"Gripper" Knock-Off and Router Baseplate

[Mike Goetzke]

Maybe the patent (if there ever was one) ran out: "Grabber"

I also see they redesigned a universal baseplate  with bushings. Wonder if this would work with the 1400? Baseplate

 

[squall_line]

There are plenty of variations between that and the Grr-ripper to avoid any sort of design patent issues.

It looks like Micro Jig owns the utility patent on it, though.  So the form and function is what matter.

The original patent was set to expire in June, 2021, but it appears that it was extended until August, 2022.

 

[ChuckM]

Milescraft is a decent merchant in North America, not known to be doing anything that's infringement of other people's patents.

 

[hdv]

I am not sure if it is, but it sure looks the same as the baseplate that comes with their circle cutting jig (which is quite OK). I had to adapt that one to fit my OF1400 (added just one hole if memory serves me right).

If you want a baseplate that fits the OF1400 out of the box, I bought one from Trent than does so nicely. I'd have to look up the product code though.

 

[Mike Goetzke]

I am not sure if it is, but it sure looks the same as the baseplate that comes with their circle cutting jig (which is quite OK). I had to adapt that one to fit my OF1400 (added just one hole if memory serves me right).

If you want a baseplate that fits the OF1400 out of the box, I bought one from Trent than does so nicely. I'd have to look up the product code though.

Ha -  that universal plate must have 50 holes is it!

 

[Packard]

You can be sure that Wolfcraft will be hard on their heels with their own version.

By and large Milescraft products have been entirely satisfactory and seem to be well-thought-out and well-made.

They have molds built, so they will not invest in items that don't have significant quantities involved.

I have the original and I have found it less than satisfactory.  Sawdust reduces the coefficient of friction between the rubber and the wood to the extent that it becomes difficult to push the wood forward. 

Also, I am avoiding any type of push stick/push block made from plastic.  The saw blade will grab plastic and kick back.  My  push blocks made from MDF do not display that characteristic.

 

[ChuckM]

The manufacturer recommends cleaning the rubber material with alcohol from time to time to regain its grip.

The accessory is particularly good for making 1/8" × 1/8" strips with full control, as well as for resawing of certain sizes of blanks.

 

[Packard]

I prefer to make sacrificial push blocks out of scrap mdf for narrow pieces.  But that has its limitations too.

 

[ChuckM]

The main difference between sacrificial blocks which will work for limited applications and the Gripper kind of push blocks is that the commercial product is more versatile for both the table saw and router table uses. Here's a clip focused on the table saw (Edit; There's another one on the table saw alone, not this one. At 36:00, it shows the cleaning part.).
=1163

Some people don't like the fact that this accessory passes directly over a spinning blade, which I, being a SawStop owner, can fully understand.

 

[Alanbach]

I love my Grr-rippers. Early on I found them difficult to get used to, but with a little practice, I eventually found them invaluable on certain cuts. They do start out very grabby and that’s hard to get used to and over time and usage they do get less grabby and it is easily remedied with a quick cleaning with alcohol. The tunnel does not bother me at all, again, it’s just very counter intuitive and something to get used to. I don’t use them for every cut on the table saw by any means but for certain cuts they are really great!

 

[Packard]

I used to use one of these push sticks.  One day the end of the stick touched the spinning sawblade.  Instead of chewing up the plastic, it caught the end, bowed the plastic stick and it literally exploded in pieces, with several hitting me (but missing my eyes).

That plastic can "store" energy by bowing.  At some point it will release that energy by shattering the plastic. 

That sort of thing does not happen with wood or mdf push sticks. 

 

[ChuckM]

I used to use one of these push sticks.  Snip.

This kind of push sticks, except for side pushes, is a potential safety trap because it focuses the pressure on the end of a stock, increasing the chances of steering the work (the front end) away from the saw fence and hence kickback. I use shop-made push shoes only, like this:https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/sho...ocks/30067-dual-tread-push-stick?item=03J7550

 

[ChuckM]

Snip.
I don’t use them for every cut on the table saw by any means but for certain cuts they are really great!

Same here. Resawing something into pieces like 3" wide (or up to as wide as the saw fence is tall) x 1/8" or 1/4" thick with that accessory is a piece of cake -- little to no burn marks left.