What do you use as a 'gripper', with your planer or jointer

[Benchwayze]

Hi folks,

The question is in the title.

What I need (hopefully shop-made) is something that will grip the wood safely, when it passes under the guard, is easy to transfer grip for the last foot or so of board, but will allow the wood to 'fly' in the event of kick-back. (because I never stand directly behind the machine of course.)
I considered using pieces of routing grip-mat, glued to a wooden float, something like a pair of asphalt spreader's or plasterer's floats. Would it work?

Any thoughts?

TIA

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

your router mat on to a wooden float is pretty much what Ive got but which came with my P/T. Its a handled tool (two handles like a hand jointer plane) about a foot long and a solid rubber bottom. About 3" wide and plasric. You push the wood from above but your fingers are on the handles so at least 2 inches above the knives as a minimum.

I've also got two one handed push tools similar in design but designed for one handed use. Both have rubber bottoms again and one has an angled handle so you can push the stock into the fence as well as advance it across the cutters

Use it on the router table too

 

[andersonec]

Why should you get kick back on a planer? the only reason I can think of is that your blades are blunt and you are trying to make a cut of about 5mm. Smaller single handled 'floats' of about 200mm x 100mm with a layer of 5mm thick sponge glued to the base is sufficient.
If your guard is used correctly then you should have no need for these push pads, to do the face side the guard is against the fence and lowered to just give the wood clearance to pass underneath, the face edge is done with the guard lowered fully to cover the blade and across to the fence to just give the wood clearance to pass.

Andy

 

[Jacob]

Gripper are dangerous - usually much too close to the cutters (or TS blade). You don't need a gripper you need 2 ordinary push sticks, but made of ply (or other wood), using one of these as a pattern

Make several, stick to the same pattern, use them all the time and it becomes 2nd nature.

 

[Benchwayze]

Hi Andy,

No, the blades aren't blunt.
No, I never had a 'kick-back', but I know it's not impossible.
I never used any kind of push-block before, but I was wondering if I should, and if so I wondered what other workers used for the job.
I do use the guard as you describe, and I don't suffer any nervous moments transferring grip over the guard. But I am not getting any younger, my reactions are not what they were, and if one day I should forget something.... [-o<
So I wondered if push-pads/blocks would be a good idea.

I don't think the blocks could do any harm, so I might try the idea I had. If I can't get used to it, I'll go back to hands and ultra care!

Thanks folks

John

 

[ColeyS1]

Bahco gloves is all I use to keep my hands pushing onto the timber. They create enough friction that you never get any slippage. They've got extra padding in the finger tips, kinda like a cats paw- I photographed them when they were new (2nd pair) and was gonna write a review about them

Edit- these ones

Usually pushing down on the wood all day wears the fingertips through. I've tried loads of different brands and these seem to be the toughest and most comfortable so far 12 quid a pop but worth it in my opinion.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

 

[Benchwayze]

Gripper are dangerous - usually much too close to the cutters (or TS blade). You don't need a gripper you need 2 ordinary push sticks, but made of ply (or other wood), using one of these as a pattern

Make several, stick to the same pattern, use them all the time and it becomes 2nd nature.

Thanks Jacob. I don't have a table saw now, but when I did, I used push-sticks similar to the image you posted. Usually I made my own from timber, but I have visions of surfacing a lump of 9 x 2 and the timber being thrown backwards. Anything hooked over the end of the timber might give me a shock; at least! :shock:

Cheers
John

 

[mailee]

Got a good bit of kickback when I planed my steel rule! :shock: I also use gloves when planing.

 

[custard]

Gripper are dangerous - usually much too close to the cutters (or TS blade). You don't need a gripper you need 2 ordinary push sticks, but made of ply (or other wood), using one of these as a pattern

Make several, stick to the same pattern, use them all the time and it becomes 2nd nature.

I agree. Unless your hands are at least a foot away from a blade you're at risk, Gripper blocks just put you too close to the knives, cutters or blades.

The one thing I would say though about push sticks is that it's important to think about how you use them. It's unfortunately very common for people to dip their hand as they feed a workpiece past a circular saw or when edge jointing a board on a planer, so you have to get the "birds mouth" at the end of the push stick just right to prevent this, and discipline yourself to keep your hand held well up and to never allow your hand to slide down the push stick.

