If you're enjoying videos like this and want to see more, I'd be grateful to have your support as a Patreon member. I post commentary videos of my builds, offer all my plans for free to members, and occasionally drop bonus video content, such as the stool build video coming soon. Join today at patreon.com/sturdyboneswoodworking . And thanks to all for watching and supporting the channel!
Great video for those of us who are starting out and need to spend our limited funds to maximize our tool budget and get the most out of tools we already have. Please make more like this.
Very Cool Jig! subscribed almost immediately. Nice alternative to spending the cash on a domino... they are just crazy expensive... for those of us that do this as a hobby this is a decent alternative.
Thank you so much! It really works great. Once you have it in the shop you’ll really start to see all the different ways you can use it like for large mortises and edge grooves etc. Thanks for the sub too! 🙌
Haha yeah man! I hope it helps! Thanks for watching! The Domino is indispensable when you need to be really fast or need odd angles but this approach will definitely get it done in most situations. I saw your desk base though. It’s looking really great!
All you need is a router. And a router table. And a drill press. And a table saw. And a band saw. And a miter saw. And loads of clamps. And a planer. And a jointer...
@@sturdyboneswoodworking I know that it is made with MDF, but what I mean is a steel plate across the open gap where it would be essentially the end grain, the open area where the one fence could be slid out from. I say this just because MDF will easily crack at that point if it was dropped or hit on one of those ears.
Great jig! Ive made a few for LT joints, but never really happy with em. Never thought about making the jig slide along the work piece. I think by adding centring & stop markers to it would complete this jig.
Yeah I’m sure there are some improvements to fine tune it for usability. I’ve just grown comfortable using the bit for centering and I like that the jig/router don’t even need to be straight aligned with piece as long as the bit stays centered along the cut. It also works great as just an edge guide if you take one of the rails off. I spent like $60 on a makita rail edge guide and I like it but really all I paid for on that is the (very nice) micro adjust.
Two suggestions. 1) Running the jig along a piece of wood could be rocky. Sandwich two boards on the one to be mortised to give a more stable platform for the jig. 2) Rout a small diameter groove at the center line of the router bit to make lining up easier. Might these help?
Hi thanks for watching! For #1 I love it. If you’re not confident it’ll cut smoothly that’s a great alternative. As for #2, I’m not sure I’d totally trust it just in case there’s a little slop in the base plate mounting holes. But that’s just me and at this point I’m used to centering the bit manually.
Is there a reason the slots for the adjustable rails on the jig are open ended? Seems it'd be much sturdier and safer to build if they were captured slots vs one end open. It looks like it'd be easy to put a little too much pressure on it while cutting the slot and make it close up (2:58). Nice build on the stool. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for watching. Only reasons for making them open ended are it makes it easier to build and easier to take the rails on and off without unscrewing the hardware all the way. I haven’t tested it or anything, but I would think that it would take quite a lot of pressure to break off like that with 2 inches of MDF at each end. The rails on the jig run all the way to the end of the base plate and support the end when it’s all set up.
Absolutely. So you not only don’t need a domino, you don’t even need tenons. As long as you have good alignment with your holes on your two parts, dowels work just fine. The main advantage that loose tenons like these and dominos offer is greater strength in the joint, because it increases the long grain to long grain glue surface area. Dowel joints leave the two parts connected together more by a long grain to end grain connection than loose tenons so they’re just a bit weaker depending on the diameter, quantity and spacing of the dowels. There are tons of great dowel jigs out there that would cost you less than a router. But I’d still advocate for owning a plunge router because the same $150 budget for a doweling jig could buy you a plunge base and the latter is much more versatile.
@@sturdyboneswoodworking great, thanks. I'm literally just starting my woodworking journey and only own a drill! I'm borrowing a circular saw and a mitre saw. Every day is a day for learning - when I'm not doing my actual desk based job, anyway!
