SUPPLEMENTARY INSTRUCTION MANUAL DOVETAIL JIG MODELS 4210 & 4212 To learn more about Porter-Cable visit our website at: http://www.porter-cable.com IMPORTANT Please make certain that the person who is to use this equipment carefully reads and understands these instructions before starting operations. The Model and Serial No. plate is located on the main housing of the tool. Record these numbers in the spaces below and retain for future reference. Model No.
TABLE OF CONTENTS SAFETY GUIDELINES 3 IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS 3 ADDITIONAL SPECIFIC SAFETY RULES 4 BACKGROUND INFORMATION 4 OPERATION 5 MISCELLANEOUS TECHNIQUES 5 THROUGH-DOVETAILS WITH CLAMPING BOARDS 6 THROUGH-DOVETAILS WITH UNLIMITED BOARD WIDTH 8 ALTERNATIVE METHOD - THROUGH-DOVETAILS WITH UNLIMITED BOARD WIDTH 10 HALF-BLIND DOVETAILS WITH CLAMPING BOARDS 11 USING A ROUTER TABLE 13 ALTERNATE ROUTER BITS 14 HALF-BLIND DOVETAIL TAILBOARDS THICKER THAN 7/8" 17 MITERED THROUG
SAFETY GUIDELINES - DEFINITIONS This manual contains information that is important for you to know and understand. This information relates to protecting YOUR SAFETY and PREVENTING EQUIPMENT PROBLEMS. To help you recognize this information, we use the symbols to the left. Please read the manual and pay attention to these sections. Indicates an imminently hazardous situation which, if not avoided, will result in death or serious injury.
16. AVOID UNINTENTIONAL STARTING. Do not carry a plugged-in tool with finger on switch. Be sure switch is off when plugging in. Keep hands, body and clothing clear of blades, bits, cutters, etc. when plugging in the tool. 17. OUTDOOR USE EXTENSION CORDS. When tool is used outdoors, use only extension cords marked “Suitable for use with outdoor appliances – store indoors when not in use.
OPERATION MISCELLANEOUS TECHNIQUES Using these techniques can simplify your dovetailing projects. USE A DEAD-BLOW HAMMER Use a plastic dead-blow hammer to join your workpieces together to help prevent the marring of wood (Fig. 1A). CHAMFER THE TAIL EDGES Chamfering the inner tail edges can make the joints go together easier and may prevent damage to the pins (Fig. 1B). Make the chamfers with a file or a chisel. Since the chamfers are located on the inside of the joint, they will be invisible. Fig.
TEMPLATES MOUNTED TO CLAMPING BOARDS You can mount the jig templates to clamping boards and take the templates to the workpiece to make the joint. The benefits of this operation are: 1. You can maneuver a mounted template onto a large workpiece easier than clamping a large workpiece to the jig. This process allows you to join boards wider than 12" by routing a part of the joint, sliding the mounted template just past the original cut, and routing the remainder of the joint. Fig. 4B Fig. 4A Fig. 4C 2.
Fig. 6B Fig. 6C Fig. 6D CUTTING THE TAILS Step 1 - Clamp the tail board with the outside surface facing away from the clamping board (Fig. 7A). Align the tail board, using the instructions in your basic manual in the section “OPERATION”. Look under “POSITIONING THE WOOD”, STEP 4. Step 2 - This step is optional. Clamp stop blocks to the clamping board for rapid setups of repeated cuts. Step 3 - Use a small square and a pencil to draw a line along the bottom of the clamping board (Fig. 7B).
Fig. 8A Fig. 8B Fig. 8C Fig. 8D FITTING THE JOINT Step 1 - Orient the template so that the “PINS” side is facing you (Fig. 9A). Step 2 - Loosen the two #10 screws. Step 3 - If the joint is too loose, move the template toward you slightly. Step 4 - If the joint is too tight, move the template away from you slightly. Step 5- Tighten the screws loosened in STEP 2. Step 6 - Cut the pin board again and check for fit. Fig.
