Thread: JessEm Clear-Cut TS Stock Guides for Hammer K3

Very nice work. I quietly lust after a K3..!

I’ve had the Jessem guides on my Sawstop since very shortly after I bought it - they are fantastic.

+1 for the Jesse guides as well, they fit nicely on my Incra fence system.

Originally Posted by Superbunny

+1 for the Jesse guides as well, they fit nicely on my Incra fence system.

Could I trouble you to let me know how you've attached them to the Incra fence please? I was looking at these some time ago, and was keen to get some, but didn't think they'd work on the Incra!

Derek
If you are having trouble with the timber lifting while ripping against the fence try raising the blade a bit higher.
However using the Jessem guides on a slider is defeating the benefits of having a slider. With a sliding table saw the slider provides the ultimate rip. Clamp the timber to the slider and you get a perfect ripped edge. You dont really need the Jessem guides with a K3. I suspect that your problem might be that you are trying to rip timber longer than your slider. If so you purchased a too short a slider. From you first picture you seem to have adequate room for a longer slider. I have a K3 with a 2 m slider and have no problem ripping solid timber for perfect glue joints
Ron

I use Ron's approach, rip on the slider, the rip fence is only about 200mm long and used solely as a measuring stop. Having a minimal length fence means I don't have to walk around it and the table stays clear right across. I bought a full length fence from Felder and cut it up, I got one length and a few others on the forum got the other three.

Originally Posted by ronboult

Derek
If you are having trouble with the timber lifting while ripping against the fence try raising the blade a bit higher.
However using the Jessem guides on a slider is defeating the benefits of having a slider. With a sliding table saw the slider provides the ultimate rip. Clamp the timber to the slider and you get a perfect ripped edge. You dont really need the Jessem guides with a K3. I suspect that your problem might be that you are trying to rip timber longer than your slider. If so you purchased a too short a slider. From you first picture you seem to have adequate room for a longer slider. I have a K3 with a 2 m slider and have no problem ripping solid timber for perfect glue joints
Ron

Ron, my slider is 49”, which is the second shortest. It is the longest slider I could fit into my workshop. It is long enough for most rough sawn boards. I do not work with manufactured sheets, only solid timber.

The blade is always extended to full height. It cannot go any higher. I found that work pieces are less likely to climb when the blade is high. Still it happens, hence the featherboards.

Since the slider is shorter (than yours and Chris’), the rip fence is used in the traditional way in addition to the slider. I have just redesigned my Fritz and Franz jig for my slider. I will post it for comment.

Regards from Perth

Derek

I will be interested to see the new F&F jig design Derek. I have given some brief thought on how to design one for different thickness blades and the only result was a migraine so far.

Any update on this mod, Derek? Had a chance to use them much?

I'm trying to decide what to do with my Jessems now that I've moved over to a K3 too

Bern, the Jessem is magic.



What is does so well is force the work piece against the rip fence, and this ensures that there is no wandering at the blade. The result is a perfect edge. I imagine that one could call it a glue line edge, that is, ready for glueing panels.

What length is your rip fence? If like mine, you should look at my Reversed F&F.

Regards from Perth

Derek

My rip fence is the same as yours, so the F&F is on the list... as is the Jessem mod now

Originally Posted by ronboult

Derek
....
However using the Jessem guides on a slider is defeating the benefits of having a slider. With a sliding table saw the slider provides the ultimate rip. Clamp the timber to the slider and you get a perfect ripped edge. You dont really need the Jessem guides with a K3. ....

Ron

Originally Posted by Chris Parks

I use Ron's approach, rip on the slider, the rip fence is only about 200mm long and used solely as a measuring stop....

Originally Posted by Derek Cohen

Ron, my slider is 49”, which is the second shortest. It is the longest slider I could fit into my workshop. It is long enough for most rough sawn boards.....

Derek, this is the first time that I have ever critiqued your technique and I sat on my response for a long time trying to decide whether to stay stumm, to PM you, or, to post.

