Grr Grippers

[Ari2]

Hi All,

Just exploring the merit of Grr Grippers. The forum has been silent on these devices since about September 2008 where there was mixed feelings about the grippers. Has anyone had more recent experience. Web reviews seem positive but I note that there seems to be only one outlet in Australia that stocks them. I (my father-in-law) am looking to use it for short length material where the thickness will be six or so mm's.

thanks

[Cliff Rogers]

You may be better off with a sled for short thin material.

[Cliff Rogers]

https://www.woodworkforums.com/f153/sled-68703/


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE9f4bp_wm8

[Ari2]

Thanks Cliff,
I should have mentioned that I will be ripping material, not cross-cutting. I already have an Incra 1000se sled and a dewalt SCMS.

[Cliff Rogers]

What length?

[Ari2]

Most likely between 300 & 600 mm's. He makes salad servers and usually uses offcuts. Sometimes I thickness material for him but often he just decides to go it alone. I worry for his fingers.

[Evanism]

Each tool for its own purpose.

I use Grrippers, two of them, every day.

I never put my hands anywhere near the blade, ever, for any reason... EVER.

The grripers are used for ripping, every time. I use the Incra mitre for cross cuts up to ~200mm, and the sled for everything above that. I also use the sled for stopped cuts.

I rarely use finger pushers to hold material tight, the angle of the grripper and the riving knife has reduced catches to zero. I use the TS for about 2 hours a day... MDF, pine, hardwoods, thin cuts, and trims. I use the TS for a host of things other tools are good at... I use it to break down and trim pine battons to exact sizing. The jointer sits gathering dust.

That said, I think Grrrippers MUST... SHOULD.... be mandatory on every saw.

Buy them, you will use them continuously.

[fields]

wouldn't ripping thin stock like that be safer on a bandsaw?

[Ari2]

wouldn't ripping thin stock like that be safer on a bandsaw?

I have a band-saw, as does the FIL, but the finish is not as good as with a rip blade on a TS.

[Evanism]

I have a band-saw, as does the FIL, but the finish is not as good as with a rip blade on a TS.

I love ripping on the bandsaw. If you invest in a carbide tipped blade like those from Henry Bros or Resaw King from Laguna (they custom make sizes now) you will enter an entirely new universe... the edges are clean, crisp and completely finished. A very quick sand with 240 and you're done.

Seriously good blades. (yes, serious price too)

I also use the Freud Fusion series blades on the TS, they are the same... dead smooth, very very very nice crisp finish!

[Ari2]

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I love ripping on the bandsaw. If you invest in a carbide tipped blade like those from Henry Bros or Resaw King from Laguna (they custom make sizes now) you will enter an entirely new universe... the edges are clean, crisp and completely finished. A very quick sand with 240 and you're done.

Seriously good blades. (yes, serious price too)

I also use the Freud Fusion series blades on the TS, they are the same... dead smooth, very very very nice crisp finish!

My bandsaw is a 31 year old 14" machine, Craftmaster - Chinese import I think, probably not worth spending on and I'm not really in the market for a new bandsaw for my FIL to use. So I guess I'll stick with the TS for ripping for the moment.

[Sir Stinkalot]

I have the Grr Ripper and find it great. I purchased it from the States when we were on holiday a few years ago (and the dollar was reasonably high) so got it at a good price. Now that I have used it I regret not buying another as I had planned. At the time I also purchased the 1/8" side (I think it was 1/8") which allows ripping extremely thin pieces. I like the fact that both pieces are supported and pushed against the table during a cut. There is also the side stabilizer but I haven't used that as much but I should put it near the saw to encourage me to use it more.

One thing I do not like is having to remove the overhead guard when ripping the thin stock but when the fence is so close to the blade it is still safer than most other methods.

I also use it on the jointer and router table which is where a second one would be really good.

I find the build quality to be very good and it does feel that your hand is well out of the way of the blade. Mine has lost some of its grip but I'm sure the instructions tell you to wipe the gripper with something ..... I just need to look it up!

[Mobyturns]

I use a Gripper for ripping small pieces on the TS. One down side - the blade guard has to be removed & if you have a table saw with a fixed dual purpose riving knife / blade guard support that may be a hassle to do. There are other options to use a ripping sled - just search "ripping thin strips on a table saw" in Google. Grippers also require a high sided fence to act as an alignment guide. They allow a fair bit of flexibility but in the end they are still hand held and can still come into contact with the blade and be reefed out of your hand.


One trick I use a fair bit is to use PVA glue to bond strips of high value timber to something like stock radiata pine to make ripping safer. Requires a bit of advance preparation though. Hot melt glue is a no no.

[Sawdust Maker]

I have one which I use regularly for small stock

I'm sorry I didn't get two as I could have used the second on a number of occasions. Another is on my wishlist

PS
I've seen a jig which straddles the fence which is good for cutting thinner stock
but the advantage of the grrripper is the support of both pieces

[Dengue]

Totally agree with Evanism. I have only the one, but really you should have two. I have found I need a 2nd one, esp when ripping long lengths.

The Gripper allows me to do things that I would not have been able to do, esp with smaller pieces. Gets a lot of use on the router table too.

Great for avoiding kickback, as both sides fo the cut are held in position by the gripper