Philly
Established Member
Howdy Folks
Martin at Brimarc kindly let me play with the new Leigh D1600 dovetail router jig. This is a cut down version (in features and price) of their famous D4 jig, a big favourite of the “Bearded One”.
I have put a step by step photo diary on my website here. It includes through dovetails, half-blind dovetails and me actually making a project using it. Have a look and see what you think.
As I also own an Incra system and a LittleRat I was interested to see how the Leigh would fare in comparison. I found the Leigh really quick to set up and use-the learning curve was pretty shallow. Also the router bits were included with the jig so you could get stuck in immediately.
The finished dovetails look good, obviously not hand cut but really nice. And as you can arrange them however you like its difficult to produce an ugly joint-way better than fixed dovetail jigs. There is a 16 inch capacity so some nice sized projects can be made. The jig really excels for making drawers. You can knock them out in no time-this is a Leigh strength. Also larger boxes and casework would be perfect for this jig.
The dovetails themselves are not particularly small. There are only certain size bits that can be used with the jig but for most cabinet applications they look fine.
So, to sum up……
I liked this jig a lot-it was quick and easy to set up and get routing. It also produces perfect results (as long as you use a backer piece when routing) that look fantastic. It will certainly help you make classy looking projects quickly.
If you are in the market for a Router dovetail jig give the little Leigh a serious look. It is a real nice piece of kit.
Cheers
Philly
Martin at Brimarc kindly let me play with the new Leigh D1600 dovetail router jig. This is a cut down version (in features and price) of their famous D4 jig, a big favourite of the “Bearded One”.
I have put a step by step photo diary on my website here. It includes through dovetails, half-blind dovetails and me actually making a project using it. Have a look and see what you think.
As I also own an Incra system and a LittleRat I was interested to see how the Leigh would fare in comparison. I found the Leigh really quick to set up and use-the learning curve was pretty shallow. Also the router bits were included with the jig so you could get stuck in immediately.
The finished dovetails look good, obviously not hand cut but really nice. And as you can arrange them however you like its difficult to produce an ugly joint-way better than fixed dovetail jigs. There is a 16 inch capacity so some nice sized projects can be made. The jig really excels for making drawers. You can knock them out in no time-this is a Leigh strength. Also larger boxes and casework would be perfect for this jig.
The dovetails themselves are not particularly small. There are only certain size bits that can be used with the jig but for most cabinet applications they look fine.
So, to sum up……
I liked this jig a lot-it was quick and easy to set up and get routing. It also produces perfect results (as long as you use a backer piece when routing) that look fantastic. It will certainly help you make classy looking projects quickly.
If you are in the market for a Router dovetail jig give the little Leigh a serious look. It is a real nice piece of kit.
Cheers
Philly
