Results 1 to 13 of 13

Thread: Do these table saw guides work well?

  1. #1

    Do these table saw guides work well?

    Clear-Cut TS™ Precision Stock Guides for Table Saws



    They are from a company called Jessum.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Kansas City
    Posts
    854
    Yes they do, I really like mine

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Wenatchee. Wa
    Posts
    767
    There is a previous thread discussing these here on SMC. I have them and feel that they are well made but for me not worth the money.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    SoCal
    Posts
    22,480
    Blog Entries
    1
    JessEm has a very high price point on these. They reportedly work well but, I can do a lot of things with $250 bucks. Don't get me wrong, I have a lot of jigs, fixtures and doo-dads. These would lure me in if they were somewhere below $100 like a setup for Board Buddies. The benefit with these or the Board Buddies is for ripping. The downside is a little adjustment on how you push the material through the last of the cut. I'm more of a push block fan than a push stick fan but, with somthing like these in place I would be comfortable making the last little push with a stick.
    Last edited by glenn bradley; 07-24-2020 at 12:00 PM.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Little Hocking, OH
    Posts
    676
    I use these, https://www.woodworkingshop.com/prod...MaAnT9EALw_wcB

    Works great with large sheet goods.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2020
    Location
    Tennessee
    Posts
    451
    Blog Entries
    1
    I just bought the JessEm guides for both my router and table saw. I’ll report back tomorrow on how well or not we’ll they work. They are well made but a bit pricey. I get a bit overly concerned with not making a perfectly straight rip sometimes. So for me - if they work as well as the reviews then it will be worth it for me.
    I couldn’t make the same quality for the cost. I develop high tech equipment for a living and I have access to a metal fab shop. No way would it be worth my time and cost to make the same as a one off. I could see constructing a similar jig from wood. I’m slow and it would be at least a weekend project just for the build excluding making drawings and acquiring parts.
    Hopefully, it will work as well as it’s advertised!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Location
    San Francisco Bay Area
    Posts
    104
    Quote Originally Posted by Clarence Martinn View Post
    Clear-Cut TS™ Precision Stock Guides for Table Saws

    They are from a company called Jessum.
    Yes, I have a set on my SawStop PCS and like them a lot. They are very high quality and work well.

    Woodcraft has sales on them occasionally, that is how I got mine.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    NE OH
    Posts
    2,612
    Pro's:

    Beautifully made, high quality
    Keep stock tight against the table and the fence
    Easy to adjust for stock thickness
    Particularly useful for ripping panel stock as you can handle and guide the panel from afar while the guides do the work of keeping stock tight to fence and table
    Easy to remove when necessary

    Cons:

    Price?
    They are in the way during narrow rips, like rails and stiles. You are better off using a fence straddler for narrow rips. On any rip narrower than about 6 inches there isn't room between the guides and the guard to use a conventional push stick to push the workpiece through. However, if you have many pieces to rip, you can push the first piece through with the next piece, etc.
    Last edited by Paul F Franklin; 07-25-2020 at 4:38 PM.
    --I had my patience tested. I'm negative--

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Location
    Arlington, TX
    Posts
    452
    These, and other devices like featherboards that mount to the rip fence, and press down on the workpiece, do not work well with rip fences that do not clamp to a rear rail when locked in place (e.g. Unifence). They simply raise up the back of the fence. You can clamp the rear of a Unifence to the table with a hand screw, etc. if necessary.

    I wouldn't trade using my Unifence for any of them.

    Grr-rippers work very well, with any fence.

    A stock feeder would work even better.

    -- Andy - Arlington TX

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Perth, Australia
    Posts
    9,450
    I have the JessEm guides on my Hammer K3 (which required a custom base to attach it).



    The rip fence clamps down securely at the front and does not lift when in use.

    I think that the results from the guides is superb. I only work with solid wood, and the resulting rip joint is good enough to glue up. The guides force the work piece into the rip fence, ensuring that it does not wander.

    Prior to using the guides, when ripping, the work piece could lift as it went passed the raised blade (I am not sure why). The guides have eliminated this.

    The only downside is that they can block the use of a push stick, even hands pushing on the work piece. To get around this, I keep a 24” long 1/2” dowel stick, and this can slide through the gaps.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    Sacramento, CA
    Posts
    2,005
    Yep, they're great. I use mine almost every cut.
    If at first you don't succeed, redefine success!

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Apr 2020
    Location
    Tennessee
    Posts
    451
    Blog Entries
    1
    I mounted my new ones up and used them this weekend.

    I really like the table saw guides. They work great. The springs allowed consistent push force as well as a quick release setting up cuts. I'm sure cheaper versions will show up at some point but I think they are well worth the money.

    The router guides worked well but since they do not have the spring I had to make a view adjustments sometimes to get a consistent push force. However, they are considerably less than the table saw version. They were still easier than featherboards and provided a tight group to the fence and table.

    My conclusion is they are worth it. Granted - I had some extra money from some consulting work I do which also helps in justifying costs. I wouldn't put it over a purchase for some essential shop machines like a jointer and such but definitely a great add on to my table saw and router table.

    Jessem.jpg

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Apr 2020
    Location
    Tennessee
    Posts
    451
    Blog Entries
    1
    One further note - I have the Beisemeyer (sp?) fence on a Unisaw which does not have the rear of the fence clamped down and it easily stayed down. No issues with lifting the fence at all.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •