General EZ Pro Dovetail Jig

[buffalono]

Anybody try the General Jig? I need to build a couple of cabs and seems like it would do a great job if you have a router. Will dovetails be as strong as box joints? Here's a link to a demo on U tube.

YouTube - EZ-Pro Dovetail Jig from General Tools (Part 1 of 2)

[AxeGrinder]

Anybody try the General Jig? I need to build a couple of cabs and seems like it would do a great job if you have a router. Will dovetails be as strong as box joints? Here's a link to a demo on U tube.

YouTube - EZ-Pro Dovetail Jig from General Tools (Part 1 of 2)

Certainly seems like it would work just fine. I'll bet that the bit depth adjustment turns out to be alot more difficult than he portrayed. Definately practice on scrap pieces first. Especially if youve never cut dovetails.


Dovetails are one of the.. if not THE strongest joint you can make. However, with modern wood glue and wood screws box joints (if done correctly) are very strong joints. Dove tails are more for "looks" these day than function.

If your gonna get a dovetail jig check out one like this

YouTube - Rockler's Dove Tail Jig Dust Collector


You cut tails and pins at the same time! I have a cheapo version of it without the dust suppression (would be EXTREMELY nice!) like this one. On ebay



Ii's a cheapie but it works great for me. The hardest thing for me when it comes to dovetails is bit depth.



I'm no pro. Ive built a few cabs of my own using dovetails on the last two and loved them. But, if your gonna cover them dovetails are totally not necessary.

[buffalono]

Axegrinder, Could I just use a straight bit with a bearing and do box joints with the dovetail jig? I'm making tweed cabs so the dovetails won't show and I won't have to worry bout getting the depth right.

I think I saw a dovetail jig similar to yours at Harbor Freight. I was tempted but I like the General Jig because it seems pretty simple...and I like simple.

[AxeGrinder]

Axegrinder, Could I just use a straight bit with a bearing and do box joints with the dovetail jig? I'm making tweed cabs so the dovetails won't show and I won't have to worry bout getting the depth right.

Absolutely you can. I know I can with mine and I see no reason why you couldn't with that one either. Although the depth will still come into play but of course you can easily use a flush trim bit (your straight bit with the bearing), a flush trim saw, or sanding the crud out of it depending on how far off but your flush trim bit would be the best option IMHO if the deapth turns out to be off a little.

I would definately still practice on some scrap wood first if you havent done them before (which of course we all always do for every new joint we cut anyways right? ).

Remember to use the scrap pieces from your build to guide you in depth setting no matter what joint your doing. No 3\4" ply is actually 3\4". That caused me so much grief early on. I was enthusiastic and didnt take the time to think things through (what would you expect from someone with a name like AxeGrinder?).


Good luck on your build! Take your time and have fun with it. There is a wealth of woodworking knowledge out there so be sure to poke around a bit before you dive right in unless your like me and dont have the patience for that and just learn from "experience" .



Building speaker cabs is actually what got me interested in woodworking all together. after I payed a grand for my Mesa cab at guitar center I decided I could do it myself......... And I can.


And so can you!

[AxeGrinder]

Oh and a s far as liking easy.... I'm all for it and if the other seems easier to you go for it. But the jigs that cut both at the same time are extremely easy! In fact I think easier. Definately at least consider it. If its not for you thats totally cool. There are multiple routes to most destinations in life.

[buffalono]

AxeG.....Thanks for the sage advice and proper names for the router bits. My Dad gave me a router table, router and a bunch of bits, I just didn't know what they were called. Did find a board dedicated to routers that had a whole thread on the EZ Pro with alot of helpful hints. I went ahead and purchased the General Jig and will let you know how it turns out.

[AxeGrinder]

AxeG.....Thanks for the sage advice and proper names for the router bits. My Dad gave me a router table, router and a bunch of bits, I just didn't know what they were called. Did find a board dedicated to routers that had a whole thread on the EZ Pro with alot of helpful hints. I went ahead and purchased the General Jig and will let you know how it turns out.

Awesome! Good luck!

[buffalono]

Router Forums - Router and Woodworking Discussion Community

Thats the forum with the thread on the EZ Pro jig. Imagine a forum dedicated to routers.....thats almost as bad as one for amps

[Kazooman]

I have a Leigh dovetail jig and it does take patience to adjust the setup so that you get joints that are just right (neither too tight nor too loose). If the joints are going to show, you have to be very careful to avoid tearout where the bit enters and exits the wood. A sacrificial backer board is the best way to go. If you intend to round off the corners of the cab and cover it with tolex, any tear out can be filled in.

Box joints are easier to make and should be strong enough. The easiest way to do them is to make the fingers just a bit longer than the thickness of the wood and use a flush trim bit to get them perfect (as was suggested above). Since you have a router table, you could make your own jig to cut box joints.

Here is a picture of what you can do with a dovetail jig. It's a blanket chest, but I guess I could cut some holes in the top and mount two 12" Celestions

[buffalono]

Wow, that is nice work! What kind of wood is that? Walnut?
I was going to try making my own jig using a "key" cut the same size as the finger cut-out but when I saw the video of the EZ-pro jig in action it looked alot faster and safer.

[Kazooman]

I did watch the video and it does look like the jig would work fine. You will want to practice before going after your real project pieces. Just remember that if you are going to round over the edges (usually about a 1/2" radius) you will be removing some of the dovetail joint decreasing the nice gluing surface you just worked so hard to make. Through dovetails would probably be better than half-blind dovetails for that reason.

The chest is made of American black walnut for the sides with curly Claro walnut for the top. The base and edge of the top are made of purpleheart. That is the actual color of the wood, no stain was used. I realized after posting that you can't really make out the dovetails very well.

Good luck! Let us know if you have any more questions.

[DIY_Guy]

I just built a headshell with the EZ Pro jig. You can't do full through dovetails in any stock larger than 1/2", so keep that in mind. Since my wood was 3/4" thick I choose to use it to do box joints. It explains how to do it in the instructions. Just use a 1/2" x 1" straight bit, throw one of the included bearings on it, and route away. Came out great-

[Kazooman]

That looks great. The joints will be stronger than the rest of the wood. I didn't know that the jig has instructions for the box joints. I think that are the better choice for cabs like these.

[DIY_Guy]

I would prefer a Leigh (having the ability to do sliding dovetails would be the greatest thing for me ever) but those darn things cost so much! Quite jealous of you. I really should start putting the money away for one.

[Bill Moore]

Really looks great, afraid I'm not a great woodworker, but have built a few cabinets using bisquits. I'm about to do another this weekend. I figure that the majority of the weight in a combo is the chassis, so I bisquit the sides under the top. When you lift with the handle, the joints are only supporting the speaker(s). I don't know if this system would be strong enough for a 4-10, or 4-12 combo, but it has worked with single 12, and 15" enclosures, and 1 head only box.