I'm tired of making Box Joints!

[ChetlovesMer]

I'm going to buy a dovetail jig before the end of the year.

I'm interested to hear people's opinions of the dovetail jig they have or have used.

What do you like? Which would you buy?

Thanks,

Chet

[Danny Hellyar]

So why are you sick of making box joints?

[blackemmons]

Akeda 24"!

Short learning curve.

Very short relearning curve if you don't use it for a while!

Extremely accurate.

Easy repeatability with extreme accuracy. Even if you move the fingers.

Different angled joints for different size material.

You can talk to the inventor(Kevan) any time you call.

Built like a tank.

I had perfect through dovetails within thirty minute of the UPS truck leaving.

Thanks,

Jim

PS - Makes perfect box joints too.

[Bobby Slack]

I bought an Omnijig (porter cable) and I was told that it was easier than the Leigh which is also fantastic. I bought this and never applied myself to learn it. So there is my answer, I invested with Dollars and not with effort.

[Vic]

Just make sure that whatever joint you choose, it's done well and the joints are tight. Many people associate dovetails with "fine furniture", but that is not necessarily an indication of quality nor does all fine furniture need to have dovetails. G & G is one example. Check out these box joints. I didn't think dovetails fit the design and I think that because I got everything tight with hand tools, I have not only a very functional joint, but a beautiful one as well. So, yes, learn to cut dovetails to add to you arsenal of knowledge, but don't depend on them or any other joint, for that matter. Now, if you really want to learn some cool joints, check out Japanese joinery!! Those are some amazing and impressive joints.

[flairwoodworks]

Akeda 24"!

Short learning curve.

Very short relearning curve if you don't use it for a while!

Extremely accurate.

Easy repeatability with extreme accuracy. Even if you move the fingers.

Different angled joints for different size material.

You can talk to the inventor(Kevan) any time you call.

Built like a tank.

I had perfect through dovetails within thirty minute of the UPS truck leaving.

Thanks,

Jim

PS - Makes perfect box joints too.

I've heard a lot of good things about the Akeda, but I think the Keller is even easier. It is super simple and super solid. I'm not knocking the Akeda, but I think the Keller jig is worth looking at if you're after a dovetail jig.

[dvan1901]

I have the Leigh jig, and it is a great jig, but to be honest...I am trying to never use it again. What do I mean by that? I mean, I am trying to master hand cut dovetails. I truly believe that in the long run, learning to do hand cut dovetails will be faster, easier and look better than any jig; plus, talk about ultimate flexibility!

[blackemmons]

I've heard a lot of good things about the Akeda, but I think the Keller is even easier. It is super simple and super solid. I'm not knocking the Akeda, but I think the Keller jig is worth looking at if you're after a dovetail jig.

Flairwoodworks,

I have never used a Keller but I did see it demoed and it was a part of my research when I replaced the PC jig. My concern with it was using one piece to line up the other and the possible error trying to align the pieces and then the jig, especially on wide pieces and when making small production runs. But like I said, I have never used it.

I forgot to mention another plus that I like with my Akeda. That being, with boards <12" wide, you can do pins on one end of the jig and tails on the other without changing or moving anything. I use two routers so once I set it up, I just keep makin' sawdust. Comes in very handy when I am making a lot of like pieces. And they are all exact.

Another great plus I forgot to mention is the dust/chip collection. It is just about dust/chip free.

See #13 here, http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=98823&highlight=dovetail

Jim

[flairwoodworks]

I truly believe that in the long run, learning to do hand cut dovetails will be faster, easier and look better than any jig; plus, talk about ultimate flexibility!

I agree. I was going to use my D4 for a bank of drawers I just built. There are 14 drawers in 4 different sizes, with half-blinds at the front and through dovetails at the back. That would have meant 8 different set ups and a lot of testing for fit. No thank you.

[flairwoodworks]

Flairwoodworks,

I have never used a Keller but I did see it demoed and it was a part of my research when I replaced the PC jig. My concern with it was using one piece to line up the other and the possible error trying to align the pieces and then the jig, especially on wide pieces and when making small production runs. But like I said, I have never used it.

I forgot to mention another plus that I like with my Akeda. That being, with boards <12" wide, you can do pins on one end of the jig and tails on the other without changing or moving anything. I use two routers so once I set it up, I just keep makin' sawdust. Comes in very handy when I am making a lot of like pieces. And they are all exact.

Another great plus I forgot to mention is the dust/chip collection. It is just about dust/chip free.

See #13 here, http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=98823&highlight=dovetail

Jim

That's a cool feature - doing tails here and pins there.

I watched David Keller demo the jig and was impressed. I decided that its simplicity made it the jig for me, over the Leigh. When I want to dovetail something with a jig, I want it to be fast and easy. If I want to be picky about how it looks (variable pins, etc), I'll do it by hand. David showed me how to align the second part in the jig - virtually the same way as when it's done by hand - transfer the marks from the first board to the second, then align it to the template. Any lateral misalignment would translate into one board's edge protruding from the other and would not effect the fit. I've never used it either, though it's on my list. Anybody want to buy a rarely used Leigh D4?

The Keller has zero dust collection. But Festool routers do!

EDIT: One of the cool things about the Keller is that you can do any length of workpiece imaginable. David mentioned a really long (12 feet?) dovetail done in Corian. That, in my opinion, is the ultimate test of accuracy. I can't imaging Corian compresses much!

[ChetlovesMer]

So why are you sick of making box joints?

I'm not really tired of box joints. I've just done a lot of them in my day. Only made two sets of dovetails in my life. Both of them I cut by hand. I was designing a project the other day and though "Wow, this would look a lot better with dovetails." Then I said "Crap, I need a dovetail jig." Then I wrote this post.

Basically, I've decided to buy a dovetail jig and thought I'd get the forum's opinion on them. No real hatred of box joints.

[ChetlovesMer]

Just make sure that whatever joint you choose, it's done well and the joints are tight. Many people associate dovetails with "fine furniture", but that is not necessarily an indication of quality nor does all fine furniture need to have dovetails. G & G is one example. Check out these box joints. I didn't think dovetails fit the design and I think that because I got everything tight with hand tools, I have not only a very functional joint, but a beautiful one as well. So, yes, learn to cut dovetails to add to you arsenal of knowledge, but don't depend on them or any other joint, for that matter. Now, if you really want to learn some cool joints, check out Japanese joinery!! Those are some amazing and impressive joints.

Thanks for the input. I agree with you that some joints are better for some projects. I've only done dovetails twice, both times by hand. I hope the dovetail jig will allow me to increase the varietey of joints I make. Especially for drawers, where I tend to always fall back on the same drawer joint. I appreciate the thoughts, and I will check out the japanese joinery.

[ChetlovesMer]

Looks like I'll have to check out the Keller and the Akeda.

Thanks everyone for you thoughts.

[Bobby Slack]

Another perspective.

Joint that will not be appreciated ... I use dominos.

Another type of drawer joint ... keyhole http://www.dovetailspline.com/index.html