Leigh Dovetail Jig Questions

[Glen Blanchard]

I have visited Leigh's website and am not sure I understand the difference between all of their jigs. Their super jigs come in (other than 24"), 18" and 12" flavors, so I assume these are meant to appeal to those who know they will never have a need for the 24" version. I am however, confused by the reason they offer both the 24" D4R and a 24" version of the super jig. So I have some questions that I hope someone will answer.

1. What is the difference between the D4R and the D4? Did the "R" replace the D4, or are they both being offered currently? If both are being sold, why would one choose one of these over the other?

2. What is the primary reason one would buy the 24" super jig over the D4R (or vice versa)? There just does not seem to be enough of a difference between these two jigs to be able to discern the markets to which they are aimed.

I build mostly boxes, but would want the versatility to move into larger projects in the future, so I assume the 24" variety will make the most sense for me.

I should add that I would want to be able to add the router support and vacuum attachment with whatever jig I get.

Any help appreciated.

[charles lewis]

The D4R replaced the D4 which had steel clamp down bars in stead of aluminum which the D4R has .The D4R has a bigger capicity thickness wise compared to the Super jig and a couple of other things you can do with it ,its been a while since I researched at which time I purchased the D4R which was on sale just before the Super jig was to be released.
I like you wanted to be able to do larger projects later on not like so many other tools I`ve purchased in the past and asked myself why I didn`t get the larger tool.The only other difference is the ends on the D4R are cast aluminum where the super jig has plastic or carbon fibre ends on the main body I believe.Hope this helps

[Jared Cuneo]

I have the Super 24, and while as Charles mentioned the D4R can handle slightly thicker stock, the main difference to me was that the D4R can do variable with pins which the Super cannot. This is because you can split the fingers on the D4R where the Super has one piece fingers (Thought I am trying to find someone local with a D4R so that I can see if I can install D4R fingers on my Super )

Leigh has a nice comparison chart on their site, and do get the accessory kit if you get a Super, the VRS is a must have unless you like spewing TONS of feathery shavings all over your shop.

Oh and there are some plastic parts on the Super that are solid pieces on the D4R.....possibly the end caps and one of the extrusions, not too sure, but my Super is fantastic, I love it and the quality is exceptional. The only thing wrong was that they did not ship the DVD or the router box since I was one of the first to get the kit (They included a voucher in the box)

JC

[Denny Rice]

Another big difference between the flagship of Leigh the D4R and the Super is the D4R body is constructed from 1 piece of solid aluminum, it is put into a CNC machine and made to specs, the Super 24 is constructed out of many different parts. Leigh will send you a DVD free on their jigs and it shows how they are constructed, its quite cool. They show a Ford Bronco's front tire going over the freshly created body of the D4R. I was told by a Leigh rep the "R" in D4R stands for revised. They made improvements over the standard D4 jig I think IMHO the biggest is the stops on the sides of the D4R are now machined in the jig where as in the D4 they have to be installed and adjusted. The ones on the D4R will never move on you. I am not sure if the stops are cast on the other Leigh 24" jig or not. My VRS came in the mail not too long ago but I have yet to use it. I never thought I was going to get the tthing, Leigh had problems in the factory but I guess they have fixed this problem as the last time I was in Woodcraft I seen them on the shelf. Hope this helps.