Grrrripper mania

[Lee Ludden]

A few weeks back, my local Woodcraft had a show/contest. Several vendors were there including Kreg, Dewalt-PC, Freud, SawStop, and MicroJig. I am pretty sure that the best selling item by far was the Grr-ripper. I bet they sold 50+ kits that day. I picked up a couple of the handle bridges for my older Grr-Rippers.

Yesterday I stopped in to pick up my handles bridges (I waited too long and they had to back-order), and I ran into a couple of nine fingered guys that were also getting them. I know they have been talked about before, but I think they are truly a 'must have' accessory for working with the table saw or router table.

[David Prince]

I got one for Christmas. Haven't used it yet, but I can think of some times when it might come in handy. I originally watched one of the demonstration videos and thought it looked useful.

I just haven't had a particular project that would call for it. I am sure I will.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I like mine. It already saved my fingers from a nasty kickback from the router when I was using a raised panel bit. I'm happy I spent what ever the cost was.......

[Don Bullock]

At the Woodworking Show in Southern California last year they sold out of them the first day of the show. By the time I got back to their booth to buy one they were all gone. They really were selling deluxe package with all the attachments for a great price. Hopefully next year they'll have a similar deal.

[Bruce Page]

I have a pair of them. Every time I use them I wonder how I got by without them.
They would be replaced immediately if they ever got lost or stolen.

[Gene Waara]

I've become much more safety conscious since spending time on this site (which is a good thing). I bought one without seeing a demonstration a few months ago and I am a believer. I'm waiting for a deal so I can buy another for hand-over hand use. No doubt it is a great accessory. It took me a little time to get used to running my hands over the blade after so many years of "hands to the side" use but once you get used to it you will love it!

[paul cottingham]

I have a pair of them. Every time I use them I wonder how I got by without them.
They would be replaced immediately if they ever got lost or stolen.

Can't put it any better myself.

[John Nesmith]

I have a couple. I always use them on narrow rips.

I haven't got in the habit of using them at the router table, but probably should.

[glenn bradley]

I have a pair of them. Every time I use them I wonder how I got by without them.
They would be replaced immediately if they ever got lost or stolen.

I know these are often a love 'em or hate 'em item during discussions. I like Bruce, have adapted my approach, even my thinking, to include the Grr-Rippers when planning a cut. I have a pair and also would immediately replace one (or both) if it went missing.

[Chris Padilla]

Glenn/Bruce...PM me your home addresses...thx.

[Prashun Patel]

I like mine, but don't like that they must be used without the guard. I only use them on narrow rip cuts that are too skinny for a longer push stick.

I still don't feel 'safe' using them in this application, but sometimes it's the least of all evils.

[Mike Zilis]

I've got a GRRRIPER but what I usually use is a sacrificial push block made of scrap that is wide and high enough to keep my fingers well away from the blade. The push block runs right through the blade along with the material. Once it gets chewed up a bit, I trim away the sacrificial area to solid wood or just grab another piece of scrap and make a new one.

Mike

[Rick Moyer]

I like mine, but don't like that they must be used without the guard. I only use them on narrow rip cuts that are too skinny for a longer push stick.

I still don't feel 'safe' using them in this application, but sometimes it's the least of all evils.
I think that is where they excel. You can keep good downward pressure as well as the necessary pressure toward the rip fence on narrow pieces.
I was just using mine to rip 3/8 wide by 1/8 thin strips, too small for my normal push tools. Of course you can use what Mike Zilis mentioned too.

[Carl Babel]

Ahh, I was perfectly happy with my one Grr-ripper until I read the posts above talking about having two for hand-over-hand use! :mad: Now I want another one ;)

Seriously, I think that part of the benefit is that it makes you think about your cuts, none of this auto-pilot stuff - like getting somewhere in your car and not even remembering the drive :eek:

[John Grossi]

I had a thread about 5 weeks ago, asking if this tool did what it claimed. Based on those responses, I bought 2 of the 200's. This is an amazing tool. I emailed the company asking for more info on resawing on the table saw. Within a few days I got a pdf file with some great pictures. It does take a little time to set up but for me that is okay. The grripper makes the cut extremely accurate, and more importantly extremely safe.