Shopsmith Forums

jsburger wrote: ↑Wed Oct 05, 2022 1:53 pm IMO the demise of JPW is a non issue since SS has supplied Treewax or Minwax and not JPW in the help kit for MANY years now.

In my mind it is more about personal preferences than what the mothership recommends on the 2nd Tuesday of the 3rd month of this year. Whether or not the mothership recommends a product or not is really only relevant for those few who still have warranty service available from the factory IMHO. More interested in finding a quality product that both protects the main surfaces of the Mark V AND has a low coefficient of friction. Thanks for your feedback.

RFGuy wrote: ↑Wed Oct 05, 2022 2:08 pm Whether or not the mothership recommends a product or not is really only relevant for those few who still have warranty service available from the factory IMHO.

I respectfully disagree. If the factory recommends a particular product, you can be reasonably confident that product will be fit for purpose. What would they have to gain for recommending something that isn't?

HopefulSSer wrote: ↑Wed Oct 05, 2022 2:26 pm

RFGuy wrote: ↑Wed Oct 05, 2022 2:08 pm Whether or not the mothership recommends a product or not is really only relevant for those few who still have warranty service available from the factory IMHO.

I respectfully disagree. If the factory recommends a particular product, you can be reasonably confident that product will be fit for purpose. What would they have to gain for recommending something that isn't?

Makes sense IFF the subject IS JPW>


However the current subject is alternatives to JPW since it is no longer being produced.

Minwax paste finishing wax gets my vote.

HopefulSSer wrote: ↑Wed Oct 05, 2022 2:26 pm I respectfully disagree. If the factory recommends a particular product, you can be reasonably confident that product will be fit for purpose. What would they have to gain for recommending something that isn't?

The point I was making is that the factory will change whatever product they ship in a help kit depending on supply constraints, pricing, company buyer personal preferences, etc., etc. I do NOT consider the mothership to be any different from any another manufacturer in this regard. In addition, products do NOT stay the same. Just because JPW or any other brand was one way, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago, does NOT mean it is the same formulation today. I also haven't used factory specified belts because I don't like them and preferred the ones sold by Jacob Anderson before he retired. Bearings are often one area, on this forum, where many will go beyond what the factory "recommends" and choose to purchase a higher quality replacement. Just because the factory recommends "something" on a machine that has been out of warranty for decades doesn't hold much weight with me. Sorry, but just stating facts as I see them.

Wow guys thanks for all the debate... Great stuff... Lots to consider... For me my grandpa used SCJ and my dad used SCJ... Just doesn't seem right using anything else. This is going to take some getting used to.

JPG wrote: ↑Wed Oct 05, 2022 2:59 pm

HopefulSSer wrote: ↑Wed Oct 05, 2022 2:26 pm

RFGuy wrote: ↑Wed Oct 05, 2022 2:08 pm Whether or not the mothership recommends a product or not is really only relevant for those few who still have warranty service available from the factory IMHO.

I respectfully disagree. If the factory recommends a particular product, you can be reasonably confident that product will be fit for purpose. What would they have to gain for recommending something that isn't?

Makes sense IFF the subject IS JPW>


However the current subject is alternatives to JPW since it is no longer being produced.

Minwax paste finishing wax gets my vote.

And as I quoted, the mothership recommends (or recommended) BOTH JPW AND Minwax

RFGuy wrote: ↑Wed Oct 05, 2022 3:28 pm

HopefulSSer wrote: ↑Wed Oct 05, 2022 2:26 pm I respectfully disagree. If the factory recommends a particular product, you can be reasonably confident that product will be fit for purpose. What would they have to gain for recommending something that isn't?

The point I was making is that the factory will change whatever product they ship in a help kit depending on supply constraints, pricing, company buyer personal preferences, etc., etc. I do NOT consider the mothership to be any different from any another manufacturer in this regard. In addition, products do NOT stay the same. Just because JPW or any other brand was one way, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago, does NOT mean it is the same formulation today. I also haven't used factory specified belts because I don't like them and preferred the ones sold by Jacob Anderson before he retired. Bearings are often one area, on this forum, where many will go beyond what the factory "recommends" and choose to purchase a higher quality replacement. Just because the factory recommends "something" on a machine that has been out of warranty for decades doesn't hold much weight with me. Sorry, but just stating facts as I see them.

Of course they won't recommend products that are not available. But if they recommend (and sell) a product then it's reasonable to assume that that product will not cause problems rather than solve them. If they recommend a bad product, then they lose face and hurt their reputation. If they sell a bad product, then they have to stand behind it (and potentially incur liability should that product cause damage). So they have nothing to gain and potentially much to lose by making bad recommendations.

Is that to say that there might be even better whiz-bangs out there? Of course not. But "exceeding mfr specs" is not the discussion here -- it's with what to replace a discontinued product. I feel confident that a reputable company (as I believe SS to be) is not going to knowingly recommend something that won't at minimum meet the required specifications. And in this case they recommend and sell Minwax as a replacement for JPW, so I would not hesitate to use it even in absence of corroboration here in the forum.

KCollins wrote: ↑Wed Oct 05, 2022 5:16 pm Wow guys thanks for all the debate... Great stuff... Lots to consider... For me my grandpa used SCJ and my dad used SCJ... Just doesn't seem right using anything else. This is going to take some getting used to.

Yeah, I agree with you. I got my start on my Dad's Mark V and learned to care for it with JPW as he has done and will continue to do so into the future, I hope. So, I also feel it is something tangible slipping away to not use JPW anymore. Didn't mean to turn it into a big "debate" on this thread. I was just wondering what else other members are using out there. IF I am going to use something else, I'd at least like it to be equivalent or preferably a step up from JPW.

HopefulSSer,

You have A LOT of faith and trust in corporations. I, on the other hand, have been disappointed on many, many occasions. I have learned to lower my expectations accordingly so that I am pleasantly surprised when a company exceeds my expectations.

RFGuy wrote: ↑Thu Oct 06, 2022 9:50 am HopefulSSer,

You have A LOT of faith and trust in corporations. I, on the other hand, have been disappointed on many, many occasions. I have learned to lower my expectations accordingly so that I am pleasantly surprised when a company exceeds my expectations.

Note that I put "reputable" in italics. And I trust companies generally to want to avoid creating problems for themselves needlessly, especially when there's no cost to them to do so. In this specific case I doubt SS is getting a kickback from Big Wax to push Minwax over anything else. ;-)