JessEm Mast R Slide 7500 Opinions

[Vic Damone]

The OEM miter fence for my table saw has got to go. Has any body ramped up through after market miter gauges up to this Mast R Slide? It seems well made but it would be great to hear from an actual user.

I found the specs a little confusing. Just how wide of a piece of sheet stock will it hold? Aside from the amount of table between the blade and the slider is it at all like using a true slider when cutting smaller sheet stock say 36" square?

Vic

[SCOTT ANDREWS]

VIC
I have one on my Grizzly.I like it alot.By no means is it a euro slider.The slide action on it is very smooth once you get it adjusted correctly.It takes some time and patience to get it right.Jessem reccommends removing the cast iron table extension.This allows the fence to be moved closer to the blade and more centered on the slider itself.I left my table extension on for more material support.With the fence set at the back(widest crosscut capacity)the material does not clear the blade once the cut is thru.It doesn't clesr the blade at the front position either.I run mine in the middle position which allows a 24" wide cut on 3/4" material to run all the way thru and past the blade and splitter.I run all my 8' rips first,then crosscut.It has handled a 96" long x 24" wide piese of melamine.hope this helps.

[Cary Swoveland]

VIC
...It doesn't clesr the blade at the front position either.I run mine in the middle position which allows a 24" wide cut on 3/4" material to run all the way thru and past the blade and splitter...

For readers unfamiliar with how the Mast-R-Slide works, one attaches the fence to one of three pair of rectangular steel pins that slide in two channels in the slide. Five of the six pins are held in place on the slide with a set screw. (The sixth, the left pin of the middle pair, is allowed to move to make miter cuts.) Each pin also has a threaded hole (two, actually) to which the fence is attached.

The instructions suggest locations for the front and back pairs of pins. Those positions maximize the width of cuts, but the fence hits a bumper when the material being cut is just past the middle of the blade. Some users don't mind this arrangement, but if you want the material to clear the blade or even the splitter, simply move the front pair of pins a few inches forward (toward the back of the saw) and/or move the rear set of pins toward the front of the saw.

That's what I did. With the fence in the front position, the material clears the blade and my maximum width cut is about 28".

I believe the middle position is meant only for cutting mitres, since the left pin is not fixed.

Cary

[Gary Herrmann]

I've had one for about 18 months now. I think of it as more a permanent sled than a sliding table. Its very well built, altho a bit finnicky to get dialed in just right. I don't think I've crosscut anything 36" wide since I've installed it, but I have cut a couple 24" wide pieces with the fence in the rear position.

I'm thinking of buying an extra outfeed table for the thing to get a bit more support on wide heavy boards.

[Larry Fox]

I have one on my Uni and really like it. My choices were narrow due to space constraints and I really don't like sleds much so it was actually not so much a choice as a lack of options. It is a really well built piece but if you have to cross-cut anything that has any length / weight to the left of the blade you will want to have some help to keep it supported. It rolls very smoothly on the rollers and the fence is very easy to take on and off. I have completed this install/remove cycle countless times as my shop configuration makes it so I would "bump" the fence when walking past the saw so I remove it after every use. I mention this only to follow-up by saying that it retains it's accuracy through these install / remove cycles.

[Gerry S. Wojtowicz]

I am a little confused about the positioning of the fence for the greatest cross cut. The JEssem manual mentions the "C" position with the fence past the saw blade. Can someone explain to me this works, i.e. how do you get any kind of an accurate cut with the fence past the saw blade?

Thank you.:rolleyes:

[Larry Fox]

The way that I understand it is that you turn the fence around, pull the table back and place the leading edge against the fence and push it through. I have never done it with mine as it seems like it would be a little unsupported and you would have to work to keep things in line.

[Cary Swoveland]

The way that I understand it is that you turn the fence around, pull the table back and place the leading edge against the fence and push it through. I have never done it with mine as it seems like it would be a little unsupported and you would have to work to keep things in line.

That's correct, and it's the configuration that most prefer with European sliders. A fence-mounted cam clamp would be useful with all three fence positions.

Cary

[Pierre Thibault]

VIC
Jessem reccommends removing the cast iron table extension.This allows the fence to be moved closer to the blade and more centered on the slider itself.I left my table extension on for more material support.


Hi,

Do you have a good accuracy with the left iron table NOT removed?