I am thinking of buying this jig and was wondering what your opinions of the
jig are. I saw it being used on TV and was impressed by its versatility. It
seems like a no-brainer to use. One doesn't have to have a tennoning jig or
mortiser to fool with. Thanks for your help.

Check out this review:
http://benchmark.20m.com/reviews/Tre...JigReview.html



"Will" wrote in message
m...
I am thinking of buying this jig and was wondering what your opinions of
the jig are. I saw it being used on TV and was impressed by its
versatility. It seems like a no-brainer to use. One doesn't have to have a
tennoning jig or mortiser to fool with. Thanks for your help.

Will wrote:

I am thinking of buying this jig and was wondering what your opinions of the
jig are. I saw it being used on TV and was impressed by its versatility. It
seems like a no-brainer to use. One doesn't have to have a tennoning jig or
mortiser to fool with. Thanks for your help.

Preface:
I'm a tool phreak

More at the following link.

http://web.hypersurf.com/~charlie2/T...endMTjig1.html

Exectuvie Summary:

Works great for mortises - if you go with "loose tenon" M&T joints
then
you use the largest diameter router guide, just one bit and one set
up.

If you want to due mortise AND tenon joints - not so good. That
requires
two router guides, two router bits and two set ups. In addition to
that,
you really have to be careful to keep the guide against the jig ALL
THE
WAY AROUND THE TENON. If you lose contact with the jig you lose some
of your tenon. Then there's the "specs/theoretical" vs reality
thing.
If the jigs off by a couple of thousandths AND the router guide
diameter
is off by a couple of thousandths AND the router bit diameter is off
by a couple of thousandths - the out of specs errors WILL ALWAYS
ACCUMULATE (despite what the statisticians tell you).

Some of the guides in the unit I bought were spot on to the specs -
some weren't. Some of their router bits were to specs, some
weren't. So some tenons were right on the money - and some weren't.

BUT - it's great for loose tenon M&T joints.

These bonsai display tables were joined with the Trend M&T Jig. 18
M&T joint for two of them, 20 for the tallest narrow one.

http://web.hypersurf.com/~charlie2/B...aiStands1.html

Get a 1/2" shank upcut spiral bit and order at least two extra
clamps.
Oh - and get a good bench light - you really need to see your layout
lines
with this thing - doesn't come with a pull out magnifying glass with
cross hairs.

charile b

I tried one. Then I ended up returning it and buying the Leigh FMT. The
Trend cuts nice mortices, but the tenons are frequently too small to fit the
mortices properly, and there's no adjustment capability in the jig to allow
you to make them fit. The FMT costs more, but the accuracy and quality of
construction make it do exactly what it's supposed to do. It has an
adjustment for making the tenons fit the mortices perfectly and you can make
them fit as loose or as tight as you want. Their manual is second to none,
and you can get good joints the first time and every time after with it (if
you don't do something stupid). Have you ever made a mortice and tenon joint
that "pops" from vacuum when you pull it apart, like toy pop gun? The Leigh
FMT jig can make them fit this good repeatably. I've made at least 700
joints with my FMT since I bought it.

If you don't have the money to buy the FMT you will be better off if you
make a jig to cut mortices with your router and then make floating tenons to
fit them with your table saw. The edges of these tenons don't have to be
round. Leave the ends of the mortices open for the excess glue to squeeze
into. It's the sides of the tenon that need a close fit to get a good joint.
--
Charley

"Will" wrote in message
m...
I am thinking of buying this jig and was wondering what your opinions of
the
jig are. I saw it being used on TV and was impressed by its versatility.
It
seems like a no-brainer to use. One doesn't have to have a tennoning jig
or
mortiser to fool with. Thanks for your help.