43 - Build Your Own Dovetail Jig, страница 2

43 - Build Your Own Dovetail Jig, страница 2

Issue 43_January 1999

PUBLISHER EDITOR ASSOCIATE EDITOR ASSISTANT EDITOR ART DIRECTOR SR. GRAPHIC DESIGNER SENIOR ILLUSTRATORS

Donald B. Peschke Tim Robertson Tom Begnal Bryan Nelson Cary Christensen Kurt Sehultz Roger Reiland Mark Higdon

CREATIVE RESOURCES

Creative Director: Ted Kralicek • Project Developer: Ken Munkel • Senior Project Designer: Kevin Boyle • Project Coordinator. Kent Welsh • Shop Manager: Steve Curtis • Shop Craftsman: Steve Johnson • Senior Photographer: Crayola England

BOOKS

Executive Editor: Douglas L. Hicks • Art Director: Steve Lueder • Sr. Graphic Designer: Chris Glowat'ki

CIRCULATION

Sub- Serv. DnvSandy Baum • New Bus. />/r.;Glenda Battles • Renewal Mgr.: Paige Rogers • Billing Mgr.: Rebecca Cunningham • Prom, Mgr.: Rick Junkins • New Bus. Mgr.: Todd 1,. Bierle • Asst. Sub. Mgr.: Joy Krause • Assoc. Gmphic Design Dh-SusieRider • Sr. G) xipltic Designer: Cheryl L. Simpson

CORPORATE SERVICES

V.P. of Planning & Finance: Jon Macarthy • Controller: Robin Hutchinson • Sr. Acct: Laura Thomas • Accts. Payable: Mary Sehultz • Accts. Rec.: Margo Petrus • Prod. Dir.: George Chmielarz • Elect, Pub.: Douglas M. Lidster • Prod. Asst.: Susan Rueve * Pre-Press Image Spec.: Troy Clark, Minnictte Bieghler • New Media Mgr.: Gordon C. Gaippe • Multimedia AH Dir.: Eugene Pedersen • II. R. Asst.: Kirsten Koele • Admin. Asst.: Julia Fish • RecepL: Jeanne Johnson, Sheryl Ribbey • Bldg. Maint: Ken Griffith • Special Proj. Dir.: Saville H. Inman

MAIL ORDER

Operations Dir.: Bob Baker • Matls Mgr.: Mark Mattiussi • Oust. Service Mgr.: Jennie Enos ♦ Warehouse Supr.: Nancy Johnson • Buyer: Linda Jones • Op. Asst.: Tammy Aldini Tech, Rep.: Matthew TeRonde • Oust, Serv. Reps.: Anna Cox, Tammy Truckenbrod, Adam Best, Nancy Downey, Deborah Rich • Warehouse: Sylvia Carey • Qual ity Control Technician: Frank Johnson

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EDITOR'S NOTE

Cutoffs

What's the best way to cut a dovetail joint? By hand? Or using a router and a dovetail jig? The answer is simple — it all depends.

hand-cut dovetails. Cutting dovetails by hand certainly isn't the quickest way to do it. Nevertheless, there is something satisfying about being alone in the shop, working quietly with a hand saw and chisel, and getting the dovetails to fit together just right.

But I have to admit it. When there are a lot of dovetails to cut, I'm usually only interested in one thing — getting the job done as quickly as possible.

dovetail jigs. That's when a dovetail jig and a router come in handy. A couple of the niftiest dovetail jigs I've seen (shown below) are designed to cut through dovetail joints. (These are the traditional dovetails that you often see on a project like a blanket chest or a dovetailed box.)

Although these jigs do a great job, they can cost anywhere from

$250 to $850.

shop-made version. That got me to thinking about building a shop-made version of a dovetail jig — one that wouldn't require a big investment in time and money. It had to be easy to build. And the dovetails would have to be accurate.

All in all, it sounded like an interesting challenge. How do you go about making a precision jig using ordinary tools and materials? The key is a special table saw technique that lets you accurately make a set of wedge-shaped fingers (page 16).

Editor's Note: Individual fingers of this type are the subject of two United States patents. The first patent (No. 4,428,408) is owned by Kenneth M. Grisley, President of Leigh Industries Ltd. The second patent (No. 5,832,977) is owned by R. Terry Hampton, President of Hampton House, Inc.

Leigh Dovetail Jig. It's hard to beat the versatility of this jig. The unique design of the fingers lets you rout through-dovetails, half-blind dovetails, and even sliding dovetail joints.

For more information or to place an order, contact Kenneth Grisley at 800-663-8932 or send a FAX to 604-464-7404.

Katie Dovetail Jig. This Katie Jig lets you rout accurate, through-dovetail joints without the usual trial and error process.

For more information or to place an order, contact F>. Terry Hampton at 317-881-8601 or send a FAX to 312-453-0667. You can email him at: info@katiejig.com or visit his web site at www.katiejig.com.

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ShopNotes

No. 43