About Jeff

Jeff Author of Saw Tools Guide

Jeff Jackson (Owner)

Professional Cabinet Maker & Carpenter

Hi! My name is Jeffery(Jeff) Jackson and I’m the owner of Saw Tools Guide, where we provide helpful information on saws or any tool that cuts through wood, metal, glass and everything in between. 

Honestly, I’m not very good at talking about myself but I guess if you’re already reading this, that’s exactly the reason why you’re here. So here we go….. 

When I was young, I was born in a small business family to two parents who’d owned multiple businesses over many years including a custom cabinet making business. 

When I was 15, my dad would take me to the workshop and get me to do little things around the store and the factory. I grew up watching my dad working with all sorts of different tools. 

Cutting, shaping, drilling different materials to create a masterpiece that is uniquely created to fit different kinds of homes and to suit various different types of client’s tastes. 

I guess you could say that I’ve lived and breathed power tools pretty much my entire life.

The tools available back then were nowhere near sophisticated as what we have now. But, you grow with the times and it was always exciting to get my hands on the newest shiny toy as the technology got better and we could cut and shape materials that we couldn’t even dream of a few decades ago.

wood working machinery before and now

As much as it was exciting to be using brand new tools coming out, it was always challenging to find the best tool to use. Not because of lack of it, but because there are so many options to choose from. And when you’re a small family business every penny matters, so the more expensive the machine was, the more diligent we had to be in picking the right one.

Everytime we bought a new tool in the workshop, it was a project and a half to figure out which tool was the best one for us. 

The questions we asked ourselves were endless from…..

What features do we want?

What new functionality do we really need that could make our job faster and which ones are a nice idea, but we won’t really use?

How much does it cost to buy? Is it cheaper to rent one? What is the maintenance cost like?

What safety options do they have? (we’ve had a few nasty surprises with accidents in the workshop that the insurance was not our best friend for)

How long will it last?

What’s the reputation of the company? Have they been around for long? 

What is the after sales customer service like? 

If a machine breaks down, how fast can they fix it? (It’s not fun to have the carpenters sitting around fiddling their thumbs because a machine is broken and there’s a zillion and one projects pilling up until someone comes to fix it)

Has anyone else we know bought it and used it for long? What are they saying?

And the questions would go on and on and on……….

This may sound familiar to you if you’ve ever bought a power tool as well. The list of questions gets even longer if it’s amore costly one.

So over the years, I got a lot of practice picking the right tools for us and learning from mistakes of picking the wrong one.

On top of this, every now and then a friend would come and ask for some advice on buying a tool that they’re interested in and I would have to repeat the same process.

So this got me thinking. 

Why don’t I just create a place for anyone who’s interested in buying a tool that I already have many years of experience in? I may not have used every tool in the world, but I have used or know enough people who’ve used a tool or at least have a pretty good idea on how to pick the right one for a given circumstance and more importantly, what tools to stay away from.

Enter, Saw Tools Guide!

I slowly started reviewing products and writing help guides on completing different projects that I was interested in and creating a collection of articles. 

Now of course the website has pages and pages of it. But it started off as a small collection of help guides that anyone can easily refer to.

I’ve tried to write the articles in a way that is easy for a professional as well as an amateur to understand.

Lately I’ve been getting a few others to help me out publish articles, as I’m fairly time poor. The buck still stops with me as I personally check every tool reviewed and revised as many times as we need to, to make sure what we’re recommending can truly help someone out.

When I write reviews or help articles, if there is an opportunity for me to get a little commission, I’ve made sure to add it to the link so that I cover the upkeep of the website, however, it’s never done in a way that breaks  integrity. 

If there’s one advice I’ve followed throughout my entire life, it is ‘Treat others as I would like to be treated myself’. I wouldn’t want someone to manipulate me, so I would do my utmost best to give it my all with what we write.

For this reason, you might find at times the products recommended do not have any affiliate commission attached, because that’s simply the best tool for the job. If you are interested to know more about our Affiliate Disclosure feel free to have a look here.

When I started, writing was not really my favourite. But I think over time, I’ve gotten better and I enjoy doing it now. So hopefully you find the Saw Tools Guide to be a worthy resource to keep coming back to.

Also, if there is any tool that you’re interested in that we don’t have in our collection or, you have a project that you’re not sure which way is the best way to go, feel free to reach out and I’d be happy to help.

These days I’m interested in scrolling patterns. So any chance I get to talk about fun scroll saw projects, I would jump at it in a blink 🙂 Although, come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve written much about Scrolling on the website yet. Maybe that can be my next set of articles.

I think that’s enough about me. While we’re at it, I would also like to introduce the members of my team so that you see some familiar faces when you’re browsing around the site and also would give you an idea about the kind of background they’re coming from.

ABOut the Team

Phil Mitchell

Flooring Specialist & Carpenter

Phil's profile pic

Hi! My name is Phil and I’ve been in the flooring industry just under a decade after leaving my corporate job after the financial crisis in 2018. I’ve always been interested in woodworking and always had a side project that I worked on even when I was working an office job. So, woodworking power tools as well as hand tools naturally become a major part of my life. Just like Jeff I cannot let go of an opportunity to test drive a new shiny tool.

Julia profile pic

Julia Wilson

Carpenter & Joiner/Product Designer

Hiya! My name is Julia, and I’m a professional Carpenter and Joiner with over 7 years of experience in the trade. I specialise in designing, building, and installing custom woodwork, cabinetry, furniture, and other carpentry projects. My passion for carpentry started early on, since I was a little girl visiting furniture shops with my parents furniture shopping for our home. 

I’ve spent countless hours perfecting my craft over the years. Whether it’s a traditional design or a modern, minimalist aesthetic, I take pride in creating unique, high-quality pieces that are tailored to meet each client’s needs. Power tools is a necessary evil in my line of work and finding the best tool for the job has always been the difference between finishing a job safely within a couple of hours to spending days to get the same result.

James Brown

Cabinet Maker

Hi, I’m James and I am passionate about creating beautiful and functional cabinets that enhance the look and feel of any room. As a professional cabinet maker, I have honed my craft over the years and take pride in my attention to detail and commitment to quality.  I rely heavily on power tools to get the job done efficiently and effectively. Some of my favourite power tools include table saws, mitre saws, and cordless drills.

Throughout my career, I have worked on a variety of projects, from custom kitchen cabinets to entertainment centres and bookshelves.

OUR PROCESS

In general there are a few key things we consider when we review products, no matter what tool it is. But we may consider other specialised elements that is unique to the tool or the usage as needed to form a well rounded opinion as well. At a high level we consider the following factors.

  • Purpose: Is this thing gonna do what you need it to do, or what?
  • Features: What’s this bad boy got? Power, speed, size, weight – all the important stuff. And do these features match up with what you need?
  • Design and Construction: Is it built to last? Is it safe to use? And is it, like, easy to use?
  • Performance: How well does it actually work? Does it do what it’s supposed to do, and do it well?
  • User Experience: How does it feel to use? Is it comfy to hold and work with? Is it super loud, or does it come with some nice extra features?
  • Price: Is it worth the money? Do the features and performance match up with the price tag?
  • Overall Assessment: So, what’s the verdict? Is this tool gonna be your new BFF, or should you keep looking? 

OUR METHOD

saw tools guide process mobile version

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