On Sun, 15 Aug 2010 17:45:58 -0400, "J. Clarke"
wrote:

On 8/15/2010 12:55 PM, Leon wrote:
wrote in message
...

wrote

That said there is a DVD that came with mine and is a very interesting
video. IIRC it is 30-45 minutes and shows all the different
applications. One that interested me in particular was the woodworker
that cuts narrow veneer on his TS and uses the Gripper to act as a top
side zero clearance insert. The slick smooth side of the gripper will
ride along the side of your rip fence quite well. The gentleman use the
gripper against the fence to insure that cut after cut the blade followed
the same path through the gripper pad when cutting thin strops of veneer.
Very interesting and effective.

UK, I poked around until I found some videos of the thing in use in enough
detail to see how they work.

I have a couple comments.

They sell themselves hard on fuctionality, and I will admit that it looks
like they do some pretty neat things. It looks like you would spend all
your time setting up the push stick. Not for me, in most cases, I think.
I know how to use a saw and different techniques without all the fuss.

Set up can be complicated if you want to use all the different
configurations. But for 99% of my common cuts it takes me about 5-6 seconds
to get the proper adjustement for material thickness and width. Before I
actually used these things I felt the same way you do. Then I saw them
demoed at a ww show, took them home, and set most all of my home made sticks
and pushers, and hold downs aside.



Second point is that I will never be able to use them in my school
woodworking shop setting. I have to use a factory, OSHA approved guard.
Period. The gripper will in no way solve that problem.

That is correct in some instances. Will your guard set up properly, when
ripping stock to 1/8" widths, or when cutting dado's?

"By the book" you're supposed to rip it with the wide piece between the
fence and the blade and move the fence for every cut or use the off-cut
as a spacer rather than just setting the fence and cutting. Here's a
video (not mine--it's amazing what you can find by searching youtube)
showing the "safe" way to rip 1/8" widths:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FullQWi2ZwM

Extra credit: What safety rules does _he_ violate in that video?

Not sure if this is your point but he likes to reach around the blade as its
winding down. I've seen that it a few of his videos.