Jointmaker Pro – From Bridge City Tool Works
It isn’t often that a new tool comes along and stirs things up in the woodworking world (the Domino and Steel City’s granite offerings come to mind as recent examples). So I always get excited when I see an invention or innovation that makes us question the way we do things in our shops. If that item happens to be viewed as “expensive”, you have a formula for controversy, intrigue, and heated debate (well, at least the woodworking version of such things).
Now I may be late to the game with this, but I just read a blog post over at Popular Woodworking that featured the Jointmaker Pro from Bridge City Tool Works. And if I missed it, chances are many of you missed it. Now, if you aren’t familiar, Bridge city is a manufacturer of uber-fine-quality hand tools. Their latest offering is called the Jointmaker Pro, and the concept is simple: it’s a stationary handsaw. Check out the video below to see it in action. It looks like the unit will retail for $1295.
So I started watching the video yesterday and I found myself giggling. And I am still not 100% sure why. I think that part of the reason is because its one of those things that makes you do a virtual double take. Maybe a “wha wha what?!?!” moment. I envision hand tool zealots everywhere saying, “DOES NOT COMPUTE!” Its no secret that using hand tools properly requires practice, patience, and finesse on the part of the user. And in order to reap the rewards of the tool, you need to “pay your dues” by learning and practicing. Power tools, in most cases, are more or less plug and play devices and require less precision from the user (pardon the generalization). But a device like the Jointmaker gives you all the benefits of a handsaw (and then some), while managing to remove much of the human element. This makes the concept hard to swallow and even more difficult to digest. I am still wrestling with it in my brain and trying to figure out where this tool fits inside our woodworking universe. Truthfully, at nearly $1300, I imagine its going to be a hard sell for most folks. But its an interesting innovation, nonetheless, and provides us with a very cool discussion topic.
So what do you think? Is it deserving of the hype? Is it worth $1300? Will the woefully uncoordinated among us now be able to produce a comparable or better set of hand cut dovetails than a seasoned pro? Me thinks, perhaps, the answer is yes.
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