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Porter Cable 55160 Omnijig Review

23K views 19 replies 10 participants last post by  Adam24 
#1 ·
I just purchased a new 55160 16" Omnijig, 16" variable finger template, box joint stops, storage case and dust collection. I bought everything at Western Tool for about $550. Here are my observations and comments about this jig.

Unpacking & General Assembly
The jig comes nearly fully assembled right out of the box. Everything is packed in styrofoam and was in good condition. The only assembly required was mounting the router bit depth pod (optional) and the through dovetail depth gauge. The dust collection system is a separate assembly that simply slides into the front of the jig. A chip deflector mounts on the left side of the jig with two screws. It took me about two hours to unpack, inspect, and assemble everything.

16” Variable Finger Template Adjustments
Templates included with the jig are pre-set at the factory. That means they slide nicely along the template mounting bars and do not deflect the mounting bars when the template thumb screws are tightened. However, accessory templates (like the 16” variable finger template) must be adjusted to operate the same way. The adjustment procedure is well defined in the user documentation but there is no mention of why the adjustment is needed. Basically, the goal is to adjust the position of the template end caps so that the template slides nicely along the template mounting bars and does not deflect the mounting bars when the template thumbscrews are tightened. Loosening the four square head screws on both end caps allow the end caps to slide in or out as needed for alignment with the template mounting bars. If the template end caps are to close together or to far apart the template may bind as it slides along the mounting bars; and when the template thumbscrews are tightened, the mounting bars will deflect. The goal is to correct this problem. Now that you understand why this adjustment is needed, it should be straight forward.

Template Quality Issue
Unfortunately, I ran into a problem when I installed the 16” variable finger template. I installed the template with the Through Dovetail end cap on the left side of the jig and the Half Blind Dovetail end cap on the right side of the jig. I noticed right away the Half Blind Dovetail side of the template fit loose on the square template mounting bar. I was able to move the Half Blind Dovetail side of the template slightly up and down on the mounting bar. This resulted in a fairly gross misalignment between the stop (A4 in this case) and the template stop pin on the Half Blind Dovetail side of the template. The Through Dovetail side of the template fit nicely and aligned perfectly with the A4 stop. I flipped the template end for end and confirmed the problem was related to the Half Blind Dovetail side of the template; not a problem with the square mounting bars or stops.

On closer inspection of the template, it appeared the Half Blind Dovetail end cap upper and lower castings did not fit together cleanly. Next I measured the height of the template mounting bars and slots in the end caps. The square mounting bars each measured exactly .5”. The Through Dovetail end cap opening was right at .505” and the Half Blind Dovetail end cap opening was at .59”. Apparently this is why there is play on the Half Blind Dovetail side of the template.

I decided to return the template to the dealer for a replacement. I brought the entire jig with me so I could show the dealer what the problem was and confirm the replacement template was a good fit. The folks at the dealer were very supportive and fortunately, this dealer had about 10 of the 16” templates in stock. We ended up opening three boxes before finding one that fit properly. Coincidentally, the two that did not fir properly were loose on the Half Blind Dovetail side of the template, just like the one I had.. It appears Porter Cable has a quality problem with the Half Blind Dovetail end cap castings on the variable finger template. The good news is I was able to find a good fitting variable finger template. The bad news is the dealer now has to deal with a potential defective lot of 16” variable finger templates.

Cutting Through Dovetails w/16” Variable Finger Template
My first attempt to use the jig was to cut through dovetails on ¾” thick boards. Here is the basic procedure

1. Install A4 stops
2. Install G1 template guide into router
3. Install D4 dovetail bit into router and set bit height
4. Install the black edge guide on the left side of the jig
5. Install template (tails side up and to left) onto jig
6. Install scrap and tail boards in the jig
7. Adjust finger spacing
8. Lower template onto scrap board and secure in place.
9. Cut the tails
10. Remove tail board
11. Remove, flip and install template (pins side up)
12. Install G2 template guide into router
13. Install S2 straight bit into router and adjust bit height
14. Install pin board
15. Cut the pins
16. Check the fit
17. Make adjustments as needed for a perfect fitting joint.

