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"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
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Not familiar with that one. But most basic models work the same. Think drawer. And keep in mind...I'm doing this from memory...could be backwards...but....
the drawer side goes flat on top......inside up.....a good way to remember is cut the kerf for the bottom first....
and the front or back go and hang down the front of the jig....with the inside facing out. The jig will provide the offset. Route with the dovetail bit and see who she fits.
Switch sides of the jig for the two sides....and away ya go.
I'll steal someone elses line....clear as mud! Gotta be a web site with the pics....makes it actually make sense! Jeff
* Jeff J. Buck/ Buck Construction/ Pittsburgh, PA *
2nd Generation Buck Const, 3rd generation Craftsman
Oh, Jeff, delete quickly before Nigel finds you.
Jeff,This is an example of your advice, is it?
Edited 4/3/2002 12:56:01 PM ET by IanG
Ohhh...scathing retort! What ya gonna do...ask one of yer men that DO the work what the right answer is? Jeff * Jeff J. Buck/ Buck Construction/ Pittsburgh, PA *
2nd Generation Buck Const, 3rd generation Craftsman
You didn't 'seek' did you -- just looked through your prejudices.
Your advice was laughable -- and totally wrong
I seeked buddy....and the your website showed me a cute board game. Thanks...and let's keep this in the tavern...where it belongs. Later, Jeff * Jeff J. Buck/ Buck Construction/ Pittsburgh, PA *
2nd Generation Buck Const, 3rd generation Craftsman
Then keep your 'advice' in the Tavern -- in a comedy thread -- where it belongs
so nice to have a stalker....I've made the big time! Now give the nice man his thread back...see ya in the tavern. Jeff * Jeff J. Buck/ Buck Construction/ Pittsburgh, PA *
2nd Generation Buck Const, 3rd generation Craftsman
Jeff....having children ruins short and long term memory..FACT.....don't add to this guys firewood pile..........bottom slot in half blind dovetails goes through the socket AFTER the dovetail has been cut(hides the slot, makes it nice). On the Hartville , front and back of drawer go on top, inside up, top of drawer to outside, sides on front of jig, insides up, tops to outside(use pencil marks or masking tape for registration marks)
Or that! That's why I prefaced the "answer"! Just glad to get the conversation flowing.
Jeff
* Jeff J. Buck/ Buck Construction/ Pittsburgh, PA *
2nd Generation Buck Const, 3rd generation Craftsman
Edited 4/3/2002 7:17:42 PM ET by Jeff J. Buck
Jeff, you run over somebody's dog?
You this week's target for the small-bus set?
Why's the attitude going your way?
Changing table patent infringement?
-gwc
Just a minor situation wit 2 limey's and a coupla trolls wot did piss me off last week.
Actually started with me pointing out the wrongs of their ways over questioning another long standing BTer's "qualifications".......as they would be the judges.
So...now they question me...as I invited. No biggie.......my moods been great as late......will be as long as the jobs and referals keep coming.....added a bunch more numbers last nite and made a few calls today......one go ahead....one we'll mull it over....and one "add this and take away that". All things said....went as good as could be expected. Next meals paid for and looks like one in the bank.
Have a coupla more to add up tonight or tomorrow. Might quit while I'm ahead for the evening.
Let the wankers follow and question me......no more mr nice/quiet guy! Jeff * Jeff J. Buck/ Buck Construction/ Pittsburgh, PA *
2nd Generation Buck Const, 3rd generation Craftsman
Gettin' down-right Testicular in yer dottage. Aye.
There'll be no livin' wid ya if the Pirates do well.
Toodle-pip. And do'an forget the best bit for the wankers:
"Sod Off!"
(Traditional English greeting given when entering a Public Estab.)
-gwc
Be no living with the wife! She's the baseball expert in the house. I go to enjoy the sunshine and the new ballpark.
Football no matter what...and ya know....I used to enjoy hockey before this season........oh well.....springs around the corner and I got a little kid I gotta teach how to fish. More important than the going ons of anything net-wise. Jeff * Jeff J. Buck/ Buck Construction/ Pittsburgh, PA *
2nd Generation Buck Const, 3rd generation Craftsman
We really need to know who the manufacturer is. All dove tail jigs do the same thing..make dovetails(duh) but the adjustments are different and each have their own "personalities". Also What exactly is the problem that you are having with it.? Darkworksite4: When the job is to small for everyone else, Its just about right for me"
.......my moods been great as late......
Hey, looks like that self-esteem building i've heard they do in the schools really pays off!
Seriously, don't your clients mind their stuff built upside down and backwards?
Ta-ta for now.
