Other than Jessem Mast-R-Slide are there any small sliding table attachments?

[Frank Martin]

Looks like Jessem is no longer manufactured. Also appears they have had a lot quality problems recently. Are there any other small sliding table attachment similar to Jessem? I am not looking for the larger attachments that take up a lot of floor space, rather something similar to Jessem in size/functionality.

[johnny means]

Grizzly has one that appears to me to be even nicer than the Jessem. Unlike the Jessem this will crosscut a full sheet of plywood.

http://www.grizzly.com/catalog/2010/Main/23

[Frank Martin]

Grizzly one looks really good, thank you for pointing this out. Does anyone have it and can share actual user experience?

The description for Grizzly says, industrial linear guide mechanism. Does anyone know what this exactly means. Obviously I am interested in smooth precise sliding action without any slop. Also, interested to understand how easy and repetable is the removal and installation of the fence is. Hope Shiraz chimes in with some more details. Seems like this is very new and likely not many other users are out there.

At least I know I will get great customer service from Grizzly in case there are any issues. This was the other thing I was very worried about with Jessem.

[Mark Rakestraw]

I don't have a recommendation for you, just some observations based on my experience with the Jessem. I have the Jessem, which I like, but the capacity limitations have me looking around as well. I find the lack of support for bigger/longer pieces on the left hand side a bigger handicap than the crosscut limitations. The Grizzly unit Johnny pointed out does look well built, but it seems to stick out from the front of the saw exactly where frequently stand. I suppose that's how they get the support for the additional crosscut capacity.
Mark

[John M. Smith]

I have the Jessem and really like it. By the way I e-mailed them today for a part and had a response within the hour. Fast enough for me and also tells me they are still in business. I use an altendorf ten foot slider at work , and even though the jessem has its limitations, I still think it is a very viable option for a home shop.

John

[Frank Martin]

I did notice the Grizzly sticking out from the left exactly where one would stand. That would require some change in habits.
As for capacity, I think Jessem's crosscut capacity would be fine for me, but the point about not having enough suppport to the left is concerning. I will need to find out more about the Grizzly one.

Good to hear someone got a response from Jessem within the hour. However, I have seen too many horror stories about Jessem here and elsewhere as well as lots of quality problems / inconsistencies. I just would like to avoid potential future problems if possible.

[Kevin Groenke]

We have Excalibur/Exactors on both of our cabinet saws, highly recommended. Yes, they're big, but very functional.

Here's an old review of some options, most probably aren't available anymore, but useful info anyway.
http://benchmark.20m.com/articles/SurveyOfSlidingTables/surveyofslidingtables.html

It looks like Laguna still sells theirs, but $2200 is pretty steep.
http://www.lagunatools.com/accessories/tables-ts/Professional-Sliding-Table
http://www.lagunatools.com/accessories/tables-ts/Professional-Sliding-Tablehttp://www.lagunatools.com/core/media/media.nl;jsessionid=0a010c551f4364afe635373f499084 b1826f75de8d23.e3eSc38RbhuLe34Pa38Ta38Mbxn0?id=887&c=860860&h=da92ba29d57ce9865e9d

We had the Jet for a couple years, had a bar on the left like the Grizzly. I think I still have a bruise on my hip 8 years later. We found the Jet much more troublesome and less functional than the X's.

-kg

[Bob Falk]

I had problems with the roller assembly with the Jessem. They told me they had some QC issues with a supplier. Sent me a new roller assembly under warranty, though it took several phone calls and several weeks.

Now that I have a properly manufactured part and have reassembled and readjusted, it works fine. One nice feature of the Jessem is that it does not have legs making it nice for a my saw (Sawstop) which is on a mobile base that I move around a lot. If I had a fixed location for the saw, I would consider the other sliders. I had the Delta slider on my old Unisaw and it worked well.

Bob

[Robert Chapman]

I have the JessEm slider and after some initial problems with bearings got everything right and really like it. JessEm has had some problems in the past - moved to US from Canada and now back to Canada - but seems to have gotten its act together in terms of QC and customer service.

[Frank Martin]

I called Grizzly and asked about their new sliding table attachment. The tech people did not know anything about it beyond the catalog page, seems like it will be avilable here in the US in couple months. So, I am not sure if I want to be one of the first people to figure out potential initial problems with that unit.

If Jessem is back in business and has good customer service, I will likely go with them. Couple things I like with it: does not stick out in front of the saw, and does not have legs, which is better in my case because my saw is on a mobile base. I am not too worried about the smaller crosscut capacity, it is enough for 99% of my needs, for the remaining 1% I can always use the Festool saw with the guide.

I will likely wait a bit until the old Jessem inventory with quality problems are sold and hopefully the newly manufactured versions are better.

Thanks again to everyone for sharing ideas and experiences...

[Dirk Lewis]

I have the Jessem and really like it. By the way I e-mailed them today for a part and had a response within the hour. Fast enough for me and also tells me they are still in business. I use an altendorf ten foot slider at work , and even though the jessem has its limitations, I still think it is a very viable option for a home shop.

John

Better luck than I, emailed twice re: a replacement part, been 4 weeks no reply. :( time for a phone call

[Bob Falk]

I will likely wait a bit until the old Jessem inventory with quality problems are sold and hopefully the newly manufactured versions are better.

The Mast-r-Slide I had trouble with was the Rockler version (blue fence)...Rockler no longer carries them, so maybe the problem slides were those made for Rocker? Not sure, just a guess

[Mark Carlson]

My 1st jessem has a top that wasn't very flat. The replacement was much better. This was a couple of years ago. The slider has been great though. Built like a tank. Should last a long time. Doesn't replace a full slider because it won't handle a full sheet of plywood. Its more or a replacement for a cross cut sled. It does that function very very well.

~mark