General Tools Woodworking Dovetail Jig - 12" Template Kit for Furniture & Wood Cabinet Making,Gold

This is a handy tool and great for first time users. The instructions are very helpful, tool comes with a dovetail bit as well, so no need to purchase any other items suggested when purchasing the tool. The alignment tools provided with this tool take some patience to set up, but you need to take your time with this detailed joint if you want a tight joint. I did experiment on the joint on scrap pieces of wood as suggested to make sure I got the desired tightness and to learn to work with each of the alignment components.I was building shelves (12-inch wide boards), so I wish I had purchased a tool that could handle the full board width. The slot centering tool provided with this tool is very handy and works well, but the limited width required I reset the tool multiple times for each joint.Overall, I am very pleased with this purchase - it is good for joint widths less than 4-inches. If I was to make more shelves, I would invest in the wider unit.

After 2-3 practices on cut off stock, It works well. Like any other tool, the more you use it, the better you get. When using harder stock than Walnut, like Purple Heart, when cutting pins be sure to listen to the router. That way you can hear when the bearing touches the plastic stop, as it's harder to "feel" when using very hard wood.I used a router table, which I'm sure produces better results. Very hard wood, like Wenge, and Purpleheart, is already prone to router and planer tear out. These woods are much harder than domestic hardwoods. The second photo shows Purpleheart and Wenge. I had some minor tear out on one of the Purpleheart tails. That was not the fault of the jig, but the nature of the type wood. A backer board would help. Domestic hardwoods work no problem. Through joints work ok, but don't come out perfect. Ensure the Pins board is cut using the EXACT thickness of the Tails board, like I didn't do.I finally got around to trying Edge-to Edge dovetails. They works well too.. The example is two edge-to-edge dovetails per box side (eight total), mitered, or beveled. It is the Quilted Maple with Leopard wood corners.I did find an issue with the provided bit. On harder wood, harder than Walnut like Purpleheart, or Bloodwood, the bit dulls even more rapidly. But more seriously, on harder wood, it can come loose in the collet. Initially, I thought it was my OEM collet. I bought a Whiteside collet, same thing. Later, I noticed the exposed shank, below the bearings, was shorter than my other ¼" shank bits. Anyway, I burned up the provided bit on the wine rack. Bottom line, the included bit sucks.I now use an Amana 14 degree ½" X ½" dovetail bit, and it works fine. But I guess that helps keep the package price down. I still love the jig, for the price.Edit: A backer board is a must for me now. I like to run a marking gauge lightly the height of tails of the tails on both sides prior to cut. That's just me.

There are other, more- and less-expensive versions of the Dovetailer, but given the quality and modest price, this fits my purposes quite well. Setting up takes a bit of practice, particularly if you're dovetailing pieces longer than the available slots. That's fairly easily overcome by using the indexing pin that comes with the tool. Careful attention should be paid to keep the spacing accurate, however. A dovetail bit comes with the tool also, but I was not impressed with it, and I have bits of my own that I am happier with.If you have a plunge router, be sure to lock the depth in before using this or any dovetail jig. I recommend using it a few times on scrap wood until you become comfortable with how it all works. I have a router dedicated to this tool and purpose, but if you don't have that luxury, at least use the most powerful router you can afford, since end-grain work can be challenging. Would I buy it again? Yep.

I am very happy with the jig. I have never made dovetails before, and I did not expect this to be something that I use to complete all of my joinery. I bought this to become familiar with this type of joint. The first try, I had to adjust the router bit down a tiny bit on the tails to make the joint fit, but very easy to set up and makes good joints. My only suggestion would be to purchase a better bit. After a few pieces of wood, this bit dulled and started causing major tear out. The bearings on this bit came apart very quickly, make sure you wear eye protection. I purchased a new bit at Lowes and already had plenty of bearings to keep my work moving. It is small, and if you are trying to create a larger joint, mark it out where you want the pins and tail. If you try to do a larger piece with numerous pins, you have to continually move the piece and re-align it to the jig. Other than that, I am more than satisfied. The next thing that I will add to this will be a backer board to minimize the tear out. I tried using a piece loosely with the jig, had to keep lining it up with the jig and the work piece. I will try to make a dedicated piece that is permanently attacked.

Fiddley set up, short lived router bit and flimsy clamping mechanism. The bit setting hight gauge is off by a 32nd inch or so you are not likely to get a good fit without filling or trimming the pins. I found it was easer and less monkey business to hand cut and fit the dovetails.