CUTTING THE TAILS Step 1 - Clamp the tail board with the outside surface facing away from the clamping board (Fig. 10A). Step 2 - If the board is a width in 1" increments, (12", 13", etc.), center the edge of the board exactly between the two fingers of the template farthest to the left (Fig. 10B). Step 3 - If the board is not in 1" increments, take the fraction of an inch that is greater than 1" and divide it by two. Then move the tailboard to the left of the center of the fingers by that amount (Fig.
Step 7 - Unclamp the templet, slide it down, and center the last cut between the two angled fingers and reclamp (Fig. 11D). Step 8 - Repeat STEPS 6 and 7 until the pins are cut across the entire board. Step 9 - Remove the pin board and check the fit with the tailboard. FITTING THE JOINT Fitting the joint is identical to the previous section (Fig. 12A). Fig. 11D Fig.
HALF-BLIND DOVETAILS WITH CLAMPING BOARDS You can mount your half-blind template that comes with the 4210 and 4212 jigs and the 4211 accessory kit to a board. This method, however, limits your workpiece width capacity to 8". SETUP Items needed to setup for the half-blind dovetails: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Fig. 15D Step 4 - Make the straight clamping block. If the workpiece is thinner than 3/4", you will need to modify the dimension (Fig. 15D). Step 5 - Make two thickness blocks the same thickness as the pin board. Drill a hole big enough for the wood screw to go through (Fig. 15E). Step 6 - Assemble the board-mounted half-blind template (Fig. 15F). NOTE: You will not need to remove the halfblind depth bracket. Fig.
Step 4 - Slide the straight clamping block to the left so that it contacts the pin board (Fig. 16D). Hook the straight clamping block over the front and back of the main clamping board. Step 5 - Secure the pin board by clamping it between the offset and straight clamping blocks (Fig. 16E). Step 6 - Loosen the #10 wood screws, align the template lines with the line where the pin board and tail board meet, and retighten the #10 wood screws (Fig. 16F). DISCONNECT THE TOOL FROM THE POWER SOURCE.
ALTERNATE ROUTER BITS You are not limited to using the router bits supplied with your jig. Other router bits can be used to produce a different look or to work with thicker woods. Using alternate bits can help you produce more advanced joints (inlayed dovetails, etc.). Since 1/2" shank bits are stronger and are much less prone to deflection than the 1/4" shank bits, we recommend that you use the 1/2" shank bits with the 4210 and 4212 dovetail jigs, and with the 4211 and 4213 accessory kits.
Some items to consider when purchasing alternate bits for half-blind dovetails are: 1. 2. 3. A shallow angle of the bit requires a deeper cut. A steeper angle requires a shallower cut. The diameter of the bit should be slightly greater than 1/2". The greater the diameter, the deeper the cut. The bit should have a cutting length at least as long as the cutting depth. NOTE: When using alternate bits, ensure that the pin board (drawer front) is thicker than the depth of cut.
CUTTING THE TAILS Cut the tail board (drawer side) similar to cutting the rabbeted half-blind dovetail, but remove the spacer and move the left offset guide directly against the tail board. NOTE: Support the template with a scrap workpiece thick enough to prevent the cutter from contacting the base. CUTTING THE PINS Cut the pin board (drawer front) similar to cutting the rabbeted half-blind dovetail. (If you use the alternate method of aligning the pin board with secondary board.
DOVETAIL BIT TEMPLET GUIDE ROUTER SUB BASE I.D. OF TEMPLET GUIDE DOVETAIL BIT DIAMETER THERE IS A MINIMUM DEPTH OF CUT WHEN THE DIAMETER OF THE ROUTER BIT IS GREATER THAN THE INSIDE DIAMETER OF THE TEMPLET GUIDE Fig. 22A Cutting a dado with a templet guide that has an OD smaller than 3/4" requires two passes. 1. Start on the left side. Keep the router toward the back edge of the dado slot, and cut to the right until you have completed the cut. 2. Start on the right side.
MITERED THROUGH-DOVETAIL You can make a through-dovetail with a mitered edge, creating a molded edge that goes the whole way to the joint. This joint is very attractive on serving trays or decorative boxes without lids. Fig. 25A NOTE: Depending on the depth of the molded edge, you may want to make the boards slightly wider to account for the molded depth. If so, mount the tail board so that the mitered edge will end with the thicker half-pin.
