grr-ripper opinions

[Four Fingers]

Saw the grr-ripper plastic pusher / holder at a show. Lee valley also has it.

?

[Lew Hodgett]

--------------------------------- If you have money burning a hole in your pocket, why not?

Otherwise, why bother?

Lew

[CW]

It's worth every penney. You might not believe it until you try it. I have never known anyone that has tried it that didn't think it was great.

[J. Clarke]

There was a thread on it recently--if you look for it on Google Groups you should find it.

Bottom line is that it works nicely, does what they say it does, in principle you can make a workalike without much trouble, in practice making a workalike is more effort than it's worth unless you're just doing it for the exercise.

[Steve Turner]

Buy two.

[Lew Hodgett]

---------------------------------- Is that with or without feather boards?

Lew

[Edward Hennessey]

The reviews on Amazon glow. Other information--including manuals--are available on

the manufacturer. eBay offers the best prices, including the pairs that appear to be optimal. Not cheap but what does your first bloodletting cost?

Regards,

Edward Hennessey

[J. Clarke]

Yes.

[Leon]

Not a solution looking for a problem, these things are great and as others have said, get a pair. They come with a jack leg that will support the gripper when cutting narrow stock. This prevents the pusher from tilting. It is handy to have one ready with the jack leg adjustment when you are in a ripping production mode and you stock is narrower than the gripper.

[Mike M]

Agreed

Mike M

[Steve]

"Leon" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

As the others have said "get two". I was lucky enough to find two at a garage sale for a great price, but I was planning on getting a pair anyway. They work every bit as well as advertised.

Steve

[Lew Hodgett]

"Lew Hodgett"

I responded:

------------------------------------ Further thoughts:

Whack up a 2x6x96 construction timber into 8-10 equal pieces, then cut back on each side to provide a "hook" at the end and you suddenly have

8-10 double sided push blocks.

Add a feather board(s) as required.

What am I missing?

Certainly not the money still in my wallet.

Lew

[J. Clarke]

That's fine for pushing from an edge. The grr-ripper has high friction material on it and no hook so it can push from the center of a piece, letting you (a) apply pressure toward the fence and (b) hold the piece down while not having your hand anywhere near the blade.

Also the various pieces in different widths let you deal with relatively narrow strips.

And it's quite helpful with the router table and jointer as well as the table saw.

Next time you're in Woodcraft spend a few minutes with the thing--take it apart, put it back together, and think about it and you'll likely end up taking one home.

[Lew Hodgett]

--------------------------------- You need to take a wood working 101 class .

The above becomes a non issue when you have finished the course.

----------------------------------------

------------------------------------- SOP if the saw is set up properly.

------------------------------------

------------------------------ So are decent push blocks; however router and jointer tend to be machine specific push blocks.

--------------------------------

------------------------------------ Don't think I've ever been in a Woodcraft.

Don't even know if there is one in the area.

I try to stay out of retail stores except for my local hardware when necessary.

Lew

[J. Clarke]

Uh huh. So tell us what we would learn.

So how does "setting the saw up properly" move narrow strips past the blade?

Uh, what do you believe the Grr-ripper to be other than a "decent push block"?

That explains much.

Must be nice to be able to afford a personal shopper.

[Lew Hodgett]

---------------------------------------- That's what the 101 course is all about.

-------------------------------------

------------------------------------ Safely. ------------------------------

------------------------------- Over engineered and over priced solution waiting for a problem.

--------------------------------

-------------------------- Thought it might help.

-------------------------

--------------------------------- It's called a telephone, a credit card, and UPS.

Lew

[Edward Hennessey]

FF:

Check that

website.

Microjig also offers two accessories besides the MJ handle: an attachment that allows cutting stock thin as 1/8" and a transparent plate for deflecting chips and, apparently, for connecting two grippers side-by-side on wide stock.

A lot of folk using this report they are able to do away with the featherboard or at least adjust it--in certain applications--to apply less tension on the workpiece, reducing pinching of the workpiece and kickback.

It would be nice if the system was not spendy but as you imply 4 fingers on each hand is good. By the way, in Spanish, all the digits are "dedos" (fingers), so your handle would lose a bit of the ambiguity if you're ever translating.

Regards,

Edward Hennessey

[J. Clarke]

What, moving wood through a table saw without touching it anywhere except the edge?

Tell us the mechanism by which it does this.

I see.

Must be nice to be able to afford shipping charges on a can of tomatoes.

Lew, do you have multiple personality disorder? You're usually pretty sensible, but right now you're the same sanctimonious twit we saw in the Abby Sunderland thread.

[-MIKE-]

They sell tomatoes at Woodcraft, now?

[J. Clarke]

Do try to follow the thread--he said that he doesn't go into _any_ retail stores.