I had a great customer experience with JessEm tools, and felt compelled to share about it.
Back in July, I spent quite a bit of money on JessEm tools, ordering woodworking tools and accessories for ToolGuyd review purposes.
I had wanted to pick up their table saw stock guide, and found a couple of other tools I wanted to try out.
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The stock guide sits on top of a table saw fence, and acts kind of like a featherboard, but better. There are lots of YouTubers who mounted their stock guide to a wood board, and then they magnetically mount that to their fence.
That seems neat – it’s quick on/off if needed, and also means you’re not drilling into the fence.
So, I ordered the table saw stock guide, magnets from a 3rd party source, and… haven’t built a wood base for it yet. Things have been busy. I toyed with the idea of making a Delrin base for it, but haven’t ordered the stock yet.
JessEm launched the Clear-Cut TS Stock Guides product a while ago, but they just released their own magnetic attachment system. First they launched a complete kit, and now they’ve got a pre-cut phenolic base available separately.
Picking up that base will get me going in 5 minutes, rather than waiting until I have the time to build a shop jig out of Delrin or wood I didn’t buy yet. I wanna do that.
You should build it yourself. Yes, I could, but I wouldn’t enjoy it, and I have too many other obligations and fun projects I’d rather work on that there’s never enough time for.
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When I placed my order, I used a first-time shopper coupon and saved 10%. A few days later, they had a summer sales event with 10% coupon code.
If I placed my large order without a coupon code, I would have been pretty upset. Nobody likes to buy something at full price only to see a coupon or discount offer a few days later.
I’ve been waiting a few weeks, and haven’t seen any coupon code yet. So, I emailed JessEm.
I se that you have used your Welcome 10 Discount already and I don’t have another coupon code that I can share. The next sale that we have scheduled will be around Black Friday in November.
Bummer. But I appreciated the speedy response.
I told them I understood, and asked: If I order today, and there’s a promo in the next 2 weeks or so, would you be able to give me an adjustment?
Sure Stuart, that seems fair enough to me.
I’m placing my order in a few minutes.
A coupon wouldn’t make a big impact on this order, but I tend to have big eyes whenever I shop for tools online. An order for a $60 accessory can easily balloon into something bigger.
JessEm retailers aren’t carrying it yet, and so ordering it direct is the only option.
Anyway, it feels good to chat to a real person, and one that’s flexible and fair. I’ve worked with JessEm tools before, always with good experiences, but this has been my first interaction with the company, and it just feels positive.
Actually, this is my second interaction. I asked them a question on social media after they launched beefy-looking workbench casters, and they answered quickly and frankly.
I’d feel even better with a coupon code, but that’s not a big deal.
When emailing companies, sometimes I don’t get a response at all, and other times they ignore what’s asked and answer completely different questions.
This experience – which is how things should be – was different, and it makes me happy. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go place my order.
MM
Speaking of JessEm, I’d be very interested in a review of the Pocket Mill Pro. I think others might be too since it is an economical alternative to the Domino. Any chance that is one of the tools you might be looking at?
Stuart
Sorry, that one’s on my “maybe next time, a few months from now” list.
fred
There was a sort of review in Fine Woodworking:
https://www.finewoodworking.com/2023/10/30/review-pocket-mill-pro-and-doweling-jigs
There are also a few videos on YouTube that run the jig through its paces. They seem to give it mixed reviews.
fred
Some of the seemingly incessant emails that I get form Woodpeckers tout their version of a mortising gig for work with a plunge router:
https://www.woodpeck.com/mortise-base.html
I suppose that use with the right metric size plunge bit – this can also be used to fit with Festool-Style domino loose tenons. Cutting lots of mortises with a router also means lots of wood chips flying about.
Jayvarghese
Just spend the money on the domino. Totally worth every penny. Few tools as easy to use and so much better than anything else on the market.
Stuart
Not everyone has an extra thousand dollars to spend on a joinery tool.
MM
I have used a Domino before and there is no doubt in my mind it is a much faster, more efficient, tool than the Pocket Mill Pro. If this were a tool I was using for work every week I’d buy the Festool in an instant. But I don’t earn a living doing woodworking; this would be used infrequently for hobby projects, so I have a very hard time justifying the expense of the Domino. Also, the fact that the Pocket Mill Pro requires clamping may be a disadvantage in many situations, but it’s not much of a problem for me since a lot of the pieces I’d be working with would be small enough to require that anyway, so I wouldn’t really be seeing much of a speed advantage from the Domino. The PMP is attractive to me for another reason: the “workstation” that people typically use with it also works with JessEm’s doweling jigs.
