Visited a custom shop in Portland that blew my mind

Went to a small cabinet shop in Portland called Northwest Woodworks last weekend. They had this jig setup for cutting dovetails on a router table that I've never seen before, guy said he built it himself about 6 years ago. It let him knock out a full drawer in like 10 minutes with zero gaps. Anyone know where I can find plans for something like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

ross.kevin25d ago

Check out Jay Bates's old YouTube videos, he had a similar shop-built router jig that worked with a simple template and a pattern bit. The key is getting the template material dead flat, I'd recommend 1/4" acrylic or phenolic board rather than trying to use plywood. A couple hours with the plans and you'll have a setup that pays for itself after one weekend project.

grantadams25d ago

The acrylic tip is where I underestimated it, I always figured plywood would hold up fine but he's right, flat material makes all the difference. That quote about it paying for itself after one weekend is spot on, I used to think jigs were a waste of time until I saw how fast this thing works.