Printable View
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
You may be better off with a sled for short thin material. :think:
Thanks Cliff,
I should have mentioned that I will be ripping material, not cross-cutting:doh:. I already have an Incra 1000se sled and a dewalt SCMS.
What length?
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.
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.
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by fields
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ari2
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!
aMy 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.Quote:
Originally Posted by Evanism
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!
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.
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
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
I have one. Dont like it much. Main reason is it requires me to use the saw without the blade guard. I prefer to leave the blade guard on as much as possible - a prediliction that probably comes from having a father who lost 4 fingers to a tablesaw while ripping thin stock. I know some people make the case that the saw is safer without a guard but all I know is that that accident couldnt have happened with a properly fitted blade guard.
I also find the grip isnt that good. The rubber seems a bit hard - not really very grippy at all.
For ripping stock like you want there are lots of ways of making jigs and sleds that will do the job in greater safety.
Cheers
Arron
I have two grippers and agree with the others, once you use them they are addictive and a great product.
Love them. :U:U
Cheers, Ian
Have you seen this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YpuAZOIj88
This is one bloke who knows what he is doing.
Poor Mr Pauolini had a pause.....while adding 1/4" to 1/8".
What a ludicrous measurement system.
One could fix the exact cuts with the all magical Incra TSLS32!!!!
Who needs a $1 bolt and scrap of wood when you can have the awesome shininess of Incra!!!!
Still, Grrrippers are awesome. I used mine again today (but then, I use them every day)
:)
Personally I think it is a great answer to a problem, totally safe, repeatable results and the parts could be had for about two dollars. Value for money I think it beats an Incra anything any day.Quote:
Originally Posted by Evanism
Thanks for this, interesting vid, but it does not overcome the problem of ripping from thin material. The example he showed, whilst allowing strips to be cut from thick stock, could only be used on when one had thick stock to commence with. From what I have now seen I believe the Grr Rippers definitely have a useful role.Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Parks
BTW, I also thought his introduction of the push stick into the process of cutting the strips was belated and unsafe...just my opinion.
I am right with you there Evanism. I have Grripers x 2 and an Incra fence on the tablesaw and another one on the router table. Yes they are shiny, bright and expensive, but when you are set up like that you rarely need the "$1 bolt and a scrap of wood" type solutions, thereby saving time and minimizing the temptation to attempt that dangerous cut "just this once".Quote:
Originally Posted by Evanism
I rarely have blade guards in place since I got the grrippers, and frankly I find it easier to do most cuts without a fixed blade guard in place, with the grrippers protecting me.
Workpiece and offcut both supported + better control over the timber through the cut = increased safety (including less risk of kickback) + increased accuracy + better use of time + happy woodworker.
Cheers
Doug
All my joshing aside....
Watch this for how I rip thin strips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvxKrXYXc0g skip to the 4 minute mark. (ignore his crap video, terrible mullet and inability to actually GET TO THE POINT)
Use a fresh zero kerf insert, or use one just for this purpose. Blade is risen a hair above the timber.
My mod is to use a bolt on fence that is 3mm or so LOWER than the timber I'm going to rip. Its just an L attached to the fence.
This way when I'm doing the rips, the gripper holds both sides (as the good bit is also carried through).
For the beads, the cone thingy at 8:15 is the same as I use.
Now we see the whole problem. Sometimes the TS is the wrong tool for the job and other means have to be used.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ari2
Seems the local agent (One Wood) has stopped importing them, Amazon can't ship for some reason,where next??
Any advice please would be welcome
Not so long ago I asked about importing them to resell. They were very keen for me to but a whole lot with a healthy discount as an "enthusiast" but they had absolutely zero interest in forming or supplying to resellers. They "wanted to concentrate exclusively on the US market".Quote:
Originally Posted by KOALAKID
If we are to buy them, they must come from a US reseller with all the attendant PITA hoops and $$$ that comes from that....
One company that is great to deal with, will sell them to you. That is where I got mine. Lee Valley in Canada.Quote:
Originally Posted by KOALAKID
See http://www.leevalley.com/US/Wood/pag...080,51225&ap=1
Hope this will solve your problem.
PS. Antyhing on LV website is available for shipping except for flammable liquids that can only be sipped via ground (an actual ship in this case).
Regards
Les
do you want to sell itQuote:
Originally Posted by Arron
Carbatec is now the Australian seller of Grr-Rippers.:)Quote:
Originally Posted by KOALAKID
The top of the line model is still 150 bucks. You can still buy that from Amazon or Hardware sales for 79 US. slightly cheaper. The cheapest is to make your own. Not the top of the line model but more like the most basic variety. All it takes is a non-slip mat from the 2 dollar shop glued to a block with epoxy and fitted with some kind of handle.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ari2
Or buy a sanding paddle from B's plastering section $2.50 John
I still refer the option of being able to adjust and adapt my Grr Gripper to make the safest operation possible.