Anybody have the JessEm Mite-r-excel guage? I’m thinking of getting one in lieu of a crosscut sled. I’d like to use it to crosscut plywood for shelves, cabinets, etc. Is it really worth the $220? Link is below…..
http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?FamilyID=5263
TF
Toolfanatic (a.k.a. The man formerly known as “Toolfreak”)
Replies
We just received one in the store, and WOW !! It's built like a Swiss watch. Must admit it outshines my Incra. The miter slot adjustment is very unique, Haven't seen any better. It's on my Christmas list !!
Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
I have had one for about 9 months for my Delta Unisaw. It is finely machined, heavy duty, and cleverly designed. I am not using it for sawing plywood sheets however. I build furniture of hardwoods, and really enjoy using this fine tool accessory.
I recommend it highly.
Tim
Have one for my powermatic 66 Highly recommend it Its real percision and made well
Jabe
Did the JessEm fans here look at other miter gauges? There are 3 or 4 high end miter gauges that all look pretty good, I'm wondering if the JessEm stands out amongst this crowd or is it simply one of several good choices. Any reason to pick JessEm over the others I guess is my question. I'm in the market but won't have the money for a bit so I haven't looked too closely.cheers,
-s
Storme,
It all depends on what type of WW you are doing.
If you are wanting to make kitchen cabinets and such, there is no need for these high precision tools. If you are making, or plan on making high end, exposed joint furniture, then you need the Jointech, Incra and the Jessem type products. Otherwise, the next time the weather changes along with the humidity, your .002 precision you paid top $ for changes with it. Terry
Santa Barbara,CA
very helpful reply, thanks. I don't need precision but I do need ease of use, efficiency and capacity. Nothing I make is all that fine at this stage and won't be for a number of years is my guess but I'm incorporating more and more wood projects into my landscape designs so I'd like tools that allow me to get the job done quickly without a lot of hassle.Generally I try to get nicer things on the theory that extra precision never hurts and I almost always end up appreciating the features that come with them. For miter gauges, a built in stop would be very helpful, and the larger capacity I can see myself using. I don't have a router table yet but part of my thinking is that a good miter gauge is a general use tool that I can use down the road with a bandsaw (don't have yet, but see a need) and a router table as well as a table saw all of which goes towards justifying getting something more flexible.I'm also considering sleds but I haven't figured it all out yet.
As a beginner I'm going nuts trying to cut miters. I made a few jigs but they would not give me a geometric miter, just pieces that looked like I cut them free hand.Do any of these high-end miter gauges cut a "perfect" miter out of the box?I'm building about 4 small end tables butting the ends together. They don't look bad that way but I'd like to miter the corners for a different look.Thanks,
SH
That's why I prefer to cut miters whenever possible on my SCMS. Maybe it's just me, but when I'm sliding the board across the saw top, pushing into the blade at an angle, I always seem to get a little bit of movement. Throw it against the back of the SCMS, clamp if necessary and those cuts are crisp, clean, accurate.
i never realized how huge of a difference a tool like that could make. its precise, extremely easy to use, great features, and best of all, never needs to be calibrated. well worth the $. that and their router system has taken my quality of work to the next level. and my favorite thing of all it has greatly reduced the level of frusteration and stress in my shop.Tmaxxx
Urban Workshop Ltd
Vancouver B.C.
cheers. Ill buy.
See this is why I try to get good tools - I'm really not skilled enough to justify some of these high end tools but I find nice tools really improve my work and about the time I realize, "Wouldn't it be nice if I could do X" I find out that the top end tools have a way of dealing with it but the basic tools don't.I sometimes feel like I'm not being very frugal but I'm finding that it's the difference between enjoying what I do and moving forward with my skills and getting bogged down in some irritation. I built my own tenon jig (and a couple of other jigs) which was good thing and very educational but it took much longer than I really could afford the time for.Any opinions on sleds vs. miter gauges? Someone mentioned the Jointech SmartMiter (http://www.jointech.com/smart_miter.htm). I'm not experienced enough to know which way to turn here but I figure if just keep monitoring these threads I'll figure it out.
T.F.: I have a number of JessEm items which are great but not the miter gauge. I do remember however a while back the same question came up and someone had some trouble with the MiterExcell from JessEm. If memory serves there was some slop in the adjustment stops, may have been just a defective unit; everything I have ever bought from JessEm has worked and looked great.
Duke
Kenneth Duke Masters
The Bill of Rights December 15 1791 NRA Endowment Member
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I ended up buying the Incra 3000SE on sale at Woodcraft for $120. Check the link.....
http://www.incra.biz/Products/Miter3000SE.html
That's $100 less than the JessEm with the same bells and whistles. Works great!!
TF
Edited 5/7/2006 8:46 pm ET by Toolfanatic
I had a previous post on the Join-Tech Smart Miter. This is a combination sled/miter gauge. All of my miters are absolutely 'right on'. Further advantage is that the fence, at all angles, rides about 1,000th of an inch from the blade. Nice feature. I don't know how they do it.
Jerry
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