Here’s a little clip that shows some amazing capabilities of the Jointmaker Pro.
–John
17 comments on this post:
Truly beautiful and amazing!! ~Elena
This looks like an amazing new innovation, If it works as good as it looks like on the video, it would be a very good addition to any shop.
The video is just a sampling of the capabilities of this new device. All of the cuts shown can be replicated by a new user with about 5 minutes of practice.
–John
Hmm, looks like those white gears are plastic, what is the life expectancy and replacement cost?
Good question! The gears are nylon and pressed onto two knurled, anodized aluminum shafts and two black oxide steel shafts that pass through the keel. They are a stock item and can be purchased in small quantities for under $5 (in today’s dollars) It’s a low rpm, no load transmission so the wear factor is likely not an issue in our lifetime–it is very smooth running. The shafts run in acetal bearings. The Jointmaker Pro will ship unassembled so familiarity with the tool will be gained during assembly.
John
Thanks for the info John;
Looks like an awesome saw, and very useful, but much to rich for my budget. Any change on a lower end model for those of us with shallow pockets?
As you know, prices often start north of center and over time migrate south. We have done our best to bring this tool in where it is. FYI; there are 35 lbs of aluminum in this tool which is now pushing $3.50/pound. Add in 60 CNC set-ups and milling time and it adds up fast. Our first prototypes used 18 ball bearings–they are awesome but would retail for $1900 and that is just not going to cut it (pun intended…).
I have two suggestions that may be of interest–we do offer no interest EZ-Pay to qualified buyers and depending on how well the introduction goes, we may offer a rent-to-own program. One thing is for sure, this invention was conceived in America and we are making it in America (Idaho to be exact!)
We are going to license the patents in the near future with the purpose of getting this tool in the hands of users, schools and those in power challenged areas–however this is likely 1-2 years away.
–John
It all sounds good John, I hope this is a great success, it sure looks to be. I’ll be watching this.
Hmmmm, don’t know what to say, saw looks fantastic and I’d love to own one. I expected it would have a fairly high price tag but have to admit I was a little surprised to see the price, being it costs as much as many full cabinet tablesaws on the market. Nonetheless it will still be a decision to battle with 🙂
John, one question though, it’s hard to tell when watching the video. Is the blade simply pitched up and away or does it actually rise on some sort of suspension? I was thinking about the saw in my head and it made me think of that. Is it is merely pitched, what do you think of the idea of putting it on some sort of precise suspension that where the blade is still pitched but when pushing through instead of possibly lifting the work piece it will simply push down but yet still be pushing up with enough pressure to cut? Or is this the way it already is lol.
The pitch of the blade is adjustable and rigidly fixed. The suspension idea does not work in wood but we believe is ideal for scoring glass and ceramics (ideas we are toying with…). When sawing by hand, you have a little help with gravity but mainly the downward force is controlled by the user. In the case of the Jointmaker Pro, the blade simply gets in the way of the stock which is clamped to the linear motion table(s). Small stock can be held by hand (as in the video, dowels, small moldings and the scary looking cut where we cut all those really short swizzle sticks–which is not scary at all when you witness it). Miters and crosscuts up to 6″ or deep cuts need to be rigidly fixed–and just as in the video, the results are as good, or better, than any method in your shop–all without electricity.
Have you calculated a ship weight for the Jointmaker Pro? I’m lusting after one, but I’m fearful that the shipping weight to Australia will double the cost.
We believe the packaged shipping weight will be under 50lbs. We are still working on the packaging and are trying to find the most environmentally appropriate materials.
This is a 91 MB file, so it takes 9-10 minutes on conventional broadband.
First off I think that the tool has great potential. The questions that I have has to do with the saw blade and the position and the final cut that is made into the wood stock. Since the blade is set at an angle with respect to the wood stock that slides on top of the table, how does the final cut (front to back of the stock) have equal depth, if the cut in the stock is of great length (anything greater than 6mm 0.25in). 2nd question has to do with the blade itself , is this an off the shelf item or a special?
The blade is specifically designed for this carriage.
The maximum length of cut is 6″ and the kerf bottom is always parallel to the table if the stock passes over the last tooth. Max. depth is 1-5/8″ and repeated passes are required to reach this depth– species of wood (hardness) determines depth of cut per stroke.
–John
As the owner of several Bridge City Tools, I have no doubt about the quality of the new Jointmaker Pro. I do however have two concerns regarding use. First, I’d like to know what the general expectation should be for blade life. I understand that blade life will be dependent on several factors to include amount of use and different wood characteristics but testing of the prototype must have yielded some indication of useful life. For example, if you expect to spend a full day cutting ¾” American cherry for cabinet doors, should you expect to be changing the blade before the day is over? My other concern is regarding the requirement for a specialized saw blade. This expensive tool becomes useless if at some point you can no longer find a source capable of supplying the blades. Is there anything in place to insure that doesn’t happen anytime well into the future?
In order for the Jointmaker Pro to work for all that we designed it to do, a custom blade was needed. These blades are made in Japan by a company that is over 100 years old. We have paid for the dies and there is a plan in place to have blades available in Europe, Japan and the US as of this writing. We think this is one of the most important new products in the woodworking sector and supplying blades is part of the process for the product to grow.
Blade life is surprisingly long. In eleven months we have NEVER broken a tooth. I have personally trashed blades two ways–pushing the saw to cut materials other than wood and through mistakes, most often by not having the material firmly attached to the sliding tables. Can you cut cherry all day–yup. Rosewood? Don’t think so. I will go out on a limb and project/guess the average annual blade expense for the average SERIOUS woodworker should fall between $50 and $100.
