Advice on new router and dovetail jig

[DFC1047]

I have dabbled in woodwork for a few years, but at a very basic level. I now have more time on my hands and wish to become more active.
I have just finished a chest of drawers, ( jointed 25mm planks for carcase, plywood drawers, fronted with oak) which I am quite pleased with, but my wife now wants similar in 2 other bedrooms!!
I want to try and make one in chestnut, and the other with walnut.
I want to make the drawers with dovetail joints, hence advice re router and jig. I have been looking on internet for ages, and am leaning towards a Bosch POF 1400 ACE router. I have a very cheap 800 watt router at the moment which has done what it needed to do, but the adjustment is very hit and miss, and the casing is cracking, so a new one is called for. It will never be used for heavy duty stuff so I felt that 1400 watt would be sufficient. I do have a spindle moulder which came with other tools, but never explored its potential yet.

As for the dovetail jig , the Trend seems to be the favoured one.
I have about 12 drawers for the furniture, but also I want to make about 6 for my garage/workshop out of 15mm ply.

Thoughts on router and jig from those with more knowledge than me would be very helpful.

Also, advice ref the furniture drawers ....the jig seems to accept wood 12mm and thicker, this seems quite thick, as I used 10mm ply on the job I just finished. Is it possible to use thinner wood in the jig, or is there some other reasons why one should not, also, would you advise MDF as opposed to ply.

Thanks in advance

 

[Racers]

I sold my Trend jig as it was too much trouble to setup.
I now hand cut my dovetails well almost hand cut the bandsaw does get used to gang cut the sides.
Once you have done a few you will find it faster.

Pete

 

[custard]

You've made a wise choice...there's no better way of occupying your time than working wood!

-A 1400 watt router with a 1/2" collet will do everything you need, and more.

-Dovetailing plywood isn't a great idea, it can be done but it often ends up looking very messy as the plywood splits out. Stick to solid wood for dovetailed drawers, or use plywood to make the drawer box (joined with dowels or one of the many other methods available) and screw a solid wood front onto that.

-Drawer sides are usually 12-15mm thick if there is a groove cut in them for the drawer bottom. I use a more traditional method of drawer making with "drawer slips" which allow the drawer sides to be 6-8mm thick, or even less on small drawers.

-Dovetail jigs are okay, but once you've made a few you'll be able to spot a jig made drawer from a mile away. Dovetailing by hand isn't that hard, and David Barron sells a simple magnetic guide that is much cheaper than a jig and is a kind of a half way position between a jig and a totally hand made dovetail, it's pretty much foolproof for through dovetails and for half lap or half blind dovetails it does all the difficult stuff and just leaves you with some simple chiselling.

Good luck!

 

[dzj]

I have a jig similar to the Trend jig. It takes some time to set up. For a dozen or so drawers it makes sense if
aesthetics of the whole thing is not an issue.
For a couple of drawers I sometimes gang cut the tails on the drawer sides on a router table and cut the pins by hand.
Speeds up the process a bit...
I also avoid this type of joint when using MDF or plywood.
For the garage/workshop you might consider the French dovetail. It's very simple and fast to make.

 

[DFC1047]

Thanks guys for all the informatiuon:
I didn't know what a "French Dovetail" was , or that ply was not the right material for dovetails.
After even more research and price comparing, I have ordered a DeWalt D26203 router, and decided to leave the dovetail jig for now, and to use box joints on the drawers.
There is so much info here that it would be nice in a book to take to bed :lol:

 

[RogerP]

...............
There is so much info here that it would be nice in a book to take to bed :lol:

9" Tablet PC - read in bed just like with a book

 

[Petey83]

Firstly I would agree David Barron's system certainly looks simple with great results based on the you tube video I watched. I've just ordered the guide, fret saw and Japanese saw from him so looking forward to putting to the test.

I had a trend jig and it got used once! Was a pain to set up and as I didn't have anywhere to have it perm set up it was defiantly a time consuming process to get going. The Leigh jig looks to be a lot easier to set up and certainly looks better built but it's not cheap.

A bit late on the router recommendation but I have a Festool OF 1010 and it's been faultless. It's easy to control and thus far has dealt with anything I have thrown at it. It's weight and controllability would make it ideal in any jig IMO. The 8mm bits are a real step up on the 1/4 bits and with Wealdon and trend now both doing 8mm bits the selection is growing and you don't have to pay Festool prices for bits every time.

 

[cgarry]

Dovetailing by hand isn't that hard, and David Barron sells a simple magnetic guide that is much cheaper than a jig and is a kind of a half way position between a jig and a totally hand made dovetail, it's pretty much foolproof for through dovetails and for half lap or half blind dovetails it does all the difficult stuff and just leaves you with some simple chiselling.

Do David Barron's magnetic dovetail guides require a Japanese saw or will they work with my Veritas dovetail saw? It looks to me as if the dovetail saw may not be tall enough when the guide is in place.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[Normancb]

The Barron guides will work fine with a Veritas saw. The saw back does stop the cut by hitting the jig but by that stage the cut is deep enough to stay aligned, so you just take the guide away an carry on cutting. The same is actually true of most Japanese saws.

 

[Myfordman]

I bought a pair of Bosch 1400w routers for use with my leigh jig and they are AWFUL. The depth lock only locks on one post and the other side is so slack that the cutter can move by nearly 1mm and chatters appallingly.
I got them cheaply but they were brand new and really not fit for this purpose.

I know the OP has gone down a different route but I thought for the benefit of others I would post my 2p

 

[pennardesign]

I use a Woodrat for my dovetails, really authentic looking dovetails, takes a little getting used to but very good.

 

[monkeybiter]

For the garage/workshop you might consider the French dovetail. It's very simple and fast to make.

I'd never heard of these, so Googled it. :? Three different explanations on the first three hits.

Anybody got a definitive explanation?

 

[dzj]

It's a sliding dovetail, very little setup needed. Not sure why they call it French.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMDNgFqyBLo

 

[worn thumbs]

I have made drawers both ways and while I appreciate the total flexibility of hand cutting dovetails,I also appreciate the convenience of a jig if I need several drawers fairly quickly.It takes a few minutes to set up and I am happy with the results using an Axminster jig http://www.axminster.co.uk/axcaliber-dovetail-jig/ .

 

[DFC1047]

David Barron does make it look simple ..........so much info !!! now watching all his videos !!

 

[Paddy Roxburgh]

I used to use a woodrat for dovetails (infact for all joints). It works well and gives good looking dovetails, but I got a bit annoyed by the noise and mess the router made. I saw David Barron on you tube and made myself a similar guide using a scrap of some brown hardwood and a couple of rare earth magnet I already had. Works great and dovetails and pins can be any size you like. After a bit I started just doing them by hand with iust a saw and chisel, took a bit of practice but they are now just fine, don't know why I thought I needed all those gadgets, despite the way people talk about them cutting dovetails is not like learning the violin and does not take years to perfect, buy some cheap planed pine and practice, you'll be like Frank Klausz in no time.

 

[Racers]

Frank Klaus 3 minuet dovetail video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFqY73lelq8

Pete

 

[Paddy Roxburgh]

Frank is fun to watch but if you actually want a good method to follow maybe look at Paul Sellers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCYjoj6cfno

 

[Racers]

Sorry I can't get on with Paul Sellers.

Pete

 

[Beau]

David Barron does make it look simple ..........so much info !!! now watching all his videos !!

He does but I have just watched one of his hand dovetail cutting videos and what's with the quick bit of planing at the end?
I have a fair idea :lol: