Which Dovetail Jig?

I’ve got the Rockler and I’m sorry I do. For me, it’s too much of a bother to get it set up. Every now and then I try again; follow the direction meticulously and still requires tedious tweaking. For the most part, it sits on a shelf and collects dust.

-- When you give someone a chance it may well be their last.

I kinda thought the Rockler one looked a bit cheesy… I’m really leaning towards the Porter-Cable..

-- Centerville, MN - Hobbyist and DIYer

If I had the money, I would buy the Leigh. The adjustment variations make it extremely versatile. That said, I have the PC Omni-jig. PC does make a thru dovetail adapter similar to Leigh but it is difficult to setup. The PC is nice because you rout the side and front at the same time.

LEw

I have an older omni. works good. Will give it another go around this month while building a wet bar. I could probably get adsolutely tight joints, but with some glue and a couple of staples they are 95% okay and it impresses people I am building them for. Sad thing is, that what I consider to be okay is better than the crap they can get anywhere else. I am actually saving up for a production dovetail machine, $3-5K. But since I teach woodshop I can get someone else to foot the bill and get the luxury of using it. However if I was going to choose a jig, it would be the leigh, but can’t afford that so I have the omni. Good luck.

LEIGH!

Leigh gets my vote.

-- Depend on the rabbit's foot if you will, but remember it didn't work for the rabbit.

now if only Rockler carried the Akeda….. but since they dont- I’d go for the Leigh hands down.

-- My Drinking Club has a Woodworking Problem...

I’ve got to say that I’m very happy with my Porter-Cable 24”. Check out the write-up I did a few months ago: Unbox: Porter-Cable 24 Omnijig

I’ve got the Porter Cable and like it very much. Simple to use ans set up. I was making joints 30 minutes after I gout it out of the box. Now it’s read in a minute or two. I looked at the others and though they have many nice features I liked the simple design of the PC and for what I do would rarely (if at all) use the features of the others.

-- Bruce from Central New York

I haven’t had the luxury of using the leigh or the rockler, but i have had the opportunity to use the PC. Quick set up, and very user friendly. I might have to look into these alternatives as well when i am ready to buy one.

-- I came, I saw, I pondered...

I’ve got the Leigh Super 24 and so far I love it. I’ve only used it for through dovetails, but setup is easy, pretty foolproof, dust collection is decent, I’m a fan.

-- Dan Lyke, Petaluma California, http://www.flutterby.net/User:DanLyke

i have both a leigh D4R and a porter cable 4212. the D4R is more versatile, and mine is a 24”. It is also easier to set and has easier to understand instructions.
The 4212 has good instructions but is limited. If your doing alot of small projects where you want equally spaced out dovetails, or doing drawers, the 4212 is good, but not much can beat a leigh for ease of use and versatility.

-- Joey, Magee, Ms http://woodnwaresms.com