jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Do any of you use the GRR-Ripper on your table saw? I saw some videos and read some reviews, and I was impressed. Mine will arrive on Monday.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B001I9UNWC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Paladin48 Loc: Orlando

There is a guy called Steve Ramsey who has a channel on Youtube called "Wood Working for Mere Mortals". He starts every show with a quick commercial for the GRR-Ripper. They only last for 5 or 10 seconds but they are very clever.

Duke the Nuke

Great item

Country Boy Loc: Beckley, WV

So you like your fingers!

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

I haven't used my table saw since I got a 10" compound miter saw, before that I used wood blocks on the table saw, still got all my fingers, BTW none of those silly guards on my table either, they got in the way.

Scruples Loc: Brooklyn, New York

Okay folks. Let's get serious and pay attention. A table saw can be extremely dangerous. Remember you are pushing your wood into a extremely fast and dangerously sharp spinning saw blade. All it takes is a extremely brief moment of Inattention and say goodby to a few fingers and your hobby or loss of income. Briefly and without much of the gory details, the saw blade has no knowledge of what it is cutting. Once a finger or two is amputated, it is difficult to replant. The surgery is complex and sometimes fails. Medical advances have given us the "sophistication" of using Sterile Medicinal Leeches. I won't describe any more. I hope I didn't upset people with this description. A stop block may help prevent this tragedy but don't gamble on it.
There is the technology to prevent this trauma by placing a ground fault circuit interrupter between the electric supply and the spinning saw blade. The circuit breaker "senses" the electric difference and instantaneously shoves a metal brake into the saw blade. Finger or hand amputation is averted. This is known as SAWSTOP. Now it isn't cheap. The average table saw costs about $1500. This specialized saw is a whopping $4500. When I heard the price on this new saw my eyes popped out of my forehead. There was a video. This saw cuts wood with wonderous precision. Then I watched a two minute video of this saw trying to cut a frankfurter. Holy Smokes! It could not do it.

Gee. Let's do some math.

Standard table saw price = $1500
Sheet of plywood price = $20
Saw Block = $60

Percent Likelihood of loss of finger = 30%

Loss of finger and livelihood indescribable

Saw Stop Price $4500
Cutting of Hot Dog instead of finger $2

Percent likelihood of loss of finger 0%

I would hate to lose my thumb and/or my shutter (index) finger.

I did my best to spare the details of this type of tragedy. I work in a major hospital that does this type of transplantation surgery as many as three per day. It is not a fun job. It is backbreaking and demanding work.

My dear friends, you can save your money and don't buy a table saw. You can buy a sliding compound miter saw.
You can take a risk and buy the table saw. Sooner or later, the odds won't be in your favor. All it takes is a moment of distraction like a phone ringing or a dog barking. I recommend two options don't buy an ordinary table saw. Or, buy a SAWSTOP and try to cut a Hot Dog in half!

By the way, if and I know there will be Hoggers who may be upset, disgruntled or even down right argumentative. This wasn't intended to polarize anyone. Please accept my apology if you were offended

Happy Shooting!

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

With all due respect (and sorry to disagree), there are a hundred operations you can perform with a table saw that you can’t begin to perform with a sliding mitre. To start, you can’t crosscut or rip anything larger than the length of the slide and you can’t dado and any of the operations that require it. The table saw is the center of a woodworking shop, and without one, you are extremely limited in what you can build. A mitre saw, sliding or otherwise is a useful tool for many purposes (I use mine all the time), but it can’t replace a table saw.

Now if you’re buying a new big cabinet saw with a 3 or 5 HP motor (which are now in excess of 2K$), the sawstop is certainly worth considering (and schools love them), but you CAN operate a table saw safely (without a guard) if you obey simple rules and use a splitter and hold-downs on the fence. It’s a given to keep your hands away from the blade, using push sticks/fixtures and jigs such as sleds, and always be aware of where your hands will go if the work suddenly disappears ( a primary rule for every tool in a woodshop). Woodworking involves using dangerous tools, and you must understand the hazards and safety rules of each - if the operation seems “iffy”, stop and reconsider doing the cut in a different way, but if you control the workpiece and keep your hands clear of the blade, You CAN work safely. To paraphrase a certain NRA member, They’ll pry my Delta Unisaw from my cold, dead hands 😸.

