Here’s my first use of my D4R Leigh Dovetail Jig with VRS router support and vacuum connection. I must say it’s a little more complicated than I thought it would be at first and I’m not certain how I’ll adjust for other thicknesses of wood other than 3/4 at the moment…but I suspect that as I use it I’ll test and try to do things in a new way. I still have some adjusting since I had trouble with the VRS router support/vacuum connection. It wasn’t as smooth as I thought it would be and it also gave me a bit of trouble with light. It shades the work area and makes it tougher to see where I was routing. I may have to add more light to my project area…or at least different sources of light so that I can see what I’m doing a little better. I kept forgetting to turn on the vac so in one spot on the video you can see wood chips blowing around. I did learn some things about this jig…and how the pins and tails are created…mine were long on both accounts. That’s an adjustment of the depth of cut. I need to make certain that the router blade just touches my pencil mark or is a little above it….rather than splitting the pencil mark as suggested in Leigh’s DVD movie. There’s some serious trial and error here. At one point making the pins, I believe, I had to adjust for the second set and they came out a bit shorter than the first set…much better.
-- /\/\/\ BarryW /\/\/\ Stay so busy you don't have time to die.






















11 comments so far
dustynewt
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450 posts in 760 days
posted 606 days ago
Looks like you’re gettin’er done. Like anything, trial and error is essential. Don’t rush it. Fine video coverage as well.
-- Please visit me at http://dustynewt.com
Scott Bryan
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20761 posts in 720 days
posted 606 days ago
Hi Barry,
I have been looking at one of these for some time now so your video was very helpful. By the way you produced a nice video too. It was a good demonstration of the jig.
Keep practicing.
-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.
Al Navas
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289 posts in 773 days
posted 605 days ago
Barry,
GREAT going! Sometimes it appears the Leigh jig is cumbersome. But, all of a sudden, it will hit home, and you will tell yourself “Man, it IS easier than I thought at first!!!” Keep going, and you WILL soon get it perfectly.
If you wish to view something you WILL be able to make soon, and you have a little time, look at my blog post about inlaid dovetails. I merged Parts 1 & 2 to submit to FineWoodworking's GlueTube video blog some time ago.
Enjoy!
-- Al Navas, St Joseph, MO, http://sandal-woodsblog.com
GaryK
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9537 posts in 886 days
posted 605 days ago
Great job Barry. I use my jig so infrequently that I have to ready the directions every time I use it.
-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.
VADOC
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5 posts in 649 days
posted 605 days ago
First I thought I heard a Johann Hummel trumpet concerto, then some Pytor Tchaikovsky, starts innocently enough, but then you’re on to Sergy Prokofiev , or Borodin, or Rimsky-korsokov, oh, where will it end?? ( Ok, I’m an addict myself)
Karson
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25806 posts in 1298 days
posted 605 days ago
Great Barry. I need a training class every time I bring it out of it’s chest.
-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com â€
Al Navas
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289 posts in 773 days
posted 605 days ago
Barry,
I came back to re-read your comments about the tails and pins being a little long. You said: ”...and how the pins and tails are created…mine were long on both accounts.”
You always want both tails and pins to be just slightly long (i.e., proud of the sides), to make sure you can trim them to be perfectly flush with the sides of the box. Normally, a quick sanding is all it takes to get them truly close; then you use either a block plane, or a card scraper to get them perfectly flush.
The alternative, if they turn out too short, is a LOT more sanding required, as THEN you must sand the entire surface of each side – not what you want to do. In this process you might take the box out of square, which might become noticeable to the naked eye.
I wish you great success with dovetails. My next project will be with half-blind dovetails. I will publish this as a video on my blog.
-- Al Navas, St Joseph, MO, http://sandal-woodsblog.com
Dan Lyke
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607 posts in 1023 days
posted 605 days ago
I’ve got the 24 Super with the VRS, and I stand over the router and look down at the far side of the pins to figure out where I should be routing. It’s cured me of a very bad habit of trying to see under the router (exactly the wrong place for your face to be in case of catastrophic bit failure) with my old dovetail jig.
I too am playing with just how deep to set the plunge depth with different woods, but I’m finding that with Lyptus, what I’ve been cutting most of recently, I need to go a little shy of the line I draw.
Haven’t done anything with the jig but through dovetails yet, however now that I’ve done a whole bunch of ‘em, setup for that is way way easier than for the half-blind jig that this one replaced.
Al, I’ve got a wall mounted jewelry case coming up that I want to pull out all of the stops on, I’ll be watching your videos frame by frame.
-- Dan Lyke, Petaluma California, http://www.flutterby.net/User:DanLyke
cajunpen
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5968 posts in 964 days
posted 605 days ago
Very good Barry. I think you are off to an excellent start. Also, good job on the video, one of these days I’ll have to figure that process out as well.
-- Bill - "Suit yourself and let the rest be pleased." http://www.cajunpen.com/
rikkor
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11335 posts in 772 days
posted 605 days ago
Good job on the video.
Sawdust2
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1186 posts in 986 days
posted 595 days ago
I don’t think that they were too long, at all.
They should be slilghtly proud of the surface.
Did you remember to polish the keys? I ga-ron-tee you will get better performance.
Lee
-- No piece is cut too short. It was meant for a smaller project.