Featherboard

It is used to keep a piece of wood against a fence when cutting or routing. Here is a link to Rockler where it shows one on a TS. – http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=10644

The fingers of the featherboard keep tension on the board against the fence.

-- The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them

Grant, NEVER APOLOGIZE FOR ASKING “SIMPLE” QUESTIONS ON LumberJocks!!
A piece of wood or plastic that has slots either cut (or in the case of plastic—molded) into it. It resembles the barbs of a feather.

If you take a feather and stroke your fingers from bottom to top, it’s easy, but going the other way is hard…
...sort of like petting a cat backwards. It doesn’t go too well. ;-D

If you were wondering…
Parts of a feather:
1. Vane
2. Rachis
3. Barb
4. Afterfeather
5. Hollow shaft, calamus (courtesy wikipedia.org)

Here are some pics of featherboards you can buy or make.

CHECK OUT THIS WEBPAGE ON FEATHERBOARDS!!

I don’t personally use them (YET!!) but times have passed when I wished I did. It keeps your fingers far away from the blade.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE GO TO THIS POST BY MY BUDDY NIKI !!!
Notice the “Roller Featherboard” that doesn’t stop kickback, but DOES keep your fingers out of harm’s way.
He’s the man to ask about shop jigs and fixtures!!

-- Lane Custom Guitars and Basses

you use feather boards for holding stock to a tablesaw, or other tools like the jointed, bandsaw, router table, ect. They are very usefull and they are easy to make. They help give you a hand so that you don’t have as much to worry about and they are great for helping resist kickbacks. Hope this helps. Contact me if you have any more questions.

-- Tyler, Illinois

i use my featherboard often. not only does it make ripping safer but it makes it more accurate too since the board is forced to stay agains the fence through the cut.

-- Scott - Chico California http://chicowoodnut.home.comcast.net

The feather board can be used on any tool that has a fence or table where you do not want your fingers to get too close to the blade, bit, knives, etc. They also keep the same pressure applied to the wood throughout the entire pass: hand and finger pressure decrease the longer they pressure is applied, but the feather board does not get tired.

-- Brian, Lebanon PA, If you aren’t having fun doing it, find something else to do.

Grant,

You can make your own featherboards very easily. I posted a short video (8 min. 31 sec.) on making Gord Graff’s design. You will find the post on my blog.

-- Al Navas, St Joseph, MO, http://sandal-woodsblog.com

Grant,

There are already several good replies to your question about featherboards, but I cannot resist offering another option. I work for a company that manufactures a magnetic featherboard that is etremely versitile and easy to use. It sets up in seconds and in my humble opinion is superior in many ways to most other featherboards. It is called the Grip-Tite Magnetic Feathernboard, and if you are interested you can see video of it being used at www.grip-tite.com. Whatever your choice, a good featherbord is probably the most useful safety tool available for your tablesaw and is essential for safely making many cuts on your tablesaw.

JVBanjo, I (truly) appreciate the fact that you clearly said you work for the company that manufactures the Grip-Tites. So often, people promote their products without telling you that they’re indeed promoting their company. It feels like shilling, and it is refreshing to see your example.

I think that you have to consider “versatility”...

Those feather boards that are using the miter slot do not leave too much of space between the blade and the feather board and if you have to cut a wide board, I’m not sure that you’ll have enough space for locking the feather board.

The Magnetic ones looks much more versatile because they can be “clamped” even beyond the miter slot and by that, let you to cut larger boards (from the blade to the left).
The only problem for me would be….my table top is made of Aluminum….

On the link that Alanealane pointed (thank you Alenealane), I’m using a “quicky” one for short boards that I can reach with my right hand and push shoe while holding the “feather board” with my left hand.

But for the “wide and big guys”, I’m using the one on the picture below that releases my hand totally.
In addition to pressing the workpiece to the fence, the rollers are also pressing the workpiece down to the table and all I have to do is, push…

Now that is a sweet setup niki. I really like it.

-- Scott - Chico California http://chicowoodnut.home.comcast.net