# Featherboard for Shopsmith w/out Tslot miter slots?



## mrjllj68 (Jan 8, 2012)

I am hoping to make a featherboard for my Shopsmith. It is an older model and the miter slots are not Tslots.
Is there some way to lock the featherboard in position without the Tslots? I am new at this and really apreciate 
the advice.
Thanks
Jon


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

You know how to lock the miter gauge in the slot?
You could use the same principle to lock a shop made runner attached to the feather board with slots for adjustment, tee nuts and screw knobs. Here's a view of one. FEATHER BOARD
Or, just order them from Shopsmith. I have two and they work great in my old SS.


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## PaulMCohen (Jan 22, 2008)

The Shopsmith miterbar and the ZeroPlay bar both work in Shopsmith tables with and without T-slots. They used force against the sides to stop the bar from moving.


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## richgreer (Dec 25, 2009)

I'm a big fan of magnets for feather boards and other applications. You can buy a couple of magna-switches and use them on multiple applications. For resawing, I made 2 feather boards. One elevates the feather board 3" off the table and the other elevates the feather board 6". I can use these in combination with another feather board at the table level. I can move a single set of magna-switches from one to the other.

With a table saw, getting the feather boards in just the right position is a breeze with magnets.

Ya don't have to bother with the track at all.


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

Rich,
The ShopSmith table is aluminum.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

You can clamp the featherboard to the table, which is what
we did for years before this idea about mounting featherboards
in miter slots became prominent.

In any case, the miter-slot featherboards generally don't 
require a T-slotted miter slot. The mounting part expands with
an eccentric screw or variant to wedge into the miter slot.


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## mrjllj68 (Jan 8, 2012)

Thanks for the advice. I'll have to go to figure them out. I did not realize they could work without the tslot. I am trying to resist buying them, feels like making them might be a good little project for a beginer. I'm hoping to have a shop full of jigs I made like one of my heros Norm Abram. Might seem dumb but it seems like I should make them not buy them. Anyways thanks much for the help.


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

I agree Jon, that making jigs are excellent projects. It's not dumb at all. However, there is the law of diminishing returns. For a bit over $30 for two feather boards, I felt I couldn't justify the T&M to make my own.


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