# Dovetail jig



## whickhamwoodwork (25 Jan 2012)

Minimum material thickness on a Trend DC400 Dovetail Centre?I like to use 5/8 as they work well with the runners I use, any advice would be great.Looking for a new jig as I'v had my fill of the CDJ300


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## marcros (25 Jan 2012)

how often do you/will you use it? could you justify a leigh jig?


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## whickhamwoodwork (26 Jan 2012)

I am building a lot more drawers lately so it could be justified...any advice would be welcome.
Many thanks.


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## marcros (26 Jan 2012)

I have a Leigh jig, which admittadly I am yet to use, but intend to in the next couple of months. I had a look around for a dovetail jig, and having had a bonus from work, i picked one up on ebay for £175 (i think). I went for it because the youtube demos made it look pretty straightforward, and I liked the way that it works. There are a number of discussions on here, and I remember one post where somebody listed a number of other things that you could do with the setup, that are not always apparent- trimming end grain for example. I liked the variable spacing that the jig offered, and less people seemed to be selling the Leigh because they couldnt get on with it than the Woodrat. I have no experience of the latter, so am not going to comment whether it is any better/worse.

There will be a learning curve with it, and setup for the first few components may take a while. After that, people that are familiar with them seem to be able to set up and cut joints quickly- again based on youtube and other demos that I have seen. The instruction book is comprehensive, and the vhs that came with mine would be most useful if I could have played it. Luckily, somebody sent me a copy of the files so that I could watch them on my computer. If you would like a copy, pm me your address and I will put them on a cd (or may be able to email them one at a time). It may help you to make a decision- youtube has a lot of demos, but these files show you how the joints are cut, rather than that it is possible!

Watch out on fleabay. You can get some good buys, but if there is only one jig on there, people pay a lot for them. There is not a huge difference between the D4 and D4R- if you so choose you can get the bits to upgrade. My D4 came with most of the upgrade bits from new (I bought it still in its box), so just because it is marked D4, it may or may not actually need a lot. The Leigh site will tell you what you need to get (if you want to) and what these new parts will enable you to do. Always worth getting in quick and asking the seller what they will take- if it is starting at £1 and there are no bids after a couple of days, they may well bite your hand off for £150 odd. Some sellers will do it, some will not.


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## mailee (26 Jan 2012)

Or if you don't mind set distance through dovetails you could go for the Dakota jig from rutlands. It is a lot cheaper than most on the market and is so easy to set up and use. 
http://www.rutlands.co.uk/workshop-&-po ... il-systems


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## AnselmFraser (29 Jan 2012)

We at a furniture school will use the jig that Alan describes above , because it is EASY these other more expensive jigs that do everything are just too complicated and time consuming to make any PROFIT from . If we need to make HANDMADE dovetails then we make them with a bandsaw and router , its not too bad ,this is for a very expensive piece of furniture and it does not matter if it takes a bit longer . 95% of the time we make dovetails with the above jig .
All the best.
Anselm.


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## Wildman (1 Feb 2012)

so how does the Leigh jig compare to the old Arcoy dovetailer, is my arcoy obsolete now?


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## Dodge (1 Feb 2012)

Arcoy, bloomin heck thats a blast from the past! havnt used mine for years the jig is cramped to one of the beams in my workshop gathering dust. I dont even know where the cutters are, if I still have them that is.

I went to the dark side of Woodrat a few years ago when I sold my Leigh and havnt regretted it - wouldnt go back to a Leigh now.


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## Tim Nott (23 Feb 2012)

whickhamwoodwork":3fabg43f said:


> Minimum material thickness on a Trend DC400 Dovetail Centre?I like to use 5/8 as they work well with the runners I use, any advice would be great.Looking for a new jig as I'v had my fill of the CDJ300


We regularly make drawer boxes from 16mm stock with the Trend DC400, cos that's what fits Blum Tandem runners. Accorrding to the manual it will go down to 12mm thick drawer fronts with the right cutter.


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## Benchwayze (28 Feb 2012)

The Arcoy doesn't stand a chance. The Leigh is a far more sophisticated jig; but the 'learning curve' (Whatever one of those looks like) is pretty severe. It can (and has) put some people off. 

For convenience, I bought a 'Keller Jig' when I had loads of drawers to make. I found that easy to use, and for utility jobs it was ideal. it doesn't do lap dovetails though, and I used to bandsaw the face off the drawer front, cut the joint, and then glue the face back onto the drawer. I don't think anyone in the UK carries the Keller jig, but the cutters I have seen available on flea-bay.

I have what seems to be a brand new Arcoy jig, I got off eBay (Gawd knows why I thought I needed a replacement!). I think Axminster stock TCT cutters for the Arcoy jig btw.


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## James C (28 Feb 2012)

AnselmFraser":191r9p87 said:


> If we need to make HANDMADE dovetails then we make them with a bandsaw and router.



Does using machines count as handmade? Or are you being deliberately ironic?


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## Benchwayze (28 Feb 2012)

James C":3iovcnkj said:


> AnselmFraser":3iovcnkj said:
> 
> 
> > If we need to make HANDMADE dovetails then we make them with a bandsaw and router.
> ...



I think Ansel is saying that light machines don't make furniture by themselves. They have hands guiding them. If we think about it, about the only thing that is truly hand made is a snowball, and look how long they last! 

So does using hand tools count as being 'handmade'? :wink: 

The facts are somewhere in between. Many cabinetmakers today, claiming to make handmade furniture, use a combination of machine tools and hand tools. So maybe what they really mean is 'individually' made or bespoke furniture. So maybe there are no hard and fast rules; unless you contravene the Trades Descriptions Act.


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