Woodworker's Journal 2009-33-6, страница 52
Keller (800) 995-2456 For more info on the web: use our Tool Review 1601 Pro Series $269 Tool Review continues on page 56... Registering the pin board for accurate joint alignment is as easy as holding the boards together and knifing a pair of tail lines onto it. The template is engineered with the necessary pin/tail offset already calibrated. Two wraparound stops on top of the jig set your pin and tail board locations automatically. Once the stops are tightened, it's ready to mill both joint parts. The jig is even helpfully labeled to clarify which side of the template does what and with which bit — a piloted straight and dovetail bit are supplied. Gifkins sells clamps and brackets to secure the boards, or use your own clamps. The only fine-tuning required — a one-time job on this jig— adjusts the pin thickness. It's a simple matter of adding shims behind the pin backup board. Six dovetail templates are available to rout various pin sizes and spacings. The jig can also make Gifkins's one-piece pin/tail template and wraparound stops (right photo) form a solid platform for routing perfect through dovetails. The author's first test cuts created the box in the left photo. Keller Model 1601 Pro Series Keller aluminum dovetail templates have been around since 1976, and now I know why They're practically bulletproof and are wonderfully straightforward to use. I was sent the Model 1601 template kit, which routs 7°, 7/16" dovetails, spaced l'/s" on-center, with a pair of Keller piloted dovetail and straight bits. Two hefty l/2"-thick templates get that job (lone — one for pins and one for tails — on any width stock. Getting the system up and running is quick: you mount each template to a block of wood that becomes a workpiece clamping surface. Only the pin template Heavy-duty templates create through dovetails on any part width, quickly and accurately, www. kellerdovetail. com box joints but not half-blinds. A standard kit includes the jig, bits and an "A10" template that routs 10mm pins in stock up to 1/2" thick. Other templates and cutters, available as upgrades, mill larger dovetails in stock up to 7/8" thick. The jig is limited to boards around 12" wide or less. After I added a few of the included paper shims, this jig cut flawless dovetails. The clearly written manual made my learning curve easy. While $249 may seem like a lot to pay for one size and style of dovetails, Gifkins will have you cutting them almost effortlessly ... and liking it! Keller jigs have proven themselves in pro shops for more than 30 years. Once they're set, you'll rout crisp dovetails with little fuss. 54 December 2009 Woodworker's Journal |
