They don't make em like they used to...

[cgmojoco]

Warning in advance.  I'm very detail oriented...and I'm venting...

24 Jet Parallel clamps---the steel rods are slightly bent...all of them.  Cheap chinese made crap bars.  Some are bent so much I'm wondering if they might effect squareness of my glue ups.

When they arrived from shipment I spent a few hours cleaning them up and taking off excess grease and then applying a dry non-dust attracting lube...before I really saw that they were bent.  I don't feel like sending them back after all that work so I guess the 12 of em are going to stick around.

Anyone else have bent clamps like this?

Maybe I'll just sell em and go somewhere else where they are straight as a matter of principle.

I like the functionality of the Jet's otherwise over competitors...the engraved ruler on the bar, and the way the locking mechanism works...but if they can't even get the steel straight...it just pisses me off for $35 bucks a pop...



I had some Jorgenson clamps from earlier decades that I sold to a buddy and they were much thicker steel (albeit heavier) and straight...perfectly straight next to my straight edge.  I believe Jorgenson are made in USA to this day...maybe I should be looking there instead... dummy me.

What gives...all that time goes by, and the precision has gone downhill.

Ok, maybe not important, but I'm seeing like 1/4" bend over a 24 inch bar...that is just crap work---so many shortcuts, doesn't merit that prices at all I don't think.

Christopher

 

[jacko9]

Sounds like the same kind of quality I got in imported plywood with overlapping inner layers and pent up stresses so bad that one cut and the sheet warped badly.

Saving money on the initial purchase always seems to bite me in the butt later on.

I refuse to purchase Jet and now Powermatic and all other imports of "low quality" tooling.

 

[LostInTheWood]

The excess grease/oil is a tell tale sign of cheapo china import.  They pack that way to survive long term bulk storage and the long ship time to the US only to sit in more long term bulk storage by mass middle-man distributors.  Buy anything from Harbor Freight lately?.....    It makes me sick.  I would have returned them immediately.

 

[Runhard]

Sounds like the same kind of quality I got in imported plywood with overlapping inner layers and pent up stresses so bad that one cut and the sheet warped badly.

Saving money on the initial purchase always seems to bite me in the butt later on.

I refuse to purchase Jet and now Powermatic and all other imports of "low quality" tooling.

So Powermatic is now "low quality" but still charges a premium on their tools? I'm only asking because I'm saving up and waiting until I move to buy all my woodworking machinery. I am absolutely disgusted with all the low quality importing and exporting of all the manufacturing. This country and world is lost and full of greed! Are there any USA or Canada manufacturers still making high quality machinery and tools?

Daniel

 

[Samo]

Just a friendly heads up.  [eek]

Customer Service for warranty repair/parts from Jet/Powermatic has been way less than satisfactory for me   but

I definitely don't like the prices for Festool and other quality equipment.  I need to live another fifty years just to brake even.

 

[tbellemare]

Are there any USA or Canada manufacturers still making high quality machinery and tools?

I think that's a good question, Daniel, but not really the critical question.

It's possible to build high or really high quality products in any country that has a strong manufacturing base. Mexico has factories that are capable of making equipment as high quality as almost any in the world. There are a bunch of them that are along the border and also in Monterrey. There are also several just north of Mexico City in the old colonial area where the original Mexican Capital existed (Queretaro).

Semiconductor manufacturing equipment, which is as critical as any, is commonly manufactured in China. Having worked with some of those companies, I would suggest that the Chinese are perfectly capable of top-notch manufacturing. Companies like Dell don't actually make anything here, they only assemble, at best.

The big difference is whether the big corporate interests that you buy from are trying to make something that is good for you or good for them.

Some leaders, though few, have figured out that honesty and putting the customer first matters and brings results. It's quite common in business to obfuscate or hide.

It's a corporate culture thing...

Tom

 

[johninthecamper]

some can be good anywhere,I had a chinese family for a month,all he wanted to know and see was the best that usa had to offer.starret ,fluke,cdi.fanatical about quality.he imports snapon/blue point.loved festool never heard of it.immedeatly got on his satelite phone calling to china ,seeing how he could get into the festool line

 

[ShawnRussell]

I am surprised. I have ordered several sets of Jet clamps and they have all been wonderful. They were not packed in grease; they did have too many layers of plastic to remove. But they have been as good as the Bessey clamps I have.

 

[ScotF]

Are there any USA or Canada manufacturers still making high quality machinery and tools?

General in Canada makes very high-quality woodworking machines and several are still made in Canada -- not to confuse it with the General International line, that is made outside of North America.  Northfield also makes machines but you will more than likely get sticker shock -- they are really industrial machines, but very high quality.  Of course there are Lee Valley and Lie Nielsen for hand tools, all made in Canada/USA respectively.  I think that the newer style Delta cabinet saw is made in the USA or at least assembled in the USA (could be wrong as I do not own one).

Scot

 

[pugilato]

I think Grizzly makes their tools in the US

 

[JayStPeter]

I haven't dealt with Jet in a while, but last time I did their customer service was very good.  If they don't fix it for you, let us know.

Bent bars could well be shipping or storage related and not necessarily manufacturing related.

I had some Jorgenson clamps from earlier decades that I sold to a buddy and they were much thicker steel (albeit heavier) and straight...perfectly straight next to my straight edge.  I believe Jorgenson are made in USA to this day...maybe I should be looking there instead... dummy me.

