1/26/2024 0 Comments Porter cable router jig![]() ![]() 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. I decided to return the template to the dealer for a replacement. Apparently this is why there is play on the Half Blind Dovetail side of the template. 505” and the Half Blind Dovetail end cap opening was at. The Through Dovetail end cap opening was right at. The square mounting bars each measured exactly. ![]() Next I measured the height of the template mounting bars and slots in the end caps. On closer inspection of the template, it appeared the Half Blind Dovetail end cap upper and lower castings did not fit together cleanly. 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. The Through Dovetail side of the template fit nicely and aligned perfectly with the A4 stop. 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. I was able to move the Half Blind Dovetail side of the template slightly up and down on the mounting bar. I noticed right away the Half Blind Dovetail side of the template fit loose on the square template mounting bar. 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. Unfortunately, I ran into a problem when I installed the 16” variable finger template. Now that you understand why this adjustment is needed, it should be straight forward. 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. 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. ![]() 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. The adjustment procedure is well defined in the user documentation but there is no mention of why the adjustment is needed. However, accessory templates (like the 16” variable finger template) must be adjusted to operate the same way. That means they slide nicely along the template mounting bars and do not deflect the mounting bars when the template thumb screws are tightened. Templates included with the jig are pre-set at the factory. It took me about two hours to unpack, inspect, and assemble everything. A chip deflector mounts on the left side of the jig with two screws. The dust collection system is a separate assembly that simply slides into the front of the jig. The only assembly required was mounting the router bit depth pod (optional) and the through dovetail depth gauge. ![]() Everything is packed in styrofoam and was in good condition. The jig comes nearly fully assembled right out of the box. Here are my observations and comments about this jig. I bought everything at Western Tool for about $550. I just purchased a new 55160 16" Omnijig, 16" variable finger template, box joint stops, storage case and dust collection. ![]()
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