Love the way you presented this topic created a jig then built a project! When you setup and calibrated your planer did you use the factory settings. Since Grizzly doesn't show the procedure with helical cutter heads I looked at some forums indicating using settings from powermatic planers.
Thank you! So I just went for it when I bought this one secondhand. I had run a few boards through it and checked with calipers and it was cutting level and accurately so I haven’t really adjusted anything except to quarter turn a few teeth that saw a nail I failed to remove in some reclaimed material. Could probably use a seasonal check though.
Your router was supplied with a adjustable fence, I had a spare from another router and mounted them on the same rails and that does the same thing. I wouldn't buy a domino though, i do mortise and tenon.
It depends on how you bought your router. The one that came with mine was really small and would take a lot to be accurate. I bought a $70 one for my Makita and you’re right it does work similarly. But hopefully this helps those who don’t even have a router.
There is a simpler method to get it centered that I’ve seen it one Utube. And it’s absolutely fool proof. I can’t recall the fixture or the sight. But when you clamp it on ANY sized object it is centered.
For a project like this stool I’d agree there are definitely faster methods. But this jig/method also works for making really big grooves or mortises. But yeah if you have a good doweling jig it’s still a great option for a lot of cases. My goal was to show a setup for anyone who needs a loose tenon application but doesn’t have the Domino.
The domino system is much more fast and reliable in comparison with this. I cannot see any kind of advantages compare to domino. Sure, if you don’t have a domino this is an alternative but more time consuming.
I agree it’s way more time consuming. But another way to think of its usefulness is that there are even size limitations to the Domino. I’ve used this jig with my big plunge router and a 1/2” bit to make huge mortises for traditional breadboard ends (I have a video on it). And while you could argue you can do the same with Dominos, at least for that application I think you’d at least have to have the DF700 and the cutters to make really deep mortises for it to be strong enough. So maybe that helps sell its usefulness a bit beyond standard 5-10mm loose tenon work. I definitely prefer my Domino most of the time when I just need to get work done. Thanks for watching!
Hahahaha. Nah. Everything I’ve done there can be done with less fancy tools. I use what I’ve got because it’s faster. You can mill wood square with hand planes, cut out the legs with a jig saw, and template route with the same router you make the mortises with. But I’d highly recommend a table saw at least 😅. So maybe like $1k?
Haha. I hear you. But of course my main point is you don’t have to have a $1500 domino to do quality loose tenon joinery. Plunge router, a $40 hardware kit, and scrap plywood goes a long way. But that doesn’t make for a very interesting video title.
Well the router is the main power tool required to operate Domino alternate. Wood, screws & knobs won't break the bank, obviously needed to hold things together, so don't cheep out without them. BTW don't forget the pencil, not a Sharpie!😅
If you're enjoying videos like this and want to see more, I'd be grateful to have your support as a Patreon member. I post commentary videos of my builds, offer all my plans for free to members, and occasionally drop bonus video content, such as the stool build video coming soon. Join today at patreon.com/sturdyboneswoodworking .
And thanks to all for watching and supporting the channel!
Great video for those of us who are starting out and need to spend our limited funds to maximize our tool budget and get the most out of tools we already have. Please make more like this.
Thanks for that feedback! Glad I could help! I’ll keep thinking on how to bring more of that sort of thing into the mix.
Very Cool Jig! subscribed almost immediately. Nice alternative to spending the cash on a domino... they are just crazy expensive... for those of us that do this as a hobby this is a decent alternative.
Thank you so much! It really works great. Once you have it in the shop you’ll really start to see all the different ways you can use it like for large mortises and edge grooves etc. Thanks for the sub too! 🙌
I needed that a week ago 😂 great jig! I don’t have a domino and am super keen to try this jig! Great video super helpful
Haha yeah man! I hope it helps! Thanks for watching! The Domino is indispensable when you need to be really fast or need odd angles but this approach will definitely get it done in most situations. I saw your desk base though. It’s looking really great!
@@sturdyboneswoodworking thanks man still working through the edit
Well done. Keep up the good work.
