If you don’t have a jointer, and you need a straight edge on a board, there’s a new option - coupled with your table saw - that is simple and economical - the Ripeeze! We’ll put it through the paces and show you what this great little tool can do for you!
#tablesaw #boardedger #jointer
We love it when we find a tool that solves a common issue. The story is even better when there is an entrepreneur in the story, the tool is made in small batches and the company owner is engaged every step of the way!
That’s the story of Frank, the developer of the Ripeeze. Frank is a retired U.S. Marine and was in the construction industry for many years. Later in life, he owned a custom stair installation company. In the field, he found that many times he would have a piece of stock that needed to have a straight rip on the table saw, but neither edge of the board was true. An idea began to form in Frank’s mind that later came to fruition as the Ripeeze tool.
Simple, well-constructed, and fairly priced, the Ripeeze positively affixes along one edge of the board, providing a secure edge to run along a table saw fence as the stock is fed through the blade. This results in a precise straight edge on the stock. The Ripeeze is then removed, and the straight edge is run along the fence as the board is fed through the blade a second time, resulting in a board that has two straight and parallel edges.
While shop-made fixtures can be made in lieu of the Ripeeze, the economics, accuracy, and ease of use of the Ripeeze tool would suggest the purchase is a better idea.
At the time of filming, there were two models available - the 5’ (1.524 meters) and 6’ (1.83 meters). Pricing was $72 and $86 respectively. For each of the models, the board length capacity is 4” (10 cm) shorter than the overall length.
This made-in-America tool is a sturdy all-aluminum I-beam straightedge with sliding solid aluminum brackets and sharp threaded gripping pins (which can easily be replaced if the need should ever arise). The brackets are slid in place on each end of the board, tapped in place with a soft-faced assembly hammer, and tightened in place with the knurled knobs. The end caps of the main I-beam are constructed of a robust rubbery material, not brittle hard plastic. Nice!
The brackets slide nicely and securely on the rail, and there is a nice knob provided for you to grip to securely guide the board through the straight-edging process. This allows you to get a straight-line rip faster than a jointer - and your table saw will cut right through any grain direction changes without tear-out. When you are done, the Ripeeze easily and quickly detaches from the wood.
We do have a couple of suggestions for future editions of this tool.
To keep it handy, we drilled a hole on one end to allow us to hang this up near the table saw. We suggest you do the same thing.
Also, the points that grip the wood could be installed a bit higher in the adjustable blocks. They are very near the bottom edge and have a tendency to “blow out” the bottom. To counter this, we had to raise the straightedge portion of the tool to get the points to be more centered in the thickness of the stock. Another approach may be to put a third point in for a grip that resists rotation.
These are minor areas, and we feel the product is a great value and solves a problem that many in the trades encounter.
To learn more, or to purchase a Ripeeze tool, visit www.ripeeze.com. You can support a small company and solve a common problem at the same time! We think you’ll be happy with your purchase.
Disclosure: Ripeeze provided us with one of their tools, as well as paid a small production fee to us. We agreed to provide an authentic product review and state what we liked as well as mention any improvements we felt were needed. Frank of Ripeeze readily agreed! There is no further compensation to DirtFarmerJay should you purchase any Ripeeze product. It is our pleasure to find great tools and solutions and feature them on our channel.
Thanks for watching! JUST DO IT YOURSELF!
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18 ноя 2022
