Dovetails
- Thread starter REME
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Risticuss
Member
Jigs...... why would you need a jig 
Cutting them by hand is much more rewarding.
I've only used to one (other than one i made myself, a little on the interesting side) and that was a trend one that we had back in school. (this was a good 5 years ago now). It was definitely very handy, but learning to do them the pre-router way helped me in my later work.
Welcome to the board (from a relatively new member)
Simon
Cutting them by hand is much more rewarding.
I've only used to one (other than one i made myself, a little on the interesting side) and that was a trend one that we had back in school. (this was a good 5 years ago now). It was definitely very handy, but learning to do them the pre-router way helped me in my later work.
Welcome to the board (from a relatively new member)
Simon
woodbloke
Established Member
REME - welcome to the board. You don't really need a jig to cut dovetails tho' others will have a different view :wink: . Its very enjoyable and sometimes a little frustrating to cut 'em by hand - Rob
REME
Welcome to the forum.
My advice is unless you are going to be mass producing dovetail joints I wouldn't go for a jig at all. All you need is a good dovetail saw and Rob Cosmans DVD and you'll be cutting them by hand in no time.
As mentioned if you intend to mass produce then the Leigh dovetail jig is very good. There are a mnumber of jigs out there which i don't have experiece of, but I'm sure others will be along shortly.
Welcome to the forum.
My advice is unless you are going to be mass producing dovetail joints I wouldn't go for a jig at all. All you need is a good dovetail saw and Rob Cosmans DVD and you'll be cutting them by hand in no time.
As mentioned if you intend to mass produce then the Leigh dovetail jig is very good. There are a mnumber of jigs out there which i don't have experiece of, but I'm sure others will be along shortly.
dedee
Established Member
Scott
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Welcome REME. You're right, it could be very addictive.
Whatever you do don't buy one of the cheap Screwfix/Axminster/Whatever Chaiwanese jigs. They're a right pain to set up and use accurately (IMHO).
If you must use a jig then it's an expensive business to get something decent (Leigh/Trend... Woodrat!).
Personally I reckon it's much cheaper (and more satisfying) to get a decent saw and RC's DVD and do them by hand. You can use a bandsaw to help out if you have one but just as easy to do the whole thing by hand after you had a couple of practice goes.
My 2p worth
Whatever you do don't buy one of the cheap Screwfix/Axminster/Whatever Chaiwanese jigs. They're a right pain to set up and use accurately (IMHO).
If you must use a jig then it's an expensive business to get something decent (Leigh/Trend... Woodrat!).
Personally I reckon it's much cheaper (and more satisfying) to get a decent saw and RC's DVD and do them by hand. You can use a bandsaw to help out if you have one but just as easy to do the whole thing by hand after you had a couple of practice goes.
My 2p worth
Alf
Established Member
Welcome, REME.
Well that's extraordinary. I defy any other general woodworking forum to have come up with an overwhelming vote for hand cutting as the first reaction - in fact I'm not sure this one would have done so not long ago. Maybe it's just dovetail-by-hand hour and the Normites will be along later?
Cheers, Alf
Well that's extraordinary. I defy any other general woodworking forum to have come up with an overwhelming vote for hand cutting as the first reaction - in fact I'm not sure this one would have done so not long ago. Maybe it's just dovetail-by-hand hour and the Normites will be along later?
Cheers, Alf
Scott
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Alf":men66elm said:Maybe it's just dovetail-by-hand hour and the Normites will be along later?
Of course they will!
... and you might even get a bit of [lost] finger jointing by dado blade thrown in for good measure :-s
:lol:
mambo
Established Member
if you just want to bang out loads of dovetails quick and cheaply and dont mind the machined look, ive got a nutool one i used to use when i was in a pine furniture factory. it did a great job! easy to set up quick and best of all was the cheapest jig i could find at the time
Russell
Established Member
The Leigh D1600 offers best value if you want to do a variety of sizes if not and just want bog standard 1/2" than trends CDJ300 works well but this jig becomes more expensive if you want to add different sizes its approx £40 per template addition so you only have to add 4 templates and you at the cost of the Leigh D1600.
There are a lot of other jigs Woodrat etc but I don't have experience of those.
There are a lot of other jigs Woodrat etc but I don't have experience of those.
Alf":3nlcmise said:Welcome, REME.
Well that's extraordinary. I defy any other general woodworking forum to have come up with an overwhelming vote for hand cutting as the first reaction - in fact I'm not sure this one would have done so not long ago. Maybe it's just dovetail-by-hand hour and the Normites will be along later?
Cheers, Alf
I put it al down to the Cosman chap :wink: :wink:
A
Anonymous
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Alf":1pgpz9tb said:
Here we come!
We've been out earning a living all day in the workshop - and that means using a jig for dovetails!