I have a pretty healthy tool budget so I could afford the Domino, it’s just that I prefer to focus my expenditure on tools I use the most. Right now I’m pricing out a major upgrade to my soldering equipment that will probably cost as much as 2-3 Dominoes, but I’m OK with that as I use that nearly every day.
fred
Perfectly logical to spend more on what you use more. I’ve also noted a sort of converse to this in my tool buying over the last 70 years or so. I’m thinking about the many times that I’ve bought a new tool thinking that it would become a staple of my work process – only to find out that it collected more dust than it made. Many of these I’ve given away or relegated to dead storage.
That’s not true about my experience with the Domino machine (DF-700) that I bought in 2013. I feel that it “paid” for itself on the first set of big doors that I built with it. Then, I started using it more and more – with dominos replacing regular mortise and tenon, dowel and even pocket screws on many projects. I found the tool fast and even fun to use. Considering my costs for Festool and aftermarket (mostly Seneca) accessories, bits etc. – there is no way that I could actually cost-justify any of it. But that is true for most everything that I build and/or the tools that I use to build it as a hobbyist.
Goodie
Stuart, glad to see you give JessEm some love. They are a great company and I’ve found their design and engineering expertise to be top notch. I’ve called them on several occasions and have always received exceptional service. The stock guides are on my list.
Also, if you are looking for fence customization, check out the VerySuperCoolTools extruded aluminum fence. It is an awesome upgrade for a table saw.
Goodie
Just ordered the stock guides yesterday. More JessEm praise from me. I ordered from VerySuperCoolTools, and JessEm provides them longer bolts to work with the extruded aluminum fence. I love seeing small, innovative companies work together!
fred
I’ve been using their router table version of these (#04215) for over ten years and think that they are very useful. I’ll be interested to know what you think about the table saw version. I had tried a set of what are called Board Buddies back about 15 years ago. You mount them on an auxiliary fence. I found them to be just OK – and see comments that say the new Yellow ones may have cheaper wheel materials:
https://www.amazon.com/Woodstock-W1104-Board-Buddies-Yellow/dp/B0000223VK
https://www.amazon.com/Woodstock-W1105-Board-Buddies-Green/dp/B0000223VJ
Lack
I can vouch for their service too – have a few tools I needed to ‘custom bundle’ (metric) and they were cooperative. Great tools and great service.
Robert
Speaking of great customer service, I’d like to give a shout out to Lee Valley.
Unsolicited, a package showed up from them two days ago. It had a replacement part for one of the sizes of inserts for a Beall wood threader I purchased from them a few months ago.
The accompanying letter said:
“Our records indicate that you have purchased a Beall product that utilizes a 1 1/2” plastic insert. It has come to our attention that the minor diameter of the thread within the plastic insert is too small and does not allow for tighter fitting threads. Please find enclosed a replacement 1 1/2” plastic insert that has been manufactured to the correct specification. You do not need to replace the defective insert to us.”
Derek
I second Lee Valley….years ago bought a Murphy Bed hardware kit from them. Built and installed the bed with zero issues. Months later received an envelope in the mail from them along with a cheque’s. They had lowered the price of the kit and sent me an explanation letter and a cheque (not just store credit which would have been more than sufficient) for the difference. Needless to say, spent that cheque and more with them in the years since!!!
Stuart
Lee Valley is amazing.
Goodie
Lee Valley is awesome.
Julian Tracy
I’ve got both tele Jessem router table guides as well as the tablesaw versions. Not sure why I’d want a magnetic option as I just mounted the heavy duty extrusion on my tablesaw fence and their guides mount on that and can be flipped up, out of the way for times I don’t need them. I’ve literally never removed them as they’ve never been in my way.
The guides, both on the router table and table saw are almost like a manual power feeder, not sure if everyone realizes that they not only hold the stock down, but they also force the stock against the fence.
Not sure if I’d pay retail for them, as I got both of my sets used at probably half price or less, but they really are game changers for safety and increased accuracy.
fred
I see that they also make a version for use with contractor saws. Mounts to an auxiliary fence board. I might try these on my Bosch – if I buy the regular set for my Unisaw.
https://jessem.com/products/clear-cut%E2%84%A2-flex-stock-guides
I also still use a Jessem router table lift. They once were almost synonymous with that product – but now there are lots of choices from other makers.
kent
I have the guides on my Unisaw, and in the past 3(2?) years I’ve never had the desire to remove them. I attached them directly to my fence, but I can understand the reluctance to do so.
It also occurred to me that it they could be transfered to the router table if there was a quick release mechanism. Magnets could be excellent for this.
I recommend them to everybody.
BTW – they are the missing ingredient for making perfect dados. I keep one wheel in front of the blade, and another pressing directly down onto the blade. It eliminate the “slightly shallow spots” for dados.