“Necessity is the mother of invention” Twenty five years ago, our founder and CEO, Ken Grisley, was frustrated with hand cutting dovetails. With no reasonable alternatives, Ken set out to develop a method that would help him rout dovetail joints quickly, easily and accurately. The result was the first ever, infinitely adjustable through dovetail router jig, the Leigh TD514. From humble beginnings in a small garage workshop in a northern BC logging town, Ken and his wife Joan founded Leigh Industries in 1981, to manufacture and market the new jig.

The 12” TD514 was immediately successful in Canada and the United States. Within a year, it became apparent that woodworkers wanted greater jig capacity and in answer, Leigh produced a 24” version, the TD514L, the following year. What followed was a series of innovative products that put professional joinery within easy reach of the weekend hobbyist.

Using the same infinitely adjustable principle, Ken designed a new jig in 1984, capable of producing through and half-blind dovetails using the same finger assembly. In addition, the new jig could rout sliding dovetails, angles, compound angles and inlaid dovetails. The new D1258 model was available in 12” and 24” versions with an increased board thickness capacity of 1 ¼”. Innovation did not stop there. Over the last twenty-two years, the D1258 has been redesigned and improved through several models, the D1258R, D3, D4 and finally today’s D4R, awarded “Author’s Choice, Best Overall” by Fine Woodworking Magazine in the November 2006 issue..

The Multiple Mortise and Tenon Attachment, still the only jig of its kind, was introduced in 1986. The MMTA was designed for joining partitions and shelves to case uprights with either blind or through mortise and tenon joinery. This classic joint is very strong and difficult to make by hand.

Leigh moved to the Vancouver area in 1987. The F1 Finger Joint Template was the first new product from the Vancouver factory. The F1 allowed the user to rout the simple looking box joint with accuracy that remains unequalled today. By increasing or decreasing the active surface of the variable guide bush, adjustments for fit in increments of .001” were possible. F1 has evolved to today’s F2.

In 1998, Leigh patented the Isoloc joint and Isoloc templates. The interlocking Isoloc joint has the strength of a traditional dovetail with a uniquely decorative flair. Like the F2, Isoloc templates have no equal.

The FMT, Frame Mortise & Tenon Jig is one of the most innovative tools on the market today. Introduced in 2002, the FMT, awarded “Best New Tool of 2004” – Workbench Magazine, is the easiest, fastest, and most precise way of cutting the oldest of woodworking joints - the mortise and tenon.

In August of 2003, we moved our operations once again to a new larger office, showroom and factory. We added CNC milling capability to our factory and began producing our newest dovetail jig, the 16” D1600. The D1600 was awarded “Editor’s Choice” by American Woodworker Magazine in March of 2006 and just recently, “Author’s Choice, Best Overall” by Fine Woodworking magazine. Several new jig construction ideas used on the D1600 have since been incorporated into the D4R design.

The needs of the hobbyist and small custom shop are ever changing. Our research and development efforts are dedicated to bringing new innovative tools to the market to satisfy those needs. Our tradition of Innovation & Excellence will continue to guide us into the future.