I called Bow Products because I had a couple of questions about those foam featherboards. The owner/inventor answered the phone and talked with me, then sent me photos of some use situations and upcoming products. Just wanted to give a shout out to a friendly, US business.
Well said. Just keep in mind that a featherboard that pushes horizontally towards the fence must be in front of the blade, but there is no such limitation for a featherboard that pushes vertically down towards the table along the fence. So long as the force is strictly down on the workpiece between the blade and fence, and does not limit the free motion of the cutoff, you can absolutely have featherboards placed wherever it works best for you. Heck, you could have three, with one before, one beside and one after the blade. Of course, that only works if they don't get in the way of your push sticks. And yes, I own those foam Feather Pro devices. They are by far, THE BEST featherboard I have ever used, and I will not switch back to another option. The foam has a stronger grab than anything else I have seen, yet is absolutely gentler to the wood than everything else on the market. There really is no competition, and I highly recommend them! That being said, I went the cheap route and bought their $15 foam refill kit, and fit the foam pieces into 3/4" plywood that I cut on the scroll saw to their special profile by tracing the foam. I attach that to my iron table using a 1200lb magnetic lock powered by a 12V drill battery.
I appreciate the amount of attention you give to safety and potential safety issues. I have made some dangerous mistakes and gotten lucky. Haven't had a close call in the two years I have been watching your channel. I have a machine design degree and am impressed with every design of yours that I have seen. I look forward to your videos and learn a ton. Thank you for the truly impressive content.
Thank you for this informative video that is quite helpful for us who might be rather new to using a table saw. Every little bit of safety information is priceless!
Excellent video as always, James :) One point, just for those who may not be aware - many job site table saws (including the SawStop that I have) use a hard polymer compound for the saw table surface - NOT iron. So things like Magswitches DO NOT WORK. Some folks may not have thought of this before buying Magswitches, particularly online - they're a bit harder to return when bought that way. Just something to keep in mind.
I have a Shopsmith and the top is aluminum so I have the same problem. I agree with Dr_Rock (Pete), excellent video. I knew pretty much everything said, but it’s always good to listen to a safety briefing more than once.
I really liked the design of the magswitches and all the accessories but I lack a steel table saw to use them on. They should make an attachment that utilizes a clamp to use the t-slots on non-ferrous tables. Would not take much to fabricate with the modular design they utilize.
@@stephenborntrager6542 Cosmas Bauer (I think that's the spelling) had a video he did awhile back where he took a very old cast iron table saw and very carefully fixed them using a carbide bit in a wood router and a straightedge. It seemed to work without too many challenges as long as he went very slow and was careful. This is a situation where your milage may vary, and as always be very careful with something like this. All that said, aluminum and plastic are both softer than cast iron, and it might be possible to fix bad slots with this method. Hope it helps!
I’ve watched this channel for years and it has repeatedly brought my attention to potential safety hazards which I was unaware of (the danger of using chainsaw-edged-angle-grinder disks, causes of kickback, etc.) and this episode regarding has been no exception. The information and experience you’ve shared have been consistently backed up by solid research and has become my most trustworthy source of information on woodworking. Your delivery is also well thought out and presented in a clear and understandable manner. My fingers thank you! ✋😅🤚 John R. PS: Say hello to Mustache Mike!
Very informative! I've never used a table saw myself, but I definitely understand how putting featherboards beside or behind the blade can increase chances of kickback. The scary thing is I've seen so many people doing that on youtube! Thank you Stumpy for the great content :)
Thanks for reinforcing what I already “knew” about featherboard placement and purpose on a table saw. I especially liked confirmation that a featherboard on the out feed side of the router table is OK. It seemed that way to me but I was afraid to risk it after reading and being told “never out a featherboard on the outfeed side.” P.S. stacked featherboards for holding a piece vertically against a router table fence makes for safer and better cuts.
Another great video. Everyone who uses a table saw should watch your videos. You need to know how kickback works before hitting the power button. "Potentially shoot a board through drywall." That was understated... 😂
Thanks for the advance. I have some feather boards but really didn't know how to use them. They came with my Rockler rotor table. I never used them before. Thanks again.
Yep. Great tips. Nice catch on the magazine site. Agreed, don't put direct pressure on a spinning blade. Even if you get away with getting the board by, it puts pressure on arbors, motors, trunnions, tie rods (on table saws), among other parts, leading to all other sorts of problems involving maintenance.
