Grr Ripper


collinb

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Same here. There's a little bit of a learning curve to using them correctly, but like Steve said, they not only are safer, but do improve the quality of the cuts. I'm going to get a second pair to leave set up with the anti tip shoes because I put them on and take them off so often.

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At first we criticized them for the cost,  Then we saw the real value.  In my opinion, these are a must have.

 

miw

Yea pretty much any good safety device is cheaper then a finger or thumb.

I use mine all to time, table saw, router table, band saw, jointer...

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Is using one pretty much a constant adjustment from one machine to another and from one cut to another?

I used it this a.m. again.

I took off the "side car" for ripping 2x4s used for attaching shelve rails.  For each fence movement I had to check the center piece position and turn it 180 depending on the thickness being cut and remaining.

I will also say that it had a tendency to slip even with a lot of downward pressure.  I had to constantly adjust my position.  That left me wondering ... I probably need to use a pad with the other hand for doing long pieces.

Even so it's not significantly more work than going without it.  I would still have to find a way to push and to keep the wood in place against the fence (the cause of the original issue in the first place).

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Setting it up is super fast. It's not something you'll get ticked off at. At least I don't. Definitely recommend you get the model with heels. Or buy them separate. I didn't get them at first and really needed them. 

I just put mine together. I bought the super whammy GR-200B, at the salesman's recommendation. I guess I'd better go watch the video before putting it on the ts. Not sure what the stabilizing plate and the adjustable spacer are for. I can see where the accessory "heel kit" will certainly help, as right now, it's only downward pressure that pushes the board thru the blade.

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Speaking of gimmicks (and I'm in no means implying that the Gripper is one), I am salvaging the $4.00 worth of nuts and bolts off of a piece of crap that I bought for $250, 3 years ago at a show. It was sold as a device to resaw your own thin boards and veneer off of logs. 

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I will also say that it had a tendency to slip even with a lot of downward pressure.  I had to constantly adjust my position.  That left me wondering ... I probably need to use a pad with the other hand for doing long piece.

I've done it the way Eric describes above, but it kind of gives me the willies to have to reach for something mid-cut. I wound up with two and use a hand over hand method for long boards. 

As for the pressure - as Eric said, wax your table. I also have gotten into the habit of wiping the pads on my shop apron before every use to get the dust off. I use them for face jointing boards and even with a waxed table it can sometimes be quite a bit of resistance, so keeping them clean really helps. Once in a while I wipe them with mineral spirits and it's like putting glue on it - they get really tacky.

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I'm with mike, anything I'm not sure about, goes to the BS. The grripperrrr seems like a nice idea, but it also seems very gimickey to me. I've never used one,  and maybe I should for a month to see if I'm off base but I don't think I would buy one without using one first.

I thought the same thing, I used to see it at the woodworking show being demoed and I thought "that's an expensive push block, what's the point?" I then had the chance to buy the Grr-Ripper 200 with all the accessories for  20 bucks, so I figured it'd be worth 20 bucks. I use it primarily at the table saw, it's used on nearly every cut and it's fantastic. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I bought a set of these at the Woodworking Show in Atlanta about 3 years ago and consider them an absolute essential in my shop.  I use the "leap frog" method for longer rip cuts.  I can't (presently) afford a Sawstop, but these give me a level of comfort, not complacency, that removes most of the pucker factor in difficult cuts.

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