Leigh DR4 PRO

[Mickfb]

I have just received the dovetail jig this week. Had a chance to play with it this weekend.
I had been going between the Woodrat and the Leigh. In the I choose the Leigh. In the end it was the engineering of the product that swung it for me.
The manual is excellent it takes you stage by stage to produce the first ' through dovetail ' project.
I can see things getting a bit more complex as you get more into the jig.
I bought the dust extraction unit for it and boy am I glad, it is excellent.

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EDIT> resized rotated picture.

 

[jacko9]

Nice, and I see that you also bought the chip and dust attachment (great buy).  Look over their tips section and use paste wax on the jig surface and on the bottom of your router for more efficient control.  I didn't notice if you have the 36mm Festool hose or not, but the 27mm hose caused me to get some clogging at the hose fixture interface connection.

Jack

 

[rst]

Three thumbs up for the DR4, love mine!  Every bit as well engineered as Festool.

 

[Roseland]

Three thumbs up for the DR4, love mine!  Every bit as well engineered as Festool.

But better manuals!

Andrew

 

[Kev]

I am trying so hard not to buy one of these until I have a specific need.

You're not helping [embarassed] [sad]

 

[Mickfb]

Kev I think that you should get one NOW. So when you do need it you will know how to use it!  [big grin]

 

[jacko9]

Leigh also has a great deal on carbide dovetail cutter sets.  But, the one item that is a must buy when you get the DR4 Pro is their dust collection attachment which also doubles as a router rest to prevent tilting the router while cutting.

Jack

 

[Sparktrician]

If you have the LR 32, you might want to look at the Super Jigs as a less expensive alternative to the D4R.  The Super Jigs do everything that the D4R except do system holes. 

 

[PreferrablyWood]

I like to see info on the Dovetail Jig particularily the Leigh D4 with the accessory kit it seems like it's the one to get, and seems you can work with some pretty thick stock for big pieces.. I don't see that the D4 is that much more expensive than the Super 24, and it seems the D4 is easier to work with and easier to learn..

 

[Gary in Texas]

Leigh is coming out with a new router table based jig, the RTJ400.  It looks pretty cool, has a few new features such as an elliptical guide bushing offering adjustments to 0.001" (.025mm). They show retail pricing at $365 US/CAN.

Rather than moving the router and bit over the boards/guide, with the RTJ400 you move the wood/guide over the bit.  I guess I would question the stability of trying to move a long board clamped in the jig.