How To Set Up Dovetail Jig

Dovetail Jig

A standard dovetail jig package includes a full jig, two unassembled hand levers, and an instruction manual. You can follow the manual to finish the setup. What if you lost the manual or plan on setting up a jig that was unboxed a long time ago?

Well, this guide should help you understand and complete each step of the process which is nearly the same for the best dovetail Jig too.

Here are the instructions on how to set up dovetail jig:

Identifying the Adjustment Locations

Different parts of a dovetail jig are positioned in different locations which are critical to their accurate adjustments.

·         The workpiece is clamped by the hand levers.

·         The fence is held by the fence knobs. As you're trying to adjust the position of the fence, you should loosen the knobs.

·         The stops have an upper side which should be in horizontal alignment with the workpiece under the template.

·         The front side stops cause the alignment between the vertical and the horizontal workpiece.

·         The template stays in place with the support of its knobs. For the template adjustment, you must loosen these knobs.

·         The clamping bar’s height is determined by the clamping pressure knobs which also adjust the cam clamping pressure.

Assembling the Hand Levers

Unless you see the levers assembled, the first thing you want to do is put them in place.

·         Look at the levers to find a threaded end on each of them.

·         Screw that ends into the jig’s clamping rods which are usually located on the front and top of the jig.

·         Tighten the screws until you’ve them secured.

Mounting the Jig

The jig needs to be attached to a stable base, and a workbench is a no-brainer.

·         Put your jig on a benchtop in a way that the front lap stays against the front part of the benchtop.

·         Identify and mark the mounting holes looking at both the front and the rear part of the jig.

·         You should choose either screws or nuts and bolts. Drill the holes maintaining the appropriate sizing

·         Then, mount your jig to the benchtop.

Some woodworkers don’t use these jigs very often, and so, they avoid dedicating a workbench permanently. You can use a piece of ¾-inch plywood, clamp it to the benchtop, and then, mount your jig to that wood.

Adjusting the Clamp

In order to slide the workpiece smoothly under the bar as you raise the hand lever, you should adjust the clamping pressure.

To keep your workpiece in place, push your hand lever down but without applying too much force.

Sometimes, the lever may not lock securely if you apply an average amount of pressure. In that case, you should loosen all clamping pressure knobs. Don’t overdo it. Then, try locking the lever again.

Remember that too tight the clamping pressure knobs may cause the template to lift up slightly off the workpiece. Consequently, you’ll lose accuracy on the joint. Be mindful of the template while clamping down.

In case, your template gets flexed up, you need to loosen the clamping pressure knobs only a little. Try again, then.

Setting up the Side Stop

The side stops perform three very important tasks, such as keeping a workpiece just square to another and the fence, offsetting a workpiece the right amount, and providing a workpiece with the required lateral support during the routing operation. So, learning how to set up the side stops is important.

·         Loosen the jig’s fence and then slide it to the rear. Slide a drawer piece right under the template and the top clamp. Don it horizontally. Position the piece against the right or left side stop.

·         Find the side stop’s adjustment screw and loosen it. Shift both the workpiece and the side stop until you get the wood centered below the template fingers. This particular action allows you to get the tails and pins on the ends similar to each other. Tighten the adjustment screws again but don’t overdo it.

·         Hold your template from behind. Pull it gently forward until it gets tight. Once it does; you need to clamp your workpiece in position. Do the same every time during clamping the top workpiece so that you can get consistent subsequent cuts.

·         Now, a drawer side has to be vertically inserted under the front clamp. The height requires some adjustments so that the vertical piece’s top-end clearly overlaps the horizontal piece. Don’t be obsessed about wanting the pieces to be flush. After that, clamp the side in its place.

·         It’s time to release your horizontal piece. Find the side piece on the jig front and butt the horizontal piece against it. Try to have the horizontal piece positioned at the center below the template fingers. Then, clamp it again in place.

·         You need to ensure that the edges of the side pieces stay offset by the full width of any template finger. To do this, you should slide the side piece to the right after releasing it. With a standard template, the offset usually measures ½ inch. Clamp it again in place.

·         At this point, the front side stop has to be slid against the edge of the side piece and carefully tightened down. Don’t apply extra pressure.

·         The front of the drawer needs to be centered right under the template finger, and the side of the drawer should be offset from the front of the drawer by the full width of any template finger. Also, the edges should be flush against each other. Get the edges of the drawer flush against your side stops.

Thus, you can stay assured that the side stops are properly set up.

Adjusting the Template

You can adjust the template from the front to the back to have the joint hidden as you complete the dovetails. Loosen the couple of lock knobs on the template to do the adjustment. Avoid adjusting the screws while holding the template. Follow the steps below to adjust a template.

·     Mount all drawer pieces in your jig. Tighten the horizontal piece and keep it flush with the vertical piece. If the top of your vertical piece is flush with that of the horizontal piece, be happy to know that you’ve mounted correctly.

·         If you have a side piece that is thick by 7/8-inch or less, you should slide your template in a way that the front of your template fingers stays 1/8-inch back from the top of the vertical piece.

·         If your side piece is any thicker than 7/8 inch, you can add an additional 1/8 inch to make the board thicker than 7/8 inch. Set the template fingers’ front edge back from its main edge by that amount.

·         When you want to measure at the jig’s both ends, it’s good to shift the vertical piece to the jig’s other end. Alternatively, you can clamp both pieces at the jig’s each end. You need not necessarily use two rulers at a time because they represent only two different measurement locations.

·         Now, you have to tighten the couple of template lock knobs. After that, check the measurements once again. The adjustment of the template should be perfect by now.

Make sure that the edge of your vertical workpiece stays parallel to the template’s front edge. Experienced woodworkers measure at the two ends of a jig one by one to get the adjustment of the template right. Sometimes, both positions should be measured again for a higher level of accuracy.

Adjusting the Fence

Now that you’ve set up the side stops properly, it’s time for you to take the fence into care. It’s the fence that controls the router’s reach back into your template.

·         If you haven’t already set the fence back far enough, you can’t expect that the drawer pieces will fit together perfectly. Contrarily, a fence that is adjusted too far back leads the pieces to slide too far into each other and generate excess material on your dovetail joint.

·         Find the distance between the guide bushing’s outside edge and router’s edge.

·    Measure how thick the vertical drawer pieces are in your jig. You should have the figures in inches to avoid future confusions. This distance remains between the front edge of your template fingers and the fence.

·         Finally, you need to finish the fence adjustment keeping all these in mind.

 

Final Words

So, that’s the long and short of how to set up dovetail jig which takes some variable turns when you attempt to do various cuts like through or half-blind dovetails. However, safety is a serious concern, no matter if you’ve access to the best dovetail jig.

Try to keep your work area organized and clean and have all your guards (clothing and equipment) in place as you start the setup.

Happy dovetailing!