JessEm Mortise mill

Anybody have hands on with this one:

formatting link

Reply to
Gramp's shop
Loading thread data ...

formatting link
> Larry

Just an observation. It has been out 3~5 years now and I have seen no comments about it since it was introduced. That may be saying something.

Reply to
Leon

It probably is not marketed that well. It is intriguing. It is small, portable and costs much less than a Domino. And is much smaller than a dedicated mortise machine. And takes up much less space.

It is not a production tool or anything like that. But for a small, one man shop, hobby woodworker. it would work just fine.

It reminds me of the Beadlock, remember that?

formatting link

Reply to
Lee Michaels

formatting link
> Larry

That's a great price for that. Not only is it cheaper than the Beadlock Pro, but it's easier to make your own tenons. I almost pulled the trigger on one of these, but I already have a self-centering doweling jig that is easier to use than this JessEm.

I think it would be a great way to decide if loose tenon joinery was the "thing for you" and if you fall in love with it, you could bite the bullet on the Domino.

I still might get one to check out. Even if I don't like it, I could get at least 40 bucks back on ebay.

Reply to
-MIKE-

"Lee Michaels" wrote"

--------------------------------

+1

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

--------------------------------

One thing that I noticed on the site was that tenons could be added to cope and stick joints... that may be useful in cases where a stronger joint is needed. This jig would offer a reasonable means to meet that need.

John

Reply to
John Grossbohlin

The possible problem I see with it is if you don't move the bit over enough with initial drilling it might slide back into the previous hole. If you move it so that it makes a complete hole then sliding the lever back and forth to clean out the left behind waste might make the jig slide out of position. If you tighten the clamp too much you mar the surface of the wood.

I would want a money back guarantee.

Reply to
Leon

Woodcraft carried them when they first came out. They don't now. Must not have been a good seller. IIRC, there was a larger version as well.

I did buy some of the loose tenons - seemed like a good buy at the time.

Reply to
Larry Blanchard

I have no experience, but my first thought was to wonder how well a side-cutting bit would work in tough wood at the RPM provided by a standard drill.

Reply to
Greg Guarino

"Lee Michaels" wrote"

"Lew Hodgett" wrote:

--------------------------------------- Forgot to mention that it is a natural if you do picture frames.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

Greg Guarino wrote in news:keh0b8$jnp$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me:

Same here -- which caused me to wonder if you can use a router instead of a drill...

Reply to
Doug Miller

For what it's worth, I have the BeadLock Basic jig. I tried it exactly once so far, about as quickly and carelessly as I could muster. Still, it made a nice, tight, well-aligned joint that feels strong even without glue. (This was a test. I would of course glue any real joint). I have thoughts of a coffee table using that jig should I manage to finish my current project with my sanity intact.

Reply to
Greg Guarino

------------------------------------------------ I suspect the the drill bit they provide is ground to a non-standard grind that promotes side cutting at low RPM.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

Again, my experience is limited, but I wouldn't feel safe trying to to aim a spinning bit at router speed into a small metal hole.

Reply to
Greg Guarino

It's only to clean up the hole, after having drilled down all the way in several places. I've seen guys demonstrate it and they all had their own technique that worked equally well. I do wonder how it might be retrofitted with a trim router and good router bit.

Reply to
-MIKE-

"-MIKE-" wrote

There are all kinds of router mortise jigs out there. The difference with this product is that it is much cheaper. There are a whole spectrum of mortise options available. From cheap to exorbitant and everything between. You pays your money and takes your choices.

Reply to
Lee Michaels

From the OP:

I've decided to try it and for less than $100 ($69 for the unit and $10 for 50 tenons) it either is or isn't going to meet my needs. I kinda look at this as an expensive first step toward the Domino.

Larry

Reply to
Gramp's shop

Cheapest one I've seen it at Rocker for $160 and seems like a lot more setup time involved. After further thought, I don't think there would be a speed issue with a drill and the JessEm. Not everyone's cordless drill are very fast... mine is. And Like Lew said, that bit is probably a special design to accelerate side cutting. Every demonstration I've seen shows the using moving pretty fast through the entire cut.

Reply to
-MIKE-

Did you mean, "inexpensive?"

Reply to
-MIKE-

-------------------------------------------------------------------------- At $8.99/box of 50 tenons, reminds me of the razor blade pricing game.

Wonder what kind of a price they would offer for an order of 500 pcs?

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.