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If I look ultra-serious, it is because I am
starting the installation of a brand new Leigh D4 Dovetail Jig. There is a
bit of reverence just saying those words — Leigh has earned a reputation for
being the "King of Dovetail Jigs." I used one too long ago to be able to say I have any
experience with it. So, as a "newbie", I start at page one and proceed from
there.
[If you want to skip to where Beth starts
using the jig, click here.]
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Beth
will be here soon to use this jig for her first time, and we will be going
through the steps with her. In the meantime, I will assemble and setup the
jig using their great instruction book. It is 150 pages in a spiral binding
that makes it real easy to keep your place. I have heard comments like "any
jig that has to have such a large manual, is too complex for me!" I don't
know for certain, yet, but I think that remark will be totally unsupported.
From reading through just a few pages, the illustrations and step-by-step
detail makes all the steps easy to understand without any confusion — I like
that.
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Step one is to mount the jig on a piece of wood that can
be clamped to the workbench. The manual specifies the size of the board and
exactly where the holes should be drilled. You can see that I have already
placed the T-nut bolts into the underside of the Jig.
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I
am fastening one of the two mounting bolts. I put a single drop of epoxy on
the last threads of the bolt. This will keep vibration from loosening the
nut. That precaution is my doing.
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I used my Sawzall with a metal cutting blade to cut the
screw posts down to a less threatening length as is directed. I will get some decorative
cap ends and add them later. I don't want to be stabbed by that bolt end.
Note that I rounded the corners of the base — one less thing to
poke at me.
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I
now can clamp the jig securely on my workbench.
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The next step is to slide two square nuts into two of the
jig's tracks. These nuts aren't used until later, but this demonstrates the
value of such illustrated step by step instructions. Just think of what
would have happened if you jumped over this small step? It would have meant
pain and annoyance of having to undo a number of things to add these nuts.
If I sound like I am making too big a point of this detail, it is probably
because I have been there too many times. It is refreshing to be directed so
well each step of the way.
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I have just installed the left and right workpiece guides
in the front (arrows) and am now about to mount the two for the top. The
castings are clearly supposed to be matched left and right and have a
specific orientation. The illustration in the Manual makes this easy.
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These are two of the four "adjustable bumpers." They will guide the boards
when inserting them in the jig. The arrow points to one of the adjustment
tips. These are factory set and we will check them later in the installation
process. There is a right and wrong way to mount them — another case
where the illustrations in the manual save the day.
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I have now added the springs to these screw posts. The
arrow points to one of the two clamp bars.
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You can see that I have placed the upper clamp on the
screw posts and am now doing the same on the front clamps.
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