Let’s check out this multi-function routing station from Trevor!

Thought you may be interested in this it’s a router station I made primarily for machining tenons & dovetails on longer boards. I found mounting the dovetail or tenon jigs on a standard bench a bit limiting. The unit is 42″ high by 38″ wide it allows me to keep my two dovetail jigs , Tenon jig & accessories in the same vicinity, saving space in my small shop (18 x 18) & provides a very comfortable working height. The top & base are 18″ deep so I can leave two jigs mounted back to back and the mounting boards are simply clamped down making it quick to remove or swap a jig. The whole thing is made of some old oak scraps I have from an old church it’s about 300years old it’s mounted on locking castors & is surprisingly stable. I have been building a couple of loft beds for my grandchildren & they presented a problem of machining tenons on stock of 78″ x 1 1/8″x 7″ The tenon box is made as a slide on fit (not too tight) score round the stock with a marking knife & simply line up the score mark with the edge of the channel & using a template bit cut the tenon cheek in a couple of passes, flip the board & repeat, once the router depth is set they can all be cut accurately. The jig is held in place by clamping in the center of the mdf this flexes enough to grip the stock. The black knob you see on the picture was an adjustable stop but I found it a bit inaccurate hence I score round the shoulder. It solved a problem for me & I hope it may be of use to others. I have seen similar jigs but not with a means of supporting the routers on both sides, the router can’t tip and you get perfect tenons every time.

I would have to say the most commonly requested episode so far has been dovetails. Handcut, machine cut, through or half blind……..you guys love your dovetails! Well, I have held off for a while because I wanted to make sure I did the process justice. This particular episode is a glimpse into the world of machine-cut through dovetails. Even though the episode is 30 minutes long, I feel like I just barely scratched the surface. The devil is in the details! And each jig differs in those little details. Fortunately, there are some common elements to all these jigs that make this episode useful to anyone, regardless of what jig you use. I happened to use what I consider to be the best jig on the market: the Leigh D4R.

No matter what jig you use or even if you cut them by hand, there’s no denying the “cool factor” surrounding dovetails. If you haven’t made them yet, they are easier than they look and it is certainly worth your time to learn the process. So watch the video and find out what it sounds like, when dovetails cry……….

***Error note*** Thanks to Steve and Brian in the comments section for bringing this to my attention. During the filming of the podcasts, I was using “props” for my cuts and consequently was not as careful with my organization as I should have been. Now you see why I use props. lol. I accidentally reversed the pins and tails. My rule is to cut the tails in the sides and the pins in the fronts and backs. I did the opposite in the video. I guess thats what happens when you are focused on filming and getting the right shot, instead of making proper dovetails. So don’t get confused. As long as you remember the rule (and you don’t try to make a show out of everything you do), you should be fine.