Help which type of Router jig should I buy

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Anonymous

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Can anyone please help me I am just starting out in routing and I have purchased a Triton router.
I want to carry out mortic & tennon, and dove tail joints, which is the best jig to buy leigh, trend or the woodrat :p

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Best Regards

A new starter
 
Hi Sbryce
Never mind guest :eek: , why not join :?: , A lot of help and a bit of fun aswell.
I think it will depend on how much you will use them, I don`t use the router that much for m&t joints so I just use a simple home made jig, If you tell us how much you will use them Iam sertain some body can help.
Mick B
 
he already has :D , Sbryce emailed me lastnight and I suggested he posted here to get some more suggestions.
 
Well, if Charley is going in to bat for the Leigh, it looks like I shall have to promote the 'Rat. But first the mandatory slagging off of the enemy. :wink:

The Leigh won't do mortice and tenons.
The Leigh needs an additional template to do finger joints, at a cost of over 250 quid.
The Leigh has to have special cutters.
The Leigh will take up bench space when you use it.
The Leigh isn't capable of doing mitred dovetails.
Or moulding edges.
Or raising panels.
Or pin routing.
Or... well, the list goes on and on doesn't it? (Why did you buy it, Chaz?!
Finally, if you're feeling patriotic, the Leigh isn't British. :(

The Woodrat will do all those joints that the Leigh can't.
You can use any router cutter you like.
It hangs on the wall ready to use, but out of the way.
It's a British invention. :D

The only real downside is a tricky learning curve. But you're online, so you're laughing. There is a group of happy 'Ratters ready to give support at #cough# The UK Woodworking Group#cough# and a less active group dedicated to 'Rat Owners here. In the UK Woodworking site you will find the "Should I buy a Woodrat" thread, in which I tell you all the things that went wrong, but despite all that I still like it. If you only need smaller capacity, the Little Rat would do you just as well, for less money. Go to Woodrat and ask for a copy of the CD Rom, and also take a look at Wood Shop Demos where the two 'Rat siblings are reviewed. There's a current review of the Akeda jig, which appears to be identical to the new Trend one too. John Lucas seems to be having a little difficulty with it. (Tee Hee).

Hope this will help, and how are you finding the Triton? It's getting rave reviews, isn't it?

Cheers, Jester
 
Jester you may not believe me but I suggested in my email that he should got for the woodrat :lol:

Anyway much to my surprise when watching the Leigh video, at the end of it where they show what else the tool can do with 'optional' templates :? You can buy a template for the D4 to cut M&T. :shock:

I have no idea what it costs as I've never seen it in the UK before but if its anything like the other templates its going to be another £200+ on top of the £299 for the jig it self. :(

All that said the Leigh does make lovely dovetails in a matter of minutes :wink:
 
O forgot to say if you havn't already guessed, Trend's new dovetail jig is the Akeda :)

I saw the Akeda jig in Finewoodworking a few months back, and on their website they list Trend as their UK supplier - small world eh :)
 
Charley,

You did? I mis-judged you. :lol:

Of course, this brings up the obvious question. Why did you buy the Leigh? Was it really 'cos of an absence of wall? How sad. We could of had a whip-round and bought you a wall you know... :wink:

So I guessed right on the Akeda eh? Hmm, having watched John Lucas' struggles with it, I wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole.

Cheers, Jester
Who doesn't get paid by Woodrat, by the way. ****, I've tried, but no joy... :(
 
Jester, even if u all did buy me a wall I'll have no where to keep it :lol:

So why did I go for a Leigh and not a #cough# rat? Well its simple really, To do dovetails quickly, accurately and easily I've got a router table for the rest.

And you said your self the Rat takes a bit of setting up to cut dovetails.

Where as the Leigh is a simple as 1-2-3 and the bit I really like about it you don't have to measure when laying out the tails/pins - just set the tails out by eye (which adds to the hand cut look) and the pins are automatically set :)

Yes if you havn't already guessed; I love my new toy....er.. tool....
 
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