Sparingly use my D4, which I got a good deal on used. It's definitely a nice to have, as others say, when tackling a lot of cabinet drawers.
Contributor
Sparingly use my D4, which I got a good deal on used. It's definitely a nice to have, as others say, when tackling a lot of cabinet drawers.
Contributor
I had the 12" Porter Cable. I used the heck out of it. Sold it 4 years ago when I got a good deal on a Leigh D4R. I have used it yet. I a going to help a friend make kitchen cabinets so it will get used soon. It is one of those tools that sits on the shelf a lot of the time but when you need it, you need it.
Member
Sold it years ago. Didn't like all the fiddling/noise/dust + the artificial look.
Hybrid ww'er, with much bigger focus on hand work nowadays.
Small jobs I do them by hand.
Larger jobs I cut the tails using tablesaw with 7° ground blade and jig.
Remove waste with trim router and 1/8" bit.
Member
I'm about to try out the Mark Duginske method on the band saw. Seems more straight forward than the jig. I may be selling a D4 and an Akeda.
Dan
[OP]
Member
These responses are well and good, but don't forget that it is important to have at least one of each kind of tool whether it is used or not.
Member
Where's the "Like" button?Originally Posted by lowell holmes
Moderator
In the new software that SMC will migrate to, hopefully soon.In the mean time, you'll just have to type a post that has the word in it...
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
Member
I use to use it all the time. It's painful because the bits would break often enough because I use baltic birch for my drawer boxes which is pretty abrasive to the small 1/4" shank 14º bit. Just recently got a Grizzly G0611X dovetail machine and after the initial painful setup I've got it tuned in pretty good. Making dovetail drawers is no longer a painful process. Just one that you do.
Guest
You ain't kidding. I went through four rounds of setup before I got my Cantek JDT 75 dialed in. The final product I ended up taking the uhmw backers to the jointer, then used a scrap of Baltic birch to butt both of the stops up against at once. I don't know why, but for me that was the ticket for getting the stops setup really well. I think they ended up 17" wide. It was almost impossible for me to bump one stop a few thousands to get it set. The manual was horrific to boot.
I also tried every single bit available, the solid carbide bits from Cantek and the slowest travel speed worked the best for cut quality. It's still not outstanding, but it's pretty decent. I regret not planning ahead enough to afford a cnc dovetailer
Member
I'm using the bit that came with the Grizzly machine and I'm pretty happy with it. I'm also climb cutting the dovetails which improved the quality substantially. Makes it a little harder to move the machine because it does want to climb. But I have no complaints about how it routs. I bought one of the Omec A23 750 bits because someone who owned the Grizzly was having issues with the bits snapping in hard maple and said this bit solve the problem. So that is my extra bit in case it breaks or goes out for sharpening.
Member
I purchased the Porter Cable about a year or so ago to make kitchen cabinet drawers. Once I got it dialed in , worked great; absolutely no regrets. I was surprised how fast you can make drawers using it. I have another 15-20 drawers to make this fall, so I'll use it again. As a previous post said, it's one of those tools that if you need it, you need.
Guest
I don't have the option to climb cut unfortunately. Buy more bits. One snaps and you don't have a spare and things HAVE to be done today, sucks.
I have them sharpened once, then pitch them. I did that when I was using the router too. A tiny bit of carbide meant going really deep and messing with my side lengths.
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