The Bottom Line
Simply put, the MLCS Pins & Tails Half Blind Dovetail jig is one of the least expensive dovetail jigs on the market today. It is not the most versatile dovetail jig available, cutting only half-blind and rabbeted half-blind dovetails, nor is it very easy to set up. However, once you have the setup right, it does a decent job of cutting these two types of dovetails.
For woodworkers who don't need to cut a lot of dovetails, or who may be working with a limited tool budget, this may represent a terrific value. Woodworkers who require a higher level of precision may be disappointed.
For woodworkers who don't need to cut a lot of dovetails, or who may be working with a limited tool budget, this may represent a terrific value. Woodworkers who require a higher level of precision may be disappointed.
Pros
- Cuts half-blind and rabbeted half-blind dovetails
- Value-priced unit may be perfect for limited-budget woodworkers
- Once the unit is set up properly, it creates consistent half-blind and rabbeted half-blind dovetails
Cons
- Set-up can be touchy - it may take a few tries to get it right
- Documentation could be more thorough as to the jig's usage
Description
- For "weekend woodworkers" who don't need to cut a lot of dovetails, this may be a perfect choice.
- Adjusting the jig will require a 10mm open-ended wrench, which is not included with the jig.
- Uses a collar on the router of your choice to guide the router through the jig.
- When setting up the jig, be certain to set up the edge guide on both the left and right side of the jig.
- Will not cut through dovetails - only used for half-blind an rabbeted half-blind dovetails.
Guide Review - MLCS Pins & Tails Half Blind Dovetail Jig Review
At first glance, the MLCS Pins & Tails Half Blind Dovetail Jig has a solid base, decent lockdowns to hold the stock to the top and front of the base, plus brass set screws to lock the jig in place. It comes with two sets of edge guides (one for half blind and the other for rabbeted half blind dovetails).Four screws hold the base to the table or a piece of scrap stock that can be clamped to your work table. Do not attempt to use the jig without locking the base securely.
You'll need to mark some widths on a scrap piece of stock to assist with the setup of the jig. Once the jig is set up, you should save the scrap piece of stock for the next time you need to set up the jig.
While there are brass set screws to hold the template, the position of the template is determined by a lock nut on a bolt on each side of the base. You'll need a 10mm open end wrench (not included) to set the position of the lock nuts, and thus the template.
When using narrow pieces of stock, I noticed that the aluminum template tended to bend slightly. However, when I was careful to press the template down securely to the stock before tightening the set screws in place, it held fine.
The documentation for the jig is a bit lacking. It seemed that there was some vital information that was taken for granted. For instance, when cutting the tails (the drawer front) on the half-blind dovetails, I never did find anywhere in the documentation that tells that the drawer front needs to be clamped onto the top of the unit, while when cutting the pins, the front clamp should be used.
It took me a few tries to get the depth of cut on the drawer front set properly, as the first time I cut the tail board much too deeply after attempting to follow the step-by-step instructions. However, once I figured out how the jig works, it gave passable results.