Great advice. I'm sold on the Featherpro. Love that kickback braking action. My primary need is for keeping a board snug against the fence while cutting a dado, but the kickback brake feature is a nice bonus when I'm ripping a long board. Buying today. Thanks.
I agree with everything you said. I have a large kitchen project coming up. And for my Son's safety and mine, I bought extras of everything so we can be safe. One thing I did learn was that when ripping a board that thin strip bends easily. I can use a MAGSWITCH halfway between end of the blade and back of the table saw. The strip goes off to the left and a 3/4 board stacked and pivoting just over the left side of the cut board. By adding a washer between them at the pivot point the board is prevented from lifting higher than the washer gap. By doing it this way, I'm not adding drag, just preventing the board from gaining air like a Hawaiian 🏄😂. It's not a total hold down like the rubber ones. But it doesn't apply pressure unless there's a kickback starting. It's not a total solution. As with all of the different types of items you mentioned, it's all about the situation.
I have been watching quite a few videos on featherboards, just going down the list saw Stump Nubs and knew the advice would be excellent. I love your channel and as a new woodworker i look to you FIRST for good advice. Even I as a nobody could see how bad it was positioning that featherborad along the side the blade.
This is brilliant, I am about to make myself a little routertable and was looking into featherboards for this little project that I have coming up. This is really helpful and eventhough unintentional, perfectly timed! Thanks!
The fancy anti-kickback wheels work nicely. You angle them a little bit so they try to drag your board against the fence. They're far from perfect. It takes patience to set them up, and they get in the way, but they are a help. Go to one of the Amazon links in this video's links, then search for "woodriver kickback".
Great video. I actually put my feather board in hiding. So I'm gonna find it. I tend to not want it because I run mainly shorts through my router table. Since blow out is a problem still feel like this would get in the way for most of my habits. Also you talk about having a small shop. Mines even smaller but if the EMS can fit enough stuff in there ambulance to save a life then we surely can make wood beautiful in a small shop.
Your criticism at 3:47 is correct and completely deserved. (I hope the video you showed has been taken offline. It is dangerous advice.) I was also taught, and it is entirely self-evident, that you NEVER place a featherboard anywhere directly left from the blade. It obviously squeezes the work piece between the featherboard and the blade, creating a perfect combination for an accident. The only variables are not if, but when, the accident will occur and how severe it will be to the worker - and less importantly, to his or her work. Thank you for pointing this out. In my opinion, a push stick, cross-cut sled and featherboard should be standard equipment with a table saw, for both safety as well as function, just like eye, ear and dust protection. By the way, while I am not a professional woodworker, I have been professionally taught from the first day by some of the best professionals in the business, workers whose work and articles have been repeatedly featured in “Fine Woodworking,” for instance. I only mention this not to crow, but just to let any reader of this comment know that I am writing knowledgeably about this subject.
Thank you for your attention to safety, and explaining the details. I'm teaching a young man what I know, and sometimes I don't know as much as I'd like to pass on to him - you're a big help!
I know the video is primarily about feather boards, but it could have been useful to quickly mention that a table saw blade guard is a phenomenal way to prevent kickback. All the cuts here would have benefited from it. I almost always keep mine on. You can't have it on for every cut, but it's useful for like 80-90% of the cuts I make. And it only takes like 20 seconds to put in. Well worth the risk mitigation.
Agreed. Yeah they're a bit of a pain, and yes, it takes maybe a few seconds longer to dial in your cut, but I always try to use mine whenever possible. Ask yourself if you were to lose a finger or two, and could go back in time and take those 45 seconds to put it on, would you?
Interesting. I just watched the Popular Woodworking video on push sticks and feather boards less than 10 min ago. My first reaction was NOT to place the feather board next to the blade as shown. Your video came up on the suggested playlist and confirmed my thoughts. Thank you. (one more thing: I noticed there was no riving knife in the Popular Woodworking presentation)
It does look like it wouldn't work as well as the in front of the blade position, but the way he had it positioned didn't seem likely to produce kickback. It was in line with the front part of the blade, where the saw teeth are descending. Pressure there would tend to push the work into the table. It wouldn't close up the kerf on the back part of the blade where the teeth are rising.
That assumes the pressure only flexes the off-cut right at the point of contact, which of course isn't true. And while those teeth aren't rising up, they are moving backwards toward you.
