Woodworker's Journal 2009-33-6, страница 54

Tool Review

MLCS

Fast Joint $169.95

Fast Joint's interchangeable templates produce many unique joint designs on the router table. www.mlcswoodworking.com (800) 533-9298

For more info on the web: use our

requires initial adjustment, and that happens by sliding it back and forth on two slotted screw holes, making a few test cuts and fastening it permanently with heavy screws.

I followed the manual's recommendations for initial template setback on the blocks. To my surprise, the pin size was spot-on: my first test joint was a pleasing slip fit, ready for glue and clamps.

The process for making a joint involves routing the tail board first on either your router table or with a handheld machine. Then you use the tail board as a pattern to knife a single tail location onto the pin board. No calculations or difficulty to it. Clamp the pin template to these lines, and rout the pins. Careful knife lines will ensure dead-even board edges when you're done.

Keller Pro templates come in three sizes. While they're meant for fixed-space joints, you can vary the pattern by shifting the template during routing. A $269 price tag may seem high for a jig that only cuts through dovetails. (A lower-priced "Journeyman" series is also available.) Still, these Pro templates carry 20-year warranties and should take a lifetime of hard use.

MLCS Fast Joint System

Want to add some flair to your half-blinds? Here's a jig that will make the conventional wedges, as well as key- and heart-shaped joints, just by

A wide jig base faced with sandpaper and three supplied toggle clamps hold workpieces securely for router table use. A right-angle fence mounts on the jig to rout pin boards vertically.

switching between interchangeable templates. Fast Joint will do through dovetails, too. The company also sells a variety of other templates as accessories to expand the options even further.

Here's how it all works: the jig consists of an "H"-shaped platform with stops and toggle clamps on each end. Pin and tail templates bolt in place on opposite sides, which also registers their offset. For half-blinds, you cut the joint pins by standing the workpiece against a right-angle fence that clamps to the jig base. The tail slots are milled with the board lying down and clamped. Both pins and tails are cut vertically for through dovetails. All the milling happens on the router table, using guide collars and bits that MLCS supplies with the system. In fact, MLCS provides everything you need — even spring clamps! — for a convenient, all-in-one package.

Fast Joint will rout boards up to 14" wide in stock from 1/4" to 3/4" thick; through dovetails are limited to 3/8" or thinner material.

This jig took me longer to set up and learn than some others. But, its

Fast Joint's interchangeable templates come in several decorative styles. They will add a whole new dimension to your corner joinery.

manual is well written and clearly photographed to explain the step-by-step process. Keep it in a safe place for a refresher course if you don't rout dovetails very often.

Tool Review continues on page 58...

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December 2009 Woodworker's Journal