Rockwell’s JawHorse SheetMaster is their newest clamping work stand and improves upon the bestselling JawHorse in a number of areas. Most notably, the SheetMaster has a larger out-of-box capacity, features two rugged wheels instead of a large roller for mobility, and has been tweaked for quicker setup and tear-down.
After evaluating the SheetMaster ourselves, we passed it around to a couple of colleagues for second opinions. That may not have been the wisest choice since nobody wanted to give it back!
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Monstrous Clamping Capacity
Although you can add a plywood jaw to the original JawHorse to hold a full sheet of plywood or quarter sheet along its 48″ length, the SheetMaster offers this capacity out-of-the-box. The SheetMaster offers the same 1-ton clamping pressure and can also support up to 600 lbs.
You won’t always need that 49″ clamping capacity, but it certainly does come in handy when working with large sheets or panels. Even so, the SheetMaster is not just about increased capacity.
Improved Mobility
The original JawHorse has a roller wheel for portability, a feature we’re not particularly fond of. Sure, it works well enough on smooth flooring, but it’s not very well suited to uneven or textured surfaces. Rockwell did away with the roller and opted for two inline skate-style wheels for the SheetMaster, which make it an absolute joy to roll around, indoors and out. The SheetMaster even seems to be slightly more maneuverable indoors on smooth floors.
Setup/Breakdown & Portability
The leg-locking mechanisms of the SheetMaster have been redesigned for quicker setup and teardown. While the JawHorse is quick to fold and unfold, the process feels downright clumsy in comparison to the SheetMaster. Aside from being quicker to setup and pack up, the SheetMaster’s new design makes it easier to do so as well. We found that we could now unlock the legs and fold them up with a one-hand motion.
Rockwell also changed how the the SheetMaster locks together for transport. With the new stand, the legs fold in first and the clamping lever afterwards, locking everything together. The third leg then locks in on top of that for storage.
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Conclusion
Why did we only compare the JawHorse SheetMaster to the Jawhorse? Because the Jawhorse is the best portable work holding clamp on the market today. There are others, of course, such as the Ridgid SuperClamp, but they’re puny in comparison to the Jawhorse.
The improvements Rockwell put into the SheetMaster make it even more appealing for professional and advanced users. Some DIYers and homeowners may be turned off by the higher pricepoint, but you’re getting a lot more for your money. What you also get more of is added size and weight. This isn’t a deal-breaker, just something to be aware of.
We very highly recommend Rockwell’s new Jarhorse SheetMaster. We think that it may have been a better idea to name it “Jawhorse Pro” or similar, since it seems to have been redesigned with professionals in mind. There is no doubt in our minds that the SheetMaster is the best clamping work stand on the market today.
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The original Jawhorse is still a great buy as well. Functionality between the two work stands is comparable, with the SheetMaster mainly improving on the execution. If Rockwell decides to release a smaller Jawhorse-mini version as well, to meet the near-$100 pricepoint, they will absolutely dominate the market.
Thank you to Rockwell for providing the sample for this review unconditionally. Review samples are typically returned, donated, or in some cases retained for further testing or benchmark and comparison purposes.
AndrewC
Something I was wondering the first time you mentioned the Sheetmaster: does the Sheetmaster come with auxilliary support legs to support large sheets of plywood? The plywood jaw kit for the original Jawhorse came with brackets so support legs could be fashioned. Without these legs, you cannot support thin pieces of plywood (<3/4") without excessive warping, and you cannot hold any plywood unless its relatively balanced on the jawhorse "jaw."
The brackets to create the legs seem to be a necessity, but they were fairly cumbersome on the Jawhorse plywood jaw kit. Didn't know if those had been redesigned.
Stuart
I’m sorry for not getting back to you sooner. Yes, the SheetMaster does comes with a single right-angle 2×4 auxiliary support bracket. Compared to photos I have seen of ones included with the Jawhorse’s plywood attachment, they have not been resdesigned.
To be honest, I didn’t even bother with it. I just use a JawStand and a horizontal 2×4 to help support and balance things.
steve berg
I bought a Jawhorse sheetmaster just before Christmas. It will not tighten up. When you step on pedal to apply pressure it just slips and wont tighten. Upon inspection I find the “dogs” that engage the moveable jaw appear to be welded in crooked and wont hook up and tighten the jaw. I called the store where I bought the Jawhorse to see about getting this unit exchanged. I have learned that the Jawhorse sheetmaster is on back-order until the end of April
Stuart
Did you try contacting Rockwell directly? They might have a couple of units in stock for warranty exchanges.
steve berg
Glory Be !!! I just got my broken Jawhorse replaced today! Have not even tried it out yet . I am now happy again….need it for a project Saturday AM
osie
I’ve been debating back and forth whether or not to spend the extra 50bucks (amazon) on the sheetmaster. For me, the one big selling point for the “pro”, is that it has an actual foot on the third leg. Have you noticed whether this added feature is that much more of an improvement or not?
On the other hand, the original Jawhorse has its own selling point that is too big to ignore… it has accessories. More specifically, the Log Jaw accessory. I’m trying to use the Jawhorse as a quasi-log splitter and think I will need that accessory. Does the pro version have accessories? I havent been able to find any. Do the original accessories fit on the pro?