LEIGH Box Joint & Beehive Router Jig, Model B975

Great product. I had never cut a box joint before and this jig made it very easy once it was all set up. If you’re using a Bosch router you will need the Bosch bushing kit. I set the router bit depth an extra 1/16” deep when cutting the joints, which makes the ends of the pins stick out. Then I used a flush trim router bit with a bearing guide to smooth them after the glue up.

I put the template together yesterday with ease, the video and paper instructions are very easy to understand. The one issue I am having is with the bushing. I have a bosh router and I realize I need a kit, but I am not sure which one I need to buy. Can anyone give me this information?

If you can follow directions, you can make beautiful, tight box joints. Upgrade to the carbide uncut router bit. Much cleaner, no tear out.

I've been tossed up between which jig system I want to gradually switch to. Last minute i changed from Rockler to Leigh. Excellently thought through product, easy to set up and use. Don't forgeet to get a bushing adapter for your particular router.

I've owned this product for about a month now and I have made around 15 bee boxes with it (nucs, deeps, mediums, and some mini mating nucs). With that said, let's dig in.First, does this product do what it claims to do?Yes. It makes box joints. All of my joints have been 3/4" joints so I have not messed with the 1/2" joints.ConstructionThe jig is fiberglass/plastic and is flimsy. For example, if the wood is cupped slightly it can move the jig forks.SetupInitially, I didn't have 3/4" MDF so I used a 2x4 as outlined in the instructions. The 2x4 didn't work well so I ended up having to go to Lowes and buy a 4'x8' piece of 3/4" MDF so that I could cut out a (2) 15" pieces. I think the MDF cost somewhere around $40 so the jig cost me, at this point in time, $150.I've set the jig up twice (once on a 2x4 and once on MDF) and each time I get a sliver of wood at the start that I can't get rid of. The sliver is the same thickness so this leads me to believe that the jig might be off or maybe I'm that good. However, I would hedge a bet that there isn't something quite right with the jig. After investing over $100 in a jig that only does box joints, I found that it was really annoying that I had to purchase extra materials to actually use it. I'm not sure why they don't make a single molded piece that you can screw into a workbench that way it would be set up perfectly from the factory.UsageTo use the guide I had to purchase a new router because I didn't have time to order the piece I needed for my Bosch router (my bees were swarming and I needed boxes). So, add another $200 to the tab for the Dwalt router. When I set the router up (I own 3 routers so I've done this before) everything looked ok until I turned it off and the bit came flying out of the router despite everything being tight. I'm not sure what happened. I put the bit back in and cleaned out my underwear and tried it again and it seemed to work ok.The next issue was trying to adjust the depth of the bit. Despite using a piece of scrap wood and drawing a line as it stated in the book, I ended up ruining two 1x12 boards (tack on another $12 for rough-cut 1x12s) trying to get tight box joints. Through trial and error, I learned that the front pieces of the hive box should be "s" and the sides should be "p"s. This allows you to cut the notch in the top for the frames on a table saw.When assembling the boxes, one of the sides always seems to be slightly off. I've had to hand plane each box to give a snugger fit. This is really frustrating because I can't figure out why this is occurring. Despite all of the sides being the same size and explicitly following the provided instructions. I've even numbered the sides to see if that helped and it didn't. I'm baffled. The one board is always about 1/16" off. At first, I thought this was due to the sliver that is always left on the one side but it isn't.When making deep brood boxes, the last finger on each of the "P" pieces blows out on the backside. I've tried everything to prevent this and it does it every time I cut the joint. Every box I make has a gash taken out of the one side due to this blowout. My belief is that the router bit they send with the jig is causing it to the blowout. I ordered a spiral bit (not from this company) to test this theory. It didn't arrive yet so unfortunately, I can't say if this is the cause or not.Finally, despite not having touched any of the settings and holding the router the same way, some of the joints are flush with the surface of the board and others are slightly recessed. I can't figure out how this is happening because everything is clamped down and snug.Would I buy this item again?It makes box joints as advertised. I think the quality is greatly lacking. I think that it should be ready to use straight out of the box. I don't think you should have to purchase extra items to make the item you purchased usable. I also don't like that some of the joints fit really well and then the very next batch is slightly recessed. After using this item for the last month, I don't think that I would purchase it again. Instead, I would take the time to make a table saw jig and save the extra $60 + dollars.

Great product! Only downside was I had to buy and additional attachment for my router for it to be used. But love the ease of use for making bee boxes!

It worked well on 4 beehives. I used a drill press to build my template.I also had an accident. I had lined up the bottom plate on my Bosch router successfully but not centered in the screw holes. This is because I had been switching back and forth to a router table that I made using flat head rather than counter sunk screws.The cutting tool was touching the inside of the guide that comes with this kit but I hadn't noticed till it was too late.. I turned the router on and the guide unspun from the collar nut shooting the guide and the nut across the room in almost no time.I put it back together to see what had happened and it was quickly clear. Switched to countersunk screws available anywhere and it was centered and worked like a charm despite the hiccup.I think the kit is a bit pricey at $99 otherwise I would have given 5 stars.

This jig is far from ready to use out of the box and will require a few more purchases on your part after it arrives. There's a 65-page user guide that concludes with a chapter on all the guide bushing adapters you'll need to buy for your router in order to use the product. Example: I have a Bosch Colt PRO20EVS. I've had to buy three adapters totaling over $30. So it's now been eight days since getting the jig and I'm still waiting on router adapters that you can't buy at the local hardware store. IN ADDITION, you'll have to buy 3/4" MDF to make the beam you'll attach the jig to. Prepare to spend $15 on that. The mounting and assembly instructions are a pain. Really, Leigh, you couldn't have mounted this on MDF for us? You pass along the hassle of installing the side stops to the buyer? What a crock. I have no idea if this jig is worth a damn because I'm still collecting all the things I need to use it for the first time. An expensive jig that forces you to spend another $45 on accompanying hardware is not my idea of a good product. DO NOT BUY!!!!