Considering the Keller dovetail jig. I am aware of the Leigh system and how good it is. I have cut by hand for years and do a lot of through dovetails. In an effort to conserve time I would like to try a jig. I notice that Keller makes a 1500 Journeyman series that is reasonable. It compares to their 1601 in capacities as far as I can see. It is made of phenolic instead of aluminum and combines the tails and pins into one plate. Other than that, I don’t see much difference.
Anyone out there used the 1500 or have knowledge of a comparison of this series to the Keller 1601. There is a $150 price difference. I’m not sure why at this point, but would like to be en-lightened..SOS..
sarge..jt
Replies
MLCS has two aluminum ones that look very similar ro the Keller jig. I have used one and found it easy to set up and, once set up, gave consistently good results. They have a web site.
Art
Art:
Thanks. Do you know the website. I'm new to these computers and not to saavy with all that yet. I'll try the standard http://www.mlcs.com thing. If that is it, no need to reply.
Again thanks, as I want to shop for a decent jig at a lower price. I see the Leigh used here Highland Hardware a lot, but I won't use it enough to warrant that kind of price tag. Just looking for something to fill in the gaps on through d/t's when I get in a hurry, and that is not to often.
sarge..jt
Sarge
Go to
http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/smarthtml/pages/dovejig.html There's
a picture so you can make a comparison.
Art
Art:
Was posting John when your post came through. I will indeed go to that web-site and check it out. Usually do a lot of home-work b-4 I make a decision. Thanks for getting back so quickly. Got an old sheppard that wants out, so I'll check out MLCS in the next hour.
Again, thanks for the courtesy and follow-up!
sarge..jt
Sarge,
I use the 24" model, which I bought after using the 36" in a shop where I worked. A friend of mine has the phenolic one, which I think is the 1500, and he turns out beautiful work with it. There's no difference in use that I'm aware of. I'm pretty sure the 15" phenolic uses the same bits as the 1600 (16" aluminum); if not, they'll be pretty close. Keller's website should show you (it's http://www.kellerdovetail.com). They're very helpful on the phone, too.
The only hesitation I'd have in buying the one-piece jig is that in practice you have to fine-tune the pin-cutting template to suit the material you're working with. If you make dovetails in pine with the pin-board set for a good fit, it'll be way too tight for cutting hard maple at the same setting; this seemed weird to me, but it's true. As long as shifting the backer doesn't mess up the tail-cutting operation, I'd say go for it.
John Casteen
http://www.fernhillfurniture.com
John:
Thanks for the reply. I had gone to the Keller web-site and yes, it's the same bits. The only difference I can tell is the one-piece which has to be reversed and it's phenolic as opposed to aluminum. All Kellers have bits that have a bearing built on-board so template guides aren't necessary. I usually shop quite extensively and look for details when making price comparisons. I will check out the MLCS as has been suggested. I am here in Atlanta so the guys at Highland Hardware can show me the difference as they are a Keller dealer as well as Leigh.
Again thanks, I was curious to hear from someone that had actually used or seen it used. Those big Kellers and Leighs are nice but impractical for the amount of time I will log on a jig. I still prefer hand-cutting, but I occassionally need a quick-fix when I have time constraints.
sarge..jt
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