Dovetail jig

[trackman]

I am going to make a box and want to use dovetails.  But I don’t want to spend hundreds on a jig or cut with Scrollsaw or by hand. Anyone know of a good cheap jig?

[Karl S]

Check on craigslist there are some on there most of the time.  Or Harbor Freight, don't know the quality of the H/F though .

[trackman]

Watched video of HF one didn’t look very good. Will check Craigslist 

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

There are alot of different jigs for a tablesaw on the net and here is a link. Box joints are much easier to do than dovetails but that is up to you. I have a dovetail jig along with many fancy jigs that are done with a router. Easier to do because they make a dovetail bit. With a tablesaw you either tilt the saw blade or the jig fence. 

http://www.bing.com/search?q=cutting+dovetails+on+a+tablesaw&search=&form=QBLH&sp=-1&ghc=1&pq=cutting+dovetails+on+a+tablesaw&sc=1-31&qs=n&sk=&cvid=EE57B6E0878A4AA08626454F580C4935

[Rockytime]

Are there jigs for box joints. I am a novice when it comes to woodworking tools.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

37 minutes ago, Rockytime said:

Are there jigs for box joints. I am a novice when it comes to woodworking tools.

That is the simpliest jig to make and so easy. https://www.popularwoodworking.com/projects/tablesaw-box-joints/

Of course there are pro tools but box joints have been made for years. You can do bland box joints or even dovetail joints too. A tablesaw is such a versatile tool every woodshop needs one. I can not see how anyone who works with wood can not have one. 

Here is a few more jigs you can make.

https://www.tablesawcentral.com/the-ultimate-list-of-table-saw-jigs/

 

I am working on making a jig for cutting thin staves without having to tilt my blade. Have not got this figured out just yet. Anyone want to post some ideas???  I am open to them. May have to stick to just tilting blade for better repeatable measurements. 

Edited February 9, 2020 by JTTHECLOCKMAN

[Rockytime]

Thanks. Very interesting. I'll study the videos tomorrow. 

[JimErn]

6 hours ago, JTTHECLOCKMAN said:

I am working on making a jig for cutting thin staves without having to tilt my blade. Have not got this figured out just yet. Anyone want to post some ideas???  I am open to them. May have to stick to just tilting blade for better repeatable measurements. 

I'm not sure what you are wanting, but I think you want to cut a beveled edge with a vertical table saw blade.  If so have you looked at building a miter jig, something like this one

 

[Sycamore67]

Just a comment and observation.  I have made a lot of dovetail boxes and joints with a variety of jigs.  It takes time and practice to do it decently.  Jigs and routers need to be zeroed in to get a good fit. I currently use a Leigh D4 which is one of the best and it can take several practice joints to get right.  The same goes with box joints and  good fit.  I built a jig for my router table and it works ok.  One needs to be accurate when building the jig.

All of these joints and beveled corners take some skill and practice. However, it is always a good feeling to have completed a good one. 

[trackman]

Thanks JT for the links. I will read up and watch them.  I am mainly a Scrollsaw guy but there are times I like to branch out to harder and different things. 

[amazingkevin]

3 hours ago, JimErn said:

I'm not sure what you are wanting, but I think you want to cut a beveled edge with a vertical table saw blade.  If so have you looked at building a miter jig, something like this one

 

I love the  simplicity of this and accurate too!!!

[rjweb]

Leigh has a dovetail and box joint jig you use with your router, they cost 99.00 at woodcraft, RJ 

[Heli_av8tor]

I use the Incra router table fence system for dovetails (and most anything else) on my router table. Though it doesn’t meet your criteria for inexpensive, it’s versatility makes up for that to me.

The dedicated dovetail jigs seemed like a pain to set up.

Taking a quick look I see there’s a lot more variations now then when I bought mine 20 years ago and it’s a bit confusing. 

Tom

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

6 hours ago, JimErn said:

I'm not sure what you are wanting, but I think you want to cut a beveled edge with a vertical table saw blade.  If so have you looked at building a miter jig, something like this one

 

Jim I have something like that when making angle cuts for edges of boxes and works great. What I am looking to do is have an adjustable angle jig so that I can make long length of staves so that when put together they form a circle. Now the angles are adjusted to the amount of staves needed to form the circle. The staves are thin because they will wrap a pen tube which many times is around 1/2" or a little better. So I need to be able to repeat the size of the staves, have them fall clear of the blade, and be accurate. Right now the only way I can think of doing this is with changing blade angle and doing everything flat on the table. This is not too bad because of the wixie angle device I have and also the stop block for size of staves so for now that looks like the way I will go but at some time I may revisit this idea and see what I can do. 

[tgiro]

When you're talking dovetail, you're talking about a router with a jig and dovetail bit. Incra has their Incra jig, to use on a router table it's not that expensive and you can built your own fence for it -- https://www.incrementaltools.com/Original_INCRA_Jig_with_1_hour_Instructional_DVD_p/ij32.htm

If you want their fence system for it (I highly recommend it) -- http://www.incrementaltools.com/INCRA_Jig_Fence_System_p/ij32fncsys.htm

This is what I use. It comes with a DVD which shows how to set it up and use it correctly. I don't do much dovetail - so, I needed something simple to use and works well.

The key is having a decent router table. I've tried some of the other jigs that use hand held routers and gave up. I was never able to get the correct positioning on those things.

Edited February 9, 2020 by tgiro
fixed link

[oldhudson]

I see a lot of SSV folks have responded here and it's obvious people are pretty opinionated about them. I've made dozens of drawers and boxes with a old, and I mean old, Craftsman jig. It's really basic. But it works just fine and produced excellent standard dovetails. There must be a couple dozen models on the market. And I just checked CL and there were 14 for sale from $40 to $400 (Leigh D4R Pro). Some have mentioned that box joints (aka finger joints) are easier to cut and you can make your own jig. Absolutely. I've made one. But they aren't dovetail joints, which is what you said you were after. If you choose to purchase a dovetail jig, new or used, make sure you get the guide bushings, router bit, as well as the jig. Then I'd take time to ensure that your router sub base is compatible with the guide bushing. I have to purchase an attachment for my Bosch to use guide bushings.

[Rockytime]

Lots of great information here. The down side is in order to make precision jigs it requires excellent equipment. I see all the fancy rip fences, miters etc and they all look wonderful. My little folding Kobalt saw and simple $125 router table are not able to produce such things easily. At 81 and a few disabilities there is not much point in upgrading my equipment. Even if I did I would not have the strength to use them. However, my curiosity has been satisfied due to all the great responses here. Thanks gang, I appreciate it!

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

You all do know you can do dovetails with your scrollsaw too right??? Just look at the box expert on this site Dave Monk. https://www.scrollsawvillage.com/profile/28878-dave-monk/