Tru-Grip FT8TS 8 Tru-Grip Pro FTR Series

by Griset

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The Tru-Grip heavy-duty straight edge provides maximum stiffness for straight cutting and routing up to 8 feet. You can attach or slide fixtures or templates along the bar with the handy T-slots and key slots. One end also features Tru-Grip's famous cam lever tightening, which eliminates the need for C-clamps.

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 11.4 pounds
• Shipping: This item can only be shipped to the 48 contiguous states. We regret it cannot be shipped to APO/FPO, Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B0000224DB
• California residents: Click here for Proposition 65 warning.
• Item model number: FT8TS
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #124,887 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)
  • #44 in Home Improvement > Power & Hand Tools > Hand Tools > Clamps > Edge Clamps
  • #85 in Home Improvement > Power & Hand Tools > Power Tool Accessories > Fences

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tru Grip Pro Series is a first class product, February 25, 2003

By 

Bob Feeser "MillCrafters.com" (Springfield, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tru-Grip FT8TS 8 Tru-Grip Pro FTR Series (Tools & Home Improvement)

The Tru Grip Pro FTR series is a first class product. The thing that is very important is that they grip well (you can adjust it) and they are very true and accurate when using the Stop, or Router Guide, or Saw guide. No wobble, no play, just tight, smooth, snag free accuracy.
When you consider the tools they replace, they are also a bargain. With a 4 foot and an 8 foot model, you can cut 4 x 8 sheets of plywood, without having to shell out twenty times the money for a panel cutter. If I was cutting plywood sheets all day long, of course the panel cutter has some setup advantages. For example you don't have to bother to use a square when cutting with a panel cutter. But for portability, and accurate use, the Tru Grip system can't be beat.
The pro series is a lot wider than their regular guide clamps, that is to allow for the mitre T slots on both sides. That way the accessories can ride along those tracks. Their regular guide clamps are great for doing dadoes with a router for example. Use two of them, and you have an instant routing guide.
The circular saw accessory is very accurate. You just drill holes in the plate, which is phenolic plastic, and mount your saw. Then you drop your saw down through the plate, giving you an extremely tight fit, which prevents tear out, when cutting through finish work. So you wind up dedicating a circular saw to it.
The stop piece is great for all sorts of uses, like when routing blind dadoes, or for making repeated cuts at a certain depth.
Having the 4' and the 8 foot model is convenient. Using an 8' for everything is not advised. The long overhang left by an 8' on a short piece of work is not easy to deal with.
I use the 8' when trimming door edges. How else can you run an 80 inch door through a machine in order to get an adjusted edge?
The router plate is already machined out with a circle in the middle that is oversize, so as to keep the bit at a maximum clearance for plunging. Once again, you drill it yourself to accomodate your specific router.
The router , saw, and stop accessories are premade to fit into the specific configuration on the edge of the guide, as well as the T slot, creating a very snug fit, with no play, yet not binding.
The days of finding a left over edge of a plywood sheet, then figuring out how to clamp it down, in order to cut larger sheets are over. This system is lightweight, made out of thick aluminum, which makes it substantial, yet a breeze to carry around.

It may seem expensive at first, but the equipment it replaces, and the accurracy it creates in your work, make it well worth the price. Highly recommended.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Straight and True, July 2, 2001

By 

bryghtbuild "contractorwannabe" (Charleston, WV United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tru-Grip FT8TS 8 Tru-Grip Pro FTR Series (Tools & Home Improvement)

Finally, an easy to use cutting guide for 8 foot sheet material! No more messing with a chalk line and struggling to keep the circular saw from wandering when I'm ripping full size plywood sheets! This guide is the best, period. I love the "clamp from one end" feature. No C clamps are needed. The price is a little steep, but your paying for a precision piece. This tool takes the hassle out of big cutting jobs. The only problem I had was finding a place to store it (I hung it from the rafters in the garage with storage hooks). I just might have to get the 50 inch version as well. Thanks, Amazon!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A guide that works., April 15, 2000

By 

Randall Thomas (Las Vegas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tru-Grip FT8TS 8 Tru-Grip Pro FTR Series (Tools & Home Improvement)

I am amazed at the ease of set up, and accuracy. I built along sliding stop, that doubles as a 90 degree angle set, using thebuilt in t-tracks and the nuts provided with the guide. I was trying to get easy set up to cut right angles, and it worked.

Solved Flesh and Wine's, problem before I realized he had one. END