Wow, this is a pretty lengthy procedure; especially having to change router template guides and bits. In production, it would be best to use two routers. But it’s really not all that bad. Here are my notes on this procedure.

• Jig & Router Setup for Tails
The jig comes with a handy setup guide card as well as guide instructions on the jig. I was able to use the dovetail setup guide card to select and install the A4 stops on the jig, the G1 router template guide, the D4 dovetail bit in the router and set bit heights. This was all straight forward.

• Install Black Edge Guide
The jig comes with two edge guides; one black and one silver. The black edge guide is used to align horizontal and vertical boards with no offset. The silver edge guide is used to offset horizontal and vertical boards when making single pass half blind dovetails.

The black edge guide is used when making through dovetails. My 16” jig was shipped with the silver “offset” edge guide installed on the left side of the jig and the black edge guide installed on the right side. So I had to swap them.

Note: The Instruction Manual makes no mention about which edge guide to use when making through dovetails. I suppose Porter Cable thinks this is too obvious to mention. I made the mistake of thinking the jig was ready to go and setup everything with the silver edge guide in place. The setup didn’t look right so I switched to the black edge guide.

• Install Scrap Board and Tail boards in Jig
Clamp a scrap board in the horizontal position. Then insert the tail board in the vertical clamp and adjust to the same height as the scrap board. Make sure both boards are firmly against the black edge guide. I found this procedure much easier than the one in the Instruction Manual.

• Install Finger Template
Install finger template but make sure it sits just above the scrap board for now. The finger template is very heavy (solid and stable) and when resting on the scrap board it is very difficult to move the scrap board or finger adjustments.

Observation
I don’t care for the mechanical design responsible for raising, lowering, and securing the template mechanism. The template mechanism is heavy and does not move easily along the mounting guides on the right and left rear side of the jig. This needs to be redesigned.

• Adjust Template Finger Spacing
Adjust template fingers for proper spacing. As I mentioned above, the key here is that the template is not resting on the scrap board. Otherwise you will not be able to move the fingers.

• Lower the Template
Now lower the template onto the scrap board and make sure scrap and tail boards are properly aligned with template and each other.

• Cut the Tails
After installing the stabilizer bar (very easy operation) you are ready to cut the tails. Cutting tails was straight forward. My only comment is that it is difficult to see the cut being made which can make it difficult to follow template fingers.

Comment about Dust Collection
I was skeptical about the Omnijig dust collection system. But it works perfectly. Virtually all dust and chips were pulled out of the dust collection chute and into my 4” Delta dust collector. I highly recommend installing the dust collection system.

• Jig and Router Setup for Pin Cuts
Flip the jig to the Pin’s side and install appropriate router guide, straight bit, and adjust bit depth. No issues here.

• Install Pin Board
Simply remove tails board and replace with pins board. This assumes tail and pin boards are same thickness. Otherwise you must replace scrap board with one that is same thickness as pin board.

• Cut Pins
Install stabilizer bar and cut the pins. Cutting the pins was straight forward. As with cutting tails, it is difficult to see the cut being made which can make it difficult to follow template fingers.

• Fitting The Pins and Tails
My first attempt did not yield a good fit. My pins were too tight and the joint would not fit together. The solution to this problem is to move the template in a bit and re-cut the pins board; removing more material from the pins. This is done by adjusting the pins stops on both the left and right A4 stops. Note that each A4 stop has a pin stop (left) and a tails stop (right). Do not adjust the tail stops. I made the pin stop adjustment with the A4 stops mounted in the jig and the template locked in place. I loosened the lock nut and turned the stop out one turn and then locked it back in place. Do this on both A4 stops. Then I loosened the template and pushed it against the pin stop. This is a very fine adjustment. I reinstalled the pin board and made another cut, removing just a bit more material from the pins. The joint was still tight so I repeated the procedure until I got a perfect fitting joint. Fortunately, the router bit height was dead on so I had no other joint problems.

