mds2 Posted October 1, 2015 Report Share Posted October 1, 2015 I love my grrrrrrrrrrr ripper even though the name is really stupid. I dont use my table saw or jointer without it. But the drop hook on the back should come STANDARD on it. It makes it a hell of a lot safer. Being an add on to a ripping device is also stupid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted October 1, 2015 Report Share Posted October 1, 2015 Unless I misunderstand, being an add on makes it replaceable for when you might cut through the heel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 I needed to make some 3/16" beaded moldings with a little shoulder making the piece a 1/4" wide today to match some other stuff in an old house today. Height was 1/2". I went up in the attic and stole an old board that was not used for anything structurally, but was a close grain match to the stuff I needed it to put it next to. The bead was the easy part, since I had just the right old molding plane.A zero clearance insert, and this modern convenience made safe and accurate work of running the 30 feet of pieces to size without an elaborate setup of finger boards on the table saw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechwood Chip Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 Unless I misunderstand, being an add on makes it replaceable for when you might cut through the heel. Replaceable / detachable is good. Selling the basic tool without them is bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mds2 Posted October 8, 2015 Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 Replaceable / detachable is good. Selling the basic tool without them is bad.This was my point. I dont mind buying replacements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 I just bought all the accessories at once. I knew that I might never use some but last night I had to make an 1/8 strip out of a tapering off cut so the grain would match. First use of the narrow ripping leg worked fine. Much better than the sacrificial wooden push stick I would have used in the past.Yea the tail hook should be included but does the Discovery channel come with basic service? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted August 21, 2016 Report Share Posted August 21, 2016 Resurrecting this thread as a discussion has broken out in nickgknight's classified thread trying to sell his Grr-Ripper. If your Grr-Ripper is hard to adjust, exchange it or fix it. A little attention with some 220 grit sandpaper on the sliding/mating parts will have things moving smoothly. Now that that's solved, I use them hand over hand on the router table and sometimes on the tablesaw. I will also have one setup with the wide bed for retaining thin stock and use the other just to push. You can easily add your own tail stops. Great for thin stock (to a point). And for holding small stock that you need to mill. Obviously the preferred mthod is to mill larger stock and cut the part off but, sometimes there's that perfect little piece of scrap you can squeeze a part out of. . . . and the beat goes on . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted August 21, 2016 Report Share Posted August 21, 2016 Agree with Gee-Dub.. However, I normally just use regular push sticks until the "off normal" stuff comes up. They certainly don't live on top of my saw but, I'm glad that I have them when I need them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logos Posted August 22, 2016 Report Share Posted August 22, 2016 Love mine! Had one ever since I saw Marc's review a couple of years ago. Bought a second one last year to use in tandem for large pieces. Only realized how useful it can be on the router table last year. For some reason my router table scares me way more then my table saw and the gripper makes it much safer! I thinks it's pretty easy to adjust and wasn't that bad to put together. It's a pricey push stick but offers safety that no other push stick can match! It's not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isaac Posted August 22, 2016 Report Share Posted August 22, 2016 Never really considered one before this thread, but with all the praise, I went ahead and ordered one. Will let you know after I get some time to use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Immortan D Posted August 22, 2016 Report Share Posted August 22, 2016 56 minutes ago, Isaac Gaetz said: Never really considered one before this thread, but with all the praise, I went ahead and ordered one. Will let you know after I get some time to use it. Actually you need two of them to get all the benefits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat60 Posted August 22, 2016 Report Share Posted August 22, 2016 Here may be one more thing I dont want..LOL..Im not saying the Grr Riper isnt safer . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isaac Posted August 22, 2016 Report Share Posted August 22, 2016 46 minutes ago, Immortan D said: Actually you need two of them to get all the benefits. Well, I can always add the second later. I don't do a lot of long cuts where I feel I'd need to do a hand over hand type operation, but if I do, and I like the tool, I'll pick another one up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freedhardwoods Posted October 9, 2016 Report Share Posted October 9, 2016 On 8/21/2016 at 11:07 AM, gee-dub said: You can easily add your own tail stops. It's been a while since I read the instructions, but I think they suggest making your own. For someone that has the mindset of "I've done it my way for x number of years and I don't need a fancy gadget", they probably already have their mind made up that it is just a gimmick. For someone that is interested in safer and more efficient ways of doing things, they will wonder why they waited so long to get it/them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodger. Posted October 9, 2016 Report Share Posted October 9, 2016 Here is a good way to make some of your own. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freedhardwoods Posted October 9, 2016 Report Share Posted October 9, 2016 26 minutes ago, Pug said: Here is a good way to make some of your own. Those are nice push blocks. Absolutely no comparison to what an actual Gripper can do. The instructions said to make sacrificial tails, not the whole tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isaac Posted October 9, 2016 Report Share Posted October 9, 2016 Still getting used to my Gripper, It is weird running my hand over the blade, but the results are good and I'm getting the hang of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat60 Posted October 9, 2016 Report Share Posted October 9, 2016 Its like allot of things here. I have never had the need or want for one but if someone has one or three of them its great. I like wood push sticks and blocks myself.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted October 9, 2016 Report Share Posted October 9, 2016 I don't use my gripper often but, I'm glad I have it when I need it. His push blocks are cool but, only tackle one thing the gripper does. It's not a replacement. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
