Porter Cable 4216 12" Deluxe Dovetail Jig Combination Kit

Like all things, there is no magical tool that will just work. However I believe that this dovetail jig comes the closest there is to doing just that. My main issue is that the instructions are a little difficult to follow. Thanks to youtube, now some of that is cleaned up. I will be doing a review on youtube about the sliding dovetail because I can't find a video on that.

I purchased a less expensive jig to try to learn to do dovetails and after three days and countless test pieces I gave up. I picked up this jig from the local woodcraft store and the first try I was able to accomplish what I could not for three days with the WoodRiver brand.

Just bought this Jig to make a Christmas present. The jig was easy to setup but the instructions lack specific detail. Thank goodness for youtube videos. The included router bits seem OK until about the 10th cut. Using the small template, the bits dull rapidly and were frustrating to deal with the excessive tear out of the wood and the burning. I was able to complete one joint that fit tight and looked great. The next joint always had poor pins and I was unable to get them to work. I won't be purchasing replacement bits from Porter-Cable due to the poor quality of the supplied. I'll be contacting Porter-Cable to determine if they would like to send replacement bits. Another improvement would be the cam lock for holding the workpiece. The plastic support on the cam lock can become damaged if due care is not exercised when tightening. Then there is the stop guides. They are positioned at both ends and don't permit travel to the middle of the jig. I'll be modifying to correct this as I would like to use small pieces working from middle not the end. Finally, it would be an added benefit if the template had more surface to support the router base. Care must be exercised when routing around the fingers as the CG of the router could tip forward causing damage to the bit or work piece. A redesign of the template would make this Jig ideal. Overall I would give 4 star for jig and 1 star for the bits.

I purchased this tool a few years ago. This was while I was still in the military. I did a few things with it and they all turned out great. I put this aside for a few years and am now getting back into using it. Oh, what a joy it is to make keepsake boxes and jewelry boxes using this jig. The pins and tails give it a beautiful look especially when finished off with a fine coat of laquer. Love this jig. Glad I bought it. I did purchase the 4216 model and it all came without any damage.

I purchased a Dovetail Jig with Mini Template Kit (4216) on Aug 7, 2020. When I used the jig, the sides were uneven by about a 1/16" The silver miniature guide is bent wrong causing an out of parallel condition by 1/16" on the pin board.

I bought this one month ago. Took out of box, read manual, perfect dovetail first time.

Got this dovetail jig for Xmas to help with a kitchen remodel. Finally opened it to make drawers for the first cabinet I made. Having never used a jig like this before I thought I was doing something wrong. Although I could make tight half-blind joints after some trial and error, I couldn't make the ends of the sides flush. There was always a 1/32+ offset between the edges. This was a big problem as I was using pre-milled 5/8 maple with a 1/4 groove for the bottom. The offset prevented the plywood from fitting in the grooves as they were misaligned. After a couple of frustrating hours and some internet searching, I discovered that the offset guide that aligns the pin and tail boards didn't provide a true 1/2 inch offset, instead it was less than 15/32. Although I was apprehensive to do this, I took a mill file and gradually filed the pin board side (top) of the offset guide until it gave a true 1/2 offset between the pin and tail boards. Now it works fine and I can make perfect dovetails each time with flush drawer sides. PC needs to have better quality control. I expected better.

I’ve never cut a dovetail in my life. My first test run with this jig looked like it was done by a machine. The instructions were helpful. If you read them carefully and watch a couple of YouTube videos, you shouldn’t have a problem. Do your homework before cutting. The guides fit my Dewalt router perfectly. I’m fairly new to woodworking and with my limited skill and knowledge, this device provided a professional looking end product.

I have used this dovetail jig for about a year now and I love it. It is easy to use and is real rugged. It comes with a 1/2" shank dovetail bit which doesn't break like 1/4" shank bits do. Once you get it set up, (which is real easy you can make dovetails very quickly. I make cabinets and I only make dovetail drawers so this jig gets a lot of use. It is nice to have a dedicated router for this jig so you don't have to change bits all the time. But this jig does have a nice bit depth gauge so you can install a bit very quickly. The manual is very good also.