A clean, snug-fitting row of dovetails is a hallmark of fine craftsmanship. That’s one reason why there are so many different dovetail jigs on the market, each promising to help its buyer turn out rows of beautiful dovetails in record time. We reviewed 6 of the most popular dovetail jigs on the market and were very impressed with a number of them.

Every one of the dovetail jigs reviewed can produce a snug and accurate dovetail joint. The factors that separate them are the diversity of joints they can create, the width of workpieces they can handle, and the setup and adjustment time they require. The best jigs offer a good balance between versatility and learning curve regarding the complexity of their setup and adjustment.

We reviewed five bench-mounted dovetail jigs – the Leigh D4R, Porter-Cable 4212, Porter-Cable 4216, Porter-Cable 4210 and Porter-Cable Omnijig, the market-leading clamp-on jig, the Keller 135-1500 Journeyman, and the Leigh RTJ400 Router Table Joinery Jig which is a departure from the standard bench-mounted dovetail jigs and uses your router table to cut dovetails and box joints.

The Porter Cable 4212 Dovetail Jig is the middle of Porter-Cable’s 4200-series of jigs, and we think it’s the best of the range for most users – an amazing combination of price, options, and ease of use.

The Leigh D4R Dovetail Jig is the ultimate variable finger dovetail jig, made by the people who invented variable finger jigs. If you want to take your dovetail skills to the next level, the Leigh D4R-PRO is the jig that will make it happen.

A departure from the standard bench-mounted and clamp-on dovetail jigs, the Leigh RTJ400 Router Table Joinery Jig uses your router table to quickly and accurately cut dovetails and box joints.

Quick and easy to set up and use, stock-mounted or clamp-on dovetail jigs have no jig body, and no clamping system. Instead, they clamp directly to your stock to form a row of uniform equally spaced through dovetails.

There’s no shortage of dovetail jigs on the market, and it’s not always easy to pick out the best one for your needs. To help make your decision a little easier, we’ll take a look at some of the features that can make the difference between a jig that isn’t bad, and one that makes dovetail joinery the trouble-free experience it ought to be.

If there’s one thing that can wreck an afternoon in the workshop, it’s having to chuck a few expensive pieces of wood into the scrap bin because your jig let them slip in the middle of a cut. Dovetail jig components that hold stock in place during the cut need to be sturdy and reliable.

Clamping bars and mechanisms should be built to consistently apply the right force to every part you cut, and to make sure your stock will stay put to the end of every cut, some jigs, such as the Leigh D4R and the Porter Cable 4212, have non-marring textured clamping surfaces.

A good dovetail joint is one where the parts fit together in perfect alignment and there’s no “slop” between the pins and tails. One advantage to using a router and jig to cut dovetail joints is that it makes it easy to cut perfect joints every time. But that doesn’t happen until the jig is set up correctly.

Jigs like the Porter Cable Omnijig have single-hand clamping system for easy set-up, as well as “Set & Forget” template-alignment stops to ensure unmatched repeatability and fewer test cuts.

Nothing seems to eat up more shop time than fiddling with difficult or hard to access tool adjustments. The Leigh D4R has built-in scales to provide rapid and accurate fine adjustment for stock thickness and through-dovetail fit, and all the Porter Cable Dovetail Jigs have patented alignment lines and a router bit depth stop tp allow for quick, easy set-up. In addition, on-board instructions provide clear guidance and mean you won’t have to hunt for the instructions when setting up for the most common cuts.

The last thing you want to do after you unbox your brand new dovetail jig is to go hunting for equipment that should have been included. A good dovetail jig like the Porter Cable 4212 comes fully assembled and includes two carbide-tipped bits, two template guides, two lock nuts, and a user guide. In addition the Porter Cable Omnijig comes with a storage case and dust collection.

Some dovetail jigs will obviously have more features than others (mainly dependant on price) but the above features should be present in any quality dovetail jig. All of the jigs reviewed here on Dovetail Jigs meet these requirements.

Compare the Leigh D4R PRO and Leigh Super Jig