Anyone heard of or used the Jawhorse or the Superjaw?

[Aspiring FT Owner]

For those of us working alone a lot on the around the house stuff, I sure could have used one of these on my last several projects.

Are they sturdy enough, and how do they feel if you use them daily?  My adjustable sawhorses do most things well, but that clamp looks like it'd be nice to have.

I'm always improvising quickclamps to hold stuff.  ( I know if I had my MFT3 I'd have more clamping options, it's on the list)

Here's a link to what I'm talking about.

http://www.rockwelltoolsdirect.com/jawhorse.html

Thanks for any input.

 

[Forrest Anderson]

For those of us working alone a lot on the around the house stuff, I sure could have used one of these on my last several projects.

Are they sturdy enough, and how do they feel if you use them daily?  My adjustable sawhorses do most things well, but that clamp looks like it'd be nice to have.

Here's a photo of the Jawhorse:

And here is a photo of the current model Triton SJA200 SuperJaws. As you can see there are a lot of similarities:

Earlier this year I got the older-model SJA001 SuperJaws, which looks like this:

I find it to be a very useful machine, and the following video demonstrates its capabilities pretty well:

Video

In fact, I was using it only two days ago to hold a large and heavy 2.6m x 600mm x 40mm worktop in conjunction with a Triton MultiStand, and have used it to hold things whilst angle-grinding, when cutting logs (safer than holding them down with your foot!), pressing Dominoed assemblies together, holding pallets whilst dismantling them, and various other tasks.

There is nothing fragile or delicate about it, as it is an extremely solid bit of kit, weighing 19.5kg/43lbs/3st 1lb (the new SJA200 is a bit lighter - notice how the bottom bracing is missing). The tripod design, in conjunction with their weight,  means that they are very stable.

It would certainly be possible to get another one and use them as a pair of sawhorses (I was thinking of doing this myself, even though I have an MFT1080), but it's not the sort of set-up I'd want to load and unload from a truck all the time! They certainly wouldn't fall over if you kicked them, and if you did kick one, you'd come off worse! Although they don't take up much space when folded up, they have a pretty large footprint when erected - much more so than a standard sawhorse.

The design is quite old, and dates back to the days when it was manufactured by Elu with the designation MSB93:

In the UK you get Elu and Triton Superjaws coming up for sale on eBay from time to time:

Some sellers say they have been languishing at the back of the garage for years, hence the sale, but I find new uses for mine all the time.

They are a completely different kettle of fish from Festool's MFT. You can do a lot with the SuperJaws that you can't do with the MFT, and a lot with the MFT that you can't with the SuperJaws. If you bought one, I'm sure you'd still find the other one very useful.

Here is a review of the new SJA200 SuperJaws and a comparison of the new SuperJaws SJA200 against the old SJA001 model.

Forrest

 

[Aspiring FT Owner]

Thanks Forrest,

Glad to hear that they aren't wobbly or feel weak.  You can never tell with the late night infomercials, some things sound great in concept, but they botch it in execution or quality. 

Something relatively new on this side of the pond, I hadn't seen anything quite like this marketed before over here.

Sounds like a good addition to the shop (Corner of the Garage) (especially since I haven't gotten a vice yet).  Might have to head to woodcraft and see about their Christmas sales for something like this.

Happy Holidays ;D

 

[Frank Pellow]

Thanks Forrest, you have convinced me to buy one (or even two).    The Superjaw has been on my "might buy some day list" for at least four years", ever since I first saw it at a Wood Show.  NOw it's move to the "will by someday" list.

I learned a lot from the Utube demo.  The item there that tipped the decision to a BUY was its use to hold logs being sawn with a chain saw.  I can make very good use of that at Pellow's Camp.

 

[Forrest Anderson]

Glad to hear that they aren't wobbly or feel weak. 

Don't worry - there's no way anyone would call the SuperJaws weak! It took a friend of mine quite an effort to lift it and carry it.

The Elu/Triton SuperJaws design has been refined over the years, from minor "under-the-hood" improvements to more obvious changes. For instance, the footpedal of the SJA001 has the ability to kick you in the shins very painfully if you release the clamping lever and don't keep the foot pedal under control, but the SJA200 now has a different mechanism.

Being an Australian product, you'll find quite a lot of posts about it in the Triton board of the Australian Ubeaut Woodworking Forum.

Sorry I can't give you any information on the Jawhorse.

Forrest

 

[Forrest Anderson]

Thanks Forrest, you have convinced me to buy one (or even two).    The Superjaw has been on my "might buy some day list" for at least four years", ever since I first saw it at a Wood Show.  NOw it's move to the "will by someday" list.

I learned a lot from the Utube demo.  The item there that tipped the decision to a BUY was its use to hold logs being sawn with a chain saw.  I can make very good use of that at Pellow's Camp.

