Sea Side Scrap Book » What you should know before you get a dovetail jig

What you should know before you get a dovetail jig

There are numerous decisions when deciding which dovetail jig to buy. These dovetail jig reviews will help you decide.

Would you like more than through dovetails?

The most simple and least expensive jigs cut through dovetails only. For many individuals, this could work fine and it’s all they need.

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Basic jigs like this are easy to use and inexpensive. To get started all you do is mount them with screws to a piece of wood (check for wood dimensions before buying)

These types of jigs are great for limited use or beginners.

Be aware awfully inexpensive no name jigs are typically made from extremely cheap, thin plastic. They’ll warp or crack over a period and are a waste of money.

Do you want to use the jig for other projects?

The next level of dovetail jigs will have the facility to cut differing kinds of joints by simply exchanging templates. These may include half blind or box joints.

To switch templates, you just loosen 2 screws to get rid of the current template and replace with the new template and then tighten the screws. Only takes 1 or 2 seconds.

When a tool is simple and fast to line up, it’s amazing how much more you will use it. Since I switched over to employing a box joint template rather than a tablesaw to cut box joints, it’s wonderful how much more I really make projects rather than not making them because I didn’t want to go to the trouble of setting up the dado blade in the tablesaw.

By employing a dovetail jig you will also get a cleaner cut with almost no chipout.

Quality jigs at this level cost only barely more but can do much more than through cut only through cut dovetails.

Are you under purchasing?

What I have found with any basic tool I have ever purchased is that after a short time I want to do something apart from just the base function. I usually then wish That I would have spent a couple of dollars more and gotten the tool with more. If this is the case for you, take a look at some of the 24 inch jigs.

You can cut boards longer than 12 inches. This suggests you’re not limited to drawers or small projects. You can make anything from blanket chests to giant scale furniture.

One of the finest features is that you can custom space the fingers. Most jigs are preset. These jigs permit you to set the fingers and whatever space you select so that you can design you own ornamental cuts.

Realize these sorts of jigs could be a litter more long to line up, but the extra functionality is easily worth it.

Which jig is the best for you?

I’m hoping these dovetail jig reviews have been helpful. I’ve tried to cover some basics on this post. However , the best dovetail jig is the one you will use. There’s no one size fits all here. Simply ask what your use will be and then buy the dovetail jig that most closely fits your wishes.

Good luck and enjoy your new dovetail jig!

Mark Adams is a serious woodworker and part-time furniture maker. He frequent writes about woodworking including the porter cable dovetail jig and the leigh dovetail jig