router jig clamping problem. help!!!

[smo]

I have just purchased a DE6240 router jig for cutting the joints on kitchen worktops. the problem i have is when i attempt to cut the female joint i am unable to fix the clamp on the jig without obstructing the path for the router base. I have to do it in two halfs which is very difficult to do,as you are at risk of getting a step in the cut.
I did contact dewalt technical help. they said it is possible to clamp. maybe it is, can someone help please.

 

[JFC]

Nope , i have the same problem but only think about it when the router hits the clamp and then forget about it soon after .

Welcome to the forum .

 

[smo]

Nope , i have the same problem but only think about it when the router hits the clamp and then forget about it soon after .

Welcome to the forum .

What is the legacy?

 

[Scrit]

I generally carry a couple of Wolfcraft QR cramps with me which are just long enough to avoid having problems on my jig (granted not a DW, but similar). What cramps are you using?

PS Don't ask about the Legacy :-#

Scrit

 

[Gary M]

Hi smo,

The biggest problem you have is that there is very little clamping space available on you particular jig, ie.
the corner you need to clamp is cut off (poor design )

](*,) ](*,) not much you can do about it ](*,) ](*,)

other factors could be compounding the problem like :
the size of your router base
jig clamped from above
type of clamp

i use big 8" record g clamps and clamp from underneath,
but my jig hasnt got the corner cut off
so i can pretty much place the clamp wherever i want,
Gary.

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi smo

Welcome to the forum.

Cheers
Neil

 

[Scrit]

The biggest problem you have is that there is very little clamping space available on you particular jig, ie. the corner you need to clamp is cut off (poor design )

I just took a look at the design:

and Gary's perfectly correct - they cut the (top LH) corner off that you'd normally want to use with the cramp, whereas the Makita jig, for example has a bit more "meat" in that corner:

Stunning piece of design, DW :roll:

Scrit

 

[Steve Maskery]

OK, I perfectly accept that I might be talking out of the back of my head here, never having fitted a worktop in my life, but why does this jig have to be clamped at all? Can the jig not be scewed to the underside?

Cheers
Simple Steve

Oh yes, and welcome aboard, the more the merrier.

 

[Scrit]

Steve

Think about the cutting action for a minute. If you are cutting a female joint at the right hand end of a top the joint must go on top to ensure that the cutter (which rotates clockwise when viewed from above) will cut into the post-formed laminate edge. If you are cutting a left hand female the jig, conversely, needs to be on the underside of the top so that the cut is once again made into the post formed edge. If you work the other way (jig on top, cut exiting through the vertical post-formed edge) it results in break-out of the laminate.

Scrit

 

[Steve Maskery]

Yep, that makes sense, thank you.
S

 

[chippy1970]

I too use Wolfcraft clamps (the f type ones) with my jig they have something like a 7" throat so you can place them out of the way of the router. Never use the mastic gun type quick clamps as they can slip with any vibration.

Mine works fine and has done for years, lost count of how many worktops I have fitted but my jig is a Trend one so its a decent one they were one of the first people to make the worktop jigs. Don't know what the Dewalt one is like to use.