Leigh D4pro User guide

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For the Leigh D4R Pro Dovetail Jig

Leigh Router Joinery Jigs

Dedicated Customer Support

1-800-663-8932

Joining Tradition with Today

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D4R Pro User Guide

CONTENTS AND STANDARDS

Contents and Standards ........................................................ii

Chapter 1 Jig Assembly, Mounting, and Using The Clamps .................1

Chapter 2 Adjusting the Finger Assembly ............................................. 7

Chapter 3 The Leigh e-Bush and Optional Guidebushes ......................9

Chapter 4 Basic Jig Functions and Scale Modes ..................................11

Chapter 5 Using Your Jig Safely ...........................................................13

Chapter 6 Wood Preparation ...............................................................15

Chapter 7 Router Preparation ..............................................................17

Chapter 8 Through Dovetails ...............................................................19

Chapter 9 Large and Small Through Dovetails ....................................29

Chapter 10 Variably Spaced Half-Blind Dovetails .................................31

Chapter 11 Single Pass Half-Blind Dovetails .........................................39

Chapter 12 Rabbeted Half-Blind Dovetails ............................................ 45

Chapter 13 End-on-End Dovetails .......................................................... 47

Chapter 14 Asymmetric Dovetails .........................................................49

Chapter 15 Box Joints .............................................................................53

Chapter 16 Sliding Dovetails .................................................................. 59

Chapter 17 Hints & Tips ..........................................................................65

Appendix I Attaching the Leigh e-Bush to the Router .......................... 69

Appendix II Bit Selection .........................................................................71

Appendix III Jig Parts ................................................................................79

Appendix IV Customer Support ...............................................................83

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CONTENTS AND STANDARDS

Your New Leigh D4R Pro Dovetail Jig

Congratulations! You now own the world’s most useful and versatile dovetailing tool. The Leigh D4R Pro Dovetail Jig will help you rout an infinite variety of joints, and all of its major functions are described in detail in this guide. A very helpful DVD is also included, but the guide is essential reading.

D4R Pro User Guide

iii

We recommend that you first assemble and mount the jig, carefully following the instructions in the first section of the guide. Then read the rest of the guide, following along with the basic functions and principles of operation, before you try to do any actual joinery routing. By all means, rout a few practice joints in scrap boards before you use the jig to rout a precious hardwood workpiece!

Important! Inches and Millimeters

The D4R Pro jig can be ordered in inch or metric versions. They’re identical except for the calibration scales. This Leigh English-language user guide shows measurements in both inches and millimeters, with “inches” first, followed by “millimeters” in square brackets.

Example:

⁄4"x 51⁄2"x 8" [20x 140x200mm]

If you have any questions that are not answered in this guide, please contact Leigh customer support: Tel: 1-800-663-8932 email: [email protected] But remember: “If at first you don’t succeed, read the instructions!”

*See Appendix IV – Customer Support

Do not be concerned if the inch/millimeter equivalents are not exact. Just use the dimensions which apply to your jig.

To simplify the instructions, most jig illustrations show a jig considerably shorter than the standard 24"[610mm].

Where finger assembly scales overlay an illustration, the “inches” scale  will be at the top, and “millimeters” scale  at the bottom. Only the right hand “active” half of the scales are illustrated. For clarity, setting positions are indicated with a red line in the guide only. On the jig, the lines are black.

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D4R Pro User Guide

Glossary of Symbols

To help you understand the instructions and illustrations in this manual, we have used a number of international symbols, plus a few special ones of our own. They are all explained below. You needn’t worry about memorizing these symbols now, because they are repeated quite frequently in this user guide, and you will soon get used to them.

The Leigh jig’s guidefinger assembly can be in any one of four joint modes, depending on what type of joint and which part of the joint you are routing. Each finger assembly scale has it’s own mode icon will also find the joint mode icon in the top left corner of most illustrations

CONTENTS AND STANDARDS

, identifying the joint part being routed. You

, indicating which finger assembly mode to use.

Sometimes a joint mode icon will be used to identify a board

.

These are the four joint mode icons:

TD Tails

(tails for through dovetail joints)

TD Pins

(pins for through dovetail joints)

HB Tails

(tails for half-blind dovetail joints)

HB Pins

(pins for half-blind dovetail joints)

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CONTENTS AND STANDARDS

Which Way Round Should the Board Go?

As virtually all dovetail joinery is used to make boxes, drawers and chests etc., we devised these simple (and hopefully intuitive) icons to indicate which side of a board faces inwards or outwards on the finished “box”, and which side of the board faces outward (toward you, the operator), when it is clamped in the jig.

D4R Pro User Guide

This icon o indicates the

“outside” of a board. All through dovetail pin boards are mounted in the jig with this “outside” face away from the jig (toward you, the operator).

This icon i indicates the

“inside” of a board. All halfblind pin and half-blind tail boards, and through dovetail tail boards, are mounted in the jig with the “inside” face away from the jig toward you, the operator.

This icon j indicates boards

that are mounted both ways e.g. sliding dovetails and endon-end dovetails.

Dotted line icons

the “other” side of the board in the illustrations.

The following symbols indicate:

This edge against sidestop

Sawcut allowance

Caution: use special care for this



operation

Numbered References in text



indicate

Centerline of board or layout

Equals

Does not equal

Approximately

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D4R Pro User Guide

CONTENTS AND STANDARDS

Add Leigh Accessories to make your jig even more versatile.

Finally, Dust-Free Routing and Superb Router Support!

A must-have! The VRS Vacuum & Router

Support* is the ultimate dust and chip col-

lector. As an added bonus, the VRS adds full

width router support to your D4R Pro. It’s

simple to attach and the collector adapts to

See also fig. 17-15.

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Chapter 1 D4 R Pro User Guide

JIG ASSEMBLY, MOUNTING, AND USING THE CLAMPS

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D4R Pro - CHAPTER 2

Adjusting the Finger Assembly

THE FINGER ASSEMBLY IS THE HEART OF THE LEIGH JIG. Spend a few minutes now to familiarize yourself with these simple adjustments.

NOTE: The first few times you use your jig, some fingers may "stick". This is normal. To "unstick", loosen the finger screw approximately 3/4 of a turn, and with the screwdriver still in the screw, press down firmly (on the screwdriver). This will loosen the finger locking wedge (you should feel a click). The finger will now move freely.

2-1 Practice adjusting the finger assembly height. Loosen the support bracket knobs and hold them firmly. Raise and lower the assembly evenly, keeping it level, and tighten the knobs to lock it at various heights.

2-3 To practice adjusting the guide fingers, put a board in the front clamp. Always raise the finger assembly slightly, approxi-

mately

⁄8"[2mm] above the spacer board and/or workpiece . This is essential to allow the guide fingers to move freely on the guide finger bar and ensures that the fingers will be level and flush when locked up. Move the guide fingers by pushing on the

middle to slide them along the guide finger bar.

2-2 Do Not raise or lower one end of the finger assembly at a time.

2-4 Loosen about half the guide fingers and practice unlocking, moving, positioning and re-locking them. Always press down

lightly on the center of each guide finger

 when tightening

the screws.

If after loosening a finger it “sticks” and doesn’t slide, see header note above.

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Chapter 2 D4 R Pro User Guide

ADJUSTING THE FINGER ASSEMBLY

2-5 Do not over-tighten the guide finger locking screws. The Leigh screwdriver provided will give ample torque for easy lock-up without strain.

2-7 You can adjust the guide fingers by eye, or by measurement to suit a set of plans.

Note: Always lower the finger assembly down onto the workpiece before routing.

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2-6 Always tighten unused guide fingers before routing, as router vibration will cause loose screws and wedge nuts to fall out and be lost.

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These images were copied from D4R Pro UG Fig’s 8-42 and 3-2

D4R Pro - CHAPTER 3

The Leigh e-Bush and

Optional Guidebushes

The guidebush is the vital link between router and jig. All joints created on the D4R Pro are routed with the unique e7* elliptical guidebush, a Leigh innovation that provides precise joint fit adjustment for box joints and sliding dovetails. If your router doesn’t accept the e7-Bush, you can use an alternative guidebush with some limitations.

*Supplied with the D4R Pro. U.S. Patent No. 8,256,475. UK Patent No. GB2443974. Patent Pending in Canada.

[~11,1mm]~

min.

[6,35mm]

1 2

3-1 The Leigh e7-Bush  is used to rout through, half-blind, sin- gle pass half-blind and sliding dovetails on the D4R Pro. The elliptical design provides precise joint fit adjustment for box joints and

sliding dovetails. A round ~

rel length

/4"[6,35mm])  can be used to rout through, half-blind,

/16"[11,1mm] guidebush (min. bar-

and sliding dovetails on the D4R Pro, but the e7-Bush is superior.

~7⁄16"[11,1mm] ~7⁄16"[11,1mm] less .020"[,5mm]

3-2 The Leigh e7-Bush that comes with your D4R Pro is a unique template guidebush that is adjustable in size. Unlike regular circular template guidebushes , the e7-Bush is slightly elliptical in cross section . This simple innovation effectively changes the guidebush “active diameter size” when it’s rotated, and provides benefits not possible with a standard round guidebush.

3-3 The e7-Bush (~7/16") fits the router base or a guide bush adaptor in the base (see Appendix I). The ellipse/oval shape has a major axis ~7/16"[11,1mm], and minor axis ~7/16"[11,1mm] less .020"[,5mm]. Turning the e-Bush 90 degrees in the router base changes the active diameter by .020"[,5mm] providing minute adjustment and recordable settings for perfectly fitting box joints.

1 2

3-4 Here’s how it works. In normal use on a dovetail jig, the operator does not rotate the router more than a few degrees either way . In fact, because of potential bit-to-bush eccentricity problems it is advisable to minimize router rotation on jigs .

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12 o’clock position

Chapter 3 D4 R Pro User Guide

12 o’clock position

THE LEIGH e-BUSH AND OPTIONAL GUIDEBUSHES

3-5 Establish the orientation in which you normally hold and operate the router on the jig. Now, up-end the router in the same orientation. Make a small scratch line or permanent ink mark  on the router base or e-Bush adaptor at the 12 o’clock position. Learn about e-Bush adaptors on page 69.

3-7 The bit goes through the e7-Bush  and fits in the router collet or chuck.

3-6 Fit the

e7-Bush to the router and align No.10 to the scratch

mark. This setting is used for all through and variably spaced halfblind dovetails on the D4R Pro. Settings for single pass half-blinds, box joints and sliding dovetails are described in applicable chapters.

Be sure to retighten the e-Bush nut after each adjustment is made with the included pin wrench.

3-8 The projecting part of the guidebush runs along the side edge of the guide finger. The rotating bit cuts the wood only, and touches neither the guidebush nor the guide surface.

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D4R Pro CHAPTER 4

Basic Jig Functions and Scale Modes

Here are the very basics for understanding the different D4R Pro dovetail modes and settings.

THE FOUR SCALE MODES

The Finger Assembly attaches to the support brackets in four different modes to match the type of joint you are cutting.

Always read scales from directly overhead to avoid parallax problems.

This index line is used when setting the finger assembly scales. The line is illustrated in red for clarity, but is black

on the jig.

All D4R Pro jigs are shipped with “short” support brackets.

1. TD TAILS

Note: Inch scales are shown here. Millimeter scales have identical layout.

The active scale is always on the right of each scale assembly.

The inactive scale is always on the left of each scale assembly and is upside-down.

3. HB TAILS

Each scale has its own mode icon (a drawing of the joint part made in that mode).

2. TD PINS

Scales are color coded. Silver background for Through Dovetails. Green background for HalfBlind Dovetails.

The specific settings for each scale are fully described in the appropriate chapters.

4. HB PINS

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Chapter 4 D4 R Pro User Guide

BASIC JIG FUNCTIONS AND SCALE MODES

4-1 The two clamp bars hold workpieces horizontally or vertically. The side stops align the boards in the correct position each time.

4-3 The finger assembly is raised or lowered using the support brackets to suit different thicknesses of horizontal boards.

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4-2 The guidefinger assembly slides on to the support brackets above the workpiece. The finger assembly is adjusted in or out using calibrated scales on each end to suit different thicknesses of vertical boards.

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Safety is not optional.

Read and follow the recommendations in this chapter.

D4R Pro - CHAPTER 5

Using Your Jig Safely

5-1 Read the owner’s manual that came with your router. It is essential to understand the router manufacturer’s instructions completely. Always operate variable speed routers at the fastest

possible speed.

5-3



Never drink alcohol or take medications that may cause drowsiness when you will be operating a router.

5-2 Always wear approved safety glasses. Always wear hearing protection. Protect yourself from harmful dust with a face mask.

For complete dust and waste collection, add a Leigh VRS (Vacuum & Router Support) to your jig. See page vi.

5-4 Always disconnect the power source from the router when fitting bits or guidebushes, or making adjustments. Before connecting the router to the power source, make sure the bit and collet revolve freely in all the areas you plan to rout, and the bit does not touch the guidebush or jig.

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Chapter 5 D4 R Pro User Guide

USING YOUR JIG SAFELY

5-5 Do not tilt the router on the jig. Keep the router flat on the jig assembly.

Note: The optional Leigh VRS attachment prevents router tilting. See page vi.

5-6 If you insist on removing the router from the jig while it is still revolving, always pull it straight off the jig horizontally,

and do not raise or lower the router until it is completely clear of the jig. With the Leigh VRS fitted to your jig you can simply park your router to one side.

5-7 Do not rout at face level. 5-8 Never release the router plunge mechanism when using

dovetail bits. Check if your plunge router has a stop nut to prevent

this from happening accidentally.

5-9 If you have never used your router before, be sure to follow the router manufacturer’s instructions for its use. Make plenty of simple open-face practice cuts without a guidebush before you try to use the router on the Leigh jig. You must, of course,

always use a guidebush when routing on the Leigh Jig.

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"Garbage In - Garbage Out"... This adage of the computer age stands equally true for dovetail jigs.

90°

D4R Pro - CHAPTER 6

Wood Preparation

90°

6-1 It is vital for accurately aligned joints that stock used on the Leigh jig must be prepared straight, flat, of even thickness and equal widths, with square ends and edges. Note that plywood is generally

unsuitable for routing because of tearout problems.

90°

6-2 You will want to test the jig, so prepare some 3⁄4" x

⁄2"[20x140mm] boards. Cut them to length as you need them

5 for the jig tests you want to perform. Use them for practice with the jig’s various joint modes so you can see how the different modes work. Remember, though, that two boards of different thicknesses can be joined just as easily.

