Saw Till

[Don Emmerling]

I am in the middle of making a saw till for my shop. I have come to the point of wanting to use half-blind dovetails for the bottom board that attaches the sides. I am using a Porter Cable 4212 jig and have run into a possible problem. I am using some scraps to tune the jig and I set things up as per the instructions, except for one step. I cannot center the vertical board like it says. I can get the left side set up but the right side sticks out beyond the template finger. With a dimension of 6.5" it will not center, consequently the fit is off. I tried this cut anyway knowing something would not be quite right but I thought it may lead me to a conclusion. Well it did, I am stumped. At this point I cannot alter the dimensions of the saw till to conform to the jig requirements. Is there any work around for this situation? It would appear that I would have to change the width of the side panels if there is no other solution although I would hate to do this.

[Joe A Faulkner]

You might want to post this in the power tool forum. There may be more folks there with experience using this jig than what you will find here. I'm a little unclear as to where you are in the process. You tried the cut in a test piece or in your till materials?

[Jim Koepke]

+1 on what Joe said if you want to continue with the Porter Cable 4212.

Is there any work around for this situation?

These kinds of problems is why many of us choose the work around of doing it by hand.

jtk

[Chris Hachet]

Power tool forum. However, I find measuring very carefully and splitting the difference to work very well with my 4212....but I am working on hand dovetailing to solve this situation. Please post pics when finished with the till.

[Pat Barry]

Left versus right should be exactly the same projection of the template guide plate unless you have that template incorrectly positioned.
Reference the pictures, particularly picture 2, in this link

[Don Emmerling]

Thanks Pat for responding. I am aware of the centering process, it is that when I set the left side correctly the right side cannot be set to the same overhang of the last template tooth. The problem arises with design of fixed width template spacing. There are just some dimensions that will not allow completion of this step. To satisfy the centering requirement I would have to shorten the current 6 3/4" width to 6 1/4".
I am trying not to alter my saw till design and was looking for a work around. It looks like I will have to change the width of the board or cut the blind dovetails by hand. I am still not proficient in doing that and I want this saw till to look good. I thought that some one much more experienced with the jig might have a solution for this problem. Thanks for your response.
Don

[Rick Whitehead]

Don,
You've discovered the limitation of most dovetail jigs with fixed spacing. The dovetails they cut will only be centered on certain widths, which a depend on the spacing of the pins and tails.
However, you can center a board of any width if you set it up without using the built-in stops. Here is how: Set up the boards as usual, using either the left-or right-hand stops. There will be an offset between the two boards. Measure that offset and set the blade of a combination square to that measurement. You can set the square to that offset directly, too. Now take the top board and move it away from the stop. Center it between the fingers of the jig and clamp it in position. Then take the vertical board and use the setting on the combination square to offset the board in the proper direction, depending on which side you're cutting. Clamp it in position. Now you have your boards centered and properly offset. Cut the dovetails and check the fit. It should work, but you should probably make a test cut first, using pieces of the same width as your sides.
I can't take credit for this idea. One of the guys I used to work with came up with it.
Hope this helps.
Rick

[Chris Hachet]

Alternately, see if you can find another local wood worker with a variable spacing jig...

[Pat Barry]

Thanks Pat for responding. I am aware of the centering process, it is that when I set the left side correctly the right side cannot be set to the same overhang of the last template tooth. The problem arises with design of fixed width template spacing. There are just some dimensions that will not allow completion of this step. To satisfy the centering requirement I would have to shorten the current 6 3/4" width to 6 1/4".
I am trying not to alter my saw till design and was looking for a work around. It looks like I will have to change the width of the board or cut the blind dovetails by hand. I am still not proficient in doing that and I want this saw till to look good. I thought that some one much more experienced with the jig might have a solution for this problem. Thanks for your response.
Don

I'm not near my Rockler jig which is similar I think and as I recall there are side adjustment that can be made to address the issue you are bringing up although I don't know how much distance they can account for. Alternatively, you might be able to put a wooden shim into the left hand stop in order to get the boards to line up like you want them to

[steven c newman]

VeryLow tech Saw Till..
saw Till.jpg
Bennefit of open ceilings in a basement....

[Stew Denton]

Hi Steven,

I like your till, quick and easy, but I don't have the benefit of either a basement or open ceilings, the ceiling in my garage is sheet rocked. I also don't have a drill press to hang the saws over. Maybe someday. At any rate, a fix that is both quick and practical. Good job.

Stew