GETTING TO KNOW YOUR DOVETAIL JIG,
SETTING & ADJUSTING
FIGURE 4
SIDE STOP SET UP
The side stops serve three purposes: 1) They position each workpiece
square to each other, 2) They offset the two workpieces for proper
alignment, and 3) They give lateral support to the workpieces during
routing.
IMPORTANT: All pieces must be cut perfectly square for the jig to work
properly.
To adjust the side stops:
1. Loosen the fence and slide to the rear. Slide the drawer back
horizontally under the top clamp and the template. Place the drawer
back against either one of the side stops.
2. Loosen the adjustment screws on the side stop and shift the side stop
and the workpiece until the wood is centered under the template
fingers. Fig.4. Centering ensures that the pins and tails on the ends will
be identical to each other. Re-tighten the side stop screws. Do not
over-tighten.
3. Grasp the jig template from behind and gently pull it forward. When the
template is tight in its full-forward position, clamp the workpiece in
place. Repeat this procedure each time you clamp your top workpiece
to ensure that subsequent cuts are consistent.
Figure 4 shows the drawer front (or back) equally centered under the
fingers of the dovetail jig template.
4. Insert a drawer side under the front clamp. This piece will be vertical.
Adjust the height so the end of the vertical board overlaps the end of the
horizontal board. At this point it is not crucial that the pieces be flush.
5. Clamp the side in place.
6. Release the horizontal piece and butt it against the side piece mounted
in the front of the jig. Ensure that the horizontal piece remains centered
under the template fingers. Re-clamp in place.
7. Release the side piece from the front of the jig and remove the front
clamping system by unscrewing the clamping adjustment knobs.
Remove the template by unscrewing the template adjustment screws.
8. Mark a line on the end of the wood exactly 1/2” from the edge. Align
the lower left side stop. If you are using the 1/2” template, scribe the line
so the distance from the edge equals the width of the template fingers.
(If using the 7/16” template, the offset will be 7/16”.)
9. Loosen the front side stop screws and slide the front side stop against
the square. Tighten the two Phillips screws. Be careful: over-tightening
could damage the side stops.
10. Replace the front cam clamping system and the template.
Note: The dovetail jig is capable of processing two sets of joints at one time
if the sum of the widths of both sets is less than 12”. If you wish to make
two sets of joints at one time, adjust both sets of side stops at each end of
the jig. Refer to steps 1 through 10 above.
IMPORTANT
For best results, we recommend using 3/4” (or thicker) material
for drawer fronts and backs and material approximately 1/2”
(or slightly thicker) for drawer sides. Make sure there is no more
than 1/4” difference in wood thickness between the front/back
and the sides. Make sure when preparing your lumber for
dovetailing- that all materials are squared uniformly to 90
0
. Out
of square lumber will just about guarantee unsatisfactory
results.
It is also essential that all adjustments of the jig be set exactly
parallel. Before making a cut, inspect:
1. Alignment between front and side workpieces.
2. Alignment between the wood and the stops and jig.
3. Alignment between the template and the front edge of the
wood.
4. Alignment between the fence and the front of the template.