Nope! I use sell it as "crafts"! Jeff * Jeff J. Buck/ Buck Construction/ Pittsburgh, PA *
2nd Generation Buck Const, 3rd generation Craftsman
the way this board threads thinks really makes it tough to keep any flow going. See you idgits in the tavern. Later, Jeff * Jeff J. Buck/ Buck Construction/ Pittsburgh, PA *
2nd Generation Buck Const, 3rd generation Craftsman
Thanks for the reply. I hate to buy a sears product of any kind ( just a weird personal thing!) but I also am very tired of paying for my initial naive assesment that "cheap is good". I bought it "long, long ago, in a state far far away". Just started using it. Found it to be an excellent tire chock! Thanks for all the help. I may get a Sears...Looking longingly at the Incra jig. Anybody know anything about that tool? How bout the porter cable? Gotta go to work. Thanks again!
Miammi
Is yours the Hartville/PC/Jesada/Tend unit or not? I posted a link to the picture and a link to instructions. Just calling it "blue" is not very informative.
Bill, I can not tell you the name of the jig as there is not one on it. I know that calling it a blue unit is akin to saying :"I have a red truck, what's wrong w/ it?" At this point I think that I'm going to buy a Leigh, porter cable or look for another better one. Thanks for the help anyway!
Miammi
Sammi if its one of those "blue" ones with the black plastic knobs and the plastic templates....you'd be better off getting another... a friend of mine gave me his..I gave it to another guy and the story goes on with it. I seen it sold by different companies but its identical no matter where its sold. I like the PC one its pretty easy to set up and use. I used both the 12" and 24" pc and there equally easy to use and operate. Darkworksite4: When the job is to small for everyone else, Its just about right for me"
Ron, I'm fairly certain someone sold me your old one! Just going to get a new name brand tool. Still debating a little. Cost is significant but will not be the determining factor this time around.
Everyone else:I've combined all of your info & figured the old jig out and successfully made it work...this changes nothing! Still hate it!! Thanks for the helpful info.
Miammi
Sammi, hesitate there a minute.
The P-C omnijig is a easy tool to use... as the template doesn't change much... and is therefore easy to set up... but limited as to the
variables you can produce/compensate for.
The Leigh D-4 has all the variables, but unless you plan on sticking with one set-up, you'll spend more time fidgeting than producing.
Didn't you have a year's worth of firewood already?
How many dovetails are you trying to do?
A few boxes or drawers, or a whole kitchen worth of cabinets?
I've found the money spent on a top brand jig, bits, and such wasn't as productive as setting up in a woodvise, using a marking gauge, and
doing the two dozen dovetails by hand.
Richard (Sgian) gave me the idea of cleaning out the center waste with
the help of a pin router, one swipe to give the side-waste a place to go when pared with a chisel. A small laminate trimming router will do.
You'd have to be careful, and I use a scrap board as a depth-stop... but the process goes fast.
Tools:
Vise.
Dovetail saw (Independance from Lie-Nielsen).
Marking gauge or variable angle (protractor head) square.
High quality chisels, in the sizes you'd need for the work you'll do.
A good book (I referenced one earlier in the thread).
A marking knife.
A non-marking mallet.
Glue. (Titebond)
A small amount of future firewood to practice on... and about two days to be proficient enough to produce a good dovetail.
Optional: A router with straight shank bit, 1/2 or less the width of the dovetail slot.
Pay particular attention to layout, and stock preparation.
Square and flat. Wood that's reasonably free of defect.
A good saw will cut fast and straight.
Sharpen the chisels before use, and as soon as the effort to make a good cut increases.
Now, all that said... IF I had 60 drawers to do, with only 10 days to do them... through backs/half-blind fronts... I'd be looking for a jig.
Two reasons. Production mode. Uniformity with speed.
Most of my drawers will fall into a formula for size.
30 at 6 inch.
20 at 8 inch.
10 at 12 inch.
And I'd need to set up three times... perhaps less if I plan ahead, and could rip my 12 inch down!
So. Where do you stand?
-gwc
George, I built 2-5 kitchens a year, dozen or so vanities,etc. Production mode it is. Though I would like to hand cut them,time is a factor. appreciate the info!
Miami Sammi
hey miammi,
you could try the Sears jig with no risk because they will take it back, if you could get over you're prejudice.
BUT if I was in your shoea, I'd check out FWW#152,pp116,118.
This is an article about production cutting dovetails on a table saw. The guy that recommended it had cut with everything including a Leigh jig and there was no question in his mind that the dovetails look like they were done by hand.He also uses a scroll saw to clean out the waste. Lots of choices. Don't know 'bout you but I love my table saw and I would head in that direction PDQ.
