Dovetail Marker Magnetic Hand Cut Wood Joints Gauge Dovetail Guide Upgraded Version

The good: I went from never having made a dovetail, to making really nice boxes, in the space of a week with this tool. It gets you up and running quickly.Also, as noted, it's bigger than you expect. This is a GOOD thing. You're holding this in one hand while sawing right next to it with the other hand. You WANT it to be bigger than the average dovetail guide.The bad: At one point the screws started backing out and the entire jig wobbled. I tightened them down and there's been no problem since. The bigger issue is that the saw isn't pulled flat against the jig at all times. It has been possible for my ryoba to get pulled slightly off and the sides of the teeth have worn away part of the steel in the jig. Eventually this is going to affect accuracy. It's not doing anything good for my saw either. By that time I might be able to freehand them though.The indifferent: As other reviewers said it has some unbroken edges that might be uncomfortable. Or you could just man up and realize the other hand is holding a saw that can take your finger off in one stroke.It took me a while to figure out that it's best to hold it so that you're not only adding front-back pressure, but also have a finger or two on the top to hold it down as well.The other thing to note about this is that if you're right handed, you might have trouble figuring out how to make the left-hand cuts. You could turn the piece around, I guess, but I've just started cutting them left-handed. It's surprisingly easy to do after the first couple tries - just need to dust off the other side of your brain.Whatever you do, don't hold the jig with your left hand and cross your right hand over to cut the left hand cut... you're gonna nick a finger eventually.Addendum -So It's been a little over a week since writing my review, and at this point I've made about two dozen small storage boxes, two cabinets with drawers for under my bench, did some blind dovetails when I completely remade the backs of a >100 year old dresser, and started into another small boxes project. I was cutting left-handed again and the saw wasn't sticking properly and I had to consciously guide the blade to where it was sticking... and then it occurred to me that, even with the magnets, I had still been guiding the saw all this time. I tried freehanding one... and haven't used the guide to cut again.My experience can be summed up like this: this magnetic guide is a great set of training wheels. It gets you to understand what you're supposed to be doing with your body, but once it clicks in your head, you don't need it anymore. You don't WANT it anymore.I'm still using it to mark the pins and tails, but now I understand the other reviewers who say it's too big... If you're not using it as a saw guide, then yeah, it is.I still really recommend this. I've been going crazy on dovetailing over the last month and probably progressed pretty quickly. If you're just looking to do a project or two, I would say it's a must, and if you're like me and looking to do a lot with this skill, it'll teach you how to do it quickly and you'll be producing a decent quality product all along the way.

This is jig is accurately and solidly made, but there were no instructions with it at all. You have to kind of figure it out yourself. My first attempt did not go well. Will try again as time permits and will update this review as things progress.

Magnets are strong enough. The metal works but can dull / scratch your saw blade (if you care)

I enjoyed that it’s made of steel rather than aluminum, the saw blade is less likely to cut into this marker/guide and ruin it and all your future dovetails. Very elegant design. I wish the “nub” where the magnets are

It works as intended. However the stop corner with embedded magnet is too thin to stay level against the stock wood edge and will rock. Other designs with over mold have longer edge to stay true to the wood. This metal design does not embedded the magnet as part of the holder so the magnet dictated the size. The designer should have make better choice in the placement of the magnet and enlarge the backstop surface.

You know how sometimes you buy stuff like this on here and it's somewhat of a gamble if it's actually going to work right or be cheaply made. There not gambling on this one, its heavy enough and big enough to where you wont have to worry about it moving while your cutting your dovetails, or when marking lines. Every face of this is flat so much so that the edges are somewhat sharp! Added a picture next to a dollar so yall might can have a better idea of the size.

Nice little jig, I'm new at dovetails and this makes it easier, only thing is magnets are located st times that it changes saws cutting angle

It easy to use. Good size. It will be better if we have instruction about how to use it.