GR 200 GRR-Ripper-What can't it do

[John Grossi]

A lot of info on our site about what the GRR can do. I would like to know it's limitations. I am considering a pair with the sale going on at $139.00. It seems there is a gadget for everything, and I hate to spend that kind of money and have them go unused. Thanks

[Eric Getchell]

I too am curious as it looks like a great way to keep control of stock. I've always wondered how it works on narrow cuts with a saw that has a tall splitter and/or anti-kickback pawls. It seems that if the saw blade is to be straddled, it requires the use of a small splitter and no pawls.

[Bill Huber]

There will be a lot of people talking about how great they are but I had a set for about 3 weeks and sold them. For me they were just not that handy. You have to change them from one set up to another and for me that was just a PITA.

There is a million parts, well maybe not that many but there is a bunch.

I found that a good push stick and a thin strip jig from Rockler work just as good and I didn't have to mess with all the parts.

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=18056&filter=thin%20strips



http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=11073

[Gene Waara]

[QUOTE=Bill Huber;1618000]There will be a lot of people talking about how great they are but I had a set for about 3 weeks and sold them. For me they were just not that handy. You have to change them from one set up to another and for me that was just a PITA.......

I won't disagree with Bill that changeovers can take time but I too bought one based on Creekers comments. I like the unit and am waiting for a good sale to buy another for hand-over-hand cuts. For me, it is a safety issue. I simply feel better using the Gripper over a push stick. I'm a hobbyist a few years from an early retirement and have really amped up my ww since the kids are out of the house and I have more time for the hobby. At the same time I have amped up my awareness of safety. Not everyone will agree with me and that is fine - just MHO.

[Glen Blanchard]

I like them quite a lot. I use mine for thin rips, and feel as I have much more control over the stock (certainly more than a push stick). It is a bit of a pain to assemble due to all the parts, but that only has to be done once. It takes me no more than a few seconds to adjust for the width of rip and stock thickness. I only have one, and will eventually buy another.

[Gerald Senburn]

You can add me to the list of people who like them. I like the way I can rip narrow parts and keep control of both pieces. And the grippiness of the rubber gives me more positive control when trimming small panels.

[glenn bradley]

Let's see; what won't they do?

1 - They won't make you like them:

A search here on 'Grr-Ripper' or just 'Ripper' will quickly give you the like/dislike ratio on this accessory. When I respond to inquiries on the Grr-Ripper I try to always mention that some folks love 'em and some folks don't; there's very few comments in the middle. Bill Huber, who's opinion I truly respect does not care for them.

So there is an example of a great guy who does some great work, provides valuable contributions here (and I imagine elsewhere) who quite simply does not like them. I'm in the other camp. We all do things differently and the value or usefulness of something is reflected in that. Not right or wrong, better or worse, just different :).

2 - They can't be used with a tall splitter/pawls:

To answer Eric, anything that is more than about 1/4" taller than the blade has to be removed to use the Grr-Ripper. I will not make cuts without a splitter. I found I use the Grr-Rippers so much that I converted to the MJ-Splitter that can stay in place when using the Grr-Ripper on all but the thinnest stock. I have an MJ in each of my primary ZCI's (rip, x-cut and general) and they just get swapped when I swap blades ;).

3 - They aren't perfect for everything:

Although they have gotten better, many early GR's had a centerpiece that was difficult to slide. A couple minutes with a small file and everything moves great. Its not like we don't tweak our other favorites. I'm sure more than one avid user has managed to slice the center block or end pad through improper setup. This does not disable the device but, parts are available if you need them.

4 - They won't fix other problems:

If you want better, safer control; these are great for that. If you have issues with your tool setup, alignment or proper maintenance, these will not suddenly eliminate burn, inaccuracy and diffuculty in material feeding :D.

5 - Other random comments:

I suppose there are some angled cuts you could do with them. The geometry is wrong for what these are designed for so I just skip them on angled cuts.

Some smaller piece work on the router table precludes their use and a thin push stick and featherboards work better.