I learned slider technique on a very large SCM slider with the instructor constantly repeating "Forget all you know about saw benches; this is a different machine". The SCM was rather large - could rip 3.6m sheet material and cross cut 2.4m sheets with aplomp. Initially I took great delight in ripping maximum length timber, say 3+m, and marvelling at the precision of my work. Then the instructor insisted that I cut to generous length first, and then rip. My wastage rate went down dramatically, my work speed went up a little, and possibly my accuracy/consistency.

IMHO the advantages of a slider over a table saw are safety, precision and possibly speed. The disadvantages are the size of the machines footprint and $$$'s.

In the photos you appear to be using the slider like a saw bench. This is, at best, counterproductive, in my opinion. The Jessem Guide seems to be a well designed and well made toy, but I must question whether it is appropriate on a slider. With "sound" slider technique it should be redundant.

I think that the technique suggested by both Ron and Chris is sound, optimises safety, and gives repeatable precision. Personally I use either a pair of hold-downs or a foot and a hold-down - I do not have a F&F jig - and either secures the timber well. The fence is purely a measuring stop and is always set just forward of the blade. Timber cannot then jam between the fence and the blade, aka kickback.

For the vast majority of components in your work that I have seen, you should be able to rip them easily on the 49" slider. For the few longer pieces have you tried this technique:

• set fence as a width stop and positioned just short of blade,
• position timber against fence and almost touching blade, fasten hold-downs,
• saw to maximum length of slider then return slider to starting position,
• switch off saw, loosen hold-downs, slide timber forward still against fence, re-tighten hold-downs,
• switch on saw and finish cut.

Graeme my friend, you are thoughtful and always supportive. I have no difficulty listening to your advice and comments. This is how we progress.

Your instructor's words are accurate in my experience. The slider requires a different mind set.

This is a short slider, but the 49" wagon is long enough to use - certainly for the furniture I build - for ripping short lengths, which I do. Getting one straight edge is straight forward. I do this all the time. What I have found more difficult is ripping these pieces to precise parallel dimensions (widths), especially when they are narrow (say, one end is 150mm wide, and the other is 155mm wide). There are too few positions to clamp a board to prevent movement when pushing the wagon past the blade. Hence the Jessem and Rip Fence, but I am working on this - which is why I made the reversed F&F.

How would you do this on your slider? Every video I have watched on this aspect has used the rip fence.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Originally Posted by derekcohen

...... What I have found more difficult is ripping these pieces to precise parallel dimensions (widths), especially when they are narrow (say, one end is 150mm wide, and the other is 155mm wide). There are too few positions to clamp a board to prevent movement when pushing the wagon past the blade. Hence the Jessem and Rip Fence, but I am working on this - which is why I made the reversed F&F.

How would you do this on your slider? Every video I have watched on this aspect has used the rip fence.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Good Morning Derek

Always good to debate with you. You have helped so many peple over the years, especially me.

The technique that I was taught for pieces too narrow to clamp, is to hand hold and to use the fence:

• set the fence with the trailing end level with the back of the saw blade,
• hand hold the timber against the fence and cut to just past half way,
• pull the timber backwards from the saw (with the saw still running),
• flip the timber over and repeat, same edge against the fence.

I initially had theoretical issues with this technique - mainly safety and cut-quality - but in practice I have not seen or heard of any issues.

This technique also works well when you want to use the saw as a jointer or thicknesser.

Fair Winds

Graeme

Sam Blasco may have some pointers that will be applicable






I do not have clamps of any description and rely on hand holding work pieces and the F&F jig. I do have the advantage of two cross cut fences which I use for setting the width at each end. I have given some thought to using the side slot just under the table top surface for some sort of measurement because on my saw with the short table two CC fences are a bit restricting in operator movement. I had a rough thought of a bracket that could swing up and hold a steel rule somehow calibrated to the CC fence flip stop and had a very small fence on the end of the rule. If not being used the rule/fence could be removed and the bracket swung down below the top surface of the slider. Two of these would render the CC fence unnecessary of course.