I haven't been overly impressed with my Jorgy Cabinetmasters.  I've been considering selling them all and replacing with Bessey.  The orange plastic cracks easily and clamping mechanism has broken on something like 6 of the 14 clamps I own.  I'm not sure, but I think I read that the annoyance of the head crashing down on your hand while you're carrying them around doesn't happen on the newer Bessey clamps.  I'll probably get a pair to try out, but ultimately I like my clamps to match.  That said, Jorgy customer service has been great.  I'd just prefer not to have to use it quite so often.

Sounds like the same kind of quality I got in imported plywood with overlapping inner layers and pent up stresses so bad that one cut and the sheet warped badly.

Sounds like the US made plywood I have been using for my large MFT.  Along with the old problem of super soft layers (and tons of voids) under the hardwood veneer so it cracks and chips with the slightest force.  I have gotten imported ply with pieces of junk metal embedded in it.  This had none of that, though maybe it would have filled some of the massive voids.

I also have some US made $130/sheet cherry (~10 years ago) veneer plywood hanging on the wall in my shop to hang tools on.  Beautiful veneer on the crappiest plywood core I've ever bought.  So many voids that it's not even great for screwing tool hanging devices into.

I'm not saying US made stuff is crap, but some clearly is.  I'm also not saying that imported stuff is crap, but some is.  I try to do my best to support US manufacturing with my purchases.  But, it has to make sense.  I don't think this is an import vs. US problem.  It may be a factory QC problem for Jet, or may be how the clamps were handled outside of Jet's control.  Whatever the case, it sounds like the quality is not acceptable and we'll see how Jet does at making it right.

I think Grizzly makes their tools in the US

[blink]

 

[Blackberry]

I have a dozen of these clamps and cannot complain about them.  I use them all the time and I've never been let down other than my personal stress test....  I dropped one and broke the handle.  I called the company to explain and they couldn't sell me a replacement handle.  Apparently they don't offer one.  Nonetheless they sent me a new clamp free of charge and wished me well.  I then made myself a new handle ....got a free clamp and life is good.

 

[pugilato]

It could also be Jet knockoffs being sold... I read that some people buying that hose that shrinks as it looses water are getting knockoffs, even through amazon. I would have returned them, because if they are bent straight from the box, it is possible that they will not hold pressure after a couple of uses.

 

[JayStPeter]

II called the company to explain and they couldn't sell me a replacement handle.  Apparently they don't offer one.  ...

I noticed recently that Bessey sells their clamps with either a fixed head and clamping head, or two clamping heads.  They also sell the parts separately to convert between the two types and they aren't overly expensive.  Another thing I like about the Bessey is the fact they offer an extender to join two clamps to make a long one.  I recently needed a couple 6'+ clamps that I don't have.  Would've been nice to have the extender to join some of my 50" and 24" together.  Jorgy does have parts available, but don't appear to have an extender available.
Again, I haven't used them.  Just offering up why I'll probably buy some to try out.  Bessey is also easy to get at a decent price at one of the big box stores.  Jorgy lost that contract, but Bessey lost it to Irwin at the other big box.

 

[jacko9]

I agree with Tom Bellemare that Imported tools "can be quality" if the manufacturing corporate leadership chooses to build them that way but, companies like Powermatic have been bought out by "banking interests"  and only seek to profit from the Powermatic Brand name while making products as cheap as they can while still passing some functionality requirements.  I have older Powermatic machines from the 1980's and they are built to last in a shop environment,

I'm pretty sure Grizzley is just another imported brand.

In addition to Northfield, you can still get quality tooling from Felder or their cost effective brand Hammer.

Jack

 

[Kev]

Most stuff in Oz is imported ... the "from where?" is the big question - and not just the country! (there's the exception of some nice specialist hand tools made here)

Record pipe clamps and G clamps were my thing years ago ... a long break from hobby work and now I'm sticking with Bessey for any clamping. There may be some specific better options for particular types of clamps - but it's time consuming to choose every little thing on it's own merits.

The earlier comment on Powermatic in this thread worries me ! Does this indicate that all of the US brands are defecting to Chinese manufacture to remain price competitive?

 

[johninthecamper]

minelab is the best ,hands down,made in australia

 

[Runhard]

When I'm ready to make my big purchases for my dream shop I just want to make sure that the machines are built to last my lifetime and that the company has awesome customer service. It would be nice to support the good ol' USA but that might not even be feasible. I am happy to support companies like Festool, Lie-Nielsen, Lee Valley, Blue Spruce and so on.

On a side note, I hate going to stores that sell "antique" furniture and nick-nacks only to read "Made in China" on them.

Daniel

 

[jacko9]

When I'm ready to make my big purchases for my dream shop I just want to make sure that the machines are built to last my lifetime and that the company has awesome customer service. It would be nice to support the good ol' USA but that might not even be feasible. I am happy to support companies like Festool, Lie-Nielsen, Lee Valley, Blue Spruce and so on.

On a side note, I hate going to stores that sell "antique" furniture and nick-nacks only to read "Made in China" on them.

Daniel

Daniel,

Go to the OWWM.COM web site for people that respect great American made woodworking tools.  You might be able to find used tooling that will last your lifetime.

Jack