Any carpenters here?

[Garet Jax]

I am thinking of buying a dovetail jig to help me build my built ins. There are quite a few choices and I am having trouble getting recent opinions on the matter. This is especially true for some of the cheaper models.

PS - I would also love to see a comparison of the various joining (rabbet vs through dovetail vs half blind vs etc...) mechanisms to know which ones are the right ones to be used based on the circumstance.

Thanks.

 

[theflyingpig]

I used dovetails to build my first pillory. Worked out pretty good IMHO.

 

[overst33r]

I used dovetails to build my first pillory. Worked out pretty good IMHO. Everyone knows this.

ftfy

 

[daw123]

Jesus, they can be expensive:
http://www.dm-tools.co.uk/product.php/site/froogle/sn/LEISUPER24VRSC

From an aesthetical point of view, the dovetail joint is by far the prettiest in my opinion.

With regard to your second query, here is a run-down of the various timber joints:
http://www.ehow.com/list_6363133_advantages-different-wood-joints.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodworking_joints#List_of_Joints

Here is a review of some dovetailing jigs:
http://www.thewoodshop.20m.com/dovetail_jig_compare.htm

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Is this for aesthetic or strength?


I was under the impression that those pocket hole jigs are much better strength-wise..

 

[blurredvision]

Honestly, the cheapest ones can be a pain to work with and the most expensive ones exist only to fleece the ignorant. That's my opinion, others will disagree. Personally, I don't think you can go wrong with a nice dovetail jig in the $100-$250 range. Will one of the cheap $50 jigs work? Most likely, but it won't be as user friendly and may not last as long. If woodworking is just a hobby of yours, don't spend too much.

 

[Zebo]

Most cabinet makers use a biscuit joiner or pocket driller these days. I've built a lot of homes and took a tour through my cabinet guys shop and that's all he used and built high end cabinets out of all wood.

 

[highland145]

Most cabinet makers use a biscuit joiner or pocket driller these days. I've built a lot of homes and took a tour through my cabinet guys shop and that's all he used and built high end cabinets out of all wood.

Did all the cabinets in the new bath with a Dewalt plate joiner. Quick, easy to use and, best of all, works likes it's supposed to.

Few years back, found a hard plastic dove tailing jig at a yard sale. Not user friendly and only lasted until I hit it with the bit.:\

 

[Garet Jax]

Jesus, they can be expensive:
http://www.dm-tools.co.uk/product.php/site/froogle/sn/LEISUPER24VRSC

From an aesthetical point of view, the dovetail joint is by far the prettiest in my opinion.

With regard to your second query, here is a run-down of the various timber joints:
http://www.ehow.com/list_6363133_advantages-different-wood-joints.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodworking_joints#List_of_Joints

Here is a review of some dovetailing jigs:
http://www.thewoodshop.20m.com/dovetail_jig_compare.htm

Thanks for the review. I saw this one sometime ago, but it is old (only contains D4) and no mention of the Porter Cable offering.

 

[daw123]

Thanks for the review. I saw this one sometime ago, but it is old (only contains D4) and no mention of the Porter Cable offering.

I wasn't sure how old the review was since it didn't have a date on it.

 

[Zebo]

Did all the cabinets in the new bath with a Dewalt plate joiner. Quick, easy to use and, best of all, works likes it's supposed to.

Few years back, found a hard plastic dove tailing jig at a yard sale. Not user friendly and only lasted until I hit it with the bit.:\

Plate joiner and biscuit joiner are synonymous right?

From watching Norm he said dove tailing works well for aesthetics such as matching a dark and light wood in the same drawer but really adds no strength compared to modern methods and most definity increases time and risk.

 

[highland145]

Plate joiner and biscuit joiner are synonymous right?

From watching Norm he said dove tailing works well for aesthetics such as matching a dark and light wood in the same drawer but really adds no strength compared to modern methods and most definity increases time and risk.

Yes. And I have always thought/said " biscuit". But when I went looking for one, all I got was strange looks. Could be the quality of people in the hardware departments.

I like the looks of a dovetail but definitely more risk.

 

[Dubb]

since I don't really build anything historic, I don't like dovetails. too busy and distracting.

I like finger joints on some things, pocket screw or biscuit on others, and a lock miter when going for clean and modern in solid wood. A lock miter where the grain continues around the corner is a stunning thing, but semi difficult to execute. You do NOT want to cheap out on a lock miter bit.

I built a finger joint jig similar to this one (with a few improvements):

http://woodgears.ca/box_joint/jig.html

lock miter setup guide:

http://www.woodshopdemos.com/cmt-lm10.htm

 

[daw123]

***snip***

I built a finger joint jig similar to this one (with a few improvements):

http://woodgears.ca/box_joint/jig.html

***snip***

That is very cool.

 

[highland145]

That is very cool.

+1

 

[Dubb]

That is very cool.

it's actually a little more awkward and time consuming to use than his videos make it look, but the results are pretty great, especially on deep or thin fingers. Looks really good on baltic birch plywood.

for more typical box/finger joints, I'd be inclined to use a standard router jig. Particularly on large pieces it would likely be faster.