If your joint is to loose, you need to move the template out which will remove less material from the pins. Move the template by adjusting the pin stops on the left and right A4 stops. Unfortunately, you will have to cut new pins because too much material was removed in the first cut. I suggest moving the pin stops out more than needed (maybe 4-5 turns), cut a new tight fitting pins and then use the procedure in the preceding paragraph to sneak up on a perfect fitting joint.

Once you have the A4 pin stops dialed in they should not need further adjustments and you should get perfect fitting through dovetails every time.


Summary
• The 16” 55160 Omnijig is large and heavy. So you will need plenty of room to use and store it. The 24” 77240 Omnijig is a monster and is not practical for home use.

• The variable finger template is heavy and moving the template up and down when mounted in the jig is a three hand operation. The mechanism used to slide the template up and down needs a redesign. It does not slide smoothly and is difficult to work with.

• I had to sort through several variable finger templates to find one that fit properly. I have spoken to Porter Cable about this, but they say a loose fitting template should not cause a problem. I disagree. This is a quality issue.

• The instruction manual is pretty good but forgot to mention using the proper edge guide for through dovetails. Also, about 20% of the pages we not separated at the top and I had to cut them apart. This is a quality issue.

• The “factory set” stops that came with my jig needed adjustment. But, once they were set properly I was able to get consistent, repeatable joints. I suggest checking every stop before you use them on your projects.

• This is a production jig that works well once set up properly but it is probably overkill for most home projects.

Next Steps
I will work through each and every joint possible on this jig and make notes. If there is an interest I will post those notes here.
 
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#4 ·
Hi Rob,

Thank you for that write up. Please post any further results you have. I'm with Bob, I bet there are plenty people who are interested in your results. :)
 
#5 ·
Well folks, I have given up on the new Omnijig and will return it to the dealer tomorrow. Porter Cable has a no questions asked 90 return policy.

I spent all day fooling around with this thing trying to cut narrow dovetails. There are no instructions about how to do this so you are on your own. Plus, I noticed another defect in the jig. The stabilizer bar is not level with the fingers when set up to do pin cuts. This caused the router to tilt when cutting the pins which, of course, ruins the cut. The funny thing is, it's level when doing tail cuts. I tested this about 5 times before realizing there is something wrong with the jig. The reason I tested it five times is because there are so many things that can (and do) go wrong when setting up the jig. Simply put, this is not a precision tool, it is a brute force clunker. I could go on an on about all the little problems I have had messing around with this jig but I am exhausted with the thing. Not to mention all the good scrap wood I wasted.

By the way, after giving up on narrow pins dovetails I tried repeating a through dovetail cut. I figured since I had set everything up correctly for that cut (as per first review above) I should be able to set up and make good cuts right away. No such luck. I had to fool around with setting for about and hour before getting back to where I was the other day. Grief!!!!!

I was told by several people at Rockler and Woodcraft not to buy this jig because of numerous customer complaints and returns. I should have listened. I think I’ll give the Leigh D4R a try since I sold my Porter Cable 4212 yesterday on Craigslist.

My advice, stay away from the new Omnijigs!
 
#7 ·
Detailed Review (Final)

When I first set eyes on the new 16” and 24” Omnijigs I just had to have one. This was a real mans dovetail jig; big, heavy, solid, and tough looking. But, I was warned by people at three different woodworking stores not to purchase this jig because of numerous customer complaints and first hand experience. After doing some research online (very few reviews about these jigs online) I bought one anyway. I bought the 55160 16” Omnijig, the 16” Variable Finger Template, a D3 dovetail bit required to cut narrow pins, the tool storage box, the dust collection system, and a Universal Stop Kit. The whole thing set me back over $600. I walked out of the store with enough boxes to fill the back of my jeep. But the love affair ended about as quickly as it started.

