DELTA 34-183 Tenoning Jig
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of DELTA 34-183 Tenoning Jig
Customer Review: Does not fit Craftsman table saw.
Summary: 1 Stars
I have seen this jig in operation at the wood shows in the past. This is an excellent jig and should be made available to those of us who own a Craftsman Table Saw. Some of the tool catalogs state that it will not fit a Craftsman, but most don't. I have purshased this jig, only to find out that it did not fit. I have talked with Delta, and suggested that they put an adjustable bar on the jig, but for some reason they do not want to. In one of my wood magazines, there was an article on this jig and it stated that Delta was coming out with a new modle this year, but in the next issue, they had to retract their article. This jig deserves to be rated as a 5 based on its performace, but I had to give it a 1 based on the availability. If you desire to change my rating to a 5, based on your guidelines, that would be fine. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to express my opinion.Customer Review: Excellent tool, worth every penny
Summary: 4 Stars
after buying the delta mortiser i needed something that would help make identical tenons and be as reliable as the mortiser is. The Delta tenon jig was it. This is a great tool that makes tennoning a breeze. Yeah it may come covered in oil, but so does any other large steel tool you buy. I would rather have it come covered in oil than covered in rust.
The only problem i had with this tool was that it would not fit in the craftsman table saw that i had. It would be nice if they shipped a smaller bar to help accomidate for this problem. the solution for me was to go out to sears and buy a new mighter gauge ($35) and used the bar from that on the delta tenon jig. after that it was ready to go.
overall: Excellent tool that makes tennoning simple
Customer Review: Excellent value
Summary: 5 Stars
This tool is a must for anyone planning on making a tenon joint. Delta did a fine job of designing an entry-level tenoning jig at a reasonable price. For a sub-hundred dollar jig, it is nicely machined with plenty of adjustment and features, and it is very solid and steady (I easily tenon long boards that run clear to the ceiling). I'm normally one to pay extra to get the top of the line professional model but this one meets my needs well enough. I didn't have as much trouble with assembly as some here seemed to - for me it was from box to use in about an hour and this includes the time it took me to put a different guide bar on (my machine has a dovetail groove - I just had to drill two holes and tap them). The worst of the assembly was wiping the packing grease off. 20 minutes of the hour was squaring it up. My only negative comment is that I wish the adjusting bolts had a finer thread.Customer Review: Excellent value. Could be better though.
Summary: 4 Stars
This jig is packed with a number of really nice features. Here are a few that stand out: + Heavy, solid and generally a well-machined device.
+ Made in China (if you care).
+ The fine adjustment knob works very well.
+ The main clamp is strong and easy to turn.
+ Has adjustable 90-degree positive stops where necessary.
+ The guide bar has side adjustment screws to fine-tune it to your slot.
+ The guide bar has front and back wheels designed to ride in the side groves (if you have them) of your table saw's miter slots.
+ The bottom and sides are dead-on flat.
But like most tools there are many deficiencies as well:
- The plastic knobs that lock the platform to the base are cheap. This really stands out considering everything else feels very solid.
- It racks slightly on my tabletop because the guide bar's slot wheels ride a hair too low in the slot. If I tighten the wheels then the whole jig refuses to slide on the table.
- If you own a left-tilt table saw you will have to completely disassemble the jig in order to move the guide bar to an alternate set of screw holes. You may also need to disassemble parts of it to align it parallel to the saw blade.
- The screws holding the guide bar to the base were tightened at the factory by King Kong. Be careful not to round out the hex heads when you attempt to loosen them.
- When tightening the screw for the back support the washer is too big and moves it away from a perfect 90-degree angle. You will have to either flatten one side of the washer or check it with a T-square anytime you decide change the angle.
- The adjustment screw for the 90-degree positive stop on the vertical clamp face is too sensitive and too small. This makes it difficult to consistently get the same perfect angle.
- The platform does not move all the way up to the blade so when the measurement gauge reads zero you are actually still 1/8" to 1/4" away. Zero should be zero. You will have to either allow for this gap, attempt to move the gauge's needle over to compensate, or not use the gauge at all.
- It takes a lot of different sized hex wrenches to set it up. The wrenches are included but I'd like to see it widdled-down to just needing two.
- Some of the paint is starting to flake off.
- Delta ships the jig with way too much oil covering the whole thing. It took a very long time to clean it off.
The jig is definitely worth the price of the ticket. Be prepared, however, to make some minor modifications and/or live with a few idiosyncrasies.
Customer Review: Excellent vlaue and quality
Summary: 5 Stars
After reading some of the reviews here I was a little apprehensive about ordering this jig but did so anyway, and I am glad that I did! THis is an excellent quality tool, well designed, stable, and safe, my only issue is that delta went a little overboard with the protective coating of grease, anyway that took about five minutes to clean after I disassembled the jig to move the miter slot rail for my left tilt saw.
Those who complain about the setup either can't read directions or didn't read them before starting. This thing is not rocket science and if you are able to accuratly produce the mortises that will fit the tenons you make with this jig you should be able to set this up after a quick review of the detailed diagrams and instuctions.