6-3

Dovetail joints are intended for joining end-grain



to end-grain . Attempting to cut dovetails in side-

grain  does not work because: A. The wood will tear out badly when routing. B. Even if you could rout them, the pins and tails would easily

break off across the short grain , either during or soon after the assembly when the boards start expanding or contracting at different rates.

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Chapter 6 D4 R Pro User Guide

WOOD PREPARATION

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D4R Pro - CHAPTER 7

Router Preparation

7-1 Fit the e7-Bush . One is included with your D4R Pro.

If the e-Bush is incompatible with your router, any ~

guidebush (min. barrel length

/4" See page 70) will work for all

/16"[11,1mm]

but box joints on the D4R Pro.

7-2 When fitting a bit to the router , fit the shank as far into the collet

as possible. Always rout with the collet as close to the



guidebush as possible. Usually you can’t securely grip the collet nut with a wrench bit so that the remaining travel

if the collet is at its optimum low position. Fit the



between collet and guidebush





will let the bit reach the required depth of cut .

7-3 Tighten the collet  securely and lower the collet to adjust the depth of cut , but make sure the collet does not contact the guidebush . Some smaller collets can go down into the inside of the guide bush. Take advantage of this.

7-4 Depth of Cut: The depth of cut always refers to the actual

of the cut into the wood beneath the guidefingers .

depth

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Chapter 7 D4 R Pro User Guide

ROUTER PREPARATION

7-5 Depth of cut is not the distance the bit projects from the router base. This is bit projection

. This guide generally refers to depth of cut. Bit projection  is always .450"[11,5mm] more than depth of cut.

2 2

7-7

Concentricity problems can only arise if two routers are used for through dovetails, (one for pins; one for tails). Routers with different bit to guidebush offsets  (misalignment shown highly exaggerated)…

7-6

Ideally, the router collet (and bit) should be concentric (centered) to the guidebush as in figure 7-5. Regrettably, this is often not the case; the bit can be off center (eccentric to) the guidebush . The illustration shows the problem highly exaggerated. The good news: bit to bush alignment doesn’t affect joint fit or flushness; both are “adjusted out” in normal jig setup.

7-8

…will cause pin to tailboard

misalignment (again, shown



highly exaggerated). Fortunately, some newer routers have sub-bases that can adjust for concentricity. If you don’t have this type, it might pay to stick to a single router for through dovetails.

7-9 Shank Selection/Collet Reducer

All Leigh Dovetail jigs are shipped with superior strength 8mm

shank dovetail bits and a

simply slides into the 1⁄2" collet of your router  (do not remove



⁄2" to 8mm collet reducer. The reducer

the collet nut) and the 8mm shank bit is inserted into the collet reducer. The collet is tightened as normal. The collet reducer is

not required with

⁄2" shank bits.

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Page 27

D4R Pro - CHAPTER 8

Through Dovetails

In these instructions for the Leigh D4R Pro Dovetail Jig, we have recommended certain bits and board sizes because they are easy to work with. When you have routed some practice joints and gained confidence in your ability to get the results you want, free to use the guidebush and adaptor selection charts in Appendix I, pages 69-70, and bit options in Appendix II, pages 71-77, to plan whatever dovetail routing you need for your projects.

Concept of Jig Operation – THROUGH DOVETAILS

Start with the Finger Assembly in the D TD TAIL mode and follow these steps on your jig. Grasping the simple basic concept of operation will now greatly assist you in understanding the instructions. Note that the active guide surface (against which the guidebush

runs) is indicated in red in these illustrations.

Start in

Through Dovetail Tails (TD TAILS) mode

MODE ICONS

Illustrations in this user guide include the correct mode icon for the current instruction. The icons are also used in the instruction text.

Inches Millimeters

Active

Guide Surfaces

ROTATE the finger assembly toward you 180°

Now the Finger Assembly is in

Through Dovetail Pins (TD PINS) mode

Inches Millimeters

TD TAILS

TD PINS

Active

Guide Surfaces

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Chapter 8 D4R Pro User Guide

THROUGH DOVETAILS

8-1 Through Dovetail Terminology:

Pins



Pin sockets



Half-pins



Half-pin sockets



Tails



Tail sockets



The pins fit in the pin sockets. Joints should almost always end each side with half-pins.

8-3 Make five identical boards 3⁄4"x 5-1⁄2"[20x140mm] about 8"[200mm] long. Mark the inside faces of the two tailboards and outside faces of the three pinboards (you may not need one of the pinboards).

Use: Leigh e7 or

- No. 80-8

- No.140-8

⁄16"[11,1mm] O.D. guidebush with:

⁄2"[12,7mm]x 8° dovetail bit and

⁄16"[7,9mm] straight bit.

8-2 Let’s look at how to make a simple square box. When you assemble the finished pieces with the faces properly oriented, any one of the pin ends will fit any one of the tail ends. In fact, the box can be put together in six different ways …each of the four corners will fit two ways!

8-4 Fit the e7-Bush or 7⁄16" securely to the router and set it to the No. 10 index mark

. Then fit the supplied 80-8 dovetail bit



to the router. Note: The e7 guidebush is not used to adjust joint tightness with through dovetails.

8-5 Clamp the spacer board in the rear clamp.

8-6 Place the finger assembly on the support brackets in the d

TD PINS mode, flat on the spacer board, and with the scale set

on the

⁄2"[12,7mm] setting for now. Don’t worry about the scale’s specific meaning now. Each scale’s use will be fully explained in the appropriate section.

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THROUGH DOVETAILS

Chapter 8D4R Pro User Guide

8-7 Clamp a tail board against the left front side stop, top edge touching flush under the guidefingers, inside face

away from the

jig body. Although you will cut tails first, adjust the guidefinger layout in

TD PINS mode. The adjustment screws are on top

in this mode, and it's easier to visualize the final joint pattern.

8-9 This joint layout is only a suggestion for this trial. It has a typical, traditional symmetrical layout of pins, with half-pins at each edge. The Leigh jig, however, allows for an infinite variety of joint designs, and boards of different thicknesses can also be joined to each other as shown in this illustration. Before attempting joints of asymmetrical layout, please see chapter 14.

8-8 Loosen the support bracket knobs and raise the finger assem-

bly about

⁄8"[3mm]  above the boards and retighten the knobs.

This will allow easy and accurate guidefinger adjustment.

8-10 Ignoring the extreme outer guidefinger next to the scale (it just supports the router), loosen the next eight guidefingers and slide them over the workpiece. NOTE: The first few times you use your

jig, some fingers may "stick". This is normal. To "unstick", loosen the finger screw about 3/4 turn. Press down firmly on the screwdriver (in the screw) to loosen the finger locking wedge (you should feel a click).

8-11 Lock the left-most half-pin guidefinger about 1⁄8"[3mm]  in from the left edge of the board. Always apply light downward pressure to each guidefinger as the finger screws are tightened . This will ensure the fingers are flat and level on the bar.

8-12 Leave three pairs of guidefingers over the board and lock

the right-most half-pin guidefinger about

⁄8"[3mm]  in from the right edge of the board. Judge this distance by eye: it need not be exact. The sockets and pins will align automatically.

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Chapter 8 D4R Pro User Guide

THROUGH DOVETAILS

8-13 Space and lock the three remaining pairs as shown. Again, judge it by eye. If it looks right on the jig, the finished joint will look right. Note: Here we have shown pins of equal width, but with tails of increasing width. However, by opening up a pair of guides, the pin (and pin socket) can be widened for decorative or structural reasons as shown in the drawing inset.

8-15 Rotate the finger assembly to the D TD TAILS mode, and set it to the ≤1"[≤26mm] position on the scale. Lower the finger assembly onto the spacer board. All TD tails are routed at this

≤1"[≤26mm] setting. (The ≤1" setting allows the dovetail bit to pass completely through all tail boards.)

8-14 Tighten any other loose guidefingers.

8-16 Place the end of a pin board horizontally flush under the

guidefingers and mark a thin pencil line partly across the tail board.

REMEMBER SAFETY!

8-17 Place the router on the finger assembly and adjust the router until the dovetail bit tip is level with the center of the pencil line.

Note: This means the pin socket will be half a thin pencil line deeper than the thickness of the pin board, leaving minimal cleanup after assembly. Check to make sure the bit rotates freely.

8-18 Before routing the tails, read “Hints and Tips 17-10". Plug in the router and rout out the half-pin and pin sockets. Use only light side pressure on the guide fingers. Take care not to rout unwanted sockets where there are gaps between the pairs of fingers . Rout only between the rounded guidefinger tips. See Hints and Tips

17-20.

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THROUGH DOVETAILS

Chapter 8D4R Pro User Guide

8-19 Before removing the routed board from the jig, check by eye and touch to make sure no parts have been missed. Release the clamp and reverse the tail board in the jig, keeping the same inside face

away from the jig body.

Rout the other end of this tail board and both ends of the second tail board in the same fashion, then unclamp and put them aside.

8-20 Rotate the finger assembly to the d TD PINS mode and

set it one scale increment more than the

⁄2"[12,7mm] mark .

Do not change the guidefinger layout.

8-21 How the TD PIN Scales Work

Dimensions inside the pin shaped panel  correspond with the diameter of the dovetail bit chosen to rout the tails

example the

⁄2"[12,7mm] setting on the scale. This also becomes the width

the

⁄2"[12,7mm] diameter of the #80-8 dovetail bit matches

. In this

of the pin .

Dimensions in the central panel  indicate which straight bit diam-

eter is required with the selected dovetail bit, i.e.

straight bit with the

⁄2"[12,7mm], 7⁄16"[11,1mm] and 3⁄8"[9,5mm]

⁄16"[7,9mm]

diameter dovetail bits.

The increment lines in the scale window  are referenced to the index lines on the support brackets when making fit adjustments. Once the desired fit is achieved, settings can be recorded for precise setup next time.

8-22 Finished Joint Tightness

The fit of the finished joint is determined in the dTD PINS mode. Moving the finger assembly outward  increases the width of the pins , giving a tighter fit. Moving the finger assembly backwards  allows more wood to be routed, making the pins smaller , and the joint looser. A one increment movement changes joint fit by 0.005"[0,125mm]. A one quarter increment movement changes fit by a tiny 0.00125"[0,03mm]. Most importantly, when that fine fit is achieved, it allows recordable and repeatable settings for future joints using the same router and bits (see page 28).

Why can’t there be specific, preset scale settings for each bit combination?

Cumulative tolerances in routers, bits, guidebushes and the dovetail jig, make it impossible to give exact jig settings for a precision glue joint. A fine fitting joint can only be attained by trial and error test cuts, and takes only minutes for each bit combination. Dimension lines on the TD PIN scale provides the starting point for testing.

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Chapter 8 D4R Pro User Guide

1 2

THROUGH DOVETAILS

8-23

Why are the 1⁄2" and 11⁄16"[12,7&17,5mm] pin widths

on the same scale line?

⁄2

" through dovetails are routed using a 7⁄16

⁄16" through dovetails are routed with a 5⁄8" guidebush .

That's a

⁄16" difference in size between the two bits …and between

" guidebush



the two guidebushes.

⁄8" diameter guidebush for 11⁄16" joints requires that the guide

The

fingers be opened up by This automatically makes the pins

⁄16" .

⁄16" wider  but on the same

scale setting.

8-24 Do the guide fingers have to be opened up precisely

⁄16"[4,75mm] for larger combinations?

No, just so long as they are opened up by at least 3⁄16"(4,75mm)  to allow the larger guidebush to enter the tail guides. Anything more than this minimum is fine ; both the pin and matching pin socket widths will be automatically increased by exactly the same amount, whatever the spacing. Varying the pin width does not affect the joint fit or the scale setting. In fact, the pin width can be varied with all bit combinations, not just the larger bits

8-25 Clamp a test pin board against the left hand side stop, outside face

away from the jig, with the top end flush under

the guides.

8-26 Place the side edge of one of the finished tail boards horizontally flush under the guidefingers and mark a thin pencil line part way across the pin board.

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THROUGH DOVETAILS

Chapter 8D4R Pro User Guide

8-27 Unplug the router and remove the dovetail bit. Mount the No. 140-8 straight bit to the router. If you are using two routers,

see concentricity concerns, Figures 7-6 thru 7-8.

REMEMBER SAFETY!

8-29 Check that the scales are set one increment above the

⁄2"[12,7mm] mark . Rout out the waste between the pins.

Check to make sure no parts have been missed. See 17-1 to 17-5,

"Hints and Tips" on how to minimize tearout.

Use only light side pressure on the guide fingers.

8-28 Place the router on the finger assembly and adjust the router until the tip of the bit is level with the center of the pencil line. Check to make sure the bit rotates freely.

8-30 Remove the test pin board from the jig and test it for fit in one of the tail boards. Make sure the outside faces

face outward

on both pieces. The joint will probably be too tight. A firm push fit is perfect, perhaps a tap with the heel of your hand. But having to use a mallet means the joint is too tight to take glue.

8-31 If it is much too tight, move the finger assembly in (away from you) by one division on the scale. If it is only a little tight, adjust the scale by only half a division. If it is too loose, go to 8-33.

8-32 Replace the same pin board back in the jig, carefully aligned against the same side stop. Rout off the sides of the pins and test it again for fit.

Page 34

Chapter 8 D4R Pro User Guide

THROUGH DOVETAILS

8-33 Test and repeat as required to achieve the desired fit.

Note: If you overdo it and make a loose joint, do this test. Pull the tail board “away” from the pins  so that the angled sides of the pins and tails jam together . The gap between the bottom of the pins and the pin sockets , is the amount to move the finger assembly out, (toward you). Reset the finger assembly and test again on the other end of this (fifth) board.

8-35 Rout all four ends of the pin boards, keeping the outside face

outwards. (With luck you may not have used the fifth

board.)

8-34 Once the correct fit is achieved, mark the final d TD PINS scale setting on one of the scale prints (see page 28) for future reference. Very slight variations to the scale setting may be necessary with different wood species or hardness.

8-36 Assemble the box, making sure the tail boards face the proper way, i.e. tail boards inside face in i; pin boards outside face out o. Provided you haven't already routed out the drawer bottom grooves , it doesn't matter which edge of any of the boards are at the top or bottom, the box will still fit together i.e. pin board “A” can be up either way.

