Leigh Dovetail Jig New or Used

[Jack Clay]

I have been looking at the Leigh Dovetail Jig and wondering weather to buy new or used. I have seen that you can upgrade the older models from Leigh. Has anyone tried this or would it be better to just buy new. Please let me know if anyone has been down this road.

[Chris Rosenberger]

The older models work well, they just take a little more care to keep the stops adjusted correctly & getting parts clamped tight enough.

The new style, D4R & up, have built in stationary stops. The clamping bars are stiffer & the clamping surface on the jig has a texture. The
combination of those 2 items give better parts clamping on the newer jig.

I have cut a large amount of dovetails on the old & new style jigs. I now have the new style jig & prefer it over the old style. Having said that, when I
was using the old style jig, I never wished I was using something else. If Leigh had not come out with the newer model, I would still be using the old style jig.

[Dick Mahany]

I'm using a D4 purchased in 1994. It has been a great jig and I don't ever see replacing it as it does everything I need it to do. The newer jigs have some improvements that are nice, but more of a convenience enhancement as opposed to must have features. I would have no reservation about buyng a used one if it has been well cared for. Given the cost of these when new, many folks take very good care of them and used jigs can be a bargain.

[Jim Andrew]

A couple months ago, I saw a craigslist ad for a D4 Leigh 24" jig for 175$ Went to see it, and the guy had all the parts, no damage to the jig, book, and new router bits. Brought it home, didn't even ask if he would take less. He had all the parts in a plastic bag along with the book, it is like new. Plan to get some upgrades, as I can afford to for what I paid. He even had the dust collection add on, but all the posts say it's not great. Also came with a 1" dust hose and fitting to fit my shop vac.

[Denny Rice]

I purchased a brand new D4R about 5 years ago and love the jig, it does everything I want it to. About 3 weeks ago I learned there is an upgrade from Leigh for the D4 and D4R jigs that allow them to cut the pins and tails of half blind dovetails at the same time. I went to the Leigh website and purchased the upgrade, it just came in the mail today. I 'll let you know how it comes out.

[Jim Tabor]

Bought a 24” D3 a few years ago and with the help of the folks at Leigh, upgraded it to have similar features as the D4R. Added color-coded scale assemblies, cam-action clamps, vacuum attachment, large number of bits, DVD, and newer manual. (Don’t remember what else, something about stops). Used it for a Shaker step stool for my wife, it worked great and haven’t used it since. I make rocking chairs and really didn’t need it to start with, just one of those items on the list. What do they say? What’s a good idea one day is not necessarily a good idea the next?

[Jack Clay]

Thank you for the help. I thank I will look at the used market before I buy.