Which Is Easier to Use: Porter Cable Dovetail Jig or Leigh Dovetail Jig?

  

01. Porter

02. Leigh

Both Leigh and Porter Cable ring a bell with woodworkers with any level of experience. They provide a long lineup of power and hand tools including dovetail jigs which often provoke points of argument among their supporters.

 

Though professionals want to consider product capabilities, technical specs, price, etc. while deciding on the best dovetail jig, we’ll look into only the ease of use offered by both Porter Cable and Leigh dovetail jigs because it’s the first thing you want to know when a trade like woodworking is concerned.

 

The idea of usability relates certain factors like assembly, mounting, applications in various dovetail cuts, and maintenance. In this article, we’ll discuss all of these to help you determine which one manufacturer beats the other in this area.

 

So, let’s get started!

 

Assembly

Considering the efforts to set up different models from the two companies, Porter Cable offers an upper hand. Most units come fully assembled except a few easy-to-use components.

 

On the other hand, Leigh jigs present a short learning curve right from the beginning. However, you can go ahead easily with the step-by-step instructions since each part fits perfectly with another, and the whole thing won’t take longer than 20-25 minutes.

 

Mounting

When you’re into this particular task, it’s hard to find the better because both companies seem to have done their homework to see that users have no difficulty getting their jigs mounted to their workbenches.

 

Make sure your workbench allows both horizontal and vertical mounting positions. Then, with the help of the user guide/manual, included clamps, and a little bit of labor, you can mount both a Leigh and Porter Cable jig in mere minutes.

 

Making the Dovetails

It’s the stage when your experience with the dovetail jigs gets real. Depending on your skills, you may want to create dovetails of various types and styles. There’re all kinds of jigs to help you with the typical ones like through, half-blind, full-blind, and sliding dovetails, each presenting a distinct set of requirements. So, let’s see how one can get along with the jigs from these providers as different dovetails are in order.

 

Through Dovetails

With everything else going normal for someone who knows their job or follows instructions, the only critical step here is to set the depth of the router bit. The router bit’s depth-of-cut determines whether you’ll get good-fitting joints or end up having some poor combinations of pints and tails. Also, different depth settings are required by different joints.

 

To get things as required, you need to follow only 3-4 small steps which are clearly outlined in the respective manuals. With a Porter Cable jig, you’ve fewer chances to make mistakes about the depth because the router bit that comes with the package is very precisely made. Except for this one thing, you won’t find anything special to identify the jig that’s easier to use.

 

Half-Blinds

Arguably the most popular of all joints, half-blind dovetails are known to deliver an edge in the drawer construction. A typical example can be a drawer with invisible joints when the drawer is closed and viewed from the front.

 

With a Leigh jig, a beginner may need to do some adjustments more than once, and even the experts would find it difficult to cut perfect half-blinds with a single setup attempt. The adjustment of the router’s height makes a common instance.

 

A Porter Cable machine requires that you mount the right offset guides. Some Porter Cable models allow you to cut both pins and tails for half-blind dovetails, which is a great convenience as it saves a lot of effort and time.

 

Despite being not very welcoming for newcomers, Leigh jigs compensate by giving you precise cuts so that the joints are interchangeable among the many pieces you make.

 

Dados/Sliding Dovetails

 

These dovetails are preferable to others when you’re about to make cabinets and shelves. With multiple preset depths designed for dadoes, Porter Cable jigs should give you a friendly time. For those wishing to achieve some exclusivity, there’re manual ways to set the depth of the router bit.

 

Leigh jigs aren’t going to be predictable because the need for the right setup is always obvious. On average, 2-3 instances of adjustments are common, and then, there’re the illustrated instructions. You can thank Leigh for being this considerate.

 

Regardless of your inclination toward either of the jigs, you should ensure that your router bit doesn’t cut right into the offset guides or the base during this kind of dovetailing.

 

Maintenance

No jigs remain the same for years if you don’t take care of them. With any make or model, you can’t forget about giving them some care once after using it on a few occasions.

 

Leigh dovetail jigs may pose some difficulty during their uses, but you’ll find them easier to maintain than their Porter Cable competitors. Guess how…

 

Since a lot of components come unassembled, and you’ll learn a lot during the assembly, you should become conversant about the assembly and different parts of a Leigh machine right from the start. So, cleaning them can be easy and an understandable job.

 

Porter Cable lets you go carefree about the assembly at the beginning, but eventually, you have the learning curve to undergo for maintenance. So, this task leaves you no difference to consider.

 

The Takeaway

After all these contrasting explanations, you may wonder which one will go easier letting you enjoy dovetailing rather than fretting about the ‘ease of use’ thing. Some key factors are here to address your concern right away.

 

Any of the two jigs will be good if –

·         Buying and mastering only one jig for half-blind and through dovetails are your objectives.

·         You choose to adjust the fit on your own.

 

Porter Cablejigs come easier when –

·         You want something ready for works or don’t want to bother much about setting up.

·         You’re comfortable with the tails and pins cut in the same pass.

·         Users don’t want to exercise extra caution about the depth of the router bit.

 

Leigh jigs are more desirable when –

·         Versatility in dovetailing operations is expected.

·         Asymmetrical dovetails are required.

·         You think you can enjoy working with adjustable or movable fingers.

 

Final Words

You may feel like being filled in on the choice of the best dovetail jig in terms of its usability. Some people simply want to avoid guide bushings, and many DIY hobbyists love to rout their dovetails on workpieces that come in odd/unusual shapes. If you’re like them, it’s quite okay to look beyond these two makers.

 

To sum up, Leigh jigs often present a more comprehensive learning curve than Porter Cable products, but both brands are resilient enough to cater to the changing demands of modern-day woodworkers.