Cutting Small Wood Pieces - GRR Ripper or ???

[jack forsberg]

it would appear to me the crown/blade guard is not the fault in your cut but the fence is the problem. Many of the american style fences fault the crown guard in narrow strip ripping. What is called for in narrow strip ripping is a low position fence. Its a shame that the Americans answer to narrow strip ripping is with the Grr ripper and by its very nature removes the blade guard instead of make a good high low sliding rip fence plate fence. They have adopted the riving knife so there may be hope yet. I do see that in OHS does recommend the sliding fixture to hold the piece so the fence does not upset the crown as some has said is a safe way to cut small work but this does not deal with long pieces. If the GRR ripper is suddenly removed ask yourself where is your hand?

[Rod Sheridan]

The safest method is to make a sled that holds the wood in clamps as it's being ripped...........Rod.

[mreza Salav]

You can rip with a cross-cut sled as well, if you can clamp the piece it doesn't matter if it is a rip or cross cut.
Here is mine, you can put two (or more) clamps on the same track.

sled1.jpgsled2.jpg

[Lori Kleinberg]

Love my 2 GRR Rippers.

[mreza Salav]

I am surprised how people Love the Grr riper. I think they are useful but not that great.
I have had pieces slip under them...

[Harvey M. Taylor]

Grrripper. Call me cheap, my hide is tough. I use a 10 in. 2x4 and glue a quarter by quarter push strip across the back end. Fashion a handle on top. When it gets chewed up, reverse the push strip . when that is used up get a new 2x4 and start over. Now I have 50 or a hundred bucks for tools wood, etc. Money I didn't have before. Max.

[Keith Outten]

Many years ago we coordinated a bulk buy of Micro-Jigs here with Henry Wang and I ordered two of them. I use mine on my table saw, band saw, joiner and router table. Its much more then a push stick and it definitely improves the safety factor when your hands have some years on them and they ache most days.

So I'm a big fan of Micro-Jigs.
.

[George Gyulatyan]

Not too long ago I was working with short (4.5") pieces of Wenge that I needed to trim and cut stopped rabbets on them. Built a jig with two pieces of Baltic birch to cradle the pieces with a toggle clamp to keep it in place. Used the same jig to trim the pieces at the table saw and to cut the rabbets on the router table. Worked great.

[Yonak Hawkins]

Here's another thread on the same subject :

Thin Strip Cutting Jig

[Yonak Hawkins]

I wonder how Grippers are used for long strips. Once the device has passed the cut, do you have to hold the stock somehow against the fence and readjust its position ? If the stock is quite long do you have to do that several times in a cut ? It seems pretty cumbersome.

[Earl Rumans]

I wonder how Grippers are used for long strips. Once the device has passed the cut, do you have to hold the stock somehow against the fence and readjust its position ? If the stock is quite long do you have to do that several times in a cut ? It seems pretty cumbersome.

You use 2 Grr Rippers in a hand over hand type motion. Takes a little getting use to but it works very well and keeps whatever you are cutting always under control.

[Thomas Canfield]

I also use and like my Grippers - have 4. It was as cheap to buy a second pair as to buy replacement pieces. A word of caution using the Gripper on small parts is to remember to stand out of the line of fire (as one should always do anyway) since it is easy to loose pressure on one side or the other. Using a backer piece to get more contact and better support for the Gripper also helps.

[Yonak Hawkins]

You use 2 Grr Rippers in a hand over hand type motion. Takes a little getting use to but it works very well and keeps whatever you are cutting always under control.

..So, to understand, sometimes you're pushing the stock through with your right hand and sometimes with your left hand ? Does this produce a smooth cut ?

[Phil Barrett]

..So, to understand, sometimes you're pushing the stock through with your right hand and sometimes with your left hand ? Does this produce a smooth cut ?

It's not bad but I still find the hand over hand thing a bit clumsy.

Also, I don't feel at all comfortable when cutting a piece that this the same width as the gripper. You can still straddle the blade but it feels easy to slip and run the gripper through the blade.

[Tom Walz]

Keith

Just talked to Bruce Wang (Henry's son) this morning about promoting their products.

Whitney will contact you about running a promotion with you.

Tom walz