Rat not for DTs?

[Anonymous]

HI all


Overall I am chuffed to bits with the Rat. It makes a great mortise and tenons, half laps, cuts sliding DTs and dados easily and safely and is used a lot.

Having said all that, I am supremely underwhelmed by its dovetailing abilities. Many members on here have slated the Leigh etc. in favour of the Rat but having owned both, I have to say that the Rat takes 4 times as long to set up and the results are not as good. I am fed up of swapping those ali bars for the cams just to cut a few half blind DTs :evil:


So, a question. How do members cut half blind DTs on their Rat? (I am not interested in through DTS as I prefer to cut these by hand)

 

[Bean]

Tony

I am supremely underwhelmed by its dovetailing abilities

your asking for trouble :wink:

 

[Alf]

Tony

I am supremely underwhelmed by its dovetailing abilities

your asking for trouble :wink:

Au contraire. I think you'll a voluble number of the 'Rat Pack have been laudably consistant in saying we use it for almost everything but dovetails. It was even pointed out to Tony in his Thinking of buying a Woodrat thread, iirc.

Cheers, Alf

 

[nickson71]

I not had a chance to try the dovetails on my rat ......... but I'm sure that they'll be a lot better than the Trend jig I bought a year or so ago .... and there's no way I can afford the Leigh jig

 

[dedee]

Tony,
a wee bit off subject, but why not use your Incra? Is it the problem with holding the boards vertically or are there other set up issues with cutting HBDTs with the Incra?

Andy

 

[RogerS]

Blunt pencil? :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

Tony,
a wee bit off subject, but why not use your Incra? Is it the problem with holding the boards vertically or are there other set up issues with cutting HBDTs with the Incra?

Andy

To be honest Andy, I only use the Incra as a precision fence, I don't even know where the strips for making joints that came with it are these days - still in the bag somewhere.

I would not consider making DTs using the router table and fence, particularly when the Rat is touted so strongly as a dovetail machine by its inventor :?

 

[Anonymous]

Blunt pencil? :lol:

What do you mean pencil?????


How do you cut half blind DTs with it Rog?

 

[RogerS]

I'd have to look up to see what half blind D/T's are first

 

[Chris Knight]

Tony,
The Rat is the quickest machine ever for dovetails!!!

For a start, don't even think about swapping bars!!!! Just use the cams and set them up for 90 degrees when cutting tails. Apply a slight pressure to the left as you pull the router through and all will be well.

Honestly, a couple of hours setting up and you will have a list of different cutter and cam /button combinations that cover all the usual D/T sizes you might use that you can refer to when setting it up and then all is sweetness and light.

 

[Anonymous]

Tony

I am supremely underwhelmed by its dovetailing abilities

your asking for trouble :wink:

Au contraire. I think you'll a voluble number of the 'Rat Pack have been laudably consistant in saying we use it for almost everything but dovetails. It was even pointed out to Tony in his Thinking of buying a Woodrat thread, iirc.

Cheers, Alf

Errr, I think you'll find over two years of threads where people swear it is the best dovetailing thing since Rob Cosman first picked up a saw :wink:

 

[Anonymous]

Tony,
The Rat is the quickest machine ever for dovetails!!!

For a start, don't even think about swapping bars!!!! Just use the cams and set them up for 90 degrees when cutting tails. Apply a slight pressure to the left as you pull the router through and all will be well.

Honestly, a couple of hours setting up and you will have a list of different cutter and cam /button combinations that cover all the usual D/T sizes you might use that you can refer to when setting it up and then all is sweetness and light.

Will have to persevere Chris. To be honest, i don't like the cams at all but find the ali guide bars work great and they remain on the Rat all the time (it came with them fitted).

Will try more settings as you say and hoping to get better with it