There are parts that are not in use for every cut. Just like you need somewhere to put your featherboards or miter gauge when not in use, you need to put the plate or spacer block somewhere when they are not in use.

Featherboards are rarely usable with them but, I find I don't really want to use the two accessories at the same time. Sometimes but, not often.

So in the end there is no guarantee which camp you will end up in. A good pre-check might be what you do for push blocks now. Do you have a selection of shop made goodies to help you feed your stock safely? Blocks, sticks, strips and other such implements? If so, the Grr-Ripper will replace most of them but, not all. If you don't use anything right now, I would start. Once you get a feel for what you prefer, it will be easier to assure a good purchase. They are not for everybody. Enjoy.

[Michael Causey]

I have two. I love them. The control is very nice. Add me to the list that would recommend them.

But, they do come in a pile of parts. Although, assembly is not hard.

[Charles Lent]

I'm another satisfied user. I now have three, two for the table saw and one for the router table. They do take some getting used to though. I found it very difficult to convince myself that it was now OK to pass my hands over the blade while holding onto the Grrippers. I've spent over 50 years forcing myself to avoid this, so this change took me awhile. You also have to teach yourself to look under and through the Grripper before each cut to make sure that the path is clear. But for small part or long narrow part cutting I now can't convince myself to do it any other way. Being able to hold both pieces down while they pass through the blade significantly reduces the chances of kick back and makes the process much safer than using push sticks and feather boards.

Charley

[Rod Sheridan]

A lot of info on our site about what the GRR can do. I would like to know it's limitations. I am considering a pair with the sale going on at $139.00. It seems there is a gadget for everything, and I hate to spend that kind of money and have them go unused. Thanks

Well, unless I'm mistaken it can't be used with a blade guard, so it won't be used in my shop............Regards, Rod.

[Glen Blanchard]

Well, unless I'm mistaken it can't be used with a blade guard, so it won't be used in my shop............Regards, Rod.

Rod - You are indeed correct, and it is one of the few table saw operations for which I willingly remove my guard. However, it is sort of a movable guard itself.

[Rod Sheridan]

Glen, do you use it for ripping thin strips with the guard removed?

I'm spoiled, I have a tablesaw with a repositionable fence so I can lay it on its side when ripping thin strips, to give lots of clearance for a conventional push stick.

regards, Rod.

[Glen Blanchard]

Glen, do you use it for ripping thin strips with the guard removed?

I'm spoiled, I have a tablesaw with a repositionable fence so I can lay it on its side when ripping thin strips, to give lots of clearance for a conventional push stick.

regards, Rod.

Rod, I have a SawStop Industrial with the riving knife and an aftermarket (Excalibur) overarm guard. When I rip thin strips (or rip a small piece) I swing the guard out of the way and use the Gripper. It is about the only time I don't have the guard in place. I feel as if I have much better control and do a better job of keeping the piece against the fence.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

IF you rip narrow pieces, 1/4" or so, you have to remove any blade guard. Don't know of any guards that fit that close to a blade. It's not a problem if you have a saw with a riving knife. I rip 1/8" stock for inlays. This is the only product that I know of that will make that cut safely. Did you check the website? They have a ton of videos. If you don't do any of those tings, then pass.

I like mine I have 2. They also are great for holding down panels for routing raised panels. They already saved my fingers from a pretty nasty kick back. Needless to say, I'll always be using them.

It does have a hunderd parts but they do a lot of different things.....

It boils down to safety and what YOU are comfortable with. I like my fingers, and intend to keep them. Wait for a sale, I got a pair for 140 bucks.

[Erik France]

I have a pair and I love them. If funds are tight you might consider buying one and then pick up another later. Or just getting a GR-200 and a GR-100. I don't see the need for most of the extra parts of the GR-200 for tandem use. I don't use two a whole lot, but having the second when needed is nice. Sometimes I'll set the pair up differently during the same session to save a little time between differing repetitive cuts.

The 1/8" leg option is handy too. I ripped several ~3/16" square strips out of a 1"x3/4"x24" piece of walnut scrap over the weekend. I just set the rip fence once and quickly ripped all the pieces I needed.