I always appreciate your advice on safety in woodworking. The video you showed of some irresponsible person regarding the feather-board should be placed close to the blade is downright dangerous and should be called out as this. Thanks James for another excellent tutorial.
James, I'm really impressed by your tips, and safety measures you provide for us. I also love you new tools reviews. I'm about to start making a set of cabinets, for my workbench, so your tips and tricks are very much appreciated. Please, keep 'em coming!!!
I always thought the featherboards were for safety, so thanks for clarifying that. I have the jessem clearcut for my table saw and love it. I mounted it to a board that fits in the channel of my fence and lock it down with a couple of those magswitch devices you get from Rockler (or your amazon link in the show notes).
Every once in a while you throw something out there that I would never dream someone would do. Thanks very much for the head's up. Clicked like and killed a troll.
my Table saw is the baby DeWalt 7485 and with feather boards, I managed to rip about 30 meters of 150mm x 2400mm stock into 70mm pieces safely and quickly. I wouldn't have attempted it with them 👍
You know guys , it all comes down to this ... are we willing to take a corse to lern a knew trade or even a hoby ?!?! Because alot of accidents happened when they said to them selfs ( i can do this self taught ! ) . Take a year corse and you’ll up and dandy to do a lot by your self . The youtube will be just as an update of new ways of doing things or new tools etc... nothing against you Stumpy 🤓 i love to watch your videos 😜 👍🏼
Good info, thanks for sharing, I like the new rubber locking design. IDK where that other video came from but yeah, never put a featherboard next to or past the blade, always in front.
1:48 There are featherboards specifically for the fence that are shorter than the featherboards for the miter slots. Use the shorter ones so your hand won't bump into the featherboard when using the push stick.
Nothing like running your fingers into the spinning blade (like I did once) to teach you to do it right from now on. Feather boards, and push blocks are good safety devices. I’m not much of a fan of push sticks. I found out when things kick back and go horribly wrong….and your push stick gets knocked out of your hand, your hand will then push into the blade. Now I use a push block.
Good video. I enjoy all your videos. I find this to be an expensive hobby if you chase all these tools and widgets. I do my best to make my own jigs and helping hand type widgets that I can make from wood scrapes. If that piece of plastic costs more than $5 bucks, you can bet I'll make it myself. Its a cost-benefit thing.
when i trained there wasn't a feather board in sight, except on the shaper for obvious reasons. i must admit i do use one occasionally now if i am doing large runs, or working with extremely long rips.
Thanks very useful information. I have those orange ones but the green ones with the foam fingers is a new one on me. I’m going to look into those thanks!
20+ years ago I have seen some of my veterans woodworker coworkers use clampt short fence block that only go less than half way off the saw blade to have less likely kickback
Owen here : James, I'm a new woodworker. (82 yrs young). I appreciate your down to earth explanations . I'm also a hobby organist ( 5 yrs. now ) and would be out of luck by doing something dumb at the table saw. A fast end to my music and wood working aspirations. The featherboard pro seem like a good product when used properly. Thanks for explaining how to best use. Cheers, Owen
I understand that the one featherboard that pushes towards the fence should be approx 2 in infront of the blade but what about the feather boards that are against the fence pushing down: can you have two or three along side the fence (if there is room) espicially when starting to feed long pieces of wood.
Off topic: I wonder how many of use use job site table saws? I do it's a Dewalt and on a folding cart due to space restrictions. I ask it to do more than it's meant to. Just curious.
Good stuff as always. I can't believe that short insert of the feather board pushing the board against the blade. Strewth. Which ever channel it was, needs to take it down pretty quick.
It'd be good if feather boards had an attachment that reached up and over the piece to apply downward pressure from above as opposed to mounting a feather board over the guide rail as you were showing in the video. In that way, you could easily overcome the issue of the actual blade getting in the way or making it physically impossible to actually add the back up feather board. The part were you mention that you can stack feather boards on top of each other gave me the idea. Hope this makes sense and if it does I have no idea if it has already been done or whether it is a terrible idea LOL
Unless it's a very narrow work piece, the hold down featherboard should not interfere. When you use a pushstick, it should placed on the blade side of center on the piece you are cutting. If it is too narrow, then use a scrap board to push with. Test this theory by putting a board on a table and pushing it on the left corner. It will go towards the right , conversely if you push on the right, it will go left. Clearly you have keep your pushstick out of the blade, but if you are near it when you push, it will veer toward the fence.