The new 55160 Omnijig is built like a tank, about as precise as a dull hatchet, and is extremely user unfriendly. I played with the 16” Omnijig and optional 16” variable finger template for 3 days trying to cut large and small pin through dovetails with little success. My plan was to work through all the different cuts this jig can make. But it was so painful trying to get clean, good fitting through dovetails, I simply gave up and never moved on to cutting other dovetail joints. Other than the dust collection (which works extremely well), the new Omnijig is a disaster. It is clunky, way too difficult and time consuming to set up properly, and has numerous weak points in the design that make this jig difficult to use unless you are Norm Abrams.

Generally speaking, the concept is good, but the engineering is horrible. I would love to take a run at re-engineering this jig with precision in mind as the number one goal. (I was in charge of Intel’s World Wide Motherboard Manufacturing test systems for several years, so I understand the tradeoffs between over engineering and manufacturing costs.) After three full days with this jig I think I know where the weaknesses are. The new Omnijig has so much potential to be a top notch dovetail jig. Too bad Porter Cable missed the mark. Here are my observations about weaknesses in the design of this jig.

• First, a word about thumbscrews
Porter Cable has elected to use inexpensive thumbscrews to secure stops, finger templates, and the stabilizer bar. Thumbscrews simply run the end of a ¼” machine screw into a mating surface to lock/wedge parts in place. This is not a precision locking mechanism and, unless you pay close attention, can and will cause alignment problems. Is this simply poor engineering or a misguided effort to cut cost?

• Stop Mounts
Two stops, one on each side of the jig, are used to set the position of the template on the template mounting bars. Stops are nothing more than specially fabricated ¼” machine screw (stop rods) that thread through a crude casting (the stop). Stops are mounted to the jig by dropping them into an oversize “well” and secured in place with a thumbscrew that drives a ¼” machine screw into the back side of the stop; wedging it in place. I suppose this brut force approach could work, but it is not a very precise or elegant design. Stops are a very important component on this jig and should fit into a precision mount that precisely secures the stop into the jig. I also noticed that stop rods rarely align precisely with the stops pins on the finger templates. One stop rod may be perfectly aligned while the stop rod on the other side of the jig is grossly out of alignment with the template stop pin. Since stop rods are supposed to be adjusted to .001, this kind of misalignment will results in at least .005 or more error. This is supposed to be a precision tool and I expect near perfection in this alignment.

• Stop Adjustment
The new Omnijigs comes with “factory set” stops for the various cuts that can be made on the jig. That means stop rods are supposed to be set to the appropriate lengths that determine the distance the template slides onto the mounting bars as required to accurately cut pins and tails. This is a standard adjustment on all dovetail jigs, and everyone seems to have their own way of doing this. On this jig, the length of the stop rods is key to a good fitting joint. Since there are no vernier gauges (like on the Leigh and other jigs), adjusting the template properly on the template mounting bars is a trial and error process that involves loosening a jam nut, adjusting a machine screw, and retightening the jam nut. This is a very inaccurate mechanism, adjustments are time consuming, and is best done by removing the stops and using a digital caliper to dial in the proper adjustment on both left and right stops.

Unfortunately, the stops that came with my jig were not adjusted for an optimal joint; even though they were set very close to factory specifications. I spent several hours attempting to fine tuning them. But, using jam nuts to secure adjustments to .001 accuracy is simply ludicrous.

• Template Mounting
Templates slide onto two .5” square mounting bars that are independently mounted to the left and right side of the jig base. There are two weak points with this system; both are with the template, not the base jig. First, the left and right side openings in the template that the mounting bars slide through are not precisely sized to fit snugly on the mounting bars, resulting in loose fitting templates that rattle up and down on the mounting bar. My variable finger template fit snug on the through dovetail side and very loose on the half blind side. I had to sort through four new, out of box, 16” variable finger templates before I found one that fit snugly on both mounting bars. On the templates that were too loose, I noticed the end cap castings were of poor quality and did not fit well together, resulting is a range of different mount openings from .505” (good) to .6” or more (bad). It is my opinion these openings should be the same size to within .005” and fit snugly. This is a quality issue.

