Another loose tenon jig coming to the market

[ChuckM]

https://jessem.ca/products/pocket-mill-pro-loose-tenon-system

 

[Mini Me]

All I can say is they should get a new website developer to fix that page, what a shambolic mess it is.

 

[ChuckM]

In terms of priority, I think that they should produce/release a brief video showcasing the function or operation of their new pocket mill, if they want to sell something. Woodpeckers is a veteran of mastering that marketing process.

 

[luvmytoolz]

Genuine question, would people realistically buy that jig over a Domino (or even a S/H Domino) at the price it is?

And yes, I know it is cheaper, but really?

 

[ChuckM]

Genuine question, would people realistically buy that jig over a Domino (or even a S/H Domino) at the price it is?

And yes, I know it is cheaper, but really?

Same question in my mind, but JessEm is not a new entrant in the tool market. They must have done their homework, must not they?

 

[Michael Kellough]

The photographs, they could at least turn on the lights.

 

[luvmytoolz]

Looking at it again, I don't know about the ergonomics of this. The advantage of the Domino is you simply hold the front handle in place while you plunge, pretty straightforward and hard to mess up.

With this one, I'm guessing you need to clamp it down pretty hard due to the manual control and forces, then control a hand held drill while plunging, and then imagine the forces exerted when you start shift the head sideways to complete the mortise. And because it's a manually controlled device so the plunges will take longer, the cutters won't last as long as the Domino ones.

Seems a really nicely engineered bit of kit, but to my mind a bit impractical or at least unwieldy in use, certainly for the price anyway. If that was for sale in OZ, it would be around the $750-$800AUD or so mark landed I would guess.

 

[Vtshopdog]

Quote from their web page:
(Bold Italics added are mine)

“With each side-to-side pass one of the indexing plates engages with one of the indexing pins as it walks itself down 0.050 thousandths of an inch until the desired depth.”

Is this a typo?  I’m pretty good at math and I don’t think I want to pull the lever 100 times to get a 5.0 thousandths deep mortise. Does 0.05” where 10 passes gets me a half inch deep seem more likely??

Looks beautifully made and likely very slow going with awkward ergonomics, clamping required etc.  Hard pass for me.

 

[Josh2]

Personally, I would find a high-end jig like that attractive if it could "replace" a DF700 for $350 or $400. I have a DF500 but occasionally would like to have more plunge depth and sometimes larger tenons. I think the woodpecker might be able to do that but it's even more expensive compared to the JessEm.

Genuine question, would people realistically buy that jig over a Domino (or even a S/H Domino) at the price it is?

And yes, I know it is cheaper, but really?

Same question in my mind, but JessEm is not a new entrant in the tool market. They must have done their homework, must not they?

 

[ChuckM]

About making deeper mortises, as shown elsewhere in this forum, I've done that with a $15 drilling guide (Amazon) a few times after the initial mortises are milled by the DF500. I have the 6mm, 8mm and 10mm drill bits, but haven't tried it on any 6mm mortises yet as smaller projects don't really need very deep mortises.

Larger (wider) mortises are easy: just overlap the cuts if the widest setting is still not wide enough.

 

[luvmytoolz]

There is of course the Chinese version:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004686930810.html

But the issue is still not so much the plunging, but the movement sideways without moving the jig adversely. Would solve those deeper mortise questions though.

 

[zachjowi]

They even show Festool dominos.  Must want it to be a direct competition but doesn't look as easy or convenient.

 

[ChuckM]

This not-so-much-a-clone shares the same inadequacies as an earlier version circulated about 6 months ago (?), such as not capable of doing bevels, no dust extraction, incapable of doing mid-panels like the real thing, and lack of trim stop and cross stop features. There're several more functional aspects that are available only from the Domino Joiner

If one wants to do a limited function of the Domimo Joiner with a hand-held router there're one or two YouTube vids that show how to make such a jig in wood.

 

[Cheese]

“With each side-to-side pass one of the indexing plates engages with one of the indexing pins as it walks itself down 0.050 thousandths of an inch until the desired depth.”

Is this a typo?  I’m pretty good at math and I don’t think I want to pull the lever 100 times to get a 5.0 thousandths deep mortise. Does 0.05” where 10 passes gets me a half inch deep seem more likely??

I'm certain your math skills are better than the math skills of the Jessem marketeers that wrote that ad copy.  [big grin]

The feed rate they quote is the equivalent of the feed rate used when grinding tool steel with a $100,000 DoAll surface grinder.

Which then begs the question of how do you really know what you're selling if you can't realistically describe your machining capabilities? And if you don't know your capabilities, why should we believe you have a better mouse trap?

I like Jessem but this tool is a miss.

 

[Steve1]

My jig is a lot cheaper.
Works fine.  Never used the Jessem, so I can't say if mine is easier or harder to use.

 

[krudawg]

Personally, I would find a high-end jig like that attractive if it could "replace" a DF700 for $350 or $400. I have a DF500 but occasionally would like to have more plunge depth and sometimes larger tenons. I think the woodpecker might be able to do that but it's even more expensive compared to the JessEm.

Genuine question, would people realistically buy that jig over a Domino (or even a S/H Domino) at the price it is?

And yes, I know it is cheaper, but really?

Same question in my mind, but JessEm is not a new entrant in the tool market. They must have done their homework, must not they?

I wouldn't sell my DF500 but if it could plunge DF700 length Domino, I might throw it in a Systainer and use it in those instances

 

[ChuckM]

The simplest (and cheapest) mortising jig I've used was similiar to Steve's, consisting of a shop-made guide , and a guide bushing installed on the router. The use of hand drilling to mill mortises is slow no matter what jig is used, and that is ok if there's just a small number of mortises to do.

It is impossible to duplicate the simplicity of the mid-panel function of the Domimo Joiner using any power drill or router based jig. That alone is enough reason why the DF500 or DF700 should be worth more. A lot more.

Edit: Photos added.
[attachimg=1]  [attachimg=2]

 

[dashboardpws]

The photographs, they could at least turn on the lights.

+1

 

[Adamsse]

My jig is a lot cheaper.
Works fine.  Never used the Jessem, so I can't say if mine is easier or harder to use.

Hats off for creating your own jig.  Peter Millard has this video on a different variation and, if desired, anyone can buy the design for a small price in his Etsy shop.  He improved on that design and sells flat packs of his creations at a higher price if someone doesn’t want to take the time to create.  I appreciate that he always tries to show options for adding inexpensive capabilities particularly for hobby woodworkers.
=youtu.be

 

[Michael Kellough]

My jig is a lot cheaper.
Works fine.  Never used the Jessem, so I can't say if mine is easier or harder to use.

Nice jig Steve1. Why is the support block ( the part just a bit wider than this mortise) so short?