8-37 The box should be square and in plane. If it is not in plane (i.e., the side edges of each board are not in line), then either the ends of the boards are not square, the board widths are not exactly equal, or there is a concentricity problem (see 7-6 to 7-8).

8-38 To form angled dovetails, refer to the Technical Bulletin “How to Rout Angled Through Dovetails on your Leigh Jig". You can download this bulletin from the support page of our website: http://www.leighjigs.com/support.php.

■

Page 35

THROUGH DOVETAILS

QUICK REFERENCE REMINDERS

Chapter 8D4R Pro User Guide

8-39 Through dovetails are laid out in the d TD PINS mode with the finger assembly slightly raised above the spacer board. The outside face

of the TD pins is away from the jig body.

8-41 Clamp TD pin boards vertically in the jig. This is the only one of the four main modes that puts the outside face board away from the jig body. The finger assembly is in

of the

TD PINS mode, with the scale set to a recorded setting (see detailed fit instructions 8-21 to 8-34). TD pins are cut with a straight bit;

the only time a straight bit is used in dovetailing.

8-40 TD tail boards are clamped vertically in the jig. The inside

of the TD tails is away from the jig body. The finger assem-

face

bly is in the

TD TAILS mode, set on the single ≤1"[≤26mm]

setting. There is only one setting in this mode.

[11,1mm]~

[6,35mm]

8-42 Through dovetail tails are always routed with an 8° dovetail bit to match the 8° guide finger. All through dovetail routing on the D4R Pro is done with the Leigh e7-Bush, or any 7⁄16" [11,1mm]

diameter bush (min. barrel length more on routers and guidebushings. The e10-Bush or a O.D. guidebush is used for

⁄4"[6,35mm]). See page 70 for

⁄2" shank TD bits.

⁄8"[15,9]

Thickness of

Tail Board

up to 1" [26]

Numbers in brackets are millimeters

Thickness of

Pin Board

1" - 1

/4" [26-32] No.100 No.150

/8" - 1" [16-26] No.90 No.160

/2" - 13/16" [12-20] No.80-8

/8" - 5/8" [10-16] No.75-8

/4" - 1/2" [6-13] No.70-8

up to

/8" [10] No.60-8

up to

/4" [6] No.50-8

Dovetail

Bit

Straight

Bit

No.140-8

Guidebush

Diameter

Leigh e10

/8" [15,9]

Leigh e7

/16" [11,1]

or ~

8-43 Here is a quick reference selection chart for through dovetail bits and guidebushes. Please study the bit and guidebush selection appendixes for a full explanation.

■

Page 36

SAMPLE

Chapter 8 D4R Pro User Guide

PROJECT SETTINGS

INCHESMETRIC

THROUGH DOVETAILS

Page 37

D4R Pro - CHAPTER 9

"[3mm]

Large and Small Through Dovetails

The following procedures considerably expand the D4R Pro jig’s versatility. However, before attempting them, thoroughly master the techniques of Through Dovetails in Chapter 8.

9-1 LARGE THROUGH DOVETAILS

The procedures for using bits 90 and 160 or 100 and 150 are

identical to the previous figures, except that a

⁄8"[15,9mm] OD

guidebush, or Leigh e10 e-Bush is used, and each guidefinger

must be at least

⁄16"[5mm] thick) to make sure there is enough separation. Note:

( Because the pin centers using these bit combinations is 1

⁄16"[5mm] apart. Use the Leigh wrench gauge

⁄8"[15,9mm] guidebush is used, the closest possible

⁄8"[35mm], instead

of 1"[25,4mm].

9-2 SMALL THROUGH DOVETAILS

Bits 50-8 and 60-8 allow you to create tiny through dovetails in

material bonus: the Leigh jig was not originally designed for it. The

⁄8"[10mm] or less in thickness. This procedure is an extra

PINS scale does not go down far enough, so you have to space the boards away from the jig face with a shop-made block with its own side stop

(see 9-4). Use the e7 or a 7⁄16"[11,1mm]



fitted



O.D. guidebush for these small joints.

"[20mm]

"[40mm]

"[13mm]

9-3 Use the same block with side stop when cutting the tails to ensure correct alignment of the pin and tail boards.

"[140mm]

6"[150mm]+

"[40mm]

9-4 Make the block with its side stop out of 1⁄2"[13mm] stock

as shown. Bore two

⁄4"[6mm] holes, countersunk for a flat head screw (part no. 287) to allow the blocks to be used at either end of the jig.

Page 38

SAMPLE

Chapter 9 D4 R Pro User Guide

LARGE AND SMALL THROUGH DOVETAILS

9-5 Remove one front cam clamp, lower the clamp bar and attach the block to the jig face using the screw (No. 287) into the entrapped square nut. Replace the clamp bar and cam clamp.

PROJECT SETTINGS

9-6 For boards up to 1⁄4"[6mm] thick use dovetail bit 50-8 and

pin bit 140-8 with the e7 or a

⁄16"[11,1mm] guidebush. To cut pins matching the sockets made with bit 50-8, begin with the setting shown here. Cut test pins in scrap stock and test for fit. Adjust as necessary.

9-7 For boards up to 3⁄8"[9,5mm] thick use dovetail bit 60-8 and

pin bit 140-8 with the e7 or a

⁄16"[11,1mm] guidebush. To cut pins matching the sockets made with bit 60-8, begin with the setting shown here. Cut test pieces in some scrap stock and test for fit, then adjust as necessary. Record the actual settings for bits 50-8 and 60-8 on these scale reproductions below.

Note: You may also rout joints in boards

⁄16" to 3⁄8"[8,0 to 9,5mm] with bits No. 70-8 and 140-8 without the use of the shop-made block.

INCHESMETRIC

Page 39

D4R Pro - CHAPTER 10

Variably Spaced

Half-Blind Dovetails

IMPORTANT! The most commonly misunderstood aspect of routing half-blind dovetails is how the dovetail bit’s

The following procedures considerably expand the D4R Pro jig's versatility. However, before attempting them,

depth of cut is used to adjust the joint fit, and how the angle of the bit affects that depth of cut. Review this chapter

thoroughly master the techniques of Through Dovetails in Chapter 8.

for a clear understanding of this concept.

Note: The Leigh e7-Bush or any ~ any one of the bits listed on the next page may be used for half-blind dovetails. See Appendix II, Half-Blind Bit Selection, Page 75, for a full description on how to select an appropriate bit.

Start in

Half-Blind Dovetail Pins (HB PINS) mode

/16" [11,1mm] guidebush with a min. barrel length of 1/4" (see page 70), and

MODE ICONS

Illustrations in this manual include the correct mode icon for the current instruction. The icons are also used in the instruction text.

ROTATE the finger assembly toward you 180°

Now the Finger Assembly is in

Inches Millimeters

Half-Blind Dovetail Tails (HB TAILS) mode

Inches Millimeters

Active

Guide Surfaces

HB PINS

HB TAILS

Active

Guide Surfaces

Page 40

Depth of Cut

" [3,2mm] Min.

Board Thickness

" [3,2mm] Min.

Board Thickness

Chapter 10 D4 R Pro User Guide

10-2 Cutting Depth for Variably Spaced Half-Blind Dovetails

VARIABLY SPACED HALF-BLIND DOVETAILS

10-1 Half-Blind Dovetail Terminology:

Pins



Pin sockets



Half-pins



Half-pin sockets



Tails

 

Tail Sockets The pins fit in the pin sockets. Joints should almost always end each side with half-pins.

Bit selection is critical. You need to select a specific dovetail bit for your half-blind dovetail project, depending on the pinboard (drawer front) thickness you are using.

• Choose one of the five 1⁄2" [12,7mm]

• Depth of cut must be as specified

• Raising the bit above its specified

128-8

DEPTH OF CUT

/8"

[9mm]

Note: Add at least

[11mm]

⁄8"[3,2mm] to the depth of cut for board thickness.

 Important! Read This About HB Depth of Cut

diameter dovetail bits shown above. Check bit selection in Appendix II.

for each of the five bits illustrated above. Note: Leigh bits 101-8, 112-8

and 128-8 are optional.

cutting depth will result in loose joints and may damage the jig, bit and/or guidebush. A lower setting

/16"

120-8

[13mm]

112-8

/2"

will result in tighter joints that may not fit together.

• Small Depth of Cut adjustments will change joint fit tightness. See 10-3 to 10-5 for why.

• Half-blind PINS and TAILS are routed with the same dovetail bit and must be at the same Depth of Cut.

• All half-blind dovetail bits work with the Leigh e7-Bush supplied with your Leigh jig or standard

⁄16"[11,1mm] outside diameter

guidebush.

/8"

[16mm]

101-8

DEPTH OF CUT

[19mm]

Symbol for “approximately”

80-8

/4"

PINBOARD THICKNESS  determines the maximum depth of cut  you can use. Select a bit with a specified cutting depth that is at least 1⁄8" less than the pinboard thickness.

A dovetail bit will produce only one spe-

cific cutting depth.

Only 1⁄2" [12,7mm] cutting diameter bits

can be used for half-blind dovetails.

Page 41

VARIABLY SPACED HALF-BLIND DOVETAILS

Chapter 10D4R Pro User Guide

10-3 Joint Fit and Depth of Cut

Here’s why the depth of cut  changes the fit in half-blind dovetails. Increasing or decreasing the depth of cut does not affect the pin socket width , but does affect the width of the pin  that goes into the socket .

10-4 Note that decreasing the bit depth  makes the pin  nar- rower while the pin socket  stays the same width, producing a loose fit.

Decreasing the bit depth (i.e. raise the bit into the router) produces a looser fit.

8˚

18˚

10-6 Bit Angle and Depth of Cut. Half-blind pins and tails are routed with the same dovetail bit, the same guidebush, and the same depth of cut. A different depth of cut requires a different angled bit. Leigh offers five different angled dovetail bits for a range of cut depths. A lesser angle, say 8˚, for a deeper cut ; a greater angle, say 18˚, for a shallower cut .

Increasing the bit depth  makes the pin  larger while

10-5

the pin socket  stays the same width, producing too tight a fit.

Increasing the bit depth (i.e. lower the bit) produces a tighter fit.

Bit

Depth

of Cut

Projection

10-7 Cumulative plus/minus tolerances in routers, bits and guidebushes, make it impossible to state exact bit depth for firsttime precision fit. All dovetail jigs require trial and error tests to attain fine fitting joints. The good news; we give a starting depth for each bit. Test and measure the successful ‘Best fit’ depth of cut  or bit projection . Record for future first-time fits.

Page 42

Chapter 10 D4 R Pro User Guide

VARIABLY SPACED HALF-BLIND DOVETAILS

10-8 Routing a Test Joint Use the Leigh e7-Bush, and No.120 -

⁄2"[12,7mm] 14° dovetail bit. Select several pieces of 3⁄4"x

⁄2"[20 x 140mm] x about 8"[200mm], and the plastic bridge

extrusion. Note: Half-blind pin boards must be minimum

⁄2"(13mm)

thick to clamp. For thinner boards see fig.10-21.

10-10 Mount the finger assembly on the support brackets in

HB TAILS mode, flat on the spacer board, scales set on the

the

thickness of the tail board (

The

The scale increments above 1-1

HB TAILS scale is always set at the tail board thickness.

⁄4 "[20mm] in this instance).

⁄2"[25- 38mm] are for use on

sliding dovetails (see Chapter 16).

10-9 Clamp the spacer board in the rear clamp.

10 -11 Measure and mark a line on the inside face of the tail board  to the working depth of the bit to be used as per 10-2 of this chapter. Clamp this test tail board in the left front clamp, against the side stop with the top edge flush under the guidefingers, and the inside face

of the drawer side away from the jig.

10 -12 Unlock and raise the finger assembly support brackets

slightly so that the finger assembly is about

⁄8"[2mm]  above

the boards. This will allow easy movement of the guidefingers.

10 -13 While typical traditional layouts have symmetrical pins and spacing with half-pins at each edge, the Leigh jig allows infinitely variable joint designs. Different thickness boards can be easily joined together. Pins can be various sizes and randomly spaced to suit just about any design you create. Before attempting joints of

asymmetrical design, see Chapter 14.

Page 43

VARIABLY SPACED HALF-BLIND DOVETAILS

Chapter 10D4R Pro User Guide

10 -14 Ignoring the outer guidefinger (router support) at the scale, loosen enough guides for the desired tail layout. The illustrated half-pin guidefinger position gives a half-pin socket profile as shown (dotted lines). NOTE: The first few uses, some fingers may “stick”. This is normal.

To “unstick”, loosen the finger screw

⁄4 turn. Press down firmly on the

screwdriver (in the screw) to loosen the finger locking wedge.

10 -16 Remember to tighten any loose guidefingers. Lower the finger assembly back onto the spacer board and workpiece. It

must touch the workpiece or the depth of cut will vary and the joint won’t fit. The scale should be set on the tailboard thickness,

in this case

⁄4"[20mm].

10 -15 If gaps between the guidefinger tails are wider than about

⁄8"[3mm], mark and cut pieces of bridge extrusion

to fit the



guidefinger tail slots. Cut slightly shorter than the space between the guidefinger shoulders , so guidefingers won’t force apart with the bridge pieces. Squeeze the open side of the pieces and push into place for a friction fit.

10 -17 Attach the e7-Bush securely to the router and mount the supplied No.120-8 bit to the router. Set the e7-Bush to No. 10.

REMEMBER SAFETY!

10 -18

Adjust the bit height until the bit tip is level with



the marked line . For the first light cut move the

router from right to left. Make sure you control it firmly, because

it is driven in this direction by the bit. Only the tip of the bit should be cutting on the first cut . This back or climb routing

leaves a very clean shoulder in face grain.

10 -19 Now rout in and out from left to right following the guides and bridge pieces to rout out the pin sockets, leaving the tails.

See fig. 17-10 “Hints and Tips”.

Page 44

Chapter 10 D4 R Pro User Guide

VARIABLY SPACED HALF-BLIND DOVETAILS

10-20 Remove the test tail board, then clamp a scrap board in the front of the jig so that the top edge projects above the top face

of the jig by about

⁄8"[3mm]. This will keep the scrap piece below the path of the bit when routing the pin board. Remove the spacer board from the rear clamp.

10-22 Flush Drawers Place a test pin board in the left rear clamp against the side stop, fitting its front end edge flush against the vertical scrap piece, inside face

of the drawer front away from

the jig body. The pin board is now positioned with the edge to be routed flush with the jig’s front face, correctly registered for the scale readings. For drawers with rabbeted fronts, see Chapter 12.