collinb Posted October 10, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2016 When trying out my new jointer I used a square piece of about 2" x 2" x 2' for some of the testing. The GrrRipper worked well for providing force against both the side and the bottom of the piece because a square piece is difficult to hold against the rear fence when cutting the adjacent side. So I used a GrrRipper on the corner to give both safety and control. Much tougher to do with a push pad. I also have 2 of them. Got the second at an estate auction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharleyL Posted October 22, 2016 Report Share Posted October 22, 2016 I had a lot of trouble getting my mind to accept using a Grripper because my uncle, who had taught me how to use a table saw safely, burned a basic rule into my head. It was "Never under any circumstances, allow your hands to get closer than 6" from the blade when it's moving. Always stop and find another way". This rule has kept me safe for over 50 years, but with a Grripper, just holding the handle as I pass it over the blade put my hand much closer than 6" above the blade. I had watched the videos and understood the right way to use them, but still did not feel comfortable using one, until I was building a toy horse barn fro my grandaughter. Much of the window and door trim for that little barn required 1/8 and 1/4" wide strips of wood and cutting them with my strip cutting jig on my table saw was not working all that well. So I started using the gripper with the 1/8" side piece, while telling myself that it was OK to pass my hand over the blade as long as I was holding onto the Grripper (for protection). It was very difficult for me to accept this at first, but It didn't take me very long to realize how well the Grripper worked when cutting smaller pieces and by the end of that horse barn project, I had managed to modify that 6" rule that was so deeply burned into my brain to make it "OK as long as I'm holding onto the Grripper". I now have three of the 200's with a couple of additional 1/8" side pieces and some other accessories. One of the Grrippers is always with my router table, so it's usually missing one of the side pieces. The two on my table saw get changed around frequently, depending on what I'm cutting. I almost never use any other kind of push block, stick, etc. any more, unless it's something special in the form of a specially made push block for the unique project that I'm making, and these usually get discarded when the project is completed. All are designed to hold down as well as push the work with my hands kept well outside the 6" rule. Grrippers have a built-in safety device that they don't advertise, but should. The plastic that they are made from gives off a very unique odor whenever it is cut. The sudden presence of this smell makes you immediately know that something is not right and you will stop the cut. My Grrippers have been used a lot and every once in a while, especially when feeding a board with the hand over hand method using 2 Grrippers, one of the Grippers does not get held flat against the fence and the blade shaves a bit off one of the side pieces. Instantly, my nose tells me something is wrong and I stop. I stop quickly enough that I have yet to need to replace one of the side pieces. They are getting ugly, but are far from needing replacement. The nose response is really that quick. Charley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharleyL Posted October 22, 2016 Report Share Posted October 22, 2016 29 minutes ago, Mike. said: A year later and mine is still in the shop. I don't do anything on the tablesaw that requires my hands to get that close to the blade. I have a shop made push block I like quite a bit. Maybe I will put mine on the market place.... Does your shop made push stick also hold the boards down as they are being cut? Does it also hold a narrow off-cut all the way through the cut and past the blade? You should really try it before you sell it. I was a non-believer too, until I had used mine for a while. I started with only one Grripper, and it too sat for a while, until I decided that it might help with what I was doing. I now own three Grrippers, and I am considering a fourth. They take a while to get used to, because they are so different than the typical push stick, but I'm quite certain that you will grow to love it. Charley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bleedinblue Posted October 22, 2016 Report Share Posted October 22, 2016 I'm with you Mike. The Gripper is about the second or third choice I reach for when I reach for a push block/stick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted October 22, 2016 Report Share Posted October 22, 2016 Like others have said the gripper is not my go to but when I need it I love it. Their block on the other hand is my go to on the jointer https://www.amazon.com/GRR-RIP-BLOCK-Smart-Hook-Pushblock/dp/B00DNX3N7S/ref=sr_1_7?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1477149983&sr=1-7&keywords=Microjig 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJH30518 Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 I have seen demonstrations of the gripper at shows, and most of the time they are showing it being used on a table saw. I have used it on a TS, but really only when used with a tapering jig. What I really like it for is on a shaper. It has 2 really good pluses when used on a shaper ... it keeps that hands away from the spinning cutter and keeps the board flat on the table -- I used them with rail and style cutters. The Griper had the side support setting on the table to offset the wood piece, and I used the stop blocks to rest on the side edge of the board -- this keeps the gripper away from the cutter, and helps push the board against the fence. For me, the gripper is the ideal push stick for a shaper or router table! Not so much for the table saw ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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