Jessem MastRslide?

[J.R. Rutter]

I took a look at the Jessem slider attachment at AWFS and wonder if anyone here has experience with it. I was impressed with the smoothness and it is the right size for my production application. I do have some questions before I invest time and money into installation:

Does it stay rigid over time?

Does sawdust interfere?

Is it strong enough for "industrial" use?

Thanks

[frank shic]

I've looked at the MastrSlide in the past as well. Smooth sliding but since I use mainly sheet goods, I wanted larger capacity which is why I opted for the exaktor sliding table. Sawdust interference is going to be determined by how closely you set the slider to the tablesaw surface. I've got my sliding table set to about a hair's width above the tablesaw top so I do have to blow off the dust every so often to prevent it from throwing off the cut.

Here's another review for you:

http://benchmark.20m.com/reviews/JessEmMasterSlide/JessEmMastrSlideReview.html

[Gary Miller]

I've had the Jessem Masterslide added to my Griz cabinet saw now for 6 months. I mainly use only solid wood, so it has turned out to be great for my needs. Very solid. Adds versitility to my work, and I believe some safety as well--but I don't know why I say/think that.

Was well worth the money. I got mine at Rockler online w/ a 15% off sale.
Gary

[Mike Cutler]

I took a look at the Jessem slider attachment at AWFS and wonder if anyone here has experience with it. I was impressed with the smoothness and it is the right size for my production application. I do have some questions before I invest time and money into installation.

Does it stay rigid over time?

Yes.

Does sawdust interfere?

Yes it will. Grease, dust, and time make a good glue.

Is it strong enough for "industrial" use?

Not in my opinion. My definition of "industrial" may be different than yours though.


I have had the Mast-R-Slide for about 18 months now. It's a heavy duty piece of hardware, that's for sure. The fence can be a little persnicity at times, but once it's set, it's set.

It's a nice addition to a cabinet saw, It really is. If Industrial, or commercial application, in a production enviorment, is what you're after, I'd recommend looking at a true slider.

[Paul B. Cresti]

I took a look at the Jessem slider attachment at AWFS and wonder if anyone here has experience with it. I was impressed with the smoothness and it is the right size for my production application. I do have some questions before I invest time and money into installation:

Does it stay rigid over time?

Does sawdust interfere?

Is it strong enough for "industrial" use?

Thanks

JR,
With the work you would be putting it through I would say, no. While it looks like it would work for thr serious hobbiest I am not sure about production level. You may want to consider an old Oliver, Northfield or Wadkin slider. Are you simply looking for crosscutting ability for your parts?

[J.R. Rutter]

Thanks all.

I should have said a bit more about what I'm thinking. This will not be for table saw use with large or heavy parts.

I'm considering mounting the bearing and top portion to the table tops of my MiniMax shapers to use for dedicated coping stations. It will involve drilling and tapping a number of holes to get the sled close to the spindle. I wouldn't be using the fence portion, or the support pplatform that normally bolts to the side of a tablesaw in place of the left wing. Just the sliding part with a custom 90 deg. fence, removeable backer board, and some air clamps. Compact, low profile, low (relative) cost. A typical sliding attachment seems like overkill, and still requires an auxilliary platform to hold parts close to the spindle.

[Vic Damone]

JR, Do you have any information on the air clamps? Were you planning to use them on the fence?

Vic

[J.R. Rutter]

http://www.rittermfg.com/r-10c.html

This is close to what I'm thinking. I talked to Ritter at the show, but they want to sell the whole package, not just the sliding attachment with hold downs. The 2 vertical clamps push down a beam with rubber foot that can clamp across multiple rails. The horizontal clamp keeps them tight to the back square fence. Foot pedal activates clamps, then limit switch disengages them when you pull the sled back to start position. There is a fence to register the rails ends to to control depth of cut.

[Paul B. Cresti]

JR,Check out Weaver shapers as they have some air clamp sled thingys also

[Chris Rosenberger]

I use the Weaver air tenon jig. It works very well.

http://www.weaver-sales.com/air-tenon-jig.htm