10-21 If you're mounting Thin Pin Boards:

The minimum recommended pin board thickness is

⁄2"[13mm]. If you wish to rout a pin board less than the minimum thickness , it will be necessary to pack the board up from the jig body. We

suggest using a piece of

⁄4" to 3⁄8"[6 to 9mm] plywood for this

purpose .

10-23 Rotate the finger assembly to the

HB PINS mode. Set

the HB PINS scale equal to tail board thickness (i.e., same setting as

tails: this example,

⁄4"[20mm]). HB pins and HB tail scales are

always set to tail board thickness. Make sure the finger assembly is flush and level on the pin board. The guidefingers must touch

the pin board or depth of cut will vary, causing poor joint fit.

10-24 If you have difficulty leveling the finger assembly on a narrow workpiece, place a board the same thickness as the pin board under the other end of the finger assembly, but not under

the rear clamp.

10-25

Rout out the waste between the pins. Rout each



space from left to right. Do not back rout on end grain. If the bit enters on the right side of the opening there will be a very strong pull to the left, so... Rout each opening in at least three or four passes, left to right.

Page 45

VARIABLY SPACED HALF-BLIND DOVETAILS

Chapter 10D4R Pro User Guide

10-26 Remove the pin board and test the joint for fit. If the joint is loose, as shown here, you need to lower the bit by the same amount as the gap at the bottom of the pins  (when the pins are pulled against the socket sides ). If the joint is too tight, raise the bit slightly. Test again. You cannot rout the same board twice with a dovetail bit, so use two fresh board ends for each test.

1/64"[0,3mm]

10-28 When you have the proper tightness of fit, check the flushness. The tails should be under flush to the pins by no more

⁄64"[0,3mm] to allow for cleanup (exaggerated here). The

than

concentricity of the collet and guidebush on different routers will affect this tolerance.

10-27 Keep the test tail board that fits well, and mark it with the number of the bit you used to rout it. For quick set-up next time, clamp this tail board in the jig as a depth-of-cut gauge

 to show how far to lower the bit. Better yet, measure the bit projection from the end of the guidebush  or guidebush flange  and record this for fast set-ups in future.

10-29 If the tails stand out from the pins, set the

HB PINS

scale away from the operator by the amount required.

1/64"[0,3mm]

10-30 If the tails fit in too far past the pins ends, set the

PINS scale toward the operator by the amount required. These adjustments for “flushness” are made only in the

HB PINS

mode.

10-31 To make a box, rout all four ends of the tail boards, keeping the inside face

of the tail boards away from the jig.

Page 46

Chapter 10 D4 R Pro User Guide

VARIABLY SPACED HALF-BLIND DOVETAILS

10-32

face

Rout all four ends of the pin boards keeping the inside

of the boards away from the jig.

Note: When making drawers you may prefer to use through dovetails on the rear corners.

QUICK REFERENCE REMINDERS

10-34 Half-blind (HB) tails: Drawer sides (tailboards) are clamped vertically in the jig. The inside face from the jig body. The finger assembly is in the

of the drawer side goes away

HB TAILS

mode, set to the thickness of the drawer side. Use bridge pieces where required .

10-33 Assemble the box. As with through dovetails, it doesn't matter which edge of any of the boards are at the top or bottom, the box will still fit together e.g. pin board “A” can be up either way.

10-35 Half-blind (HB) pins: Drawer fronts (pinboards) are cut with the board clamped horizontally in the jig. The inside face i of the drawer front faces away from the jig body. The finger assembly is in the

HB PINS mode, and again set on

the thickness of the drawer side (but adjusted for a flush fit, see 10-28 to 10-30).

Thickness of

Tail Board

up to 1"[26]

Thickness of

Pin Board

/8" -up [22] ~ 3/4" [19] No.80-8

/4" -up [20] ~ 5/8" [16] No.101-8

/8" -up [16] ~ 1/2" [13] No. 112-8

/16" -up [14] ~ 7/16" [11] No.120-8

/2" -up[12] ~ 3/8" [9] No.128-8

Depth of

Cut

Dovetail

Bit

Guidebush

Diameter

Leigh e7

or ~

/16"

[11,1]

7/16"[11,1mm]

10-36 On the Leigh D4R Pro, all half-blind dovetails are routed

using the Leigh e7-Bush set at No. 10 or standard ~

diameter bush (min. depth

⁄4" see Appendix I ). For instructions

to rout end-on-end dovetails see Chapter 13.

⁄16"[11,1mm]

■

Page 47

D4R Pro - CHAPTER 11

Single Pass

Half-Blind Dovetails

Why rout “single pass” dovetails on a variable spaced Leigh jig? Well, you just may need to reproduce or restore a late 19th or early 20th century drawer which has similar, machine made joints. Or, if you are making a lot of drawer boxes and are not so concerned with the traditional “hand cut look”, then routing both drawer fronts and sides together does go a little faster.

Only one mode is required:

Half-Blind Dovetail Tails (HB TAILS) mode

MODE ICONS

Illustrations in this manual include the correct mode icon for the current instruction. The icons are also used in the instruction text.

Inches Millimeters

Spacer

Active

Guide Surfaces

Page 48

Depth of Cut

" [3,2mm] Min.

Board Thickness

" [3,2mm] Min.

Chapter 11 D4 R Pro User Guide

SINGLE PASS HALF-BLIND DOVETAILS

11-1 Single Pass Half-Blind Dovetails:

Pins

     

Pin sockets Half-pins Half-pin sockets Tails

Tail Sockets

The pins fit in the pin sockets. Joints should almost always end each side with half-pins.

11-2 Cutting Depth for Single Pass Half-Blind Dovetails

DEPTH

OF CUT

[12,35mm]

80-8

8˚

DEPTH OF CUT

[5,56mm]

Note: Add at least

128-8

18˚

120-8

[7,13mm]

14˚

⁄8"[3,2mm] to the depth of cut for board thickness.

[9,52mm]

112-8

12˚

[11,1mm]

101-8

10˚

Symbol for “approximately”

 IMPORTANT! Bit depths of cut for “single pass” dovetails

are not the same as for variably spaced joints.

Depth of cut must be as specified for each of the five

•

bits shown above. Exception: See fig.11-26. Note: Leigh

bits 101-8, 112-8 and 128-8 are optional.

Raising the bit above its specified cutting depth will

•

result in loose joints and may damage the jig, bit and/ or guidebush. A lower setting will result in tighter joints that may not fit together.

Small Depth of Cut adjustments will allow for joint

•

fit tightness. See 10-3 to 10-5 for why.

Fit the provided Leigh e7‑Bush to the router as shown

•

below and set at No.10, or use a standard 7⁄16"[11,1mm]

guidebush (min. barrel depth

/4" see page 69).

Choose one of the five, 1⁄2"[12,7 mm] diameter dovetail

•

bits shown above.

Page 49

SINGLE PASS HALF-BLIND DOVETAILS

Chapter 11D4 R Pro User Guide

Bit

Depth

of Cut

Projection

11-3 Bit Angle and Depth of Cut Half-blind pins and tails are routed with the same dovetail bit, the same guidebush, and the same depth of cut. A different depth of cut requires a different angled bit. Leigh offers five different angled dovetail bits for a range of cut depths. A lesser angle, say 8˚, for a deeper cut ; a greater angle, say 18˚, for a shallower cut .

11-5 Routing a Test Joint You need a router, the e7‑Bush set at No.10 (see chapter 3 for

⁄2"[12,7mm] 8˚ dovetail bit. Note: The No 80-8 bit routs at a

shallower ~

⁄2"[13mm] depth on single pass dovetails than on

e‑Bush instructions) and the 80-8

regular variably spaced joints. For this test, start with the No 80-8

bit projecting

⁄16"[24mm] from the router base.

11- 4 Cumulative plus/minus tolerances in routers, bits and guidebushes, make it impossible to state exact bit depth for firsttime precision fit. All dovetail jigs require trial and error tests to attain a fine fitting joint. The good news; we give a starting depth for each bit. Test and measure the successful ‘Best fit’ depth of cut  or bit projection  and record for future first-time fits.

11- 6 This is a typical fixed template comb type jig. The comb depth  is usually dimensioned to suit the most popular drawer

side thickness of

⁄2"[12,7mm].

11-7 Stop Rod and Dovetail Spacer The stop rod is inserted in the fingers  to convert them from deep tail sockets to a shallow fixed comb. The flexible stop rod is fed through the holes in the fingers from the “far” end of the jig. The Dovetail Spacer (note the dovetail shaped notch) snaps into the channel against the lefthand front side stop  to correctly offset the drawer sides from the drawer fronts. After setup, the Spacer stays in place for the complete procedure.

Single Pass Board Width Chart

Add up to ¼" [6mm] or subtract up to 1/8" [3mm]

⁄16 [55] 8 11⁄16 [221]

⁄4 [83] 9 3⁄4 [248]

⁄8 [110] 10 7⁄8 [276]

⁄16 [138] 12 [305]

⁄2 [166] 13 1⁄16 [331]

⁄8 [193]

–

11-8 Board Widths To achieve equally sized half pins  at each side on a fixed space joint, use the board width from the chart

above. Alternatively, you can add up to

width, or reduce it by maximum width of 13 can be up to 12

⁄8"[3mm]. This chart covers boards up to a

⁄16"[331mm]. Example: the 12"[305mm]

⁄4"[311mm] or as small as 117⁄8"[302mm].

⁄4"[6mm] to the listed board

Page 50

Chapter 11 D4 R Pro User Guide

SINGLE PASS HALF-BLIND DOVETAILS

11- 9 With the finger assembly raised in the HHB Tails mode, clamp a drawer side in the front left side, against the side stop and the top end edge slightly above the jig body top .

Note: Drawer side thickness can be from

⁄16" to 9⁄16"[11mm to

14mm]. See 11-25 re drawer side thickness greater than 9/16".

11-11 With the scale set on 1⁄2"[12,7mm], lower the finger

assembly to about

⁄8"[3mm] above the drawer front to ease adjust-

ing the guide fingers . The scale is always set on the 1/2" mark

for single pass dovetails.

11-10 Place a sample drawer front from 5⁄8" to 11⁄2" thickness [16 to 38mm] in the rear clamp. Clamp with the side edge against the left rear side stop, front end edge touching flush across the rear of the front board . Note: the 5⁄8" minimum thickness can be reduced if using other shallower bit depths. ! Board edges must

be square.

11-12 With boards the same width as a board width chart size (Fig. 11-8), set the first guide finger flush against the board edge  and tighten. If board width is greater than a chart size, set the first finger in from the edge by half the additional board width . If board width is narrower than a chart size, overhang the first finger by half the difference and tighten.

11-13 Set the dovetail spacer against the guide finger with numeral

facing to the right . Move the next two fingers against the

spacer and tighten . Remove and locate the spacer to the right of the tightened fingers. You should feel some friction removing it . Slide the next two fingers against the spacer and tighten . Repeat  across the board width plus two more fingers .

11-14 Move any spare fingers so that they will support the router and tighten all loose fingers. Lower the assembly flat onto the drawer front.

REMEMBER SAFETY!

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SINGLE PASS HALF-BLIND DOVETAILS

Chapter 11D4 R Pro User Guide

11-15 Unclamp the tail board from the front clamp and insert the dovetail spacer as shown against the side stop . Re-set the drawer side in the front clamp so that its top edge touches the guide fingers and is perfectly flush with the top face of the drawer front and the left edge is against the Spacer.

! Board edges must be square.

11-16 Insert the Stop Rod through the holes in the fingers . For the first light cut move the router from right to left. Make

sure you control it firmly, because it is driven in this direction by the bit. Only the tip of the bit should be cutting on the first

. This back, or climb routing, leaves a very clean shoulder

cut

when routing side grain.

11-17 Now rout in and out from left to right. Follow the guides

in on the left of each finger opening to touch the stop rod and come out on the right. The pins, tails and sockets are formed

simultaneously.

11-19 Keep the test tail board that fits well, and mark it with the number of the bit you used to rout it. For quick set-up next time, clamp this tail board in the jig as a

depth-of-cut gauge  to show

how far to lower the bit. Better yet, measure the bit projection from the end of the guidebush  or guidebush flange  and record this for fast set-ups in future.

11-18 Remove the boards and test the joint for fit. If the joint is loose, as shown here, lower the bit by the same amount as the gap at the bottom of the pins  when the pins are pulled against the socket sides . If the joint is too tight, raise the bit slightly. Test again. You cannot rout the same board ends again with a dovetail bit, so use two fresh ends for each test.

1/64[0,3mm]

11-20 When you have the proper tightness of fit, check the flushness. The tails should be under flush to the pins by no more than

/64"[0,3mm] to allow for cleanup (exaggerated here). Any concen-

tricity errors in the collet and guidebush on different routers will affect this tolerance.

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Chapter 11 D4 R Pro User Guide

SINGLE PASS HALF-BLIND DOVETAILS

1/64[0,3mm]

11-21 If the tails stand out from the pins, set the HHB TAILS scale away from the operator by half the amount required.

11-23 To make a box, repeat the procedure four times, ensuring the drawer fronts, rears and sides are all rotated correctly in the

keeping the inside face i of the boards away from the jig.

jig,

11-22 If the tails fit in too far past the pins ends, set the

HB TAILS scale toward the operator by half the amount

required.

11-24 Assemble the drawer. As with through dovetails, it doesn’t matter which edge of any of the boards are at the top or bottom, the drawer will still fit together e.g. pin board “A” can be up either way.

11-25 For tail (drawer side) boards thicker than 9/16" , set the

scale to

and leave the stop rod in place. Do not set the scale



to the actual tail board thickness. With thicker boards, more of the inside portion of the tail board

will be routed away. Slight scale



adjustments may be required for a flush fit. See figures 11-20 through 11-22.

Cutting Depth Increase

Bit

80-8 0.014"

101-8 0.011"

112-8 0.009"

120-8 0.008"

128-8 0.006"

per e-Bush Increment

11-26 Hint: Increasing the Depth of Cut (see page 40) This is based on setting the e-Bush on 10. The depth of cut for each bit can be increased slightly by turning the e-Bush to a lower number. For example, if you turn the e-Bush from 10 to 9 you will have to increase the depth of cut by 0.014" for the 80-8 bit. If you turn the e-Bush two increments to number 8 you will have to increase the depth of cut by 0.028" and so on.

