Dovetail Jigs?

[john]

I have an opportunity to get a Craftsman Professional dovetail jig at a reasonable price but don't know if this is a worthwhile purchase.

Does anyone out there have this model? Any comments on this type of tool would be welcome.

So far I have stayed away from dovetails due to lack of confidence in cutting handmade ones, and the cost of a jig for machine made ones.

Thanks in advance.

John

[Ed in Tampa]

John
I think the real deal maker or breaker on dovetail jigs is how easy is it to setup to use. I think a few of the cheaper ones are a real challenge to setup correctly and nearly impossible to duplicate a previous setup.
Before I bought any jig I would check out carefully how setup are made. What provision is there to duplicate a previous setup and how well it holds a setup after the adjustment is made.
Ed

[paulmcohen]

I have an opportunity to get a Craftsman Professional dovetail jig at a reasonable price but don't know if this is a worthwhile purchase.

Does anyone out there have this model? Any comments on this type of tool would be welcome.

So far I have stayed away from dovetails due to lack of confidence in cutting handmade ones, and the cost of a jig for machine made ones.

Thanks in advance.

John

I have one and unless you have an older Craftsman router or a newer Professional Jig you have a big problem. The jig requires a .4" router template guide bushing which no one sells. The one that came with the original jig only fit a Craftsman router. I ended up machining one out of brass tubing and a Porter Cable bushing and it is less than acceptable.

This issue was pointed out to Sears by Wood magazine and they said they would ship a Port Cable compatible bushing with jigs shipped after June 2007 but I have been unable to purchase one for an older jig. Even the latest catalog does not list the bushing or the fact that the jig comes with it.

If you can get over the bushing issue it is an excellent jig.

[charlese]

Hi John! I was going to suggest you buy it and if you didn't like it, you could sell it. But after reading Paul M.'s post I would avoid it unless you know it doesn't need the .4" router guide.

I don't have a dovetail jig at present, but am thinking of getting one. Got my eye on the "Prazi PR 3900" Cost about $80. Have read good reviews so far. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000PEQL9A

Here is the worst review on on this site: http://www.amazon.com/review/product/B000PEQL9A/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt_sr_3?%5Fencoding=UTF8&filterBy=addThreeStar

[jg300da]

Before you make that purchase look into the Leigh DR4 or Superjigs. These are the benchmark for dovetail jigs and well worth the investment. Infinite pin and tail sizing and spacing. They are a little pricey but these are the best alternative to handcut dovetails.

http://www.leighjigs.com/products.php

[jg300da]

So far I have stayed away from dovetails due to lack of confidence in cutting handmade ones, and the cost of a jig for machine made ones.

John

John, the technique for handcutting dovetails is not all that difficult to learn. You can find step by step tutorials online or at the library, but there are two things you do need; a quality thin kerf dovetail saw like the Lie Nielson Independence Saw about $125 (and worth every penny) and a good set of quality wood chisels. You'll also need a good set of waterstones if you don't already own some, to keep those chisels razor sharp. That's a separate skillset but a necessary one.
Set aside an afternoon in your shop for practice and you'll be cutting dovetails in no time....

[woodburner]

I agree with JG. Before jigs came along all dovetails were hand cut. It's a great skill to have. I took a class at a woodworking store on how to do it and I was hand cutting dovetails by the end of the day, and they fit too.

There are several other ways to cut dovetails. I have friends who cut them using bandsaws and tablesaws. The router isn't the only way you can go.

I have seen new router dovetail jigs as cheap as $25.00 and over $1,000. It depends on how many bells and whistles you want to go with it.

I spoiled myself with my Incra setup I have for my Shopsmith. But every now and again when I want to lose myself in my woodshop, I will get out the old dovetail saw and chisels and hand cut some dovetails for one of the many jewelry boxes I am always working on.

[scottss]

Nick has mention before that there is a way to cut dovetails with the opr, this is something I would love to see. I have a ss joint-matic and it is simple and fairly fast to cut half blind dovetails with it. I have cut full dovetails with the bandsaw and really like the results. I have used the incra and porter cables new jig and like them both. I even built a dovetail jig from the instructions in woodsmith and the jig is as good as most entry level jigs. I have cut hand cut but didn't like the resuts. I need a better saw and chisels. I have watched Frank Klause dvd (picked up at the library) on handcut dovetails and he makes it simple. To sum it up I guess it depends on how many dovetails you are planning on cutting and how much time you want to spend on it. If you were building kitchen cabinets with lots of drawers I would spring for a decent jig. My brother has the wood rat and a sears pro jig and he doesn't use the sears anymore. I tried the sears jig and was very disapointed.