Pusher System

Thanks for the review. I have been looking at these.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

Thanks! I have been looking at one of these also, nice to see that the base system will work just fine.

-- //FC - Round Rock, TX - "Experience is what you get just after you need it"

Thanks for the review. I have been considering getting one of these as well.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

Ahhh! the toys that are around. Great review Charlie. I too know what it is like to be hit in the groin by a lump of offcut at high speed.

-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python

this looked like a gimmick to me.. glad to hear I was wrong.

-- making sawdust....

Nice review—- wow that flying wood a few inches over could have really ruined your day “ouch”

-- Bill - - Ad-Marketing Guy, Ramsey NJ

I have 2 of them. They are one of the best buys I have ever made. Be sure to get the DVD on how to use it.

-- WOOD/DON (...one has the right to ones opinion but not the right to ones own facts...)

Great review. I have had the GR-100 for a few weeks now and think it was well worth the $50 price also. Gives great confidence cutting narrow pieces close to the fence, because the piece on both sides of the blade is under my control. Its also great for those cuts on the router table that used to make me nervous too. If you happen to butcher one of the component pieces they are cheap to replace, but haven’t done that yet. Adjustments are quick and easy to make. I might buy a second one soon for ripping long pieces. If you buy one, be sure to check out Bob #2’s blog entry on ripping very narrow pieces.

Glad to see we Texans value our digits!

-- North Texas

I’ve thought about buying one of these too….. but has anyone out there ever thought about trying to build something similar? Just a thought I had….

-- Make things with wood.

Thanks for the review. You just saved me a few bucks. I was thinking about the 200 without the DVD. Looks like I will be ordering the 100 with the DVD instead.

I had a kick back about 2 months ago. It was due to my own cockiness and being in a hurry. I have since dedicated myself to safe practices. I also bought a Grr Ripper and I love it. It is much safer than push sticks in my opinion.

I took me a few tries before I could muster the courage to pass my hand over the blade though. It just didnt seem natural to me.

Add me to the list of people who hesitated at the cost and then wondered why I didn’t buy one sooner. I belive its much safer than a push stick although sometimes use both. Anything to keep my pink fingers away from the shiny spinning thing is good. I bought the 200 but have left the “extra stuff” in a box and would go with the 100.

I have two of these and use them frequently. Nice review.

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

I have one, & I recommend it.

I also bought all the extras which I probably will never use.

-- Dick Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

One of the side benefits of the gripper is that it can hold down both sides of the cut as it leaves the tablesaw blade and keeps the annoying flutter down to zero as the free ends of thin wood start to chatter between the blade and the splitter.
My cuts seem extra accurate using this neat device.
And… set up is a snap -no more than 30 seconds once you get the hang of it.

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Add my vote, too. In one of my past lives I was a ‘doc,’ and believe me I developed a healthy dislike of hands and finger trauma. No way I want to be on the wrong end of that.

I’ve found the grr-ripper useful not just at the tablesaw, but also the jointer, router, and bandsaw. The router and jointer can fling a piece of stock back too, though not as often. In the case of the bandsaw, I use it when resawing, to press the work horizontally against the fence instead of assuming the blade won’t bow and come out the side where you’re pushing with your hand.

What I like is that the grr-ripper lets you exert force in all three directions—down against the table and forward to feed—like a push stick—but also sideways against the fence which a push stick won’t do.

After a few near misses, before I bought the grr-ripper, I realized that when one of these machines catches the work and kicks it back, your brain has no time to react and tell your fingers to let go and get out of the way. Your fingers are going to go in the direction you were pushing, and that’s usually not a nice neighborhood. It also it reduces the risk of a jammed or broken finger just from the force of the kickback.

I’m sure you could make your own version—maybe you could use non-slip stick-on material for the friction surface. In fact I’m thinking of making one for the jointer, so the ‘foot’ of the device has a 90 degree angle in it so I can push down and sideways better when a board is on edge.

Happy and safe woodworking,
Mark

-- Mark

I purchased a table saw at Christmas that is still in the box because I am too afraid to start using it. I think this is just what I needed to read. Thanks for the info.

-- www.robneves.com

I have had one of these for about three years, I feel safer when I use it and I too think it helps with the accuracy of your cuts. If you have the accessories and haven’t used them , I recommend you try them, they are very handy in certain situations.
I bought a second one at the last woodworking show, a buddy of mine has two and uses then all the time on long rip cuts, used in the daisy chain fashion it makes ripping a long board safer and easier.

-- Brad,--"The way to eat an eliphant is one bite at a time"

I bought the cheaper, 100 model because I have felt very unsafe around my table saw. I’m known in my family as an regular candidate for klutz of the year, so having something safer sounded good. I felt fine holding onto the grip as it went over the saw blade, and for a lot of cuts, it is an excellent answer.

It seems, however, that I frequently need to cut something that is narrower than the tool (about 3.5”). In that situation, I don’t feel I can use it. It is too tippy if not all three pads are pressing on the workpiece. BTW, I don’t think it would make such a great tool for jointer or router table – its claim to fame is that the spacing under the tool can be adjusted to let the blade pass through. For other power tools, I think the more normal pads would give better control.

-- At war with my faults, at peace with my neighbors

I have 2 of these I ran one of the edges into a saw blade once
and it chewed it up. I talked to the designer and he was
unable to sell me the 25 cent piece of rubber that goes on
the bottom – I would have to purchase the whole side plate
for about $17.

If the rubber gripper on the plate gets cut like mine did it will
make the Gripper less useful.

These are alright. I use magnetic featherboards more often.

I worked wood professionally for many years. I have safety
habits that I wouldn’t recommend to hobbiests or to people
who do not understand their machinery very well… meaning
I’ll do things that put my fingers closer to the blade than most
people should – and if using a cheap benchtop saw I would
be much more cautious and use the guard, splitter and
push blocks.

A quality machine, well set up, is your best investment in
safety. Even contractor’s saws are inherently dangerous
because of the way the weight of the motor drags on
the alignment on the blade. The new hybrid saws are an
improvement.

Honestly I seldom use a blade guard. I often don’t use a splitter.
I prefer to rip on the bandsaw because it is much safer – but
if you must rip on the tablesaw the best thing you can do it
make sure your saw blade isn’t “heeling” – and if you are working
on a cheaper saw this requires constant vigilance.

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