"charlieb" wrote in message
...
diggerop wrote:

I'm looking at purchasing a dovetailing jig. I'm inclined toward Akeda
at
present but would like to hear opinions on alternatives.
I'd be particularly interested in hearing of experiences with Woodrat or
Router Boss machines, both of which appear to be extremely versatile.

The WoodRat and RouterBoss appear to use the same principles - and like
most of the other router based dovetail jigs - appear to have lots of
moving
parts - most of them exposed - to dust and crud cutting dovetail jigs
with a
router generate. What may work just fine in pristine situations may not
work
quite as well in the real world under real world conditions of use.

Then there are the other practical considerations. Working backwards
think about the following:

1. When not in use - where do you keep the sytem? If it remains bolted
to the wall or a bench - have you got that much space available.
2. What do you have to do to use the router for other purposes?
If you have to take parts off that router - parts which the system
requires - how long does it take to get them off - and back on
- and where are you going to keep those parts when not on the
router? Should one or more of those parts be "misplaced" can you
still use the sytem?
3. How sturdy are the parts and should one break, how easy, and how
much does it cost to replace it?

To the functional parts of the jig:

1. Part Registration & Clamping: These jigs require that the part to
be
cut be oriented in a specific way and at specific locations. So is
there built in parts registration or are you going to have to do
that?
And once the part is where it's supposed to be, how easy is it to
secure them there? If you need to hold the part in position with
one hand, will you need two more hands to secure it there?

If the jig requires two clamps to secure the part to be cut, can
you work each clamp with just one hand? Does that hand have
to be just your right hand - or left? If so, will that be a hassle
for
you?

With most jigs, you have to cut "lefts & fronts" with one set up
and another set up for "rights & backs". If the jig has built in
symetry - ie. left and right vertical stops to register the part
vertically or horizontally relative to where the cutting will occur
that's taken care of. If the jig is asymetric - that responsibility
falls to YOU to work out and do.

2. How is the router supported while in operation? Is it supported
by separate parts or rely, at least in part, on being supported by
"guides/fingers"?

3. How is the spacing for the cuts set? If moveable "guides/fingers"
are used - how easily are they set where you want them - and
keep them there - oriented properly? If anything can move once
"set", Murphy's Law says they will move even if just once in a
while.
THAT is not good when cutting dovetails with a router. So if the
part can move, or the guides/fingers can move - even a little left/
right or rotate, even just a little - the resulting dovetails will
show
the effects of that movement. And faults will ALWAYS occur such
that they WILL show (don't know why they always seem to be
on the "show face" - but that's the way things seem to work).

There's a LOT more critical things about these jigs that can make or
break you - some obvious - once you've used them, some not obvious
at all. And in general a tool that "can" do multiple functions usually
won't do them as easily and or as accurately as a dedicate to one
purpose tool (think Swiss Army Pocket Knife).

I've got the AKEDA and I've really studied it - and compared it to
other "systems" out there. You might want to go through the
stuff that starts on the following web page. It'll give you some
generic things to look for in ANY dovetail jig system.

http://web.hypersurf.com/~charlie2/A...etailJig1.html

Hope this helps.

charlieb



Charlie, - my sincere thanks for taking the time and trouble to write such a
comprehensive reply. To quote Lee Michaels, "Damn, when Charlie does a
review, he does a review."

It will take me some time to digest all that you have written, including the
contents of your website, however you have already given me cause to think
about a number of things that up to this point in time,
had not occurred to me. Notwithstanding that, the Akeda certainly looks to
be a front runner.

Now I have a heap of reading to do on your excellent website.

Once again, - thank you. : )


Diggerop