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Page 53

" [3,2mm] Min.

Board Thickness

" [3,2mm] Min.

Board Thickness

D4R Pro - CHAPTER 12

Rabbeted

Half-Blind Dovetails

Before attempting rabbeted half-blind dovetails, first master the techniques of flush half-blind dovetails in chapter 10.

12-1 Rabbeted Half-blind Dovetail Terminology:

Pins

  

Pin sockets

Half-pins The pins fit in the pin sockets. Joints should almost always end each side with half-pins.

Half-pin sockets



Tails

 

Tail Sockets

12-2 Cutting Depth for Rabbeted Half-Blind Dovetails

DEPTH OF CUT

/8"

[9mm]

Note: Add at least

128-8

120-8

/16"

[11mm]

⁄8"[3,2mm] to the depth of cut for board thickness.

[13mm]

112-8

/2"

[16mm]

101-8

DEPTH

/8"

OF CUT

[19mm]

Symbol for “approximately”

80-8

/4"

 Important! Read This About Rabbeted HB Depth of Cut

Bit selection is critical. You need to select a specific dovetail bit for your rabbeted half-blind dovetail project, depending on the rabbet depth you are using.

• Choose one of the five 1⁄2"[12,7mm] diameter dovetail bits shown above. See bit selection in Appendix II.

• Depth of cut must be as specified for each of the five bits illustrated above.

Exception: See fig.11-26. Note: No’s 101-8, 112-8 and 128-8 are optional Leigh bits.

• Raising the bit above its specified cutting depth will result in loose joints and may damage the jig, bit

and/or guidebush. A lower setting will result in tighter joints that may not fit together.

• Small Depth of Cut adjustments will change joint fit tightness. See 10‑3 to 10‑5 for why.

• Rabbeted Half‑blind PINS and TAILS are routed with the same dovetail bit and must be at the same Depth of Cut.

• All half‑blind dovetail bits work with the Leigh e7‑Bush supplied with your Leigh jig or a standard

⁄16"[11,1mm] outside diameter

guidebush.

RABBET DEPTH  determines the maximum depth of cut  you can

use. Select a bit with a specified cutting depth that is at least 1/16"[1,6mm] less than the rabbet depth.

A dovetail bit will produce only one

specific cutting depth.

Only 1⁄2"[12,7mm] cutting diameter bits

can be used for half-blind dovetails.

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Chapter 12 D4 R Pro User Guide

RABBETED HALF-BLIND DOVETAILS

12-3 Provided the drawer front lip is 3⁄8"[9,5mm] or less in thick- ness , you can mount and rout rabbeted drawer fronts and sides exactly the same way as flush drawer fronts. If the lip is thicker or

wider than

⁄8"[9,5mm]  see 12-6 thru 12-8.

12-5 An easy accurate way to do this is to rabbet the end of a scrap piece

vertically over a dado blade or router bit at the same time



as you rabbet the drawer front (horizontally) .

12-4 Rabbeted Pins You will need to clamp a scrap stop block  in the front of the jig out from the jig’s front face by exactly the depth of the rabbet

.This brings the pin ends exactly in line with the



front jig face , ensuring that the scale reading is accurate.

12-6 If the lip thickness  is greater than 3⁄8" [9,5mm], it will not fit under the side stop. Block the drawer side away from the front side stop by exactly rabbet depth (see 12-3

). Make up a block  and stick it to the jig face  with double-sided tape. Make sure it touches the side stop. This will offset the drawer side from the side stop by the width of the rabbet, and align the sockets with the pins.

12-7 If the rabbet width  is greater than 3⁄8"[9,5mm], the drawer side must be offset from the front side stop by the depth of the

rabbet minus

⁄8"[9,5mm]. Make up a block to this measurement and stick it to the face of the jig, touching the front side stop. This will offset the drawer side away from the side stop and align the sockets with the pins.

12-8 Make sure you select a dovetail bit that has a working depth of cut less than the rabbet height. Otherwise, you will rout into the

rabbet. It is difficult to clean up the drawer sides and front corner after assembling a rabbeted drawer, so make sure the fit is flush before you complete the drawers (see 10-28 to 10-30).

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Page 55

D4R Pro - CHAPTER 13

End-On-End Dovetails

While you have the router set up for half-blind dovetails, it is a good time to try end-on-end dovetails.

If you have not yet routed half-blind dovetails or read through chapter 11, please do so now before



attempting end-on-end dovetails.

1 2

3 4

1 2

1 4

13-1 End-on-end dovetails are made in the same modes as halfblind joints, but both boards are routed vertically in the front clamp, alternately face side in and then face side out

on-end joints may be up to

⁄4"[20mm] thick.

. Boards for end-

 Use only the guidebush, dovetail bits and depths of cut as

specified in 10‑32.

25–38

13-2 The end-on-end dovetail is laid out in the H HB TAILS mode. There is a special mark on the scale for end-on-end dovetails. Align the support bracket line with the small arrow as shown. Adjust the guidefingers as required.

13-3 Rout the tails. Clamp end-on-end dovetail boards in the jig for routing one end face side in and one end face side out. Keep the same edge against the side stop for both ends.

13- 4 Rout the tails on each end of the tail boards.

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Chapter 13 D4 R Pro User Guide

1 4

1 2

3 4

25–38

END-ON-END DOVETAILS

13-5 Rotate the finger assembly to

on the small scale arrow for maximum pin board thickness (

HB PINS mode and again set it

⁄4"[20mm]).

There is no theoretical minimum thickness, but avoid thin board tearout, see 17-11. Rout pins on each end of pin boards, same edge against the sidestop for both ends. Narrow pins are illustrated (look like narrow tails), but guidefingers can easily adjust for even-sized tails and pins.

13- 6 Always assemble end-on-end joints keeping the edges of the boards that were against the side stop all in line.

Applications for End-on-End Dovetails

As one example, you can make a flat, stable, and attractive chest lid by edge-jointing and glueing end-on-end dovetailed boards.

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Page 57

D4R Pro - CHAPTER 14

Asymmetric Dovetails

For certain procedures, you will need to use both ends of the Leigh D4R Pro jig. Asymmetrical joint layouts are one example. On the Leigh Jig, no joints will be truly symmetrical, but they can look symmetrical. Apparent symmetry is only required for aesthetic reasons, and not for strength. Be sure you have read and understood chapters 8

through 14 before attempting these procedures.

14 -1 By symmetrical we mean a joint that looks or is approximately symmetrical about its center line but is probably not, and need not be precisely symmetrical. Using the Leigh jig, it is easy to cut a joint that looks symmetrical; the pins will always align perfectly with the tails cut at the same spacing. Remember, symmetry is only required for appearance, not for joinery reasons.

14-2 By asymmetrical we mean a deliberately uneven layout of pins and tails required by the project design. For example, asymmetrical joints may be used for blanket chests or boxes. One pin is made wider for a saw-cut allowance…

14-3 So the chest and lid half-pins all look the same width after the lid portion  is cut off.

14-4 In the chest example you can see that if both ends of the board are cut under the same guidefingers, the wide sockets and pins at opposite ends will not line up. Remember, the same inside

of the through dovetail tail board has to face away from

face

the jig for each cut.

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Chapter 14 D4 R Pro User Guide

ASYMMETRIC DOVETAILS

14-5 Deliberately asymmetrical joints must therefore be routed on both ends of the jig using two separate, almost mirror-image layouts.

A/C

B/D

14-6 The layouts need not be exact mirror images because the parts that fit together will be made on the same end of the jig. For a typical blanket chest you would rout corners A and C on one end of the jig and corners B and D on the other end. As long as the side stop marks all face up (or all down), the box will go together.

14-7 Here is an easy way to cut these near-mirror-image joints. Lay out the A and C corner joints in the usual way (i.e., in the

TD PINS mode). Rout the A and C corners’ tails and pins.

Leave the guidefingers set and in the

TD PINS mode.

B/D

A/C

14-9 Now rout the B and D corners’ tails and pins using this guidefinger pattern. When you assemble the case, the A and/or C ends will fit each other, and the B and/or D ends will also fit each other. Keep the boards inside face i inwards on the case and the side stop edges all turned the same way, and the parts are sure to match (see 14-6).

14-8 Simply flip a completed A or C pin board from one end of the jig (like turning a page) to the other end, and center each pair of guidefingers over a pin.

14 -10 To transfer a mirror image asymmetrical half-blind joint…

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ASYMMETRIC DOVETAILS

Chapter 14D4R Pro User Guide

14 -11 Turn the tail board (like turning a page of a book) to the other end of the jig. Position the guidefingers over the tails, then rout the tails for the other drawers. This tail board layout may look symmetrical, but as the next illustration shows, it forms part of an asymmetrical joint.

14 -13 Mount the right end of the drawer front on the left end, but do not rout this opening .

14 -12 This common example of asymmetry is where boards are of a different width. In this case, a drop-front drawer, the drawer front bottom half-pin is much wider than the top half-pin. The top edges of the drawer front and sides are flush, so it makes sense to use these edges against the side stops at each end of the jig.

14-14 Mount the left end of the drawer front on the right end, using the

mirror‑image layouts on both ends, but do not rout this

opening .

14 -15 Both ends of the jig are also used for the top corners of a slant-front desk. The joints themselves may be symmetrical, but they must be routed on opposite ends of the jig because the sloped front will not register accurately against the fixed side stops.

14 -16 At the back of the desk both sides and top are flush, so the rear edges are set against the side stops. Place the left end of the top tail board against the left side stop

. Rout the tails.

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Chapter 14 D4 R Pro User Guide

ASYMMETRIC DOVETAILS

14 -17 The left side of the desk goes against the left side stop e. Rout the pins.

14 -19 Place the right side of desk against the right side stop f. Rout the pins.

14 -18 Transfer the joint layout from left to right (as for 14-8 to 14-11) and place the right end of the top tail board against the right side stop f. Rout the tails.

14-20 Note: If, in the slant-front desk example, the pins were in the desk top and the tails in the sides, then all the parts would be routed in the opposite ends of the jig to those shown above.

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Page 61

D4R Pro - CHAPTER 15

Box Joints

IMPORTAN T: “Actual” Joint Sizes

The D4R Pro finger assembly was originally designed solely for dovetailing. Adapting the assembly for box jointing was a serendipitous combination of luck (existing guides approximately the correct dimension) and clever design; the e7-Bush and Spacer. As a result, the nominal 3⁄8" and 3⁄4"[9,5 and 19 mm] box joint sizes are closer to 25⁄64"

⁄64" [9,8 and 19,6mm] respectively.

and

Concept of Operation

The first board is set against the side stop .

The Spacer is used to space the guide fingers .

The Spacer is also used against the side stop  to accurately offset mating work pieces for correct board to board joint alignment.

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Chapter 15 D4 R Pro User Guide

Choose your Board Width:

Symmetrical joints: Use the red column Asymmetrical joints: Use the grey column Count the total sockets and pins in the first column

Board Width - INCHES Board Width - MILLIMETERS

3/8" 3/4" 9,5mm 19mm

Symmetrical Symmetrical Asymmetrical Symmetrical Asymmetrical SymmetricalAsymmetrical Asymmetrical

BOX JOINTS

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

D4R Pro

1 1/

1 29/

2 11/

3 15/

4 7/

6 17/

7 5/

8 3/

8 7/

9 19/

10 13/

11 3/

11 31/

12 3/

14 9/

15 1/

15 27/

2 9/

3 1/

3 27/

4 5/

5 3/

6 5/

6 15/

7 23/

8 17/

9 1/

10 1/

10 13/

11 9/

12 11/

13 1/

13 29/

14 11/

15 7/

16 7/

2 9/

3 27/

5 3/

6 15/

8 17/

10 1/

11 9/

13 1/

14 11/

16 7/

4 5/

6 5/

7 23/

9 1/

10 13/

12 11/

13 29/

15 7/

1 2 3

29 4 5

49 6 7

68 8 9

10 11

107

12 13

127

14 15

137

16 17

167

18 19

186

20 21

206

22 23

225

24 25

245

26 27

265

28 29

284

30 31

304

32 33

324

34 35

343

36 37

363

38 39

383

40 41

402

117

137

157

176

196

216

235

255

275

294

314

334

353

373

393

412

137

176

216

255

294

334

373

412

117

157

196

235

275

314

353

393

Page 63

BOX JOINTS

Chapter 15D4R Pro User Guide

15-1 Bit and Guidebush selection Only the e7‑Bush and the

⁄16" bit  that came with the D4R Pro are required for box joints. Spiral upcut router bits  will cut cleaner than straight flute. Where metric size bits are available an 8mm straight or spiral bit may be

substituted for the

⁄16". Always start test routing with the e7‑Bush

set on “5”. Note: the box joint Spacer  has a square notch.

15-3 Clamp a test board in the front left clamp, against the side stop with the top edge flush under the guidefingers. The board may be clamped face side in or out

. Mark and adjust the depth

of cut to suit the thickness of the mating boards .

15-2 3⁄8"[9,5mm] Box Joints.

Place the finger assembly on the support brackets in the HB TAILS mode, set the scales on the small triangular arrow

 and lower the assembly onto the spacer board. All box joints are routed in this position. Note: maximum board thickness is 1"[25mm]

15-4 Raise the finger assembly about 1⁄8"[3mm] to allow ease of guide finger adjustment . Position the second guidefinger

⁄32"[1,0mm] in from the board edge  and tighten the finger. The

first finger stays against the scale block as a router support .

Note: Square ended boards are essential to achieve flush joint alignment.

15-5 Place the Spacer on the finger bar to the right of the second finger, numeral 1

on top overlapping the locked finger . Move the next finger in to touch the Spacer . Hold the guidefinger firmly against the Spacer and tighten the second finger screw . As you remove the Spacer you should feel some friction; this indicates that the guidefinger is correctly spaced .

15-6 Now place the spacer vertically on the right hand side of the third finger; the prongs to the left . Hold the guidefinger firmly against the Spacer and tighten the second finger screw . As you remove the Spacer you should feel some friction ; this indicates that the guidefinger is correctly spaced.

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Chapter 15 D4 R Pro User Guide

BOX JOINTS

15-7 Repeat this procedure across the jig until there is at least one guidefinger spaced past the right hand side of the work piece.

Finger pairs should have a uniform

⁄2"[12,7mm] space between them , and .054"[1,37mm] gap  between fingers of the same pair. Tighten the unused guides.

