Roller guides keep workpieces on track

JessEm’s Clear-Cut roller guides, which have been around for a decade or so, have bolts that fit into the T-tracks included on some rip fences. JessEm’s brand-new Clear-Cut Flex guides are not only less expensive but also more versatile.

Made with a glass-filled polymer instead of the original aluminum, Clear-Cut Flex Stock Guides are plenty tough. More importantly, they come with adapter bolts and plates that let you mount them on a sacrificial wood fence. This lets them work with any type of rip fence. Like the originals, the Flex’s T-bolts also slip into standard T-tracks.

Whether you mount the rollers on your bandsaw, table saw, or router table, their grippy tires angle toward the fence, pressing your work against it as you push the piece forward. The one-way rollers also hold the work down and prevent it from moving backward. You can push workpieces forward without fear of them wandering away from the fence or kicking back.

I especially love these rollers for joinery and molding cuts, where their steady downward pressure ensures accuracy and a smooth surface. And with 2-3/4 in. of vertical adjustment, they can accommodate thick workpieces.

 

—Asa Christiana is an editor-at-large.