising also uses up wood...)

Option B is something I'm trying, but of course it still involves building jigs. It seems to me that using a router completely freehand would be a massive waste of both time and wood, so were I to take option C I'd still need to set up guides and fences and whatnot - all in all I should at least consider the commercially-available setups!

 

[neilyweely]

Jake
I have one of the jigs first linked to (mailees door stop), and also a Leigh D4R thing. I can (at last) cut passable DT's by hand. I also have a comb template that I have set up for use on a router table but that will only allow me to make half blind DT's or comb joints. I have no hankering for either.
So, the best way to cut thru DT's? If you are making a box? Veritas DT saw, or the like, and practice. For me I wouldn't want to cut anymore than 20 fingers by hand in any one day. I find it too frustrating. This site is part of the reason for this; my standards are set by the work I see here, and some of it is so good that I have spent days, weeks, months toiling away in the WS. And wasted a lot of wood into the bargain. The leigh is great but intimidating. To be honest I haven't given it much of a chance; it just looks too hard.
I think the jig mailee has is the easiest to use. It does seem unfair to have to pay so much for what is essentially less than the first jig linked to (the HB DT jig) but truth is they are the easiest to set up, and the results are pretty good. The set up time is a major factor. Probly the major factor, working on the assumption that they all work eventually. So, if I did it all again, or indeed if I were you, that is the one I would buy.

Hope this helps

Neil