Fig. 28A Fig. 28C Fig. 28B MITERING THE TAILS Step 1 - On the inside surface, use a square and pencil to draw a line from the base of the tails to the edge where the miter will be cut (Fig. 29A). Step 2 - Set the table saw blade so that the height of cut of the saw blade is the same as the thickness of the mitered half-pin. Step 3 - Use a table saw with the miter gauge set to 45° to miter the tails. You will need to make several passes to cut out the material (Fig. 29B).
CUTTING THE PINS Step Step Step Step Step Step 1 2 3 4 5 6 - Hold the pin board against the tail board and mark the edges of the tails on the end of the pin board (Fig. 32A). Shade in the areas on the end of the pin board where the tails will be (Fig. 32B). Cut all the pins (Fig. 32C). Slide the pin board to the right 1/4" (Fig. 32D). Cut in between the fingers of the template to cut only in the shaded area (A) Fig. 32D. Repeat STEPS 4 and 5 until all of the material between the pins has been removed.
Step Step Step Step Step Step Step 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 - Make a climb cut from right to left. Cut only between the fingers where you want the pins to be (Fig. 34A). Use the router to round over the ends of the cuts (Fig. 34B). The joint will hide any accidental excess material cut (A) Fig. 34C. Use a pencil to mark the location of the ends of the templet fingers on the wood (Fig. 34D). Remove the templet. Install the half-blind templet so that its straight edge is facing you.
Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Step 7 Step 8 Step 9 Step 10 - Shade the pins that will be removed (Fig. 35C). Place the pin board back in the jig. Install the half-blind template so that its straight edge faces you. Adjust the pin board so that the marks align with the straight edge of the templet (D) Fig. 35D. Make the cuts with the router to remove the shaded pins (Fig. 35E). Remove all excess material. If you remove a bit more material than necessary, remember that it will be hidden in the joint (E) Fig. 35F.
CUTTING THE TAILS Step 1 - Center and clamp the tailboard as normal, but use the spacer on the left side of the board (A) Fig. 38A. (The spacer will cause the board to move slightly off center to the right). Step 2 - Mark between the two fingers on the template where you want the kerf to be (B) Fig. 38B. Step 3 - Cut the tails from the far left to the right. Stop at the mark (Fig. 38C). Step 4 - Remove the spacer and slide the tail board to the left.
Step 4 - Remove the spacer and slide the pin board to the left (Fig. 39D). Step 5 - Start with the pin to the right of the mark and cut the rest of the pins to the right (Fig. 39E). Fig. 39D Fig. 39E FITTING AND CUTTING THE JOINT Fitting the joint is the same as fitting the standard dovetail. Once the box is glued and dried, separate the box lid and bottom with a table saw. Fig.
The standard joint is shown is Fig. 42B and the end-to-end joint is shown in Fig. 42C. Fig. 42B Fig. 42C DOVETAIL END-TO-END JOINTS A dovetail end-to-end joint is a combination of a box joint and a half-blind dovetail joint. the workpieces are mounted to the jig in the same way as for a box joint. However, the router bit and bit depth are set-up for a halfblind dovetail. NOTE: The tightness of the joint is adjusted by the depth of the router bit. Fig. 43A Fig. 43B Fig.
WOODEN HINGES A wooden hinge can be used to make hinged table leafs or hinged legs for a collapsible table. The hinge pins are normally are made of stainless steel, but you can use other materials, including wood for that purpose. 180° HINGES WITH A DRILLED HOLE The workpiece for this simple hinge must be narrow enough to make the hole for the hinge pin with a drill bit. This hinge has at least a range of motion of 180° (Figs. 45A and 45B). Fig. 45A Fig.
0° HINGES WITH A DRILLED HOLE Follow the previous directions for 180° Hinge and use the following photos to help you make a hinge that will have 270° or more range of motion. Cut the boards as shown in Fig. 46A. Fig. 46A Fig. 46B Fig. 46C 180° HINGES WITH ROUTER-MADE GROOVES When the width of the workpieces are too wide for a drill bit to make the hole, use this method.Two boards compose each hinge half. Make a half-round dado at the end of the workpieces.