15-9 Rout one end of the scrap board. Rout into each finger opening  and between each finger . Make sure to run the guidebush on both sides of each opening.

15-8 Lower the finger assembly onto the spacer board and doublecheck that the bit depth is down to the center of the pencil line . Make sure the collet does not rub on the guidebush.

15 -10 Remove the board and fit the box joint Spacer against the front side stop with the number 3 showing

. Make sure it is fully home. Clamp the second test board with its side edge against the Spacer and its top edge touching the guidefingers. Rout this board. Note: Square ended boards are essential to achieve

flush joint alignment.

15 -11 Test the boards for fit and flushness. If the joint is loose, turn the e7‑Bush to a higher number and rout two more boards. If the joint is too tight, turn the e7‑Bush to a lower number. Trial-and-error establishes the best e7‑Bush setting. Record it on this bush drawing for a good result the next time. Note: each increment adjusts glue line fit by

0.002"[0,05mm]. Retighten the e-Bush nut after each adjustment.

1 2

15 -12 If the joint is over-flush , raise the bit slightly. If it is under-flush , lower the bit.

Page 65

BOX JOINTS

Chapter 15D4R Pro User Guide

15-13 Lets make a box with 3/8" box joints..

Prepare four boards and number them 1 to 4. Then select the grain alignment and mark the common top (or bottom) edge worry about face side selection; this can be done after routing.

. Don’t

15 -14 All box joint boards are clamped alternating face side in j and face side out side stop (or Spacer).

always with the same side edge against the

15-15 Rout both ends of boards 1 and 3 with their edges against the side stop. Be sure to keep the same edge to the stop.

15 -17 Keeping the marked side stop edges of all boards toward the top (or all to the bottom) of the box, select the preferred outside faces before routing the grooves  for the bottom.

15 -16 Rout both ends of boards 2 and 4 with their edges against the Spacer and the Spacer in the No 3 position.

Keep the same edges to the Spacer.

15 -18 The same method will produce end-on-end joints.

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Chapter 15 D4 R Pro User Guide

BOX JOINTS

15-19 3⁄4"[19mm] Box Joints Set-up and space the guide

fingers exactly as for

⁄8"[9mm] joints. Start with the same e7‑Bush

setting. See 15-2 thru 15-9. Prepare four boards using the board width chart for joints and number them 1 to 4

around the box  with the com-

mon edges marked.

⁄4"[19mm]

15-20 Rout both ends of boards 1 and 3 but only rout between the guide finger openings  not between the finger sides . Keep

the common edge against the side stop.

Mark the router base at the 12 o’clock position  and steer

Hint:

this mark along the pointed ends of the fingers at the rear of the assembly.

15-21 Now rout both ends of boards 2 and 4, with the common edge against the side stop but only rout between the finger sides



not between the finger openings .

Hint: Now steer the base 12 o’clock mark between the pairs of finger points

.

15-22 Remove the board and fit the Spacer to the side stop with number 3

showing . Now rout both ends of boards 2 and 4 again,

with the common edge against the Spacer and again …only rout

between the finger sides

, not between the finger openings ,

steering the router mark between the pairs of finger points .

15-23 With the Spacer still in position rout both ends of boards

1 and 3, with the common edge against the Spacer and only rout between the finger openings

the finger points .

, steering the router mark along

15-24 Joint fit Check for joint fit as usual, and repeat testing

if required. Theoretically, there will be nothing in the

⁄4"[19mm] sockets, literally a zero thickness wall, where the bit has passed by twice. However, routing tolerances can leave a very thin “wall” uncleared by routing. This can be quickly removed with a chisel or sandpaper.

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Page 67

D4R Pro - CHAPTER 16

Sliding Dovetails

Routing sliding dovetail “slots” across the face grain of horizontal boards is very tough on dovetail bits.



Always use the largest shank size available to you; we recommend at least 8mm shanks, but 1⁄2" would be

even better, with of course the appropriate guidebush. If you have to use 1⁄4" shanks in hardwood, use a second router to rough out the slot centre with a straight bit. While we recommend 5⁄8"[15,9mm] as the ideal size guidebush for sliding dovetails, we appreciate that many users

will have only a 7⁄16" bush. These instructions cover both those guidebushes.

With the Finger Assembly in

HALF-BLIND DOVETAIL TAILS (HB TAILS) mode,

install the cross-cut fence

Sliding Dovetail

Inches Millimeters

slots are cut

across the board

face.

KEEP the finger assembly in the same mode

Sliding Dovetail tails

are cut across the board end edge

Inches Millimeters

Active

Guide Surface

Active

Guide Surface

Page 68

Chapter 16 D4R Pro User Guide

SLIDING DOVETAILS

16 -1 With the finger assembly in HHB TAILS mode, the cross cut fence fits into the recesses in the ends of the tail guides for routing sliding dovetails.

Space the guides fairly evenly across the jig. Firmly seat the



fence into end of each guidefinger to ensure a straight cut.

16-3 Across the top ends of vertical boards to cut the tail. First rout one side

…then turn the board side-over-side



...

to cut the other half of



the tail.

16-2 Using the cross cut fence as a guide surface for the guidebush, you can make lateral router cuts across the faces of horizontal boards (we call these dovetail slots), and...

16-4 Turn the e7‑Bush to “5” and use the No. 120-8, 1⁄2"x 14° bit for sliding dovetails. This e7‑Bush setting will allow for fine fit adjustment of the tail later.

A standard

⁄16"[11,1mm] guidebush (min. depth 1/4" see page

69) can be used but without the fine adjustment provided by the e7‑Bush.

1/3

2/3

16-5 On a full width joint, the slot depth-of-cut should be no more than

⁄3 the board thickness . If the tail board is a load-bearing horizontal

member (e.g., bookshelf or step), make the tail fairly thick for good tail neck strength . Shorter sliding dovetails for less structural demand may be slightly deeper, with narrower profiles, especially if appearance is important ➂ (e.g., where narrow rails join wider boards).

16-6 Use 3⁄4"x5 1⁄2 "[20x140mm] softwood to make two slot boards , plus one narrow test slot board , two tail boards ➂ and one narrow test tail board . The tail boards ➂ and test tail board  must be exactly the same thickness. This will make two uprights and two shelves.

Page 69

SLIDING DOVETAILS

Chapter 16D4R Pro User Guide

16-7 Marking Out: Do not mark slot positions on board faces; mark the edges

of both slot boards together for perfectly level



shelves. Mark the narrow test slot board in the same way at several closely spaced random spots

. This board is used only for setup.



16-9 Mount the test slot board in the rear clamp, markings up.

Dovetail slots are best routed from left to right because the bit's clock-

wise rotation pulls the guidebush against the fence. But when routing close to both ends of a board, you may need to rout slots from right to left. See 16-30.

16-8 On the test slot board only, square the marks across the face.

16 -10 Mount a 3⁄4"[20mm] thick (yes, the 3⁄4"[20mm] thick-

ness is important) square-ended board vertically in the front clamp against the side stop, with the top edge butting the underside of the test board.

16 -11 Position and clamp the test board so that one of the edge marks is in line with the outside edge of the vertical board.

16 -12 With the finger assembly (including the cross cut fence) on the support brackets in the

⁄16"[11mm] . Make sure the finger assembly is level and sitting

to flush on top of the board. The

HB TAILS mode, set the scale

HB TAILS scale was not designed

for this operation, but with this setting the routed slot will be close to centered on the slot line.

Page 70

Chapter 16 D4R Pro User Guide

SLIDING DOVETAILS

16 -13 If you use a larger guidebush, for example 5⁄8"[15,9mm]

rather than

⁄16"[11,1mm], move the scale in by the difference of

the two guidebush radii.

E.g., suggested scale reading for a

⁄32"[9mm] .

⁄8"[15,9mm] guidebush would

16 -15 Check to see if this short slot is centered on the pencil line. If not, adjust the finger assembly in or out and retest on the other lines as necessary until the slot is centered. Lock the finger assembly in this position and record the setting for future reference.

16 -14 Adjust the bit so the cut depth is about 5⁄16"[8mm]. Rout from left to right maintaining light inward pressure of the guidebush on the fence. Rout in only about 1"[25mm] and back out again.

 Do not lift the router.

16-16 Now rout sliding dovetail slots in the two main slot boards with the boards in the horizontal position in the rear clamp, slot side, that is inside face

The guidefingers must be flush on the board.

up.

16 -17 Replace the spacer board in the rear clamp, and with the finger assembly on the spacer board, mount a test tail board vertically in the front clamp, flush under the guidefingers. Either side can face out

16 -18 The HHB TAILS scale is not designed specifically for this mode, but it does allow you to make precise adjustments for tail size and tightness of fit on sliding dovetails.

Page 71

SLIDING DOVETAILS

Chapter 16D4R Pro User Guide

16 -19 Adjust and set the finger assembly  so it is clear that the routed tail  will be too large for the slot.

16-21 Finish left to right, with the guidebush touching the fence.

16-20

Rout one side of the test tail board.



Make one light pass from right to left (climb routing). Make sure you control it firmly, because it is driven in this direction by the bit. Only the tip of the bit should be cut‑ ting on the first cut (see inset). This back or climb routing leaves

a very clean shoulder in side grain.

16-22 Turn the test tail board around in the jig and rout the other side as above.

16-23 Test the joint for fit. The tail should be too big. If it is too small, adjust the finger assembly outward by at least half the difference and rout another test tail on the other end of this test board.

16-24 If the tail  is too big, move the finger assembly  toward the jig by half the amount the tail is too big. Rout the same test board again; keep adjusting and testing until a good fit.Use trial and error each

time. It doesn’t take long, and you get a good fit. For fine fit adjustment with the e-Bush see 16-25.

Page 72

100

Chapter 16 D4R Pro User Guide

SLIDING DOVETAILS

16-25 For fine fit adjustment we use the unique e‑Bush. Note: joint tightness is only adjusted with tail size, not the socket. To increase the tail

size (tighter joint) rotate the

e‑Bush to a lower number. Each increment

will adjust the joint fit by .001" on the glue line. To decrease the tail size (looser joint) rotate the

e‑Bush to a higher number. Remember

to rout both sides of the tail board as in 16-21 & 22.

16-26 When the fit is satisfactory, rout one end of a project tail board and test again. If the fit is good, rout all the other ends.

Note: Variations in board thickness, guidebush diameter, bit depth, angle, diameter and concentricity, make it impractical to record sliding tail size settings.

1 2 3 4

100

16-27 Stopped Sliding Dovetails

If a stopped sliding dovetail is called for...

Measure from the outside tip of the dovetail bit to the edge of the router base.

16-29 Or lightly clamp (with a soft‑jawed clamp) a short board to the finger assembly to act as a router stop.

16-28 Measure the same distance from where you want the slot stopped to a position on the finger assembly. Move a guidefinger to that point and mark the guidefinger with a felt pen as a visual router stop mark…

16-30

because the bit's clockwise rotation pulls the guidebush

Dovetail slots preferably are routed from left to right



against the fence. However; as when routing close to both ends of a board, it may be necessary to rout slots from right to left. Bit rota‑

tion will tend to pull the router away from the fence. Feed slower and maintain constant guidebush pressure against the fence.

■

Page 73

D4R Pro - CHAPTER 17

Hints and Tips

The following pages contain valuable information that will help you get the most from your new Leigh D4R Pro dovetail jig. Our website contains additional information and technical bulletins that further expand your jig's capabilities.

Go to: www.leighjigs.com and click on the “Support” tab.

17-1 Through Dovetail Pins With the straight bit, carefully climb‑rout from right to left. Make sure you control the router firmly when climb routing.

Climb routing produces a nice clean shoulder at .

Note: For clarity, the guidebush is not shown in this sequence.

17-3 Climb rout from left to right from the rear of the cut. Take care to control router.

17-2

17-4



Rout through on the right side.



Rout back through towards you on the left side.

Page 74

Chapter 17 D4R Pro User Guide

HINTS AND TIPS

17-5 Rout away the rest of the waste.

Note: Spiral up‑cut straight bits (inset) generally rout more smoothly than the two‑flute carbide‑tipped bits. Leigh recom-

mends solid carbide bits.

17-7 Dovetail Tails Tearout With the dovetail bit, most tearout occurs at the top left exit of the cut.

17-6 Through Dovetail Pins Tearout

To prevent tearout at the back bottom part of a straight cut, scribe a line with your marking gauge across the back of the pin board at exactly the depth of cut.

17-8 To help prevent this, back up the cut with the end-grain of a horizontal board pushed against the back of the workpiece and held in the rear clamp. This board replaces the spacer board.

17-9 This same scrap piece can remain in place for successive cuts.

3 3

17-10 Always rout the right hand half pin socket starting from behind the board and moving the router outwards , and rout the left hand half pin socket from the outer face, moving the router inwards . Position the non-active guide fingers both sides so that they do not impede this process ➂.

Page 75

HINTS AND TIPS

Chapter 17D4R Pro User Guide

17-11 For particularly vulnerable pieces or that last piece of exotic wood, the best solution is to clamp horizontal scrap pieces to front and back of the work piece. Make sure the clamps are below the bit depth. PLYWOOD material is not suitable for routing; laminates are very prone to tearout. Figures 17-10 or 17-11 are essential for plywood but do not guarantee success.

17-13

On face cuts, whether using a straight bit or a dove-



tail bit, climb routing or back routing will leave a

clean edge; but great caution must be exercised in controlling

the router’s movement from right to left, as the bit rotation pulls the router in that direction anyway

17-12 A single scrap piece can be C-clamped on the back of halfblind tails, but make sure you protect the workpiece from the clamp pads. Note: There is no 100% solution to tearout. It’s not the jig’s fault, just something that happens when machining, sawing and even chiseling wood. Important pieces fall off from where you least want them to.

/2"

[90mm]

7"[180mm]

[40mm]

7"[180mm]

17-14 General Hints

Router Stand: Make up a small router stand as illustrated, to mount the router securely on the bench when not in use.

17-15 For routing long vertical boards it may be necessary to build a jig stand to mount securely on your bench. Make the stand and bench height combination sufficient to accept the board length you have in mind. The jig stand should be bolted securely to the bench. Make up a stable platform to stand on as in the illustration. Do

not use a set of steps. Steps are not stable enough.

17-16 When placing long horizontal boards in the rear clamp, make sure the rear end of the board is supported to prevent unnecessary racking of the jig.

