Her'es the skinny. I'm lusting for a major upgrade in my router table
and dovetailing.

I want to build a super router table similar to some that have been
posted in this newsgroup: big, flat, good dust collection, nice storage
for things like bits, great fence, router lift....

With that in mind, is it better to buy an Incra precision fence and use
it for everything, including dovetails, or buy a fence like the one
from Lee Valley/Veritas or Woodhaven and then buy a dovetail jig
separately, an Akeda, for example?

Seems to me that the incra fence takes up too much of the router table.
Plus, I feel dovetail jigs do a better job at dovetailing, but I could
be wrong....

For reference:
Woodhaven fence: http://www.woodhaven.com/detail.aspx?ID=1114

Lee Valley Veritas Fence:
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...ren cy=2&SID=

Incra Fence: http://www.woodpeck.com/lshome.html
Akeda dovetail jig: http://www.akedajigs.com/

I use the Jointech fence (similar to Incra) with the router table on the
table saw. Quick and easy to set up for dove tails and very accurate. I'm
limited to about 8 -10" of dovetails,which is good for draws and boxes. I
beleieve they make a wider fixture which can make longer dovetails but have
not seen it used.



"Never Enough Money" wrote in message
ups.com...
Her'es the skinny. I'm lusting for a major upgrade in my router table
and dovetailing.

I want to build a super router table similar to some that have been
posted in this newsgroup: big, flat, good dust collection, nice storage
for things like bits, great fence, router lift....

With that in mind, is it better to buy an Incra precision fence and use
it for everything, including dovetails, or buy a fence like the one
from Lee Valley/Veritas or Woodhaven and then buy a dovetail jig
separately, an Akeda, for example?

Seems to me that the incra fence takes up too much of the router table.
Plus, I feel dovetail jigs do a better job at dovetailing, but I could
be wrong....

Thanks. I saw the JoinTech at the Woodworkers Show in Denver in 2003. I
thought it was BETTER than Incra's. Incra seems to have won the
marketing war, though.

Having both the Incra and Leigh, my opinion...

Incra is better for smaller dovetails (or other joins) and/or narrow
wood. It's also more flexible if you want to do something unusual,
like precision jigs.

Leigh (or other jigs) are better for larger dovetails and/or wide
wood. It's also better for non-right-angle stuff - since the wood
doesn't move you can jig it at the right angle.

Also, the Incra tends to "cheat" on dovetails - there's often air
pockets inside Incra dovetails, whereas the Leigh makes truly matching
cuts. If strength is a factor, the Leigh wins.

The Incra takes up space on the table, but I built a big enough table
to accomodate it, and it's removable. There have been times I've
removed the Incra, put the solid insert on the router, and used the
table as a work table instead.

http://www.delorie.com/wood/projects/router/

Your router table is one I'd previously bookmarked. It's beautiful.
Another at http://www.ronan.net/~woodwork/router.htm. Still another at
http://home.pacbell.net/jdismuk/routertable.html.
What do you mean by precision jigs?

"Never Enough Money" writes:
Your router table is one I'd previously bookmarked. It's beautiful.

Thanks!

What do you mean by precision jigs?

For example, for building model rockets I have a collection of blocks
of wood that are carefully trued and squared on two adjacent faces,
and a rabbet is made at that corner which must be accurate (width and
height) to within a few thou. These blocks are used to align fins to
body tubes. Between the precision lift and the incra fence, such
precise rabbets are trivial.

Ahh. Thanks. Dince I only do furniture, I may not need such jigs.

I'm rapidly concluding the best thing for me is a table similar to your
design but without the incra fence: instead use a Lee Valley/Veritas or
a Woodhaven fence. Then buy a dovetail jig separately.

"DJ Delorie" wrote in message
...

"Never Enough Money" writes:
Your router table is one I'd previously bookmarked. It's beautiful.

Thanks!

How did you attach the face frame members to one another? Are they just
butt jointed/glued?

- Owen -