# Jessem Mite-R-Excel II, Good upgrade with potential



## EarlS

Good review. Now I know what to do and what to look for when I finally un-box mine.

My unisaw ins't quite as old as yours. Mine is only 15 years old but I seem to have slop in the miter slot. Sounds like this might help with the problem.


----------



## splintergroup

Hah, I consider mine "new" when reading what some of these guys restoring the 1950's versions go through 8^)


----------



## Kentuk55

Very detailed review.


----------



## CyberDyneSystems

Thanks for your fantastic detailed review. I had my eye on this one some years ago, but decided on the Osborne.
I use it in my old, yes, 1942!! Unisaw.


----------



## splintergroup

> Thanks for your fantastic detailed review. I had my eye on this one some years ago, but decided on the Osborne.
> I use it in my old, yes, 1942!! Unisaw.
> 
> - CyberDyneSystems


Well there you go! 8^)

I like the unique angle setting for the Osborne, plenty of room to get any exact angle and lock it down. I wish I had one to check out.


----------



## BurlyBob

This damn sure may be on my Christmas Want list. If not My birthday is in January. Maybe I can beg for it then!!


----------



## Redoak49

One of the better reviews I have read and excellent pictures. I have the 1000SE and like it but this looks good.

Does the eccentric roll against the slot or run against it. It looks good but is the steel on steel going to cause wear. The Incra works ok but does wear and requires adjustment and replacement.

Darn…this may have to go on my Christmas list. But waiting to hear more experiences.


----------



## splintergroup

> One of the better reviews I have read and excellent pictures. I have the 1000SE and like it but this looks good.
> 
> Does the eccentric roll against the slot or run against it. It looks good but is the steel on steel going to cause wear. The Incra works ok but does wear and requires adjustment and replacement.
> 
> Darn…this may have to go on my Christmas list. But waiting to hear more experiences.
> 
> - Redoak49


They don't roll (which is what I had thought when seeing the first pictures), but they are hard and smooth so I doubt any wear in a cast iron top for many years.


----------



## sawdust1whisperer

It's a good review. Only a few days ago I was looking at this miter gauge and considering buying it.
(I like to buy almost anything that's new.)

You should get a ton of views. We need great reviews like this to guide us in our decisions.
I'm alway looking for reviews of a product before I purchase it.
I find the nonprofit reviews are the best.


----------



## Sark

Great review! Thanks for taking the time and sharing your experience.


----------



## CyberDyneSystems

Why doesn't a moderator delete the flagged spam posts?


----------



## jklingel

Two pics of picture frames I just made with a brand new gauge. Not perfect, as one joint in the hex was a tad off. I am not blaming the gauge yet, either. I think if I refine both my table saw and banding-for-glue-up routine I can reduce the bad joint, if not eliminate it. For what I do and my experience level, I am happy with the gauge. I wonder if a set of those super-nice (?) blocks with the pins in them, which you can set for a zillion angles, would be better. Any ideas? Links to pics.

https://link.shutterfly.com/0Yrb3Aian2
https://link.shutterfly.com/LHElsSnan2


----------



## splintergroup

I find any frame with more than four corners is going to start showing small gaps from angle errors. With all else being perfect (length, no-movement, tight mother slot, etc.) even a fraction of a degree error will compound into a gap. 
I like to glue up these types of frames in subsets, i.e. glue two sections of three pieces each as in the case of a six sided frame. Each of these subsections can have the joints clamped to a perfect, gapless glueup. When the two halves are to be joined to complete the frame, I'll either do a slight trim on the exposed ends by running them through the TS while mounted on a sled or drag them across a piece of sandpaper attached to a flat surface. 
Since these ends are parallel, it is all a simple straight cut. After the trimming, the two halves will join up perfectly.

The technique works for all even-number-of-sides frames.

As for the blocks, the key is they are made with (hopefully) perfect angles in fixed positions. This should make them better (in theory) for creating common angles.


----------



## jklingel

Splinter: Way good technique! That will make 4 pieces a tad shorter, but unnoticeable. Thanks for the tip; your check is in the mail. j


----------



## splintergroup

Thanks for the check!

It's one of the many tricks that people who do segmented lathe turnings use.

If you cut the angle only on one end of the four pieces (or just cult them a tad over-long), you can get the exact length on the final trim (but as you surmise, typically not noticeable).


----------



## jklingel

Roger that. Even better. j


----------



## splintergroup

It's been a while and I've been using the JessEm for almost a year. I've also noticed a few new posts inquiring into this miter so what the heck…

I'm still a happy camper!

I have had the opportunity to use the stop on the miter bar extension. This stop tab slides in/out for quick access but I originally noticed that there was an ever so slight amount of lateral "slop", similar to the main fence stop. Now that I have had the opportunity to use it, I was going to slightly torque down the screw that controls the friction of the in/out sliding. Sure 'nuff, tightening the screw (really just snugging it up) totally eliminated all the slop. Very rigid (and functionally perfect for my needs). Of course by snugging the screw up, the slide in/out was also disabled but that was expected. Bad news is a hex wrench is required, but I have a set handy for other saw uses.

As to the flip-down stop on the main fence, I had noticed a slight around of slop due to the cantilevered design, about 1/64". I have been using this stop frequently and find that with first applying consistent pressure of the workpiece by sliding it up to the stop, then pressing the workpiece against the fence for the cut produces consistent results. I'll still use a standard stop block and clamp when I'm after exact lengths, but that 's what floats my boat.

Even with a traditional clamp/stop block, I'll use feeler gauges as a shim when dialing in a length. I'd like to modify this factory flip stop to support it on both ends (eliminate the cantilever) and also thread a screw adjuster through the thick stop block so I can "vernier" the setting and do away with using the feeler gauge.

On a sad note, I now have a thin notch cut into the fence. The fence comes with an adjustable position lock pin to return the fence to the proper position when cutting 90 degrees (or any other place you want a positive locking position for the fence). I had this set to place the end of the fence a small amount from the blade. 
Well as it was, I had swapped in a box joint blade set (1/4" wide), set about 1/4" above the table. I forgot to move the fence over to clear the blade and therefore now have a nice notch in the aluminum. I never new I had done this until I saw the notch a few days later 8^(

Oh well!


----------



## OneeyeKrab

Thanks for the in depth review splinter! I bought it and you could club a baby seal to death with it, it is extremely well made. Mine also has a very slight cupping in the middle of the fence as yours did also, but I would imagine, like you said the sacrificial fence will pull it straight. I did email jessem about it and ask if it was design or did the extrusions get warped from the quenching, anyhow its no big deal as it does not hurt anything. One thing jessem always makes is solid products, and from your review and previous router equipment I have from them, I pulled the trigger. Funny thing is I run it on jobsite saw and the miter gauge is almost half the cost of the saw lol, but when I get a shop I will have a proper table saw to put it on. For the slight slop in the flip stop, i might mess around with nylon washers and see if I can get it tighter, but like you a clamp works and not ashamed to put it on an expensive gauge. Thanks again for helping me with my decision.


----------



## WistysWoodWorkingWonders

Great Review, very detailed, I appreciate the read on this as I just put this on my shopping list through Lee Valley Tools. Thank you,


----------