Page 76

Chapter 17 D4R Pro User Guide

HINTS AND TIPS

17-17 More On Symmetry

It doesn’t matter if symmetrical-looking joints on a single box do not precisely mirror the adjacent corners. No one will ever know the difference. These joints look perfectly symmetrical on their own, but...

17-19 Use the asymmetrical mirror image aligning techniques 14-4 to 14-11 for perfectly aligned neighbour joints.

17-18 If a number of these boxes end up side-by- side, e.g. spice caddys on a kitchen shelf, the slight misalignments of the joints could be unattractive. So when making boxes or through dovetail drawers that will be lined up beside each other with the joints showing...

17-20 Using The Router Mark the router base top edge at the 12 o’clock position with a felt marker pen. Without wood or bits, try some dry runs in each jig mode. This will soon get you used to positioning the guidebush against the correct guide surface without looking under the router.

 Do not rout at face level.

17-21 Some router bases have sharp edges on the outside and inside corners. A slight chamfer of the edges with a fine file or sandpaper block will ease router movement on the jig. An occasional light spray of “Top Cote®” application of soft wax to the router base makes for smooth, easy router movement on the jig.

■

Page 77

D4R Pro - Appendix I

Attaching the Leigh e-Bush

to the Router

The correct guidebush is the vital link between the router and your Leigh Jig. It precisely steers the router. Where possible, always use the Leigh system to ensure correct bush length and precise diameter for accurate results.

Leigh offers the adaptors below to fit guidebushes to over one hundred router models new and old, including Porter Cable, Black & Decker, and DeWalt. Many other makes e.g. Bosch, Fein, Festool, Milwaukee etc., either offer or include base adaptors. See list of routers in the Template Guide Bushing and Adaptor Selection chart on the next page.

Leigh Template Guide Bushing

and Adaptor System

e7 e10

Bosch RA1100

702R

Bosch RA1126

(required for Bosch RA1100)

702

711TP 716TP

706R

721

704R

705R

e-Bush Mounting Variations

e-Bush with

Adaptors 702 & 702R

e-Bushes fit many

routers directly

703

Nut for e-Bushes

Nut for TP guidebushes

710

e-Bush with

Adaptor 703

e-Bush with

Adaptor 710

Page 78

Appendix I D4R Pro User Guide

ATTACHING THE LEIGH E-BUSH TO THE ROUTER

Template Guide Bushing and Adaptor Selection

Your router may need an adaptor to mount the guide bushing. Find out with this chart.

See www.leighjigs.com for the latest list of routers.

DIRECTIONS

A. Locate name of router maker in

Column 1.

B. Locate router model in Column

2. If your router is not listed visit leighjigs.com for a complete, upto-date list of routers.

C. Locate adaptor required for your

router in Column 3.

• Order Leigh adaptors (part no’s in

red) in Column 3 from Leigh.

• Order Bosch adaptors RA1100 and RA1126 in Column 3 from Leigh or your Bosch dealer.

• Order all other adaptors in Column 3 from the router manufacturer’s dealer.

D. Guide bushings in Columns 4 and

5 ﬁt all adaptors listed and may be ordered if required. Note the following:

◆

7/16" (e7, 711TP) guide bushings are supplied with all Leigh dovetail jigs. Order only if you require a replacement.

▲ 5/8" (

e10, 716TP) guide bushings are used with 1/2" shank router bits on D4R Pro, D4R, D4, D3 & D1258(R) jigs. Order only if using 1/2" shank router bits.

 n

MAFELL – Rework adaptor slightly.

Adaptor Mounting Screws

Screws are included with router.

Guide Bushings

All 8mm shank bits work with the e7-Bush supplied with your Leigh jig, or with any 7/16" OD guide bushing that has a min. barrel length of 1/4". The optional Leigh e10-Bush or standard 5/8" OD guidebush is used with 1/2" shank bits. No other guide bushing sizes can be used.

ROUTER

MAKER

BLACK & DECKER

90140, 90088, 90098, 90085, 90150, 90300, 90303, 90305, 91264 Aftermarket base plate required 82855 82854

ROUTERS PRODUCED AFTER mid 2010: 1613AEVS, 1617EVS, 1618EVS, and

BOSCH

CMT 1E 702R e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

CRAFTSMAN

(SEARS)

DEWALT

ELU

FEIN RT1800 Supplied w/router e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

FESTOOL

FREUD FT700(2), FT2000, FT2200, FT3000 721 e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

HITACHI

MAFELL LO65E 702 n e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

MAKITA

METABO OF1612, OFE1812 704R e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

MILWAUKEE

PERLES OF808 Series, OFE6990 710 e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

PORTER CABLE

(ROCKWELL)

RIDGID R2930 704R e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

RYOBI

SKIL

TREND T3, T4, T5, T9, T10, T11–UniBase required 710 e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

TRITON

WEGOMA OF850 Series 710 e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

MR23EVS series, in N.America require Bosch adaptors RA1100 & RA1126.

ROUTERS PRODUCED BEFORE mid 2010: 1613AEVS, 1614EVS, 1617EVS, 1618EVS, 1619EVS POF800ACE, POF1400ACE, POF1100AE, POF1200AE,

GOF1200, GOF900ACE, GOF1300ACE, GOF900CE, GOF2000CE, GMF1400, B1450

M363, MRP090, RP1800, RP1801, RP2301, RP2301FC, 3612C Europe Qk Fit Base 721 e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

3600, 3606, 3608, 3612, 3612B, 3612BR, 3612C N. America, 3620, 3621,

All Professional, HD1250, RP400K,7614 Not Required e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

SR100, 7AEE, KW780 series, KW 800, KW850 710 e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

1600, 1601, 1602, 1603, 1604, 1606, B1350 2 610 906 290 82859 82864

GOF1600CE in Europe requires RA1100 only.

1611, 1611EVS, 1615, 1615EVS, B1550, GOF1600, GOF1700ACE 702 e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

MD11 Plunge & Fi xed Base . MD9.5 F ixed Base Not Required e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

DW614, DW615, DW621, DW624, DW625, DW626 N. America Only, Supplied w/router e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

DW621K & DW626 outside N. America 706R e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

DW625 Type 1,2,3,5 outside N. America 702 e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

DW624 & DW625 Type 4 outside N.America, DW625EK 702R e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

OF1E , OF2E, OF650, OF900E ,OF1000, OF1010E 704R e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

OF1400 and OF2200 North America Only Supplied w/router e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

RF1100, RF1101, RD1100, RD1101, RP1101 Not Required e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

R30, R50, R150, R151, RE155, R500, R501, R502 703 e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

R160, R161, R162, R163K, R165, R170,

R175, RE175, R180, R180PL, R181, R185, ERT1150

ROUTER

MODEL

6200 720673-00 e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

All non-plunge models Aftermarket base plate required

135275070 Plunge See Skil 1823 or 1835

Other plunge models 702 e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

DW610, DW616, DW618 Not Required e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

DW613, DW615(UK) 710 e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

OF15, OF15E, OF97, OF97E 706R e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

MOF68, MOF69, MOF96, MOF96E 710 e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

MOF131, MOF177 Type 1,2, & 3 702 e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

MOF177 Type 4, MOF177EK 702R

2720, 2721, 3328 Not Required e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

3303, 3304 EO9600 or 761 270-00 e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

3337, 3338, 3339 702 e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

OF2000, OF2000E 705R e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

OF1400 Outside North America 493566 e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

OF2200 Outside North America

TR8, TR12, FM8, M8, M12 Series 325211 OR 703 e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

M12VC, KM12SC, KM12VC Not Required e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

M12SA2, M12V2 325224 e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

RP0900, RP900K

3601B 321 493-1 e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

RP0910, RP1110C 706R e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

5615, 5616, 5619 49-54-1040 e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

5625 49-54-1026 e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

5670 Not Required e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

All Not Required or Supplied w/router e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

R600, R601, RE600, RE601 702 e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

1823 or 1835 91803 e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

SK1810, 1815, 1820, 1825 RAS140 e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

All others Aftermarket base plate required 11592 71021

TRC001 TGA006 or 704R e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

JOF001, MOF001, TRA001

ROUTER

ADAPTOR

RA1100 Adaptor and RA1126 Quick

Change Adaptor required

RA1100 e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

494627 O-Ring may be required

to keep bushing centered

703 e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

706R e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

Accessory Kit (includes adaptor)

TGA001 or TGA150

7/16"OD

BUSHING

e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

Order 5-piece set from Sears USA

0925973, or 3-piece set from Sears

e7 or 711TP e10 or 716TP

◆

BUSHING ▲

Canada 0900970704

5/8" OD

Page 79

Optional router bits for variably spaced through and half-blind dovetails.

Through Dovetails

Bit Selection for Through Dovetails

D4R Pro - Appendix II

Bit Selection

8° Dovetail Bit for Tails

The pins



must fit into the sockets . So the dovetail bit’s depth of cut B must be equal to or a little greater than the pinboard thickness ➂.

Measure

the pinboard thickness

➂

Select

the dovetail bit with the correct depth of cut B from the following pages (bits must be 8° for through dovetails).

Straight Bit for Pins

The matching straight bit is listed on the charts with the dovetail bit.

Guidebush

All 8mm shank through dovetail bits listed in this appendix work with the Leigh jig, or any ~ e10-Bush or standard shank bits. No other guidebush sizes can be used for through dovetails. See page 70.

e7‑Bush (~7⁄16" OD) supplied with your

⁄16" OD guidebush. The optional Leigh

⁄8" OD guidebush is used with 1⁄2"

Shank Selection

All Leigh Dovetail jigs ship with one through dovetail bit and

one straight bit, with 8mm shanks, plus a reducer. The reducer

simply slides into the 1⁄2" collet ➄ of



your router and the 8mm shank bit is inserted into the collet reducer. The collet is tightened as normal. The collet reducer

is not required with

⁄2" shank bits. Note: If your router has

an 8mm or larger collet, we highly recommend you use our

8mm shank bits instead of

⁄4"[6,35mm] shanks.

⁄2" to 8mm collet

Page 80

Appendix II D4R Pro User Guide

Leigh Through Dovetail Bits

Note: Bit and joint drawings are about actual size.

BIT SELECTION

Note that some of the dovetail bits’ depths of cut overlap. For example: No. 80-8 bit B : 1⁄2"–13⁄16" [12 - 20mm] No. 90 bit B : 5⁄8"– 1" [16 - 26mm]

This means that boards between

⁄8" and 13⁄16"[16 - 20mm] thick can be joined using either the: No. 80-8 and 140-8 combination, or the No. 90 and 160-8 combination.

The two bit combinations will produce slightly different-looking joints because the No. 80-8 bit can cut a narrower pin socket  than the No.90 bit .

Do not attempt to rout dovetails at less than the minimum depth of



cut specified.

100

A B C D E F Guidebush BITS Overall Diameter Cutting Depth Range Shank Diameters Shank Length Overall Length Angle Diameter

No. 100 13/16" [20,6] 1" to 1-1/4" [26,0 - 32,0] 1/2" [12,7] 1-3/4" [45,0] 3" [76,0] 8° e10 or 5/8"[15,9] No. 150 7/16" [11,1] up to 1-1/4" [32,0] 1/2" [12,7] 1-3/4" [45,0] 3" [76,0] – e10 or 5/8"[15,9]

150

160

A B C D E F Guidebush Bits Overall Diameter Cutting Depth Range Shank Diameters Shank Length Overall Length Angle Diameter

No. 90 11/16" [17,5] 5/8" to 1" [16,0-26,0] 1/2" [12,7] 1-3/4" [45,0] 2-3/4" [70,0] 8° e10 or 5/8"[15,9] No. 160 1/2" [12,7] up to 1-1/4" [32,0] 1/2" [12,7] 1-3/4" [45,0] 3" [76,0] – e10 or 5/8"[15,9]

Numbers in brackets are millimeters

Page 81

BIT SELECTION

Included

with

D4R Pro

Included

with

D4R Pro

Included

with

D4R Pro

Included

with

D4R Pro

Included

with

D4R Pro

Included

with

D4R Pro

Included

with

D4R Pro

Included

with

D4R Pro

Note: Bit and joint drawings are about actual size.

Appendix IID4R Pro User Guide

80-8 140-8

A B C D E F Guidebush BITS Overall Diameter Cutting Depth Range Shank Diameters Shank Length Overall Length Angle Diameter

No. 80-8 * 1/2" [12,7] 1/2" to 13/16" [13,0-20,6] 8mm (or 1/4") 1-3/4" [45,0] 2-9/16" [65,0] 8° e7 or 7/16"[11,1] No. 140-8 * 5/16" [7,9] up to 1" [26,0] 8mm (or 1/4") 1-3/4" [45,0] 2-3/4" [70,0] – e7 or 7/16"[11,1]

75-8 140-8

A B C D E F Guidebush BITS Overall Diameter Cutting Depth Range Shank Diameters Shank Length Overall Length Angle Diameter

No. 75-8 7/16" [11,1] 3/8" to 5/8" [9,5-16,0] 8mm (or 1/4") 1-3/4" [45,0] 2-3/8" [60,0] 8° e7 or 7/16"[11,1] No. 140-8* 5/16" [7,9] up to 1" [26,0] 8mm (or 1/4") 1-3/4" [45,0] 2-3/4" [70,0] – e7 or 7/16"[11,1]

70-8 140-8

A B C D E F Guidebush BITS Overall Diameter Cutting Depth Range Shank Diameters Shank Length Overall Length Angle Diameter

No. 70-8 3/8" [9,5] 1/4" to 1/2" [6,0-13,0] 8mm (or 1/4") 1-3/4" [45,0] 2-1/4" [57,0] 8° e7 or 7/16"[11,1] No. 140-8* 5/16" [7,9] up to 1" [26,0] 8mm (or 1/4") 1-3/4" [45,0] 2-3/4" [70,0] – e7 or 7/16"[11,1]

Numbers in brackets are millimeters * Bits 80-8, 120-8, and 140-8 come standard with the Leigh D4R Pro

Page 82

Included

with

D4R Pro

Included

with

D4R Pro

Included

with

D4R Pro

Included

with

D4R Pro

Appendix II D4R Pro User Guide

BIT SELECTION

60-8 140-8

A B C D E F Guidebush Bits Overall Diameter Cutting Depth Range Shank Diameters Shank Length Overall Length Angle Diameter

No. 60-8 5/16" [7,9] up to 3/8" [9,5] 8mm (or 1/4") 1-3/4" [45,0] 2-1/8" [54,0] 8° e7 or 7/16"[11,1] No. 140-8* 5/16" [7,9] up to 1" [26,0] 8mm (or 1/4") 1-3/4" [45,0] 2-3/4" [70,0] – e7 or 7/16"[11,1]

50-8 140-8

A B C D E F Guidebush Bits Overall Diameter Cutting Depth Range Shank Diameters Shank Length Overall Length Angle Diameter

No. 50-8 1/4" [6,35] up to 1/4" [6,35] 8mm (or 1/4") 1-3/4" [45,0] 2" [50,0] 8° e7 or 7/16"[11,1] No. 140-8* 5/16" [7,9] up to 1" [26,0] 8mm (or 1/4") 1-3/4" [45,0] 2-3/4" [70,0] – e7 or 7/16"[11,1]

Numbers in brackets are millimeters * Bits 80-8, 120-8, and 140-8 come standard with the Leigh D4R Pro

Page 83

BIT SELECTION

Half-Blind Dovetails

Appendix IID4R Pro User Guide

About Bit Selection for Half-Blind Dovetails

Bits:

Both parts of a half-blind dovetail are cut with the same dovetail bit.

