Hand-powered tablesaw

[PéoRoy]

Anybody used this before?

[Pbmaster11]

interesting!

what do they cost?

[Dave H]

just looked on line $1200 wow. pretty neat though.

[Onboard]

Bridge City Jointmaker Pro v2.

Jointmaker Single Wing.

Jointmaker Pro Rip Replacement Blade (5 pack).

Jointmaker Pro Crosscut B Replacement Blades.

[Pbmaster11]

holy buckets! why $1200?!

[Onboard]

holy buckets! why $1200?!

From what I've heard of Bridge City, the high price may be due to their name as well as precision, quality of build and a niche product (no mass consumerism).

[woodhack]

Yeah, I got to cut some miters and dovetails at a trade show once. It works amazingly well. The cut quality is perfect and the fit and finish of the machine is incredible, as most Bridge City tools are. I told my wife I was going to get one for the picture framing business I was (then) going to buy into and I seriously thought it was going to cost $500-$600. When he told me $1200 I laughed in his face(unfortunately).

[Pbmaster11]

I couldn't imagine putting $1200 down for this.

I could see $500-600

[jab73180]

You could very easily make one. Its just a stationary saw with 2 slide tables over it. I am just not sure I want to run 50 bf of 4\4 hard maple over it.

[Onboard]

You could very easily make one. Its just a stationary saw with 2 slide tables over it. I am just not sure I want to run 50 bf of 4\4 hard maple over it.

Yeah, that would be out of the JMP v2 ballpark. However, the emphasis is in the name "Jointmaker" or for making only joints in wood. To quote the Bridge City website:

"The Jointmaker Pro v2 is ideal for:

Box Makers • Musical Instrument Makers • Architectural Model Makers • Toy Makers • Picture Framers • Furniture Makers • Artists • Hobbyists • Model Railroad Set Builders • Model Makers • Environmentally concerned woodworkers • Professional Woodworkers •Special Effects Studios • Schools • Parquetry • Doll house makers … the only limit is one’s imagination!"

I agree though, the JMP v2 is really a niche tool, but it is fascinating.

[JeffKochosky]

Yeah, that would be out of the JMP v2 ballpark. However, the emphasis is in the name "Jointmaker" or for making only joints in wood. To quote the Bridge City website:

"The Jointmaker Pro v2 is ideal for:

Box Makers • Musical Instrument Makers • Architectural Model Makers • Toy Makers • Picture Framers • Furniture Makers • Artists • Hobbyists • Model Railroad Set Builders • Model Makers • Environmentally concerned woodworkers • Professional Woodworkers •Special Effects Studios • Schools • Parquetry • Doll house makers … the only limit is one’s imagination!"

I agree though, the JMP v2 is really a niche tool, but it is fascinating.

It may be a niche tool, but it's a niche tool that I can definitely see myself using far more than something like a dovetail jig or a mortising machine. It may cost as much as a decent table saw, but I'd probably get as much use out of the JMP as I would from one.

[Onboard]

It may be a niche tool, but it's a niche tool that I can definitely see myself using far more than something like a dovetail jig or a mortising machine. It may cost as much as a decent table saw, but I'd probably get as much use out of the JMP as I would from one.

I agree Jeff. I would love to have one, especially living in an apartment. Power tool users are of course free to buy one as they will, but it would be a very nice addition to a hand tool only (or predominantly so) woodworker's collection. I wonder if Tom Fidgen has one of these?

[PaulMarcel]

It may be a niche tool, but it's a niche tool that I can definitely see myself using far more than something like a dovetail jig or a mortising machine. It may cost as much as a decent table saw, but I'd probably get as much use out of the JMP as I would from one.

Jeff has a good point. Quality dovetail jigs easily run $1,000 by the time you get the bits. I know that because my D4R ran about that much years ago before a couple price increases. I hardly use it and when I do, I screw up something for lack of practice and patience.

The JMPv2 can be used in every project, regardless the size. It is built like a tank and there are tight tolerances everywhere; the arm that raises the blade operates between two vertical slots; the odd curve on the front of that arm is calculated to allow for zero play regardless the blade height or pitch setting.

Picture framers and especially small box makers would get more out of the JMPv2 than a table saw.

The price partially reflects the name, yes. BCTW makes a lot of nice stuff, once. That in itself drives the initial price up but also considerably raises the resale. So buy it, use it, decide a few years later you prefer scrapbooking and sell it on eBay for a couple hundred more than you paid for it.