Table Saw Hold-Down Comparison Wanted

[Warren Lake]

im in the dark ages like Bob, simple from scrap stock. I cant take the gizmos seriously when there are such simple ways from past guys that work great. Bill you can clamp your fence at the end if so for the lifting, another step I know and also has to be done with care or clamp can deflect things either way.

[Bob Hinden]

This is a worthwhile fixture. What I like is not just the hold down feature, but that the angled wheels force the work piece against the fence. This smooths the cut.

I have always used a hold down of some type, especially for narrow stock. What I find is that there is a constant danger of the work piece being lifted up otherwise. For narrow stock, a 3/8” dowel as a push stick works well. The JessEm just requires the work piece to be pushed forward, as it does the rest of the work.
Derek

My experience with the Jessum is like Derek's. They work very well for me and think they are worth the money.

[ChrisA Edwards]

I go back and forth on these. I'm very much a gadget person and have the Jessum Hold down for my router table.

But with that being said, I've only used them a couple of times and find them more interfering/annoying for the benefit they provide.

Between using horizontal and/or vertical feather boards and a (sacrificial style) push stick, that places load on about 8" of the workpiece, not just on the rear tip, I've struggled to see how the Jessum Hold Downs would provide a major benefit.

[Wes Grass]

I just recently made an adapter for the Jessems for my Felder. Have not used them yet. But, I have both the router table versions of these, as well as the Jessem feather board models. Have used both on the router table. The roller versions have a lot less drag while pushing the stock thru, and they do double duty, hold down and fence. And I think they're less likely to mar the work. Which is why I coughed up the coin for the set for the tablesaw.

Narrow rips? No idea what I'm gonna do there. I've got ideas of a rip fence that mounts to the sliding table, so I can handle both in feed and out without having to reach over the blade front to back.

[Johnny Barr]

Not being able to do narrow rips has been mentioned above but I've got this covered in 2 different ways down to 3/4". For very narrow rips under 1" I use a magswitch featherboard to replace the infeed guide but leave the outfeed guide just behind the riving knife (there is a youtube video on this) and as you only have to push forward not down and forward I use a thin push stick and push horizontally. When there is room for the front guide I still push horizontally with the push stick going under the rollers. I hope I have explained this well enough. The only condition on the above method is that the stock is long enough to be supported by at least one guide right throughout the cut. If not I use the Grrripers. So I use the stock guides for 95% of my rips. The guard, however, has to come off to allow room for the guides. In a nutshell I love these things and would buy again in a heartbeat.