Limitations; Featherboards don't always work with them if the stock is lower than the featherboard or if you are using the support leg.

[Rod Sheridan]

IF you rip narrow pieces, 1/4" or so, you have to remove any blade guard. Don't know of any guards that fit that close to a blade. .

.

Hi Kyle, I have a Hammer B3 Winner and don't have to remove the guard to rip thin strips.

I just lay the fence on its side so I have clearance for the push stick.

You can do the same thing with a Unifence, or make an auxillary "L" shaped add on fence that allows the same clearance.



Regards, Rod.

[Scott Vigder]

Put me in the thumbs up Grr-Ripper category. I bought one from the manufacturer, then acquired three more at great prices from Creekers over the past year. In addition to the uses mentioned above, they have completely replaced my jointer push pads as they offer superior grip control.

What I like about them the most is when ripping on the table saw, using a Grr-Ripper lets you place pressure against both the fence and the table top, keeping the wood nearly perfectly aligned to the saw blade.

The accompanying DVD also shows some novel new ways to use the Grr-Rippers, and is well produced.

Good luck with you decision.

[Harold Burrell]

Limitations; Featherboards don't always work with them if the stock is lower than the featherboard or if you are using the support leg.

Maybe I'm missing something, but...why would you need a featherboard with these things???

[Erik France]

Maybe I'm missing something, but...why would you need a featherboard with these things???Normally I don't use featherboards for just a couple rips, but I like using them for repetitive cuts. The issue has only come up a few times with my grippers, once was very recently.

I did 30+ 3/16" wide rip cuts Saturday. A featherboard would have been welcome. If I would have let one of the cuts drift from the fence (usually not having it against the fence under the gripper in the first place) it would have subsequently spoiled several of the pieces I needed out of the small quantity of material I had onhand.

[David Giles]

After multiple cuts of the saw blade across the bottom of the Grripper, they don't stick as well as they used to. Other than that, they are Grreat.

[Rick Moyer]

After multiple cuts of the saw blade across the bottom of the Grripper, they don't stick as well as they used to. Other than that, they are Grreat.
Fortunately that hasn't happened to me yet. They won't stop the sawblade in a micro second, but I feel safer using one than a pushblock really. I DO use a pushblock for certain cuts, but for thin rips or small pieces I think the Gripper is great and also very safe. It gives better control to hold stock both to the table and to the fence at the same time. Like anything else, using it for what, and the way, it was intended makes for best. Glenn Bradley's post pretty well sums it up.

[Jack Clark]

...I have a SawStop Industrial with the riving knife and an aftermarket (Excalibur) overarm guard. When I rip thin strips (or rip a small piece) I swing the guard out of the way and use the Gripper. It is about the only time I don't have the guard in place. I feel as if I have much better control and do a better job of keeping the piece against the fence.

Glen,

Do you also remove the riving knife? Or, does the Gripper pass right over that free and clear?
I have a SawStop PCS, and I think the riving knife is the same or quite similar to the one on the ICS.

[Glen Blanchard]

Glen,

Do you also remove the riving knife? Or, does the Gripper pass right over that free and clear?
I have a SawStop PCS, and I think the riving knife is the same or quite similar to the one on the ICS.

Jack - That's the beauty of riving knives. They raise and lower with the blade. Mine is never higher than the highest point of the blade, thus there is no reason to remove it. About the only time I DO remove the riving knife is when using a dado blade.

[Doug Walls]

Count me in as another satisfied GRR-Ripper user! I have a Ridgid 3650 table saw & because of the way the splitter/guard assembly is connected (just above the motor mount) vibration would cause it to loosen! At first it does take a little more time adjusting the GRR-Ripper but after using it for awhile it becomes normal. I currently have two of them, But I wouldn't hesitate picking up more if I found a good sale on them because besides my table saw I also use them on the jointer & router table.

[John Grossi]

Guys, thanks for all your great responses. Based on them I am ordering a pair from Hartville. John

[Bernie May]

I have two with all the extra parts and use them with my Ridgid 3650. I also use them on my bandsaw, running them on their side to hold the wood against the fence.