Leigh D4R-PRO Dovetail Jig

I did a lot of reading before buying this. While the price tag was above what I had paid in the past for a jig like this, I can say it was well worth it. The jig itself is very well built - sturdy, accurate and aligned. But it's clear the creators went to a lot of trouble to think of all the little things that make a product great. When you clamp a piece of wood into it, it's clamped against a slightly roughed surface - not enough that it would mark the wood, but rough enough that it doesn't slip, at all, when you do your routing. The documentation is clear; I had it put together in less than 30 minutes. The DVDs that walk you through it are thorough and frankly I watched it once, went out to the shop and had my first joint cut in about 15 more minutes. It fit together perfectly. It's versatility allows you to make really beaufiful joints, again and again, with a minumum of "dinking around". Most of the time you're just eyeballing things and routing. I can't say enough positive things about this product.

I haven't begun to get into the depths of what this is capable. Mostly I've used it for half blind single pass dovetailed drawer sides. The problems I have with it have to do with the thumbscrews that hold the depth settings on the scales left and right. They don't hold. I've had to tight them with pliers to get consistent results. Also, I find that my router drags on the aluminum surfaces...not a big deal, but nylon would be better. Lastly, the clamps and hold down bars are flimsy. Also, you have to work each piece of wood into the machine because the hold-downs don't lift out of the way...If you're doing stacks of drawer sides, it gets really irritating.

I bought this jig after lot of reading and video watching about it. I thought this is the commercial ONLY, until I have the jig... it is amazing. Package arrived on time and in perfect condition. Assembly and set-up took about half an hour, its easy if you follow the manual. I clamped some 3/4" pieces of board in the jig, trying to rout a single-pass half-blind dovetails using 80-8 dovetail bit. I made it after three test cuts, correcting something each time (depth of the bit...). And finally after that, pieces fit together. I'm so happy with my new Leigh D4R Pro Dovetail Jig. I strongly recommend this machine.

The heart of this system are the zinc alloy die cast guide fingers. While the rest of the jig is carefully machined, the fingers are cast. Of the dozen or so fingers supplied, only five actually remained square to the bar when tightened down. I tried holding my square to them as I tightened them, but no dice. If you were lucky enough to get a set of fingers that all clamped squarely, you would be happy with this jig. As I contemplated how I would have to modify each of the fingers in order to make it work, it dawned on me that I had just spent over $700 for this jig (which included the VRS accessory) and that I should not have to re-engineer it right out of the box. I couldn't pack it back up and return to sender quickly enough. The return shipping and insurance cost me $60.22. Do yourself a favor and buy a jig with a fixed template.

Nothing wrong with the unit. Outer carton was in very rough/poor condition - not Leigh's or Woodcraft's fault - I surmise. Was missing some of the hardware - was able to replace locally. Leigh should consider using stronger bags for packing small parts so incase the carton receives rough handling the small parts will not be lost.

My husband was struggling with a different dovetail jig. I suggested he buy this one and he loves it. The new drawers for my kitchen look great!

I bought it because Leigh makes Leigh Isoloc Template I1B - Clover and Bears Ears and well as a few other templates. Glad I went with the D4R-pro so you can cut very large drawers. If you are a woodworker hobby guy it's a bit expensive but I think it will last a lifetime. One trick is that when you go to move the dovetail spacers they seem locked. After you loosen it press down with the allen wrench and it will click and move free and easy. It is well made and I'm very happy with the purchase.

It's not perfect but it's the best that I've used. All the rest seem to have a lot to be desired. I especially like the way you can adjust the fingers to suit what is needed