Next, templates are secured to the square mounting bars via thumbscrews on the template end caps that simply run the end of a ¼” machine screw against the mounting bar, securing/wedging the template in place. The circular motion of the machine screw against the mounting bar causes the template to move up and down and in and out; especially when the template is loose fitting. Porter Cable claims this is resolved by pressing down and in on the template as it is secured to the mounting bars. I don’t think so Porter Cable! This is simply a lousy design and should be replaces with a design that employs some sort of self aligning mechanism to precisely secure the template to the mounting bars and against the stops. This problem is exacerbated when a template fits loosely on the square mounting bars (as I mentioned above).

• Moving the Template Up and Down
As I have already mentioned, the template mounts to the jig by sliding over the mounting bars. Each mounting bar is attached to independently moving, cast iron, wedge based slide mechanisms that are attached to each side of the jig. The slides are used to move the template up and down in the jig and are secured in place with large knobs that tighten the casting against the sides of the jig. The good news is the template and mounting system is massive and solid; effectively eliminating concerns about vibration. The problem is it takes three hands to loosen, adjust the template up or down, and re-tighten it in place. What typically happens is the template is so heavy it gets wedged at an angel; one end high and one end low. This wouldn’t be a problem if not for the massive weight of the template and template bars and cast jig mounts. Basically, you end up man handing the template to set it in place; especially if you are trying to set the template at a 1/16” or so above the horizontal board so you can adjust fingers. By the way, the Instruction Manual says to lower the jig in place BEFORE you make finger adjustments… Huh??? Operating this mechanism is more of an annoyance than anything else, contributing to the overall user unfriendliness of this jig. This mechanism should be redesigned so that template height adjustments can be performed smoothly and easily with two hands.

• Finger Adjustments
The weight of the massive template system makes it very difficult to slide fingers into place when the template is resting on a horizontally mounted board (as per Instruction Manual). This means the template must be loosened and raised just a bit every time you want to fine tune or move a finger position. And as I mentioned above, raising and lowering the template is not a simple operation. This is more of an annoyance than anything else; contributing to the overall user unfriendliness of this jig.

• Adjusting the Horizontal Board
As with the finger adjustment, it is difficult to adjust the horizontal board with the massive template resting in place. This is exacerbated by the knurled surface on the jig base used to helps hold the horizontal board in place. As with fingers, it is best to loosen and raise the template to make this adjustment. This is more of an annoyance than anything else; again, contributing to the overall user unfriendliness of this jig.

• Clamp Bars
The clamp bars are nice and strong but are too long and tend to get in the way when setting up and using the jig.

• Stabilizer Bar
The stabilizer bar is used to help keep the router base in the same plane as the fingers. As with the stops and finger templates, the stabilizer bar is secured to the .5” square mounting bars using a thumbscrew to drive the end of a ¼” machine screw through the stabilizer bar and against the mounting bar. Since there is lots of room for movement in the stabilizer bar mounting slots, this can result in a stabilizer bar that is not locked in plane with the template fingers. (Yes, this happens!)

I ran into a very interesting stabilizer bar problem on my jig. I was able to lock the stabilizer bar in plane with the tails side of the finger template. But I was not able to make the left side of the stabilizer bar in plane with the pins side of the finger template. There was about a 1/16” gap between the plane of the fingers and the plane of the stabilizer bar that I simply could not get rid of. Believe me, I fooled around with this for about an hour before giving up. I could not determine if this was a stabilizer bar problem or a template finger problem. This is unacceptable because it can (and did) cause errors when cutting pins.

Here are a few things I like about this jig.
• Jig Body
The best feature about this jig is the heavy cast iron jig base. It is very heavy and solid as a rock. No vibration here.