REME,
If your budget permits it, go for the Leigh jig. This enables you to make dovetails of any size to suit the situation. Most other jigs only allow you to make 1/2" pins and tails - and often your drawer width doesn't suit this. Trend now do a jig which allows you to adjust the sizes but I don't know anyone with any experience of it.
However, as you are just starting out and are unlikely to be making dozens of drawers just yet, I'd do them by hand.
There, I said it! :lol:
Cheers
Brad
Amateurrestorer
Established Member
As a keen user of the leigh dovetail jig ( its the dogs doodahs) I would like to advocate - cutting them by hand , I am learning to do that at the moment and there is nothing better than the satisfaction of producing a well cut joint with your own hands , ok if you want to mass produce then a jig is the answer and I would go for the perform model from axminster to start off with , it does take while to set up but once its done thats it. Cheap and cheerful. But if you have a boat load of money then the leigh is the one to go for.
mambo
Established Member
Amateurrestorer":1ehrbbnn said:
yeah thats identical to my Nutool one..so i can agree with this choice if its cheaper
syntec4
Established Member
I have the axminster jig. I thought it would make life so simple How stupid.... It's a right pain to set-up, only does widths of timber in 1/2" increments and the stock needs to be at least 1/2" thick. What a waste of £50. wish I'd bought some nice chisels instead now. Mine hangs on the wall as a reminder that hand tools and practice are often faster, more versatile and more satisfying.
I guess the Leigh system with movable pin/tail guides might be more usable, but I'm not going to splash out again just to have another ornament.
I'm going to do all mine by hand.
Lee.
How stupid.... It's a right pain to set-up, only does widths of timber in 1/2" increments and the stock needs to be at least 1/2" thick. What a waste of £50. wish I'd bought some nice chisels instead now. Mine hangs on the wall as a reminder that hand tools and practice are often faster, more versatile and more satisfying. I guess the Leigh system with movable pin/tail guides might be more usable, but I'm not going to splash out again just to have another ornament.
I'm going to do all mine by hand.
Lee.
jim2007
Member
I've got the Leigh. Great bit of kit with the best manual for any 'thing' I've ever bought. Ever.
However, there's a big learning curve. Looks easy on the telly? Hmm. I wasted a lot of good wood getting it right. On the subject of wood, it better be completely straight and square and it better be close grained (ie pricey) hardwood. No matter how expensive the cutter I can't avoid tearout in anything less than Oak.
Still and all, when you finally get it right, it makes lovely joints that can be repeated all day long.
However, there's a big learning curve. Looks easy on the telly? Hmm. I wasted a lot of good wood getting it right. On the subject of wood, it better be completely straight and square and it better be close grained (ie pricey) hardwood. No matter how expensive the cutter I can't avoid tearout in anything less than Oak.
Still and all, when you finally get it right, it makes lovely joints that can be repeated all day long.
Newbie_Neil
Established Member
Reme
Welcome to the forum.
Cheers
Neil
Welcome to the forum.
Cheers
Neil
Reme
FWIW. I bought an SIP jig a few months ago. Never managed to get it set up correctly, so it now sits under the bench as an excellent dust catcher. I bought 2 Rob Cosman DVD's and I am now trying to follow his instructions and produce nice dovetails by hand.
Don't be fooled though, I get very disheartened when, after spending a long cutting the joint, it does not fit . The answer is practice......My joints are getting slowly (very) better and the satisfaction of doing it yourself beats anything you can do with a jig.
Thats my opinion anyway
Bob
FWIW. I bought an SIP jig a few months ago. Never managed to get it set up correctly, so it now sits under the bench as an excellent dust catcher. I bought 2 Rob Cosman DVD's and I am now trying to follow his instructions and produce nice dovetails by hand.
Don't be fooled though, I get very disheartened when, after spending a long cutting the joint, it does not fit
. The answer is practice......My joints are getting slowly (very) better and the satisfaction of doing it yourself beats anything you can do with a jig.Thats my opinion anyway
Bob
gidon
Established Member
If you've just started I would also recommend trying to cut them by hand. They won't be perfect, but nothing a bit of glue and sawdust won't fix .
BUT you didn't ask if you should be cutting them by hand you asked for jig recommendations! Well I've tried only one - an Elu (now made by Dewalt one) - 600mm version. I hated it and it was on Ebay a few days later. So that may shorten your list!
It's worth getting to an event Trend demonstrate at - they'll show you some of theirs in action. They are at the International Woodworking Exhibition in London next weekend IIRC.
Cheers
Gidon
. BUT you didn't ask if you should be cutting them by hand you asked for jig recommendations! Well I've tried only one - an Elu (now made by Dewalt one) - 600mm version. I hated it and it was on Ebay a few days later. So that may shorten your list!
It's worth getting to an event Trend demonstrate at - they'll show you some of theirs in action. They are at the International Woodworking Exhibition in London next weekend IIRC.
Cheers
Gidon
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