On Nov 12, 4:56 pm, Adam wrote:
I am looking into getting a router and a dovetail jig. I went to
woodcraft and the prices are pretty high for someone just getting into
this.

What do you guys think of these for someone starting out? What should I
be looking for anyway?!

When I first wanted to make dovetails I looked for the cheapest
dovetail jig,
I purchased a Jet model for $49. It cost considerably more after
purchasing
the collar, bits, etc. The manual was so totally wrong as to settings
that it
took weeks to create my first dovetails. I only make dovetails a few
times a year
so that the next time I needed to make them I had forgotten the
settings, process, etc. If
I had been making dovetails ever week and had two dedicated routers
that once adjusted
could be left untouched the Jet would have been a great machine. It is
well built,
unlike the cheap eBay unit. Cheap jigs will sap you of your enthusiasm
quickly.
I next bought a Keller Journeyman jig which is simplicity itself and
easily mastered
if set up correctly initially. It works perfectly for someone who only
makes a few
dovetails each year. Friends have the Leigh and Porter Cable jigs and
love them. They
are much more expensive of course but cheap don't last. Actually, my
last two projects
had hand cut dovetails which turned out fairly well. They are not as
intimidating as
we sometimes imagine. Everything takes practice to do easily.