270° HINGES WITH ROUTER-MADE GROOVES This method uses two pieces of wood glued together for each hinge-half. One of the pieces is very short. Fig. 49A Step 1 - Use a router to make a half-round dado near the end of a board. Make the diameter of the groove equal to the diameter of the hinge pin, and the depth of cut half the diameter of the hinge pin(Fig. 49B). Round over the ends of the boards (Fig. 49C). Step 2 - Cut off the ends of the boards.
ANGLED JOINTS You can join boards at angles other than 90°. Four different methods are shown below by using the through dovetail procedure. OBTUSE ANGLED JOINTS The simplest of these angled joints is the obtuse-angled dovetail. In this joint, two boards are joined together at an angle greater than 90°. Joint Angle This joint can be made with either the template mounted to the base of the jig or to a clamping board. If the angle is 100° or greater, you must use the clamping board method. Fig.
SETUP WITH THE TEMPLATE MOUNTED TO A CLAMPING BOARD Step 1 - Make an angled clamping board according to the drawing (Fig. 52B). Match the angle of the clamping board to the joint angle. Step 2 - If necessary, create flat places on the clamping board parallel with the opposite side so that the clamps can grab. Step 3 - Attach the template to the clamping board with #10 wood screws. Position the angled surface on the side of the template with the straight fingers (Fig. 52A). Fig. 52B Fig.
Fig. 53D Fig. 53E Fig. 53F CUTTING THE PINS Step 1 - Cut the end of the pin board according to the drawing (54A). Step 2 - If you use the template mounted to the base of the jig and a 12" angled insert, remove the small front knobs, clamping rod and clamping U channel. Then remove the angled insert and reinstall the hardware. Step 3 - Hold the boards together and mark the end of the pin board along the edges of the tails (Fig. 54B).
ACUTE ANGLED JOINTS Fig. 55A An acute angle joint joins two boards together at an angle less than 90°. The acute angled joint is very similar in construction to the the obtuse angled joint and can be used with the obtuse angled joint to make boxes with angles other than 90°. Joint Angle SETUP Use the same setup as you would for the obtuse angled joint. Use 180° minus the joint angle for the insert angle when you make your angled insert or your angled clamping board.
MAKE ANGLED CUT ANGLE BETWEEN BOARDS INSIDE SURFACE OF BOARD OUTSIDE SURFACE OF BOARD Fig. 57A SLANTED-SIDE JOINTS Two boards joined at 90°, with one board slanted to the side is known as a slanted-side joint. This method is used to make a box with the ends at right angles to the table, but with the sides tilted outward (cradles, planters, magazine racks). Fig. 58A Fig. 58B NOTE: Usually, the tails are cut into the ends and the pins are cut into the sides.
CUTTING THE PINS Cut the pin board according to Fig. 60A. Hold the boards together and mark the pin board at the edges of the tails (Fig. 60B). Rotate the template so that the tapered fingers for cutting the pins is facing you. Mount the pin board with the outside surface facing away from the base of the jig. Center the marks from STEP 2 between the tapered fingers (A) Fig. 60C. Step 5 - Cut the pins in the same manner as you would with standard dovetails.
NOTE: The instructions given here are for templates mounted to the base of the jig. However, this joint can also be made with templates mounted to angled clamping boards. You must use the angled clamping board for steeper angles. Use the following table for setting up your table saw for these cuts: DESIRED SIDE ANGLE MITER gauge ANGLE BLADE TILT ANGLE 85° 85.0° 89.6° 80° 80.1° 88.3° 75° 75.5° 86.2° 70° 71.1° 83.3° 65° 67.1° 79.
CUTTING THE TAILS Step 2 - With the angled insert attached to the base of the jig, mount the tail board with the outside surface of the board facing the jig and with the board centered between the fingers of the template (Fig. 64D). Step 3 - Align the template using the “Tails” alignment line. If the angle is so steep that the “Tails” alignment line will not work, you may have to use an angled clamping board.