There is a great video put out by Taunton about cutting dovetails by hand that is really well done and a hoot to watch. Not that I would ever cut them that way. Never cut a dovetail in my career! Keep me posted -I want to know what works out for you. Also if you want instructions for that piece of crap jig, I'll fax them to you.
have fun,man
hi ho silver
Porter Cables small unit is the same as the Hartville and a few other off brands(Rocklers etc.) The PC OMNIJIG is a very nice unit, I have the 24" with a few of the attachments(1/4", 1/2" sliding dovetail, and adjustable spacer) I leave the small Hartville set up all the time for 1/2" blind for cabinet drawers. I also have a dedicated 691 router set up for that unit. I never have to set it up, just put the drawers in and go. It's a 12" unit, and I haven't wanted for more for kitchen cabinets and furniture drawers.
I've looked at the Leigh, and Incra, but would be nuts to dump the Omnijig at this late date. The Omni is well built, VERY sturdy, and never fails to satisfy.
Sammi, i don't know if you meant to reply to me, but for what it's worth, i have an antique (20 years?) Craftsman dovetail jig. It's tricky to get the bit set at just the right height, so i have a dedicated router just for the jig. I would like a new jig for wider drawer sides that had cam instead of knob locks, but this one doesn't do a bad job. When i needed to make some 12" deep drawers, i used a sliding dovetail joint.
I've tried other jigs and they all work, but it's a matter of how much trouble one is to use compared to how much you'll use it, and how deep your pockets go. Invest in the Leigh if you're going to do high-end kitchens, by all means, but don't overreach on the tooling unless you just WANT IT. Personally, i lust for a wide-belt sander to replace my drum...
The attached is a pic of the dovetails i make using a $20 jig.
Edited 4/4/2002 2:20:07 PM ET by splintergroupie
Very nice work!
Miammi
Jeffy
Ever heard of Foot and Mouth disease? In the UK they are still shooting stock for that. Now what you are suffering from is Foot in Mouth. No. We cant shoot you. And nor do we want to. See we love you Jeffy. But we don't love your big mouth.
You will be pleased to know there is a cure for Foot in Mouth disease.
It's called HUMILITY.
It works like this. Even if we THINK we know what we are talking about, there are times when we don't. I know, I know, that's a hard thought for you to fathom, but it is a fact.
And when we go airing our knowledge publicly, without checking our facts, that's when the dreaded FIM can strike. It can strike without warning. No prior symptoms ( although a small sign can be if we think too much of ourselves ) are displayed, other than a generally arrogant attitude.
Hey! Don't feel bad about it! It can be cured. But you have to want to.
As for the questioning of a long standing breaktimer, I still see no rebuttall to my questions. Yes, we have learnt that he had a truck. But that seems to be the extent of the story.
It is admirable of you to come to the defense of a freind. But I don't see anyone else backing you up. All those people who know?
As to "Limeys" ( and having had the pleasure of your responses ) I now know why Limeys call you guys "Yanks". It must be that bit of chain you leave hanging out.
Now run along Jeffy. I think I heard your Mommy calling you.
Allways yours
Nigel
Edited 4/4/2002 4:00:42 AM ET by nigel
On the original question of how to cut dovetails -
You might try going to your library Ours has videos on various woodworking things, and one of them might involve dovetail jigs. Even if it's not the same as yours it might help.
Who did you get it from? Did you ask them.
Based on the price I assume that it is a Hartville (also sold under the PC name and by other companies).
See http://www.hartvilletool.com/product.php?search_id=12378
If this is the one contact Hartville. They will give you the instructions.
In fact I just found that a UK company sells it also and has the manual online at http://www.trendmachinery.co.uk/pdfs/dj300man.pdf but you need to convert the measurements to inches, but it is better than the manual that I got from Hartville.
You might also look at http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/pages/w00055.asp
Hartville is the same as the PC and the original Stanley. I've used them for years, pretty much since they came out(manuf. in my town) e-mail me if you can't find what you need here.
Sammi,
you may find yourself better served by a good book on dovetailing.
Learn the "do it by hand" techniques, then move into powertool/jig
production mode.
A good start is: Ian Kirby's book "the Complete Dovetail" published by
Cambium Press of Newtown, CT.
Newtown... hmmm... there's a magazine/book publisher I've heard of from there.
Try: http://www.cambiumbooks.com
hey miammi,
I've got one similar to your blue jig that drives my students crazy
even with the instructions, which I think were written by someone whose first langage isn't english. Very steep learning curve if you ask me. I'm returning it.
Another student brought in the Craftsman version from Sears(not a fan of Sears but) and without instuctions cut perfect dovetails in 10 minutes, no bs. So I bought a Craftman dovetail jig today for $70. Can.
Whatever works for you,man but if it's hard it's too much like work.
have a good one,
silver
Cutting dovetails by hand are pretty simple without using all the expensive, complicated-to-set-up jigs and (unless you're really into production where you have a dovetail jig always setup and ready to go) probably faster. I use a band saw. or hand cut them. I can cut any size I want ..........takes a bit of practice, but far nicer in the long run.