Thank you! I really appreciate it!
Love the new content! Keep it up
Thanks a bunch! Glad you’re enjoying it!
All you need is a router. And a router table. And a drill press. And a table saw. And a band saw. And a miter saw. And loads of clamps. And a planer. And a jointer...
🤣 So true. Thanks for watching!
You could try doing it without tools or wood if you want
I got all those and never seem to have the right tool.
I like the jig and your build. Smashed the like and subscribe for ya! Looking forward to more
Thanks so much! 🙌
This seems to work great. I'd suggest that a bridge across the open gaps at the adjustment slots to prevent any spreading.
Thanks! I’m not sure I can visualize what you mean. If you make one with that adjustment I’d love to see your updates to it!
@@sturdyboneswoodworking I know that it is made with MDF, but what I mean is a steel plate across the open gap where it would be essentially the end grain, the open area where the one fence could be slid out from. I say this just because MDF will easily crack at that point if it was dropped or hit on one of those ears.
Easier centering would be the folding parallelogram. Used often in marking & routing centred holes/mortices
Thanks for watching! I’ll check it out!
Great video my friend!
Thank you Geoff! 🙌
@@sturdyboneswoodworking Welcome sir. Keep up the good work :)
Great jig! Ive made a few for LT joints, but never really happy with em. Never thought about making the jig slide along the work piece. I think by adding centring & stop markers to it would complete this jig.
Yeah I’m sure there are some improvements to fine tune it for usability. I’ve just grown comfortable using the bit for centering and I like that the jig/router don’t even need to be straight aligned with piece as long as the bit stays centered along the cut. It also works great as just an edge guide if you take one of the rails off. I spent like $60 on a makita rail edge guide and I like it but really all I paid for on that is the (very nice) micro adjust.
Awesome thanks very much!🎉
Thank you for watching!
Two suggestions. 1) Running the jig along a piece of wood could be rocky. Sandwich two boards on the one to be mortised to give a more stable platform for the jig. 2) Rout a small diameter groove at the center line of the router bit to make lining up easier. Might these help?
Hi thanks for watching! For #1 I love it. If you’re not confident it’ll cut smoothly that’s a great alternative. As for #2, I’m not sure I’d totally trust it just in case there’s a little slop in the base plate mounting holes. But that’s just me and at this point I’m used to centering the bit manually.
Is there a reason the slots for the adjustable rails on the jig are open ended? Seems it'd be much sturdier and safer to build if they were captured slots vs one end open. It looks like it'd be easy to put a little too much pressure on it while cutting the slot and make it close up (2:58).
Nice build on the stool.
Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for watching. Only reasons for making them open ended are it makes it easier to build and easier to take the rails on and off without unscrewing the hardware all the way. I haven’t tested it or anything, but I would think that it would take quite a lot of pressure to break off like that with 2 inches of MDF at each end. The rails on the jig run all the way to the end of the base plate and support the end when it’s all set up.
Would it work just as well to just drill a single hole and then use a dowel rod?
Absolutely. So you not only don’t need a domino, you don’t even need tenons. As long as you have good alignment with your holes on your two parts, dowels work just fine. The main advantage that loose tenons like these and dominos offer is greater strength in the joint, because it increases the long grain to long grain glue surface area. Dowel joints leave the two parts connected together more by a long grain to end grain connection than loose tenons so they’re just a bit weaker depending on the diameter, quantity and spacing of the dowels.
There are tons of great dowel jigs out there that would cost you less than a router. But I’d still advocate for owning a plunge router because the same $150 budget for a doweling jig could buy you a plunge base and the latter is much more versatile.
@@sturdyboneswoodworking great, thanks. I'm literally just starting my woodworking journey and only own a drill! I'm borrowing a circular saw and a mitre saw. Every day is a day for learning - when I'm not doing my actual desk based job, anyway!
