I finally bit the bullet and bought a D4R.
In the past, I've been hand-cutting dovetails for fine work, and using
other joints, like lock miters and sliding dovetails cut on my router
table, for cabinetry and built-ins.
Facing a set of 19 drawers that need to be DT'ed, I Googled up jigs.
My searches narrowed things down to the Leigh, Akeda, and PC Omni-Jig.
The Akeda apparently isn't in production, or at least nobody bothers
to sell it, so it came down to the D4R and OmniJig. I was able to cop
a feel of each tool at some local merchants, both are well-made
high-end tools.
The two main negative perceptions uncovered in my research came down
to the OmniJig's lack of flexibility, and the D4R's complexity. I
went for the Leigh, figuring I can always eBay it if things don't work
out. The jig arrived, and yesterday, I spent about 4 quality hours
with it and a Bosch 1617.
Results? Perfect sample drawers on the first shot, and I haven't even
seen the video yet! <G>
Observations:
- This thing has THE BEST manual I've ever seen. The spiral-bound D4R
manual is more clearly written and easier to follow than anything I've
ever seen, including some top-notch manuals for high-end sound gear
and the pilot's operating handbooks for the spam cans I fly. The
manual's photos and illustrations are very well done on durable stock,
and the spiral binding won't close and lose your page. If the user
follows the instructions in order, including the sub-sections on
baseplate centering and routing technique, I can't see any reason a
perfect joint won't result.
- The flexibility of this thing is superb. Sizing of parts based on
tool limitation will not be required. Layout (except for the angle)
is as flexible as it is with my bevel gage, I can simply put things
where I want them, and do it.
- By following the manual steps in the order stated, I don't see
typical setup taking any longer than cutting a "warm-up" set when hand
working.
- I followed the Leigh recommendation of scribing the bottoms to
prevent tearout, using a Veritas wheel cutting gage. This technique
makes the machine made joint look even more like a well-cut hand made
joint. I showed a set of hand cuts and a set of D4R cuts to (3)
people, who could not tell the difference.
Today, we do the real parts...
"B A R R Y" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
Snip
> The two main negative perceptions uncovered in my research came down
> to the OmniJig's lack of flexibility, and the D4R's complexity. I
> went for the Leigh, figuring I can always eBay it if things don't work
> out. The jig arrived, and yesterday, I spent about 4 quality hours
> with it and a Bosch 1617.
>
> Results? Perfect sample drawers on the first shot, and I haven't even
> seen the video yet! <G>
Snip
Enjoy the jig Barry. I have had mine for 6 or 7 years. The Akita came out
after I bought my D4 however IMHO it had way too many loose pieces to have
to set up and keep up with.
If you like box joints, the Leigh F1 template works great also and has the
same great manual. It is quick and with an up spiral bit the joints come
out perfect. After initial adjustments the F1 jig requires no set up time
the next time you want to cut box joints. A big plus is that despite what
Leigh says, you can indeed cut multiple sized box joints with 1, 1/4"
straight bit rather than having to use larger bits for larger cuts.
B A R R Y wrote:
> My searches narrowed things down to the Leigh, Akeda, and PC Omni-Jig.
> The Akeda apparently isn't in production, or at least nobody bothers
> to sell it, so it came down to the D4R and OmniJig.
That's strange. I work at Woodcraft and we sell the Akeda (and the other two)
on a regular basis.
--
It's turtles, all the way down
On Sun, 24 Sep 2006 13:19:03 -0500, MikeK <[email protected]>
wrote:
>
>http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=4406
It didn't come up at all last week. Trust me, I looked... <G>
Only Akeda accessories, and Whiteside bits for the Akeda, were shown
on Woodcraft.com. After my local store told me they no longer carried
it, I moved on.
I sure am happy with the D4R, though! I most likely still would have
purchased it, even if the Akeda had been available.
> The two main negative perceptions uncovered in my research came down
> to the OmniJig's lack of flexibility, and the D4R's complexity. I
> went for the Leigh, figuring I can always eBay it if things don't work
> out.
Depends on whether the dovetails are through or blind. I would much rather
do 19 drawers with blind dovetails on the Omnijig.
"Leon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "B A R R Y" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
> Snip
>
>> The two main negative perceptions uncovered in my research came down
>> to the OmniJig's lack of flexibility, and the D4R's complexity. I
>> went for the Leigh, figuring I can always eBay it if things don't work
>> out. The jig arrived, and yesterday, I spent about 4 quality hours
>> with it and a Bosch 1617.
