Jesse,
When I was looking for a dovetail jig. I had looked at the HF jig and if I remember right it does not come with the template guide. As Bj said it is needed and not safe to use without it. As the spinning shank of the bit wil tear up the dovetail template.
As far as staining, I usualy use minwax products. Because they are so readily availble at several stores, even wal-mart. Find the color you like and read the can. It will tell you what to use first and what to use next. I've asked finishing questions on this site before and then realized its all on the can. You should find that each project from construction to finish, will be a little better than the last.
__________________ Rusty  If You Want It Bad, You Get It Bad The Worse You Want It, The Worse You Get It  |