Love the way you presented this topic created a jig then built a project! When you setup and calibrated your planer did you use the factory settings. Since Grizzly doesn't show the procedure with helical cutter heads I looked at some forums indicating using settings from powermatic planers.
Thank you! So I just went for it when I bought this one secondhand. I had run a few boards through it and checked with calipers and it was cutting level and accurately so I haven’t really adjusted anything except to quarter turn a few teeth that saw a nail I failed to remove in some reclaimed material. Could probably use a seasonal check though.
Your router was supplied with a adjustable fence, I had a spare from another router and mounted them on the same rails and that does the same thing. I wouldn't buy a domino though, i do mortise and tenon.
It depends on how you bought your router. The one that came with mine was really small and would take a lot to be accurate. I bought a $70 one for my Makita and you’re right it does work similarly. But hopefully this helps those who don’t even have a router.
There is a simpler method to get it centered that I’ve seen it one Utube. And it’s absolutely fool proof. I can’t recall the fixture or the sight. But when you clamp it on ANY sized object it is centered.
Sounds awesome. Would love to see it if you remember the reference. 🙌
I think it might be The Wood Whisperer that made the jig you're talking about
Quicker and easier to just use dowels
For a project like this stool I’d agree there are definitely faster methods. But this jig/method also works for making really big grooves or mortises. But yeah if you have a good doweling jig it’s still a great option for a lot of cases. My goal was to show a setup for anyone who needs a loose tenon application but doesn’t have the Domino.
The domino system is much more fast and reliable in comparison with this. I cannot see any kind of advantages compare to domino. Sure, if you don’t have a domino this is an alternative but more time consuming.
I agree it’s way more time consuming. But another way to think of its usefulness is that there are even size limitations to the Domino. I’ve used this jig with my big plunge router and a 1/2” bit to make huge mortises for traditional breadboard ends (I have a video on it). And while you could argue you can do the same with Dominos, at least for that application I think you’d at least have to have the DF700 and the cutters to make really deep mortises for it to be strong enough. So maybe that helps sell its usefulness a bit beyond standard 5-10mm loose tenon work. I definitely prefer my Domino most of the time when I just need to get work done. Thanks for watching!
Oh, it's only money...
I can afford a Domino, I just have other things to blow money on. Domino's are a one trick pony, just too dang expensive.
I have to invest 80 000 k to built this little chair 😢😢😢😢
Hahahaha. Nah. Everything I’ve done there can be done with less fancy tools. I use what I’ve got because it’s faster. You can mill wood square with hand planes, cut out the legs with a jig saw, and template route with the same router you make the mortises with. But I’d highly recommend a table saw at least 😅. So maybe like $1k?
Nice video, but I really wish creators would stop doing this: All you need is a router (then they add wood, bolts, knobs and screws)
Haha. I hear you. But of course my main point is you don’t have to have a $1500 domino to do quality loose tenon joinery. Plunge router, a $40 hardware kit, and scrap plywood goes a long way. But that doesn’t make for a very interesting video title.
Make your own videos and stop complaining
What would he do with just a router? Turn it on and watch it?
Well the router is the main power tool required to operate Domino alternate. Wood, screws & knobs won't break the bank, obviously needed to hold things together, so don't cheep out without them. BTW don't forget the pencil, not a Sharpie!😅
..oops .... Forgot the copious amount of glue !
Couldn't continue watching, hope more creators realize how annoying the music is.
🤣 in hindsight a couple of the tracks kinda suck. I’m still playing around with my music style. This one is off the list lol.
@sturdyboneswoodworking many creators have millions of views with no music at all, may you be one of them soon 🌸
Damn, can't please everybody, huh ?
@dalespringerwilson4233 no, no you can't, "if not pleased, do not comment" 🤣😅
Its isn't even that its horrible its just distracting.
click bait! all you need is a router! sure!
Hope you enjoy the video! 🙌
I think you might have missed the point
Get to the point FFS
Use the convenient and meticulously crafted chapter markers FFS