Through Dovetails and such

[spartan]

Hi, guys....got my Incra into action (finally) to make some Xmas presents....

My first plan was to make a box with through dovetails...

I selected a 7 degree, 5/8 router bit (infinity) and followed the procedure....

The end was result looked nothing like the dvd :(

The pins and tails were too long! - Despite the test cuts seeming virtually perfect...

I use 11mm finger jointed pine for the timber - the template (DOV R I think) had a recommended depth of cut of 1/2". I think I set it to that.....Should I have set it to 11MM?

Any other tips on making these like a bought one?

[switt775]

Over-long pins and tails can always be trimmed.

What do the joints look like? Loose, tight, or nice and snug?

[martink]

The pins and tails were too long! - Despite the test cuts seeming virtually perfect...

I use 11mm finger jointed pine for the timber - the template (DOV R I think) had a recommended depth of cut of 1/2". I think I set it to that.....Should I have set it to 11MM?

Any other tips on making these like a bought one?

Ah yep, that will happen. Remember you are in an imperial world with this jig/fence. Think about this for a moment, if you set the height to 1/2 an inch that's 12.7 mm and you are working with 11mm stock. I'm guessing that you are out by about 1.7 mm too long here. Drop the bit down to 11mm and life should be better.

As far as making it work like a bought one, the only real suggestion/solution is to mill your stock to imperial sizes. It's the only way to get it to work straight out of the box/manual. You can use metric sizing and convert them but make sure you do lots of test cuts (and by that I mean make the actual joint out of some scrap of the same stock dimension) to make sure your conversion and fudging is correct.

Having said that, you can do some really cool joints with this jig and it also makes for a super accurate router fence to boot! I guess it's a matter of keep at it and trying different things and seeing what result you are getting.

Ciao,

M.

[Rattrap]

Hi spartan, i've never used an incra jig before but when i'm doing dovetails i set the dovetail cut depth to the same thickness of the timber plus the thickness of a standard business card.

[Mike Wingate]

You need Imperial bits and make sure your wood is correctly dimensioned. I cut the wood to match the templates in the Incra book, rather than having half pins or uneven spacing.

[Mike Wingate]

I have even built a digital readout height gauge to ensure correct router bit projection. If you are exact in preparation, it should go well. Watch some of the videos on line.