[ctwiggs1]

I was asked to make a dresser so I decided to try a new technique - dovetails. I bought the Rockler dovetail jig and I was super excited to try and figure it out.... Until I brought that little bushing out and said "huh, where does this go?"

I have the Bosch 1617 and I'm pretty sure that I need to buy this for the bushing to fit, is that correct?
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=25412&site=ROCKLER

If so, a little frustrated that the Rockler guy didn't call that out when I was buying... but oh well.

Curtis

 

[ryan50hrl]

A word of advice...take the rockler jig back and pick up the porter cable.

The rockler jig is the same as the harbor freight jig, although it comes with the extra templates, and 6 times the price. I fought with that jig for days before I bought the porter cable jig, which had me making good dovetails in less than an hour.

And yes....if your plate doesn't have the bushing opening you'll need that too....for either jig.

 

[ctwiggs1]

Unfortunately I bought the jig last Christmas and ended up buying a new house about 2 weeks after. My new garage has a giant post in the middle of it, which destroyed any cabinet production shop dreams, and ONE electrical outlet. I question the man who owned this house before me and only needed 1 outlet.

The last eight months has been a series of honey-dos and I've finally got a quasi-shop set up to start playing around again. Honestly my long term goal is to figure the machine stuff out, then start looking at hand-cuts.

Worst case if I have to dump this thing on Craigslist and look for the PC I will, but I'd like to try and make it work.

Curtis

 

[ryan50hrl]

Fair enough....either way ye you will need the base plate.



( if its still in unused condition, I'd call your local rockler and ask them if they'd let you exchange it....sometimes you'd be surprised what small stores will do for happy and nice customers)

 

[bladeburner]

All of those jigs require a bushing.
Most routers come with what's called the PC bushing base. Simply has an overbored hole for installing the brass or steel template bushings. You can buy an adapter for the European routers that accept the 'PC' bushings or one to accept theirs. Rockler and MLCS among others sell bases with the hole, for those routers too. I've made a few in my shop from plain bases, but that was when the plain bases were $1.99. Now, they're about the same price as the pre-bored bases.

I see that base from Rockler is pre-drilled for the Bosch. Also, if Rockler's instructions do not have the table for setting the back fence for the depth of cut, look for the manual on Grizzly's site.