OF 2200 dovetail jig and joint question

[muffledjuggler]

Hi everyone. Complete newbie here. Want to get into basic woodwork, making bookcases and other simpler objects and then build up as my experience improves. Want to do dovetail joints. As per usual I have gone overkill and ordered the most biggest, expensive kit, thinking i'll never need to upgrade. I have the OF2200 router on order along with the MFT3 and TS75. I have now realised the dovetails jig VS600 is only compatible with the OF1100.
I am not planning on installing the router under a table. Does anyone know of any other versatile dovetails jigs that I use on my OF 2200 on? Or do I just stump another ton load of cash on the OF1100 and VS600 and accessories. I am based in Australia. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Birdhunter]

I highly recommend doing a Google search on dovetail jigs and a similar search on Youtube. Both Leigh and Porter Cable make good products. I believe they are good with any router as long as you have the correct bushing and router bit.

I use a Domino for almost all of my bookcase and similar construction. It is tons faster although it doesn't have the visual impact as dove tails.

 

[Sparktrician]

Suggest that you purchase the OF 1010.  The OF 2200 is a well-mannered beast that does very well with large routing tasks, but is WAY too heavy for doing dovetail work.  In contrast, the OF 1010 is a light-weight dream for doing dovetails and other tasks not meriting the use of the OF 2200.  [smile]

 

[rmhinden]

Suggest that you purchase the OF 1010.  The OF 2200 is a well-mannered beast that does very well with large routing tasks, but is WAY too heavy for doing dovetail work.  In contrast, the OF 1010 is a light-weight dream for doing dovetails and other tasks not meriting the use of the OF 2200.  [smile]

I agree, bigger is not always better.   The OF 1010 also has the ability to easily center the guide bushing.   

Leigh also makes a guide bushing adapter that allows for fine adjustment to the fit of the dovetails.  See:
https://www.leightools.com/guide-bushings-adaptors/

They, of course, also make very nice dovetail and box joint jigs.

Bob

 

[Birdhunter]

The 1010 is a sweet machine, but so is the 1400. I prefer 1/2” shanks and the 1010 can’t use those.

 

[Cheese]

If you're producing a bunch of dovetailed items, the Keller production jigs are one of the slickest items out there.
https://kellerdovetail.com/models.html

 

[Packard]

[...] As per usual I have gone overkill and ordered the most biggest, expensive kit, thinking i'll never need to upgrade.[...]

I take a different approach.

1.  I never buy equipment until I actually need it to complete a job.
2.  I always look to see what the workhorse of the industry is and I try to buy that item.

In the case of a dovetail jig, I bought a Porter-Cable 4212 dovetail fixture and a Porter-Cable 690 router.  It is compact and works very well. 

I bought a second 4212 and a second P-C 690 so that I never break down my setup and I am ready to make drawers by simply cutting the blanks.  I leave it set up for through dovetails.

I am a big believer of letting the marketplace guide me.  If most of the professionals are choosing "X" brand, and the reviews are good, then that is what I go with. 

 

[woodbutcherbower]

Hi mate,

Although there are some decent dovetail jigs out there suitable for use with half-inch collet routers - the OF2200 is a great lumbering beast of a machine (in a good way) and will almost certainly be way too big and heavy for a job as delicate as dovetailing. Put it this way - even after 40 years on the tools as a professional joiner, I'd struggle using something of the 2200's size and weight for that task. It's just not something I'd even want to attempt. You'll see exactly what I mean when it gets delivered and you try and lift it out of the case for the first time.

To give you an Aussie vehicle comparison - for dovetailing, you need a Toyota UTE. The 2200 is a B-Triple Kenworth road train. My best advice (as other posters have also said) is therefore to bite the bullet and get a quarter-inch router as well. Doesn't necessarily have to be an OF1010, there are some really good machines out there at less cost. You might even find that the pistol grip design doesn't suit you, and that you prefer a conventional 2-grip machine instead. I do my dovetails using a Makita RP1100C and a Trend jig. Works great and doesn't give you a hernia. You'll also find it very useful for detailing, edge-moulding, trimming and similar.

Oh - and as an aside (and if you haven't already done so), I'd strongly recommend that you get the accessories kit for the 2200. (ZS-OF 2200M). It gives you a parallel guide with its rods, 4 additional baseplates for different functions, a guide rail adapter, an undermount extraction hood, a bunch of additional guide bushes and so on. It's pretty much a mandatory inclusion and massively expands the scope of what you can do with the machine.

Hope you get fixed up down under. Greetings from up over.

 

[rmhinden]

The 1010 is a sweet machine, but so is the 1400. I prefer 1/2” shanks and the 1010 can’t use those.

The 1010 also support 8mm shanks, these are IMHO more than adequate for use in a dovetail jig.

Bob

 

[AstroKeith]

I have the Porter Cable 4216 (like the 4212 but with extra templates) jig and find it excellent for occasional work. In the UK it was very well priced, although the imperial/unique dovetail cutters are inconvenient. Today I'd buy the UJK version.

I use the OF1400 and no way could it be done with anything heavier.

Could you change the order?

 

[Packard]

Back in 2018 I bought a compact Dewalt router (DWP611PK).  I have a 50-year-old Craftsman router that still works, the two dedicated P-C 690 work horses for the dovetail jig, a 2 h.p. Hitachi plunge router that is monstrously heavy and bulky, and the DeWalt compact router.

Invariably, when the compact DeWalt is capable of the work, that is the router I reach for.  The compact size and light weight win the day.

Note:  I have not used a Festool router and I have no comment on those until I do.

 

[rst]

I have Leigh's DR-4 and keep a PC 690 setup for that jig solely.  Fast and efficient for dovetails and box joints.

 

[Packard]

Dovetails are fast and easy, but the setup is time consuming. It is the classiest way to build drawers (and the strongest). Having a dedicated setup eliminates the one objection that the setup is too time consuming for one drawer.

 

[muffledjuggler]

Thank you for all the helpful replies. I think I will go for the Leigh DR4 and get a small router. I am not sure to get the OF 1010 or the OF 1400. I'd go for the 1400 if it was my only router. However if I keep the 2200, then likely go for the 1010 as then I have something at each end of the size range.

 

[ChuckM]

I suggest that you do a bit of research on the dovetail jigs before buying one. For example, the VS600 you mentioned was considered to have a difficult learning curve by Fine Woodworking.

The Leigh DR4 or other Leigh models come with excellent manuals. but they, too, have bigger learning curve (than, say, Keller's which is among the simplest and easiest to learn and use, but it is also less versatile (fixed spacing; for variable one, you need to move the jig)). However, in terms of dust collection, the Leigh VRS system is second to none.

 

[woodbutcherbower]

Thank you for all the helpful replies. I think I will go for the Leigh DR4 and get a small router. I am not sure to get the OF 1010 or the OF 1400. I'd go for the 1400 if it was my only router. However if I keep the 2200, then likely go for the 1010 as then I have something at each end of the size range.

That’s a good call if your budget will stretch to it. The 2200 is absolutely the best half-inch on the market - bar none - and as your hobby and skills develop, you’ll unquestionably find it being put to good use. A UTE and a road train. What a combo.

All the best.

 

[Vondawg]

BUT……..don’t forget to look into the centering (guide bushing) problem some have had with the 1400…very important with any of these jigs.

 

[Sparktrician]

If you're producing a bunch of dovetailed items, the Keller production jigs are one of the slickest items out there.
https://kellerdovetail.com/models.html

I rather like the adjustability of the Leigh Super 18.  Combine that with the OF 1010 and the Leigh 704R adapter, and you have a really great combination.