"Festool System - Using the Dovetail/Box/Dowel Jig"

The Festool people have created a joint making jig that does it all: through and half-blind dovetails, box joints and dowels. Their catalog shows a base unit and 7 templates, and if you add all the costs up .... but you don't need to. Practically speaking, you may wish to start with one or two templates. I spent a day trying them all. I wanted to see how easy or difficult the System is, and I wanted to be able to help future buyers to determine which template(s) they should start with.    The picture at the right shows one box joint (left) and one 1/2-blind dovetail. Just two of the joints that I made — they are perfect.
	I am going to follow the instructions. Like all dovetail jigs, there are lots of steps, but it seems that the instructions are laid out in an understandable step-by-step manner — I hope.
The instructions start with mounting the unit to a work surface. Their multifunction table is setup in the shop, so I set it there. The unit is supposed to be about 5mm over the front edge.
	I use one of their clamps through the 3/4" holes to secure the unit at both ends. This table will be okay to work at for most of the joints, but I will have to locate it higher for any long pieces — and when I use the dowel jig on cabinet sides.
You can see that this jig is big — a working width of 25 1/2". I should be able to make any blanket chest and most cabinets with this without any extra effort.    There are quite a few knobs, but they are for the various clamps — and quite easy to figure out.
	I received with it quite a showing of router bits, but like the templates, you only need to buy a few. By the way, true to Festool's usual design excellence, the boxes for the bits are dovetailed so they can fit together as in this picture. Slipping one bit out is as easy as "click, click" and it is done.
I am removing the adapter ring from the Festool OF1000 router. The adapters work only with this router. To use another router would require that you find a collar adapter that fits the template exactly.
	Every template has its own guide adapter kit. A centering mandrel (the black piece) is a part of that kit. I have put it in the collet and have plunged the router so that it is level with the base.
It is a simple matter to add the adapter plate centered by the centering mandrel. There is just enough play in the screw holes that centering the adapter to the centering mandrel is very easy and very exact.    Many of the dovetail jigs that use adapter rings have problems with eccentricity (being slightly off center.) Clearly, Festool designers did not want that to be a possible weak point with their system. When using the centering mandrel, your router is exactly aligned.