• Template Fingers
Template fingers are extremely well made. They fit and slide well on the finger template (unless it is sitting firmly in place on a horizontal board).

• Dust Collection
The next best thing about this jig is it’s dust collection system. It is a simple design, it’s easy to mount on the jig, and is very effective at catching virtually all dust and chips.

This is a $500 jig and over $600 with variable finger template and accessories. I expect much better quality and precision from a tool this expensive that carries the Porter Cable name. At the end of the day, I ended up returning everything for a refund. I felt bad returning all these boxes to dealer; but Porter Cable has a 90 day customer satisfaction return policy.

There is no one more disappointed with this jig than I am. I really wanted the 55160 to work as well as it looks. Maybe one day the folks at Porter Cable will make some improvements.
 
#8 ·
Rob it looks like you gave this jig a fair trial, too bad it was such a dissapointment. I am curious to know if you are going to give a different dovetail jig a try and which one you might buy next. I haven't made an investment in a jig yet but I am hearing good things about the Gifkins jig. Keep us posted please!
 
#9 ·
I got the 24 inch Omnijig 77240. The main problem I was aware of was the fact that the stabilizer bar was 3/64 inch lower than the template. So I sent the whole thing back and it was replaced by a new one that did not have that problem. After a steep learning curve, (including a weekend of time wasted to figure out that there was too much runout on the new Triton router, sending me back to the Porter Cable 7518), I have now made a kitchenful of perfect single pass halfblind dovetail drawers in half inch red oak and can repeat this process without problems. I haven't tried any other joints yet.
 
#10 ·
I think I am going to give the D4R a try. A good friend has one he will lend me for some trials. He says if I like the D4R I can use it any time I want as long as I use my own dovetail bits. What a great deal!

As for the 77240 (or 55160), I think once the new Omnijigs are setup properly they are probably excellent production machines. But, they don't seem practical for occasional use.

Also, based on ganxzlan's comment about having to exchange his 77240 for a new one because of stabilizer bar problems, I wonder if the machine I had was just a lemon; a victim of poor quality control.
 
#12 ·
Porter Cable Feedback

Good news... Got a call from Porter Cable. They seem to think the jig I had was a very early unit that did not have the latest engineering changes; or maybe even a lemon. Porter Cable has agreed to send me the latest production version of the 55160 and 16 variable finger template so that I can take another run at using the jig. It won't arrive for a few weeks. I will update everyone then.

In my book this is a first rate response form Porter Cable. I am impressed!
 
#13 ·
I've been impressed with Delta - Porter Cable lately too. IN June I ordered one of the new Unisaws. It arrived in July but the mobile base was backordered. My local supplier told me that if I still wanted it, he would arrange for his people to come out and lift it (600#) onto the mobile base when it arrived.

Well, long story but the original mobile base contractor first shipped inferior products to Delta which failed their internal QC. Then the re-work failed, so the had to go out to a new vendor to have them made. They told me that because of my trouble, Delta would be providing the base (~$200) to me for free. It arrived today and my local rep came out to my house with some lifts and helped to lift it up on the mobile base.

This, my friends, is what service is all about. They couldn't magically make some sub-vendor's quality issues go away but they took care of their customer and the new base appears to be far sturdier than the old Unisaw base.

Just in time (see below) too!
 
#15 ·
I also gave up on the PC, and in fact the Leigh too. I bought an Akeda and have never looked back. It is so simple to use and requires no assembly or adjustments. Makes life so much easier that I actually enjoy making dovetails rather than putting it off as I did with the other overcomplicated jigs.
 
#16 ·
Final update after receiving new jig from Porter Cable

I have been a serious weekend woodworker for nearly 28 years. Over those years I have managed to accumulate an excellent collection of commercial grade tools. My first dovetail jig was an inexpensive Sears Craftsman model I purchased back in the early 80’s. It was very simple and cut only single pass half blind dovetails. But it was not much different from inexpensive dovetail jigs on the market today. With a little effort I was able to get good results using this little jig. I also learned a bit about how dovetail jigs work.