Btw, Jerry, I like that combination push block. I just saw one the other day at my local woodshop and have been considering whether to buy it or fabricate something similar. I use push blocks all the time with my jointer and router table. I’m actually just as careful, if not more so, with my jointer since my next door neighbor took the end off his thumb by learning the hard way that rule I mentioned about where will your hand go if... As a matter of fact, when I’m edge jointing, I keep my fingers hooked over the fence as I slide the piece through so they can’t go into the blade, and I use push blocks when face jointing and I never place my hand over the blade, even with a push block. I continually reposition the block so it is never over or can possibly go into the blade if the workpiece suddenly gets grabbed by the blade and disappears.

happy sailor Loc: Ontario, Canada

To paraphrase a certain NRA member, They’ll pry my Delta Unisaw from my cold, dead hands 😸.[/quote]

I agree completely Trix, all tools in a woodshop are dangerous, I think my chisels are some of the most dangerous for drawing blood. My shop would be useless without my tablesaw.

If I was buying a new one today I would consider the the Sawstop, the prices are not that much more, see below, Canadian dollar prices at Lee Valley, that would be much less in American dollars (30% less approx)

SawStop 1.75hp Professional Cabinet Saw with Premium Fence
95T20.60 $3,303.00
SawStop 1.75hp Professional Cabinet Saw with T-Glide™ Fence, 36" Rails
95T20.61 $3,530.00
SawStop 1.75hp Professional Cabinet Saw with T-Glide™ Fence, 52" Rails
95T20.62 $3,663.00
SawStop 3hp Professional Cabinet Saw with Premium Fence
95T20.40 $3,873.00
SawStop 3hp Professional Cabinet Saw with T-Glide™ Fence, 36" Rails
95T20.41 $4,100.00
SawStop 3hp Professional Cabinet Saw with T-Glide™ Fence, 52" Rails
95T20.42 $4,233.00

And the gripper looks great Jerry, hope you enjoy it!

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

I agree completely Trix, all tools in a woodshop are dangerous, I think my chisels are some of the most dangerous for drawing blood. My shop would be useless without my tablesaw.

If I was buying a new one today I would consider the the Sawstop, the prices are not that much more, see below, Canadian dollar prices at Lee Valley, that would be much less in American dollars (30% less approx)

SawStop 1.75hp Professional Cabinet Saw with Premium Fence
95T20.60 $3,303.00
SawStop 1.75hp Professional Cabinet Saw with T-Glide™ Fence, 36" Rails
95T20.61 $3,530.00
SawStop 1.75hp Professional Cabinet Saw with T-Glide™ Fence, 52" Rails
95T20.62 $3,663.00
SawStop 3hp Professional Cabinet Saw with Premium Fence
95T20.40 $3,873.00
SawStop 3hp Professional Cabinet Saw with T-Glide™ Fence, 36" Rails
95T20.41 $4,100.00
SawStop 3hp Professional Cabinet Saw with T-Glide™ Fence, 52" Rails
95T20.42 $4,233.00

And the gripper looks great Jerry, hope you enjoy it![/quote]

Wow! Big cabinet saws are getting expensive! My 3HP 52” Unisaw with extension table cost about $1800 15-20 years ago. My son will be glad when he inherits it - I’m going to help him frame up his first shop next summer so he’ll have a place to put it 😸.

Scruples Loc: Brooklyn, New York

I do get your point! No pun intended. I am very familiar with all the tools in my workshop being dangerous. I just wanted to point out, that when you are moving your hand and fingers towards a extremely sharp and fast moving saw blade, danger does lurk behind that ringing telephone or barking dog. The SAWSTOP definitely pays for itself. In any case, lets be careful when cutting something or photographing something.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Completely agree - you can’t emphasize saw safety too much, and if I were starting out (and could afford it), I might buy a Sawstop. The only downside other than the price is that using the emergency stop destroys the blade and expends the cartridge - about $200, but cheap compared to fingers!

I have heard of some strange accidents with a table saw, and I keep them in mind when working! An acquaintance was working in a production cabinet shop using a table saw (with no guard) which was kept running most of the time. He walked around the saw to get another piece of wood and slipped. By reflex, he stuck out his hand - into the running saw blade. He said he heard a “chink” sound as it cut off his finger (fortunately only one). Can’t be too careful around spinning blades - thanks for pointing that out!

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Thanks for the reminder. I've seen several demos of that SawStop system. Amazing! When I use my table saw, I am beyond safety conscious. I take no chances at all. On the other hand, I did get a nasty cut in my thumb with a little blade on a Dremel tool.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I thought of making something like that, too. But then I got real and ordered one.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Possibly even cheaper than a visit to the ER.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Yep, it is very cool! (working with small or thin pieces on the table saw can be very dangerous). Here’s a shot of a simple jig I made when I need to rip thin pieces, rip at an angle or cut a straight edge on a rough board. You can see my home made fence with a track for hold downs in the background, screwed to my Unifence.

BTW, it’s the small hand tools that I get hurt on also. Just jabbed a screwdriver into a finger this week leaving blood all over the project 😡