On Thu, 15 Oct 2009 07:25:28 -0500, "Leon"
wrote:


Uh - oh the other shoe drops, but good to know. I have the Leigh D4 and
the finger joint template. After hearing all the recent reviews and
especially the comments made by charlieb I was beginning to think that the
Akeda might be easier to remember how to use. ;~) For me the Leigh works
fine and the finger joint template is a no brainer but I always find myself
refering back to the owners manual for a refreser on how to set the jig up.

I used a Leigh Super before and I would say they are pretty similar as
far as steps involved. I have a little note written on the board the
jig is attached to remind me which way the boards should be facing,
though I don't really need it anymore but that was the part I would
always freeze on if I hadn't used it in a while, for both jigs.

I would say the Akeda is faster to set up though because you don't
have to fuss with getting everything spaced evenly and the fingers all
locked properly and even. I find the 1/8" increments instead of the
infinite spacing to actually be a benefit even though most people who
haven't used the Akeda would list that as a con.

And it's definitely nice to be able to go back and make a replacement
part(s) if you screw something up later, whereas with the Leigh if
you've moved the guides you're pretty much going to have to replace
the entire assembly rather than one part.

Personally I thought the Akeda had too many loose pieces to keep up with but
then I recently built two towers with about 250 pieces. It can be done.

It's a nonissue, really. Sure there's a bunch of pieces but you never
use more than a few at the same time. You make a box with
compartments to keep them sorted in. Mine is cardboard and took under
10 minutes, but you can of course be fancy about it too. It's kind of
like saying a full set of drill bits is too much to keep up with

BUT as you pointed out and apparently Woodcraft no longer carries the Akeda,
key replacement parts need to be quickly available. something to consider.

In my case I can still get everything I need, I would just have to
source it out from a couple different places if I really needed it
right now. The common bits are all in stock at the jig store, I'm
just an oddball in that I'm almost always using it on thin stock where
it really is hands down the best jig on the market. There is
something to be said for having the industry standard model though.
But I have talked to Kevan of Akeda and there is something also to be
said for having the guy who invented the thing and runs the company be
the one who directly answers all your questions and problems.


-Kevin