 

[blackrodd]

when Facing and edging, on the over hand Planer, I think the only time kick back is likely, is when the table underneath is chocked up with waste, and this is forced back up, by way of the cutters, making the workpiece bounce about and unstable. Obviously, At this stage it's best to stop, and clear the blockage.
I guess it's all about confidence, After a while, using the over hand planer, you can "feel" where the workpiece should be in contact with the outfeed table, a necessary part of the straightening and "flattening" process.
How It's possible to keep pressure in in the right places, or no pressure at all, in some, and still be able to be gripping and driving the workpiece with these "gismos", I don't see personally.
Face and edge using the left hand side of the cutterblock, thickness using the other, opposite side, it should be nice and sharp.
NEVER pass you're hands over the cutterblock, EVER!
When facing thick material, say 2" or 3" I keep my guard lowest, covering the cutterblock, and up to the workpiece.
Always work beside the workpiece, and not standing behind, much safer!
Nothing grips like you're God given hands and fingers, folks, you just have to look after them!
Regards Rodders

 

[Jacob]

......
How It's possible to keep pressure in in the right places, or no pressure at all, in some, and still be able to be gripping and driving the workpiece with these "gismos", I don't see personally.....

The answer (as ever) is; practice, practice.
With 2 push sticks you end up with more control then by hand alone, and a longer reach giving a more continuous throughput and better finish.

 

[Harbo]

I've found the cheapo sponge rubber faced floats are ideal for guiding planks over the planer blades.

Rod

 

[Benchwayze]

Thanks for the input on grippers, and push sticks gents. I am obliged.

I have a pair of industrial gloves, but the only time I use them is when I know I am going to be sorting through a lot of rough sawn stock; for obvious reasons. Occupational hazards are part of woodwork, but if I can avoid splinters I will!

Thanks again

 

[wizard]

I would never use gloves near a blade that is spinning around at high speed, i would be scared of getting my hand pulled in.

 

[ColeyS1]

I would never use gloves near a blade that is spinning around at high speed, i would be scared of getting my hand pulled in.

If your gloves are that close to the cutter block you're doing something majorly wrong anyway ! :shock:

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[marcus]

According to HSE:

When flatting, the workpiece should be fed by pressure with the right hand, the left hand holding it down initially on the in­ feed table. As soon as there is enough timber on the out­feed table, the left hand can pass safely over the bridge guard to apply pressure on the out­feed table and will be followed by the right hand to complete the feeding operation. It is not necessary to exert feeding pressure directly over the cutter block.

When edging, your hands should not pass over the cutter while they are in contact with the timber. Their main function is to exert horizontal pressure on the workpiece to maintain it square to the fence.

They suggest use of a pusher blocks only for small pieces, but there is a good picture on their fact sheet here:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/wis17.pdf

Re. gloves, I was always told that any kind of gloves on any kind of machine is a complete no no, is that wrong?

 

[Jacob]

I still don't rate pusher blocks for small pieces. With a bit of practice 2 push sticks will do it and much safer.

Gloves are good for grip but only in hand safe situations such as passing large pieces over, but even then I'd use a push stick as well, if nearing the cutters.

 

[Sgian Dubh]

If you are surfacing with the planer set up correctly to undertake that task you can't use 'grippers', push blocks, or any other such device, simply because the bridge guard will be in the way - you simply can't push through the physical barrier. And if you're using the the machine for this task without the bridge guard set as it should be the question has to be why aren't you using the machine correctly? It's the outfeed table that determines the flatness of the cut board and this is where the downward pressure needs to be once the cut is well established (as per marcus's quotation above from the HSE)- the infeed table essentially only controls the depth of cut, so using these grippers, push blocks and the like usually means the pressure is in the wrong place, i.e., on the infeed table which generally leads to boards not becoming flat.

Edging is a bit different because the cutters are partially exposed until the board covers them, but the technique for straightening an edge is essentially the same as flattening a face, but with the added wrinkle of applying pressure against the fence and downwards onto the tables.

Gloves of any sort are a menace around woodworking machinery and can lead to more severe injuries, not lessen them. The gloves get sucked in and what may have been a relatively minor injury without them seems much more likely to become a major one with them. Slainte.

 

[Jacob]

If you are surfacing with the planer set up correctly to undertake that task you can't use 'grippers', push blocks, or any other such device, simply because the bridge guard will be in the way - you simply can't push through the physical barrier. .....

2 push sticks until you reach the guard. One push stick over, then the other. Smooth and continuous. Just as you would do it with your hands but safer.

 

[Sgian Dubh]

2 push sticks until you reach the guard. One push stick over, then the other. Smooth and continuous. Just as you would do it with your hands but safer.

You can't be serious can you Jacob? The push stick type in the photograph you posted are suitable for feeding a rip saw, and inappropriate for surfacing. How do you use a bird's mouth push stick effectively on the outfeed side? The answer is you can't because there's little or no friction with which to push the wood. We admonish people we occasionally find using that kind of push stick on a surface planer - they don't do it more than a couple of times before they get the message. Slainte.