>>
>> Results? Perfect sample drawers on the first shot, and I haven't even
>> seen the video yet! <G>
>
>
> Snip
>
>
> Enjoy the jig Barry. I have had mine for 6 or 7 years. The Akita came
> out after I bought my D4 however IMHO it had way too many loose pieces to
> have to set up and keep up with.
>
> If you like box joints, the Leigh F1 template works great also and has the
> same great manual. It is quick and with an up spiral bit the joints come
> out perfect. After initial adjustments the F1 jig requires no set up time
> the next time you want to cut box joints. A big plus is that despite what
> Leigh says, you can indeed cut multiple sized box joints with 1, 1/4"
> straight bit rather than having to use larger bits for larger cuts.
>
>
>
Leon,
A question on the Leigh F1 making box joints. I had done some research
earlier and it stated that the F1 could not cut large box joints such as
3/4". But after reading your post I did more research and yes you are right.
Now, the question is how fast can the joints be cut compared to a table saw
jig which in my opinion can have some eror if you are not watching closely.
I have been thinking of a project that will need 200 + sets of joints and I
want them accurate. I would like both speed and as accurate possible. I'm
not asking much am I????? Thank you Terry
On Sun, 24 Sep 2006 09:05:40 -0700, Larry Blanchard
<[email protected]> wrote:
>B A R R Y wrote:
>
>> My searches narrowed things down to the Leigh, Akeda, and PC Omni-Jig.
>> The Akeda apparently isn't in production, or at least nobody bothers
>> to sell it, so it came down to the D4R and OmniJig.
>
>That's strange. I work at Woodcraft and we sell the Akeda (and the other two)
>on a regular basis.
Which Woodcraft?
As of my research last week, neither Woodcraft.com, nor my local store
had it available.
I know that most Woodcraft stores are independently owned as my local
store has lots of stuff not in the franchise catalog. Could your
store be carrting it independently?
On Sun, 24 Sep 2006 13:47:40 GMT, "Leon"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>
>If you like box joints, the Leigh F1 template works great also and has the
>same great manual.
Thanks! You've read my mind, as the F1 is next on my list.
"Terry Houchen" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
Snip
>>
>>
> Leon,
> A question on the Leigh F1 making box joints. I had done some research
> earlier and it stated that the F1 could not cut large box joints such as
> 3/4". But after reading your post I did more research and yes you are
> right. Now, the question is how fast can the joints be cut compared to a
> table saw jig which in my opinion can have some eror if you are not
> watching closely. I have been thinking of a project that will need 200 +
> sets of joints and I want them accurate. I would like both speed and as
> accurate possible. I'm not asking much am I????? Thank you Terry
How long does it tale to insert a piece in the jig and clamp it down? The
template sets in one position to cut all your side pieces and then you slide
the template a predetermined distance and lock it in with an indexing pin.
Then you cut all of your front and back pieces. There is a bit if initial
tweaking of the guide bushing to insure proper fit however that is a 1 time
setting that you use over and over for each size pin. I mentioned that you
could use a 1/4" bit for 1/4" and larger pins however if you want to make
larger pins quickly you may want to consider the larger designated bit to
speed the process of cutting between the fingers.
The adjustable guide bushing determines the fit.
On Sun, 24 Sep 2006 18:05:54 GMT, B A R R Y <[email protected]> wrote:
>On Sun, 24 Sep 2006 09:05:40 -0700, Larry Blanchard
><[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>B A R R Y wrote:
>>
>>> My searches narrowed things down to the Leigh, Akeda, and PC Omni-Jig.
>>> The Akeda apparently isn't in production, or at least nobody bothers
>>> to sell it, so it came down to the D4R and OmniJig.
>>
>>That's strange. I work at Woodcraft and we sell the Akeda (and the other two)
>>on a regular basis.
>
>
>Which Woodcraft?
>
>As of my research last week, neither Woodcraft.com, nor my local store
>had it available.
>
>I know that most Woodcraft stores are independently owned as my local
>store has lots of stuff not in the franchise catalog. Could your
>store be carrting it independently?
http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=4406
On Sun, 24 Sep 2006 19:05:14 GMT, "Toller" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> The two main negative perceptions uncovered in my research came down
>> to the OmniJig's lack of flexibility, and the D4R's complexity. I
>> went for the Leigh, figuring I can always eBay it if things don't work
>> out.
>
>Depends on whether the dovetails are through or blind. I would much rather
>do 19 drawers with blind dovetails on the Omnijig.
>
Maybe, but I want to do both, and there's always tradeoffs. You pay'z
your money...