In 2006 I purchased a Porter Cable 4212 dovetail jig. The 4212 was a huge improvement over my old Sears jig and was capable of cutting both single pass and through dovetails. But the additional complexity made the jig more difficult to setup, adjust and use. With practice I was able to master the 4212.

About a year ago I noticed the new Porter Cable Omnijig. On the surface it seemed to address most of the shortcomings of the smaller and less expensive 4212 and it looked to be less complicated to use than the Leigh D4R. Not to mention that the new Omnijig is a handsome and rugged looking machines; the kind of tool that Tim Allen would want in his garage. So, I purchased the 55160 16” Omnijig, the optional 16” variable finger template, a few extra router bits, a universal double stop kit, tool storage box, and dust collection system. I was ready to cut some serious dovetails.

Fast forward about three weeks from when I purchased my new 16” Omnijig. To be honest I was very frustrated with this jig. It simply didn’t perform as expected “out of the box”. I can’t count the number of pine boards I used up trying to cut clean dovetail joints. Eventually I walked away from the machine and stewed about what appeared to be a waste of about $700. Then I returned to for a full refund.

Porter Cable got wind of this and offered to send me a new jig. It showed up a few months later and I decided to give the Omnijig another try. This time I got much better results because I assumed nothing about the state of the jig. Basically I abandoned all hope the new Omnijig was a miracle “out of the box, set it and forget it” dovetail machine that would allow me to cut perfect dovetails with minimal effort. This time I checked and double checked every setting, I focused on one joint and cut that joint until I learned every possible outcome, good and bad, what caused those outcomes, how to make adjustments to remedy poor joints, and how and why those adjustments worked. Then I selected a new joint and went through the process all over again. Basically, I became an expert on cutting dovetails on the new Omnijig.

Lesson learned, as with all dovetail jigs, you must have a very good understanding of the relationship between bit depth and finger template position. More important, you must be well aware of how virtually every adjustment on the Omnijig can ruin a joint if not set properly.

The best way to get good results with your Omnijig is to make lots of test cuts. At the very least, I suggest you practice cutting several single pass half blind dovetail joints, followed by several through dovetail joints. Purchase a few reasonably clear and flat 6’ x 8” pine boards, plane them to the same thickness, joint one edge, rip them to uniform width, and cut them into 12” long work pieces. Use these 12” work pieces to make test cuts. It is critical that the 12” boards are square, the same width, and thickness. The more you practice using your Omnijig the better the results you will get.

In the process of making lots of test cuts I learned the following.

• Before cutting a work piece you must first dial in stops and bit depth by
making a few trial cuts in scrap pieces of wood that are the exact
dimensions of your work piece.
• The factory set stops on my jig needed fine tuning to make good fitting
joints. This is mostly an iterative, trial and error process that requires
patience and precision. I suggest using a good digital caliper.
• The factory set router bit depth gauges on my jig needed fine tuning.
Setting bit depth gauges is also an iterative, trial and error process.
• The end caps on the variable finger template may need to be adjusted to
fit properly on the template mounting bars.
• Thumbscrews used to hold the finger template in place can cause the
template to move when tightening the thumbscrews. This is exacerbated
when finger template end caps fits too loosely on the template mounting
bars.
• Moving the finger template up and down in the jig is very awkward; you
really need three hands.
• It is difficult to adjust fingers when the variable finger template is resting
on a scrap board.
• Long, horizontally mounted pin boards should be supported at the opposite
end of the board.
• A short board that just barely clears the back of the horizontal clamp will
flex if too much clamp pressure is applied.

Accurate setup is what using dovetail jig’s is all about. No matter how simple, fancy, expensive or exotic a dovetail jig is, if it or the router are not set up accurately it will not cut good dovetails. Once the new Omnijig is setup properly, it does a good job of making consistently good dovetails joints.