Truly beautiful and amazing!! ~Elena
This looks like an amazing new innovation, If it works as good as it looks like on the video, it would be a very good addition to any shop.
The video is just a sampling of the capabilities of this new device. All of the cuts shown can be replicated by a new user with about 5 minutes of practice.
–John
Hmm, looks like those white gears are plastic, what is the life expectancy and replacement cost?
Good question! The gears are nylon and pressed onto two knurled, anodized aluminum shafts and two black oxide steel shafts that pass through the keel. They are a stock item and can be purchased in small quantities for under $5 (in today’s dollars) It’s a low rpm, no load transmission so the wear factor is likely not an issue in our lifetime–it is very smooth running. The shafts run in acetal bearings. The Jointmaker Pro will ship unassembled so familiarity with the tool will be gained during assembly.
John
Thanks for the info John;
Looks like an awesome saw, and very useful, but much to rich for my budget. Any change on a lower end model for those of us with shallow pockets?
As you know, prices often start north of center and over time migrate south. We have done our best to bring this tool in where it is. FYI; there are 35 lbs of aluminum in this tool which is now pushing $3.50/pound. Add in 60 CNC set-ups and milling time and it adds up fast. Our first prototypes used 18 ball bearings–they are awesome but would retail for $1900 and that is just not going to cut it (pun intended…).
I have two suggestions that may be of interest–we do offer no interest EZ-Pay to qualified buyers and depending on how well the introduction goes, we may offer a rent-to-own program. One thing is for sure, this invention was conceived in America and we are making it in America (Idaho to be exact!)
We are going to license the patents in the near future with the purpose of getting this tool in the hands of users, schools and those in power challenged areas–however this is likely 1-2 years away.
–John
It all sounds good John, I hope this is a great success, it sure looks to be. I’ll be watching this.
Hmmmm, don’t know what to say, saw looks fantastic and I’d love to own one. I expected it would have a fairly high price tag but have to admit I was a little surprised to see the price, being it costs as much as many full cabinet tablesaws on the market. Nonetheless it will still be a decision to battle with 🙂
John, one question though, it’s hard to tell when watching the video. Is the blade simply pitched up and away or does it actually rise on some sort of suspension? I was thinking about the saw in my head and it made me think of that. Is it is merely pitched, what do you think of the idea of putting it on some sort of precise suspension that where the blade is still pitched but when pushing through instead of possibly lifting the work piece it will simply push down but yet still be pushing up with enough pressure to cut? Or is this the way it already is lol.
The pitch of the blade is adjustable and rigidly fixed. The suspension idea does not work in wood but we believe is ideal for scoring glass and ceramics (ideas we are toying with…). When sawing by hand, you have a little help with gravity but mainly the downward force is controlled by the user. In the case of the Jointmaker Pro, the blade simply gets in the way of the stock which is clamped to the linear motion table(s). Small stock can be held by hand (as in the video, dowels, small moldings and the scary looking cut where we cut all those really short swizzle sticks–which is not scary at all when you witness it). Miters and crosscuts up to 6″ or deep cuts need to be rigidly fixed–and just as in the video, the results are as good, or better, than any method in your shop–all without electricity.
Have you calculated a ship weight for the Jointmaker Pro? I’m lusting after one, but I’m fearful that the shipping weight to Australia will double the cost.
We believe the packaged shipping weight will be under 50lbs. We are still working on the packaging and are trying to find the most environmentally appropriate materials.
-John
If anyone is interested in downloading a high quality version of this video, you may here:
https://www.bridgecitytools.com/videos/JMP_Intro20.zip
This is a 91 MB file, so it takes 9-10 minutes on conventional broadband.
First off I think that the tool has great potential. The questions that I have has to do with the saw blade and the position and the final cut that is made into the wood stock. Since the blade is set at an angle with respect to the wood stock that slides on top of the table, how does the final cut (front to back of the stock) have equal depth, if the cut in the stock is of great length (anything greater than 6mm 0.25in). 2nd question has to do with the blade itself , is this an off the shelf item or a special?
The blade is specifically designed for this carriage.
The maximum length of cut is 6″ and the kerf bottom is always parallel to the table if the stock passes over the last tooth. Max. depth is 1-5/8″ and repeated passes are required to reach this depth– species of wood (hardness) determines depth of cut per stroke.
–John
As the owner of several Bridge City Tools, I have no doubt about the quality of the new Jointmaker Pro. I do however have two concerns regarding use. First, I’d like to know what the general expectation should be for blade life. I understand that blade life will be dependent on several factors to include amount of use and different wood characteristics but testing of the prototype must have yielded some indication of useful life. For example, if you expect to spend a full day cutting ¾” American cherry for cabinet doors, should you expect to be changing the blade before the day is over? My other concern is regarding the requirement for a specialized saw blade. This expensive tool becomes useless if at some point you can no longer find a source capable of supplying the blades. Is there anything in place to insure that doesn’t happen anytime well into the future?
In order for the Jointmaker Pro to work for all that we designed it to do, a custom blade was needed. These blades are made in Japan by a company that is over 100 years old. We have paid for the dies and there is a plan in place to have blades available in Europe, Japan and the US as of this writing. We think this is one of the most important new products in the woodworking sector and supplying blades is part of the process for the product to grow.
Blade life is surprisingly long. In eleven months we have NEVER broken a tooth. I have personally trashed blades two ways–pushing the saw to cut materials other than wood and through mistakes, most often by not having the material firmly attached to the sliding tables. Can you cut cherry all day–yup. Rosewood? Don’t think so. I will go out on a limb and project/guess the average annual blade expense for the average SERIOUS woodworker should fall between $50 and $100.
-John