Flush Drawers:

The dovetail bit’s working depth of cut B must be less than the pinboard thickness  for flush drawers by at least

⁄8"[2mm].

Rabbeted Drawers:

The dovetail bit’s working depth of cut B must be slightly (about 1⁄16"[1mm]) less than the rabbet depth  for rabbeted drawer fronts.

Drawer Sides (Tailboard):

Minimum thickness is

⁄4"[6mm].

Drawer side thickness ➂ does not affect bit selection.

Note:

tails, not the maximum depth.

is the nominal working depth for half‑blind dove‑

must not be varied, except

for minor adjustments for joint fit. See page 37.

Selecting the Bit

Measure

Drawer front thickness (minimum or rabbet depth (minimum ~7⁄16"[11,1mm])

⁄2"[12mm])





Select

A bit with the appropriate depth of cut

from the follow-

ing pages.

Guidebush

All 8mm shank half-blind dovetail bits listed in this appendix work with the any ~

e7‑Bush (~7⁄16" OD) supplied with your Leigh jig, or

⁄16" OD guidebush. No other guidebush sizes can be used

for half-blind dovetails. See page 70.

Shank Selection

Note: If your router has an 8mm or larger collet, we highly recom‑

mend you use our 8mm shank bits instead of

⁄2 "[12,7mm] collet you will require our 1⁄2"[12,7mm] to

For a

⁄4"[6,35mm] shanks.

8mm collet reducer No. 172‑8. Note: This is a collet reducer , not a collet ➄. The reducer does

not replace the collet, it slides directly into your

⁄2" collet.

Page 84

Included

with

D4R Pro

Included

with

D4R Pro

Appendix II D4R Pro User Guide

Leigh Half-Blind Dovetail Bits

BIT SELECTION

Bits

No. 80-8*

Overall Diameter

1/2" [12,7] ~3/4" [19] ~1/2" [12,7] 8mm (or 1/4") 1-3/4" [44,0] 2-9/16" [65,0] 8˚ e7 or 7/16"[11,1]

80-8

Working Depth

HB Variable HB Single Pass

Pinboard

Flush Drawer Front

Min Thickness

7/8"[22mm]

Shank DiametersDShank LengthEOverall LengthFAngle

Pinboard

Rabbeted Drawer Front

Min Rabbet Depth

13/16"[20,5mm]

101-8

Pinboard

Flush Drawer Front

Min Thickness

3/4"[19mm]

Pinboard

Rabbeted Drawer Front

Min Rabbet Depth

11/16"[17,5mm]

Tailboard

Drawer Side

Min Thickness

1/4"[6,5mm]

Guidebush

Diameter

Tailboard

Drawer Side

Min Thickness

1/4"[6,5mm]

Bits

No. 101-8

Overall Diameter

1/2" [12,7]

HB Variable HB Single Pass

~5/8" [15,9]

Working Depth

~7/16" [11,1] 8mm (or 1/4") 1-3/4" [44,0] 2-3/8" [60,0] 10˚ e7 or 7/16"[11,1]

Shank DiametersDShank LengthEOverall LengthFAngle

112-8

Bits

No. 112-8

Numbers in brackets are millimeters * Bits 80-8, 120-8, and 140-8 come standard with the Leigh D4R Pro

Overall Diameter

HB Variable HB Single Pass

1/2" [12,7] ~1/2" [12,7] ~3/8" [9,5] 8mm (or 1/4") 1-3/4" [44,0] 2-21/64" [59,0] 12˚ e7 or 7/16"[11,1]

Working Depth

Shank DiametersDShank LengthEOverall LengthFAngle

Pinboard

Flush Drawer Front

Min Thickness

5/8"[16mm]

Pinboard

Rabbeted Drawer Front

Min Rabbet Depth

9/16"[14,5mm]

Guidebush

Diameter

Tailboard

Drawer Side

Min Thickness

1/4"[6,5mm]

Guidebush

Diameter

Page 85

BIT SELECTION

Included

with

D4R Pro

Included

with

D4R Pro

Note: Bit and joint drawings are about actual size.

Appendix IID4R Pro User Guide

Bits

No. 120-8*

120-8

Overall Diameter

HB Variable HB Single Pass

1/2" [12,7] ~7/16" [11,0] ~9/32" [7,1] 8mm (or 1/4") 1-3/4" [44,0] 2-1/4" [57,0] 14˚ e7 or 7/16"[11,1]

Working Depth

Shank DiametersDShank LengthEOverall LengthFAngle

Pinboard

Flush Drawer Front

Min Thickness

9/16"[14,5mm]

Pinboard

Rabbeted Drawer Front

Min Rabbet Depth

1/2"[12,7mm]

Min Thickness

1/4"[6,5mm]

Guidebush

128-8

Pinboard

Flush Drawer Front

Min Thickness

1/2"[12,7mm]

Pinboard

Rabbeted Drawer Front

Min Rabbet Depth

7/16"[11mm]

Tailboard

Drawer Side

Min Thickness

1/4"[6,5mm]

Tailboard

Drawer Side

Diameter

Bits

No. 128-8

Numbers in brackets are millimeters * Bits 80-8, 120-8, and 140-8 come standard with the Leigh D4R Pro

Overall Diameter

HB Variable HB Single Pass

1/2" [12,7] ~3/8" [9,5] ~7/32" [5,5] 8mm (or 1/4") 1-3/4" [44,0] 2-1/8" [54,0] 18˚ e7 or 7/16"[11,1]

Working Depth

Shank DiametersDShank LengthEOverall LengthFAngle

Guidebush

Diameter

Page 86

Appendix II D4R Pro User Guide

BIT SELECTION

Page 87

D4R Pro - Appendix III

Jig Parts

See parts list and drawing on the following pages.

Order parts directly from Leigh by calling toll-free 800-663-8932 — but first have your jig information ready. Please quote the jig model, serial number, part number, part description and quantity required.

Page 88

Appendix III D4R Pro User Guide

How to Order Parts

Order directly from Leigh by calling toll free 800-663-8932 —but first have your jig information ready. You’ll need the jig model, serial number, part number, part description and quantity required.

mode to determine left hand and right hand scales.

PART DESCRIPTION PART No. QUANTITY

User Guide D4R Pro (English–Inch/Metric) 560 1 Instructional DVD (English - inch only) 26 1 Dovetail Bit, 8mm shank 80-8 1 Dovetail Bit, 8mm shank 120-8 1 Straight Bit, 8mm shank 140-8 1 1/2" to 8mm collet reducer 172-8 1 Body Extrusion 212 1 R.H. End-Housing 232 1 L.H. End-Housing 242 1 End-Housing Screws 260R 8 Clamp Bar T-Bolts 271 4 Flat Washers for Clamp Bolts 283 4 Accessory Attachment Square Nuts 284 2 Accessory attachment screw 287 1 Clamp Bar Bolt Nuts 300 4 Clamp Bar Springs 311 4 Front Clamp Bar (complete with End Plugs 7115) 332R 1 Rear Clamp Bar (complete with End Plugs 7115) and Leigh decal 335 1 R.H. Inch Scale Assembly, complete (R.H. in H.B. Tail Mode) 392 1

or R.H. Metric Scale Assembly, complete (R.H. in H.B. Tail Mode) 392M 1

L.H. Inch Scale Assembly, complete (L.H. in H.B. Tail Mode) 394 1

or L.H. Metric Scale Assembly, complete (L.H. in H.B. Tail Mode) 394M 1

Cross Cut Fence 432 1 Bridge Piece extrusion 433 2 H.B. Pin Guide Rail, 1/4" x 1/4" 441B 1 Finger Guide Rail, 1/4" x 3/4" 451B 1 R.H. Finger complete with Wedge, Washer, Nut and Screw 463 13 L.H. Finger complete with Wedge, Washer, Nut and Screw 473 13 Finger Wedge 7220 26 Finger Nut (Threaded) 7210 26 Finger Washer 7215 26 Finger Lock Screw 7225R 26 Leigh Assembly Wrench/Gauge 540 1 Finger Adjusting Screwdriver 550 1 R.H Support Bracket 5260 1 L.H. Support Bracket 5270 1 Cam-Action Speed-Clamps complete with Step Washers 802 801 4 Speed-Clamp Step Washers 802 4 Scale Lock Set Screws 3110R 2 5/64" Hex Key (2mm may also work) 3156 1 1/4"-20 Hex nuts, jig hold-down 6030 4 1/4"-20x1 Flat head machine screws, jig hold-down 6060 4 Support Bracket Knobs 7025 2 Clamp Bar End Plug 7115 4 E7-Bush Oval Guide Bush & Nut E7-Bush 1 Pin Wrench 730V 1 Nylon Stop Rod 8624 1 D4R Pro Dovetail Spacer 570 1 D4R Pro Box Joint Spacer 580 1

JIG PARTS

Note: Place the finger assembly in half-blind

Page 89

JIG PARTS

Appendix IIID4R Pro User Guide

801 802

7115

5270

394

394M

3110R

242 7025

260R

311 300 283 271

335

6030 6060

7215 7220 7210

212

463

284

802 801

7225R

284

332R

441B

473

451B

392 392M

5260

232

260R

432

140-8

80-8

120-8

540

570

580

7115

6030

287

172-8

3156

e-7

730V

8624

550

433

560

Page 90

Appendix III D4R Pro User Guide

JIG PARTS

Page 91

D4R Pro - Appendix IV

Customer Support

Our Commitment to You Leigh Industries takes pride in its commitment to providing excellence in customer service and

support. This user guide is designed to provide you with the answers to any questions you have. However, if you require assistance, please feel free to contact our technical support staff or a distributor listed below.

Manufacturer: Canada/USA

NOTE:

LEIGH INDUSTRIES LTD. (est. 1981) P.O. Box 357 1615 Industrial Ave. Port Coquitlam, B.C. Canada, V3C 4K6

Distributors

Toll Free: 800-663-8932 Phone: 604-464-2700 Fax: 604 464-7404 Customer Service: [email protected] Tech Support: [email protected] Web Site: www.leighjigs.com

Email can be useful, but technical queries usually raise queries from us. A phone call is the quickest and most convenient way to get queries answered; either directly to Leigh (toll-free in North America) or to your national distributor.

–Thanks!

AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND

Carba-Tec Pty. ltd. 128 Ingleston Rd., Wakerley, Qld., 4154 Australia Tel: (07) 3390 5888 Fax: (07) 3890 5280 Order: 180 658 111 Email: [email protected] Web: www.carbatec.com.au

CHINA

Harvey Industries Co., Ltd. 68-10 Suyuan Avenue Jiangning District Nanjing 211100, China Tel: (0)86 5792 8869 / 5792 8021 Fax: (0)86 5792 8826 Email: [email protected] Website: www.harveyworks.cn

FRANCE

Ets Bordet 23 Rue Traversiere 93556 Montreuil Cedex, France Tel: 01 48 58 28 39 Fax: 01 48 58 48 58 Email: [email protected] Web: www.bordet.fr/pages/

GERMANY, AUSTRIA & SWITZERLAND

Hacker GMBH Holzbearbeitungsmaschinen Traberhofstraße 103 D-83026 Rosenheim, Deutschland Tel: 08031 269650 Fax: 08031 68221 Email: [email protected] Web: www.leigh.de

ITALY

Ferrari Macchine Legno SRL Via Gallarata 74/76/78 20019 Settimo M.se (MI) Italy Tel: 39 02 335 010 95 Fax: 39 02 335 005 27 Email: [email protected] Web: www.ferrarimacchine.com

JAPAN

Off Corporation Inc. 323-1 Yanbara, Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka-shi Shizuoka-ken, Japan 424-0002 Tel: 81-054-367-6511 Fax: 81-054-367-6515 Email: [email protected] Web: www.off.co.jp

KOREA

Leigh Korea 1st Floor, Yongyu Building, 25-3,

Neung Pyung-Ri, Opo-Eup, Kwangju-Si, Kyunggi-do, Korea Tel: 82 (0) 70-8252-0988 Fax: 82 (0) 31-765-5602 Email: [email protected] Web: www.htools.co.kr

RUSSIA

Unicom Ltd. Nikitskij Boulevard 12 Moscow, 119019, Russia Tel: 7 (495) 690 0454 Email: [email protected] (Russia) Email: [email protected] (Ukraine) Web: www.leighjigs.ru (Russia) Web: www.leighjigs.ua (Ukraine)

SOUTH AFRICA

Hardware Centre Group Post: PO Box 4059, 2125 Randburg, South Africa Tel: (011) 791-0844/46 Fax: (011) 791-0850 Email: [email protected] Web: www.hardwarecentre.co.za

SWEDEN

Toolbox Sweden AB Bruksgatan 3, S-597 30 Atvidaberg, Sweden Tel: 46 120 854 50 Fax: 46 120 854 69 Email: [email protected] Web: www.toolbox.se

UNITED KINGDOM & IRELAND

BriMarc Tools & Machinery Unit 10, Weycroft Avenue Axminster, Devon EX13 5PH England Tel: 0333 240 6967 Fax: 0333 240 6976 Email: [email protected] Web: www.brimarc.com

© 2008 Leigh Industries Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Leigh Industries Ltd. Updated 10/2014

Page 92

Leigh Router Joinery Jigs

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