Jessum Mortise zip back up + others @ Woodcraft 50% off

[tommyt654]

http://www.woodcraft.com/Search/sear...3-243969d68ae5 , use code no 10118 for free ship on purchases over $25 till the 18th,Tommy

[Luckbox]

Does anyone have any experience with it. have looked at this but was thinking that a jig for the router would work better.

[DrChas]

I was in the middle of making a mortising jig for my router, but got this anyway. If it works well its hard to go wrong for less than 60 bucks. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

[dewi1219]

I have a mortiser, but I ordered one of these anyway. The guides and stops on the Jessem just seem like they would make a much more repeatable mortise. Thanks Tommy.

[Cubsfan]

Ok,I picked one up. I'd never heard of it before this post, but it looks pretty good.

[Uncle Hook]

I picked up the larger 3/8" model and the smaller 1/4" pocket zip model too. The JessEm website sells loose tenons and 1/2' and 1/4' mortising kits for the larger model.

http://www.jessemdirect.com/category_s/5.htm

If you do an internet search you will see find some demonstration videos along with some favorable reviews.

[LCHIEN]

I took a look at the ad for this. Its basically a jig to hold a drill with a special side-cutting "zip" bit (most drill bits are meant to go down, not sideways) and a parallel arm to move the drill sideways.
A router with a bit designed for side cutting cuts at 25,000 RPM compared to the zip bit which on a drill maybe turns 1000, or 1800 RPM. I just don't think it will cut as fast or as clean as a router bit... Its a compromise.

[Uncle Hook]

I just don't think it will cut as fast or as clean as a router bit... Its a compromise.

My JessEm arrived tonite and I am very impressed with the overall quality. I haven't tried it yet, but the set up looks to be fast and easy. At $56.00 I think this is an excellent value. You may be right about the cutting not being as fast or clean as a router, but I am not sure that setting up a router for mortising would be much faster. Perhaps there are excellent mortise fixtures for the router but I am not aware of them to make a comparison.

[dewi1219]

I took a look at the ad for this. Its basically a jig to hold a drill with a special side-cutting "zip" bit (most drill bits are meant to go down, not sideways) and a parallel arm to move the drill sideways.
A router with a bit designed for side cutting cuts at 25,000 RPM compared to the zip bit which on a drill maybe turns 1000, or 1800 RPM. I just don't think it will cut as fast or as clean as a router bit... Its a compromise.

I watched a video demo of it online, and it definitely does not cut as fast as a router would but I think using a corded drill with more power / higher rpm than a cordless drill will help. However, I do think the built in scaled adjustments for stock thickness and stops would cut down a good bit on setup time.

Plus, I like that it can be used as a dowelling jig also - just move the slide to either stop and then drill and repeat. This could be done with a router jig also, but it looks to be a little simpler with the Jessem.

[tommyt654]

Back to $112, Guess Woodcraft likes playin with folks head sometimes,Thats one reason why I rarely purchase from them. Too profit oriented for my taste,Not that its O.k. to be profit-oriented, but just too much for my liking sometimes,but when the deals do come they can be decent,Hope those that got in on this deal enjoy their new toy

[Cubsfan]

Looks like everything is back up. I thought it was advertised as a temporary 50% off sale on that stuff. Fortunately I bought it Wednesday and it should be here tomorrow!

[dewi1219]

Got mine today. I'm very impressed with the quality, as I expected to be with Jessem. I would never have paid MSRP for it (I'm cheap), but it was a steal at $56 shipped.

[profx]

Yeah, I grabbed one too. Very good quality. I'll try it out with the drill, but I think it would make a very good jig for the plunge router if the guide bearing was removed and an adapter template made.

[DrChas]

I got mine and tried it out this weekend. I made a base for it so I could clamp it to my bench. After that, it took about 20 minutes to figure out how to use it and get it set up the first time. It really did a nice job of quickly making good clean mortises. I am pleased. I used a cordless drill, but I think I will be pulling out my corded drill in the future. It was pretty hard on the batteries.