The new Porter Cable Omnijigs are large, heavy, built like a tank, and are best used for production applications. However, this jig simply doesn’t make sense for the occasional weekend woodworker because it is expensive, a bit difficult to use, and storage may be an issue (it is huge!). Unless you plan to build lots of dovetail applications, I cannot in good conscience recommend this jig to the hobbyist woodworker. Rather, the fixed finger Porter Cable 4212or the variable finger 12” Leigh Superjig are excellent, cost effective jigs for the occasional need to cut dovetails.
 
#17 ·
I bought a 24 inh Leigh dovetail jig off of Craig's list and I found it very easy to set up and the directions are excellent. I mounted everything per directions and proceeded to cut some dovetwails. My first attempt was a dismal failure but it was because I failed to set the tool bit to the proper depts. I did so and got excellent results! My only complaint is the dust collectoon. I find it awkward to use so I don't. It does make a mess re: chips but as my favorite saying goes...

If you are going to be dumb, you gotta be tough!
 
#18 ·
A few years later

Several years ago I posted reviews of the Porter Cable 55160 Dovetail Jig. Basically, the new Omnijigs are a piece of junk. But I haven't looked at one in years and wonder if Porter Cable ever updated it. Eventually I sold the replacement 55160 Porter Cable sent me and purchased a Leigh Super Jig. I love my Super Jig. I was worried that setting up Leigh jigs was going to be even more complicated than the Omnijig. Not even close. My Super Jig is so easy to use I get great, consistent results with very little setup effort. It is simple and easy to use. I have been a Leigh jig enthusiast ever since. I have my eye on a used D4R but not sure I need split fingers. However, if the price is right I will make the upgrade.
 
#19 ·
I too spent a month with the PC Omnijig. In my case I bought the 24" size along with the mini template bar. This was after I gave up and returned the D4R I originally purchased, but that is another story.

I also had a problem with one of the end caps being too loose. I called PC and they sent a new bar. While waiting I disassembled the end cap and found that there is a captive nut inside the cap that holds the position of the depth stop. This nut was rotated 30 degrees when the cap was assembled causing the points of the nut to rest on the flats of the cap halves. This spread the cap halves so when the screws were tightened, the cap halves bowed outward causing the square hole to become oversized. Bending the cap halves flat and reassembling properly solved this problem.

Once I got the end caps working I set up to cut some dovetails. I could get the settings dialed in, but whatever I tried I always ended up with a couple of pins that didn't quite fit. They were only off by a few thousandths (~5) but there was a gap on one pin and a tight fit on the next that had to be trimmed with chisel.

It turns out the problem was in the way the template fingers are locked on the bar. When the finger clamp is tightened, the pin is pulled so it is perpendicular to the bar in the horizontal plane (as long as the face of the pin opposite the clamp is clean of dust or flash). There is nothing that locks the pin so it is perpendicular to the bar in the vertical axis. The instructions tell you to press down on the finger as you tighten. This initially gets it square but between tightening the clamp and pressure of the router on the bar, the fingers can rotate. This causes the alignment between the guiding edges on the opposite sides to offset causing a mismatch between the pin and tail edges.

The problem is worse on the mini template because of the narrower pins so I tried taking pairs of pins and bonding them together. This helped but didn't eliminate the problem. It also forced me to always use the minimum width pins since I couldn't separate the fingers.

I had a couple of conversations with the PC tech support folks and offered a design solution for the problem that involved using a bar with a trapaziodal cross section, but I don't think they ever considered my suggestion. It' been a couple of years and the machines I see a Woodcraft still have the original bar and finger design.

Needless to say I returned the machine had have since learned to cut dovetails without an expensive machine. I'm about $600 richer and I have cut everything from half blind drawer fronts with narrow pins to case good boxes that are 20 inches deep with half blind on the bottoms and double blind mitered joints on the tops, all with my basic table saw, router and spiral bits.
 
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