For most woodworkers, obviously, one of the most important parts of their work is the joinery. And this means that many woodworkers are always looking for tricks and tools to make their favorite joints easier. Here’s where the ChestMate™ Dovetail Jig from Prazi USA comes in.
The first thing that you will notice is that the ChestMate™ does not look like other dovetail jigs on the market. The claim to (hoped-for) fame of this particular dovetail jig is that it can be used with stock of any width. For stock thickness, it can accommodate one-half inch to one-inch boards. Choose your own stock, and choose your own dovetail arrangements, too. You can make the joint placements symmetrical or asymmetrical as you wish, or you can create a repeating pattern of dovetail cuts with this simple jig. That is something that only the more expensive jigs can accommodate.
The instructions also claim that “when backed up properly and with the use of sharp cutter bits, the pins and tails will be splinter-free.”
Other than that, it works in conjunction with your router very similarly to most other dovetail jigs, as the short and clear instructions explain. (Which means you should actually read them! I particularly appreciated the part on page 5 which notes that you should “wait until it stops” before removing your router after cutting the tails.)
The ChestMate sells for about $120.