FITTING THE JOINT Fitting the joint is the same as fitting the standard dovetail. HINT: Use pieces of scrap wood the same thickness and species of wood to make test pin boards until the template is adjusted for a perfect fit. INLAYED JOINTS The 4200 series dovetail jigs will allow you to make joints with inlays of different colored wood for a very unique look. INLAYED THROUGH DOVETAIL The inlayed through dovetail is produced by utilizing 2 through dovetails, one on top of the other. SETUP Fig.
CUT OFF THE INLAY BOARD After the joint has dried, cut the inlay board to an amount equal to the thickness of the inlay (Fig. 68B). Fig. 68A Fig. 68B If desired, you can cut off the small area shown from the remainder of the inlay wood (Fig. 68C). If left on, the completed joint will have an extra amount of material on the inside. another alternative is to bevel this extra material (Fig. 68D). Fig. 68C Fig.
SETUP Select one set of dovetail bits from the table for Combinations for Half-blind dovetails with the pins and the tails cut separately in the section"TABLES OF COMMONLY AVAILABLE ROUTER BIT SIZES". Use the following table to determine the thickness of the inlay line: Dovetail Bit Set Thickness of Inlay Line in Decimal Measurements Approximate Thickness in Fractional Measurements H1 0.100 13/128 H2 0.050 3/64 H3 0.042 5/128 H4 0.028 1/32 H5 0.
MAKE THE SECOND JOINT The second joint is also identical to that described in the section on Half-Blind Dovetail Bits with the Pins and Tails Cut Separately under the chapter “ALTERNATE ROUTER BITS”. Use the board from the previous section as the tail board. Cut the tail board with the smaller dovetail bit and the pin board with the larger dovetail bit. HINT: Using two routers to make these joints will make your work easier. Fig. 72A Fig.
TABLES OF COMMONLY AVAILABLE ROUTER BIT SIZES THROUGH DOVETAIL ROUTER BIT COMBINATIONS Combination Number 7° Dovetail Bit Straight Bit T1 T2 T3 T4 3/4" 5/8" 9/16" 17/32" 3/16" 5/16" 3/8" 13/32" HALF-BLIND DOVETAIL BITS Bit (Diameter and Angle) 17/32" 17/32" 9/16" 5/8" Approximate* Depth of Cut 7° 14° 7° 14° 13/32" 3/16" 3/4" 9/16" COMBINATIONS FOR HALF-BLIND DOVETAILS WITH THE PINS AND THE TAILS CUT SEPARATELY.
TROUBLESHOOTING For assistance with your tool, visit our website at www.porter-cable.com for a list of service centers or call the Porter-Cable help line at 1-800-487-8665. MAINTENANCE KEEP TOOL CLEAN Periodically blow out all air passages with dry compressed air. Clean all plastic parts with a soft damp cloth. NEVER use solvents to clean plastic parts. They could possibly dissolve or otherwise damage the material. WEAR ANSI Z87.1 SAFETY GLASSES WHILE USING COMPRESSED AIR.
WARRANTY PORTER-CABLE LIMITED ONE YEAR WARRANTY Porter-Cable warrants its Professional Power Tools for a period of one year from the date of original purchase. We will repair or replace at our option, any part or parts of the product and accessories covered under this warranty which, after examination, proves to be defective in workmanship or material during the warranty period.
PORTER-CABLE • DELTA SERVICE CENTERS (CENTROS DE SERVICIO DE PORTER-CABLE • DELTA) Parts and Repair Service for Porter-Cable • Delta Machinery are Available at These Locations (Obtenga Refaccion de Partes o Servicio para su Herramienta en los Siguientes Centros de Porter-Cable • Delta) ARIZONA Tempe 85282 (Phoenix) 2400 West Southern Avenue Suite 105 Phone: (602) 437-1200 Fax: (602) 437-2200 CALIFORNIA Ontario 91761 (Los Angeles) 3949A East Guasti Road Phone: (909) 390-5555 Fax: (909) 390-5554 Tampa 3360