Frank

Glad I was able to change your mind! I reckon it would be ideal for you at Pellow's Camp! It makes chainsawing logs much safer, but you need to watch your toes when the cut logs fall to the ground!

I don't have the log jaws accessory yet, but they are on the Christmas wish list! There are two models of log jaws, and they appear to be interchangeable.

The newer model of log jaws is the SJA460:

The older model is the obsolescent SJA130 version:

One dealer told me that the new model is stronger.

If you or anyone else wants some close-up photos of any bits of the SJA001 SuperJaws, just let me know.

Forrest

 

[Frank Pellow]

Your timing about the information on the log jaws accessory is great Forrest.  I was wondering exactly how they held the log and thinking that I might need to make my own.  I hope that the accessory is available in Canada.

 

[Forrest Anderson]

Your timing about the information on the log jaws accessory is great Forrest.  I was wondering exactly how they held the log and thinking that I might need to make my own.  I hope that the accessory is available in Canada.

Frank

The webpage athttp://home.primus.ca/~triton/triton/html/canada.html seems to give the Canadian Triton dealers, but you may have to phone some of them to see if they have stock.

Forrest

 

[GreenGA]

I've been looking at the SuperJaw for more than a year; it too has been on my possible wish list.

In looking over the new SJA200 and the Jawhorse, the Jawhorse seems to have larger clamps with which to clamp onto the workpiece.  Does anyone know if this is true and if so, is it benefit?

Also, does the Jawhorse have options similar to the SuperJaw?

Thanks.

 

[Forrest Anderson]

In looking over the new SJA200 and the Jawhorse, the Jawhorse seems to have larger clamps with which to clamp onto the workpiece.  Does anyone know if this is true and if so, is it benefit?

I don't know the dimensions of the pads on the Jawhorse, but the standard ones one that come with the SJA001 SuperJaws are 1 15/16" x  6 13/16" in size.

Also, does the Jawhorse have options similar to the SuperJaw?

The Jawhorse has log jaws which are very similar to the ones for the SuperJaws:

There's also a Plywood Jaw for clamping large 52" panels, and a Welding Jaw.

See also the video to compare with the Triton one I posted earlier:



Forrest

 

[GreenGA]

Thanks for that link to the Jawhorse video.  Very interesting, and somewhat similar to your earlier posting of the Superjaw video.  Almost seems like they were produced by the same company. :

I like the accessories they have available as well.

Intersting, veddy interesting.

 

[diymaker]

I've use it for several weeks, got $179 on Amazon very strong made and it handy, help my job on site more easy

 

[BC6738F5BCE98B4]

I saw both products at my local Woodcraft store.  I suspect that going in and "kicking tires" might give you a better "feel" for the differences between them.

 

[Dane]

Just FYI, Triton sold the Supejaws concept to Rockwell to distribute in the US.  Aside from some cosmetic differences, they are the same thing.  I have the Superjaws and I can say without a doubt it lives up to their advertising claims.  Extremely sturdy and heavily built.  I am a general contractor and I have used it to clamp a solid core mdf door in the horizontal position for trimming, used it as a welding clamp, to hold fence posts and on.  It is heavy, so keep that in mind.  You can often find them used on eBay or craigslist.

 

[ecsk]

Hi, I'm new here and first to say hello first  ;D
Just saw this discussion about Superjaw,  I'm from Australia so I know everything about Triton products, personally I'm not impressed with Triton workbench but this Superjaw is just awesome.  It is one of the best investment that I've made, it is strong, stable, mobile, and you can abuse it.  I'm still using the old model, even thougt it has some minor design issue, now I'm used to it so it's not a big deal.  For those who has this tool in their "wish list", "will be buying list", etc.  just get one for yourself as Easter presence. 

 

[Aspiring FT Owner]

Thanks for all the info everyone, I'm waiting for the local Woodcraft store to have them in stock.  Looks like a good Tax Rebate Purchase  ;D

 

[butzla]

My brother has the Jawhorse,  he was giving me a demo last time I was over.  He clamped a solid raised panel interior entry door standing straight up by the corner.  It held it rock solid.  Very impressed!

 

[Aspiring FT Owner]

Well I finally found one, went with the superjaw (version 2 (as they invented the concept, they get my money, I appreciate good engineering ideas))  Local Woodcraft had both Superjaw and Jawhorse in stock at their new store location.

It is sturdy as a rock, and should do all the clamping and vise stuff I need for a long long time.  Between this and my two fat max sawhorses, I can do what I need to do for most projects.  The 3rd leg as the carrying handle is brilliant for toting, and the rubber spacers on the face with the switch means you can set it down on wood floors without scratching them. 

Thanks for all the feedback everyone.

 

[suds]

What were the deciding factors in your decision to go with the Superjaw over the Jawhorse?

 

[HCI]

Here's a good review for the Jawhorse.
http://www.homeconstructionimprovement.com/rockwell-jawhorse-review/