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Anybody Using a Microjig

john

Are any of you using a Microjig with your ShopSmith? I have been considering one of them for some time and wondered if it was practical on a ShopSmith. For instance does it clear the splitter after removing the blade guard.

Any comments would be appreciated.

Thanks

John

edma194

I assume you mean the GRR-RIPPER: https://www.microjig.com/products/grr-ripper-complete?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA_OetBhAtEiwAPTeQZ5Pcj2XeafVmWQHxbAYXy0O7Y04Q9TUsCrU0Nuc94G50uykNpMvumRoCmocQAvD_BwE

I recall negative comments about their ZEROPLAY miter bars.

roy_okc

John,

If you are talking about the GRR-RIPPER original or newer GRR-RIPPER 2GO, then yes, assuming that you have the table properly set so the blade teeth are only a little above the material being cut, and the splitter should be at pretty much the same height, then there will be no problem as that would be the same as a typical dedicated table saw.

I have a couple of the original G-Rs and am quite impressed by them. They grip very well on most woods as long as they aren't covered in fine dust. The middle leg is adjustable side to side so you can nearly always get it to the point where you have a good grip on the material and still be able to avoid running the middle leg through the blade. There is a narrow outer leg for making very thin rips, I think it's 1/8".

john

Thanks for the feedback.

I have an opportunity to get a GRR-Ripper with several options on sale, though in $Cdn. it is still quite expensive. But I might just go and look at it.

I know Milescraft sells a similar product for less but I understand the Microjig is made in the U.S. so I would prefer to go this route.

John

roy_okc

Here's a video of that Scott / My Growth Rings did comparing some of these pushers.

Matanuska

I also use the original GRR-RIPPER in conjunction with the riving knife accessory when ripping on my Shopsmith. It’s especially good for ripping pieces 3” wide or less while keeping your hands out of harm’s way. Setup correctly it anchors both the piece run against the fence and the piece being cut off all the way past the blade. I like it because it gives a solid straight push while holding downward force that’s difficult to get using a regular push stick and a feather board. You do have to remove the blade guard to use it though, hence the need for the riving knife. It excels at ripping strips as narrow as 3/8” where you have to remove the blade guard anyway. I started out with one GRR-RIPPER and soon bought a second so I could rip long boards using the hand over hand technique shown the Microjig website video. I store mine hanging on hooks below my accessory shelf so they are easy to get to when I need them.

rlkeeney

I have the original version of the Grr-ripper with accessories and consider it money well spent.

twistsol

I have two of the originals and while I generally like them, they aren't perfect. When working with melamine or pre-finished sheet goods, they tend to slip, but I seldom need to rip anything narrow from sheet goods where this becomes an issue. Mine don't have the little feet at the trailing edge to hook onto the stock but it is rare that that has been an issue. At most that would be a nice to have on occasion.

On raw lumber or unfinished sheet goods, they work quite well and I nearly always use them with my router table and they work far better than any other push block or push stick I have tried.

ssuel

I have bought several MicroJig products and have been satisfied with all of those purchases. Including

-Gripper complete System

-ZeroPlay miter bars

-Sliding dovetail clamps

- Dovetail Hardware components for jig making

bainin

I use a Grr-ipper for narrow strip cuts on the table saw. They work well for that as the feet are adjustable.

b

DLB

edma194 wrote I assume you mean the GRR-RIPPER: https://www.microjig.com/products/grr-ripper-complete?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA_OetBhAtEiwAPTeQZ5Pcj2XeafVmWQHxbAYXy0O7Y04Q9TUsCrU0Nuc94G50uykNpMvumRoCmocQAvD_BwE

I recall negative comments about their ZEROPLAY miter bars.

I am one of those that had negative comments about their miter bars. Mine were slightly too wide for the SS slots. But this was easily corrected by sanding them slightly narrower using the conical disc sander. They're still adjustable and can be adjusted to fit either SS or a 'standard' miter slot. So that is still a negative comment, mine had to be modified to work as advertised, but I like the product and would choose it for some jigs. IIRC responses indicate that some fit without modification and some don't.

- David

john

Just bought one today, gripper 3D advanced. Have not put it together yet but look forward to trying it out.

Too bad they are no longer made in the U.S., but Taiwan is a good second best.

John

oso2you

Thumbs down on the miter bar. I was going to use it on the new sled I made but the thing does not fit properly in the miter slot without sanding the edges. Very disappointed in this. Will use something else.

oso2you

I realize that a bit of sanding is not the end of the world but I would think a company named "Microjig" would be more exacting. Maybe I'm becoming and old grouch. I'll ask my wife..............yep, I'm an old grouch apparently. :)

JPG

I hope you do realize that the SS miter bar is NOT the same as just about the rest of the universe. Most are 3/4", but the SS is slightly narrower.

So rethink the microjig criticism?

DLB

JPG wrote I hope you do realize that the SS miter bar is NOT the same as just about the rest of the universe. Most are 3/4", but the SS is slightly narrower.

So rethink the microjig criticism?

They advertise the miter bars as being compatible with Shopsmith, so I think the criticism is fair. The bar is adjustable in width. I talked to their CS and they sent me replacements, but I don't recall if I tried them. By then I had tweaked the width a few thou on mine using the conical sander.

- David

ssuel

The zero play miter bar by MicroJig does fit A ShopSmith slot. The MicroJig zero play is adjustable I am successfully using for a few special jigs

ssuel

My main table is a 520 top

DLB

In March 2022 I read comments on Amazon showing I wasn't the only one having the issue and contacted Microjig CS with my measurements and results. He indicated that they were aware of the issue and "We have designed, and are close to releasing, a updated version of the ZeroPlay that addresses this issue." So my comments are about the version I received, one of which got close to the advertised 0.730" minimum width (actual 0.732") and was snug in the SS track and one of which missed that minimum by about 0.012".

Other members indicated a combination of success and failure prior to the updated version, and my pair as an example varied by ten thou between the two of them. I just checked the replacement that Microjig sent me (non-updated) and I could probably get it in the slot but it is way too tight to use. Prior to the updated version, it seems to be hit and miss. BuckeyeDennis, who has developed some expertise on injection molding, made an interesting observation as to possible cause here: (https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?p=296142#p296142) .

- David

ssuel

Guess I was lucky on the ones I bought