I'm not sure if this is the proper application, but I find that the featherboard limits the drift on my band saw. (I do know I should adjust the blade etc., but I'm too lazy, LOL)
Feather boards are wonderful tools, especially now we don’t have to make them. ANY time any tool doesn’t feel or sound right , stop. No board, guard, or magic pixie can fix it.
I agree! When people don’t respect the tool is usually when bad things happen. People become complacent and unaware that the saw doesn’t give a shit about you, or your hands!
Hi, I want to re - saw, rough 2 x 6 mahogany, into 1 x 6 for use in deck construction. I have a 10 inch Metabo job site table saw and wanted to ask, what tips you may have to pull off these cuts. 3.12 inch cut depth. Should i use a featherboard? I will be using a thickness planer after.
James, LOVE the channel! Have you looked into Board Buddies? I think they were originally made for RAS, but I threw a pair of them on my TS fence and they both push down and pull the workpiece into the fence due to the shape and cant angle of the wheels. For long rip cuts, at least in my case, they make my rips very accurate and I feel as though it makes it safer as well.
A well fitted (and a well constructed) featherboard should have fingers that bend slitely when you insert your workpiece. If it just rest against your workpiece when you push it forward - it will just rest against your workpiece in the event of a kick-back. If a storebought featherboard contains real stiff fingers which don't bend quite easily - scrap it. (You can make a good one out of wood if you want). A featherboard MUST provide a (SMALL) amount of force to push the workpiece through it, if you want it to serve it's purpose.
Hi James, I think one aspect of your device is quite incorrect. You really need the workpiece to be kept as close to the fence as possible at the point of cutting to achieve an accurate cut. Ideally this would be at the blade. However you correctly state that if you cut all of the way through the workpiece you will cause pinching at the blade and most likely cause kick back. But what about the case when you are not cutting all of the way through the workpiece such as when creating a small rebate? In this situation you will definitely achieve more precision with the feather board set opposite the blade and without increasing the possibility of kickback.
Yes, never place a feather board, mounted to apply pressure against the fence, any where past the front tooth of the blade. IMHO the best guard tool/feature to guard against kick back is a riving knife.
Why can't you put it after the blade if you have a riving knife? It seems to me that the ever so slightly amount of pressure there would go a long way to prevent rotation of the blank. Not a crazy amount - that would cause it to bind on the knife... I don't own a table saw, mind you. So all of this is just a conjecture. Maybe it's just as well i don't.
I know from unfortunate personal experience that positioning the feather board to cover the blade is inviting disaster. I made that mistake several years ago, had a bad kick back and needed about 20 stitches to fix it. Stumpy, your caution on that foolhardy practice can not be emphasized enough.
I called Bow Products because I had a couple of questions about those foam featherboards. The owner/inventor answered the phone and talked with me, then sent me photos of some use situations and upcoming products. Just wanted to give a shout out to a friendly, US business.
I am a new woodworker, and I love your channel. Thanks for all you do to make things easy to understand.
Well said.
Just keep in mind that a featherboard that pushes horizontally towards the fence must be in front of the blade, but there is no such limitation for a featherboard that pushes vertically down towards the table along the fence. So long as the force is strictly down on the workpiece between the blade and fence, and does not limit the free motion of the cutoff, you can absolutely have featherboards placed wherever it works best for you. Heck, you could have three, with one before, one beside and one after the blade. Of course, that only works if they don't get in the way of your push sticks.
And yes, I own those foam Feather Pro devices. They are by far, THE BEST featherboard I have ever used, and I will not switch back to another option. The foam has a stronger grab than anything else I have seen, yet is absolutely gentler to the wood than everything else on the market. There really is no competition, and I highly recommend them!
That being said, I went the cheap route and bought their $15 foam refill kit, and fit the foam pieces into 3/4" plywood that I cut on the scroll saw to their special profile by tracing the foam. I attach that to my iron table using a 1200lb magnetic lock powered by a 12V drill battery.
I appreciate the amount of attention you give to safety and potential safety issues. I have made some dangerous mistakes and gotten lucky. Haven't had a close call in the two years I have been watching your channel. I have a machine design degree and am impressed with every design of yours that I have seen. I look forward to your videos and learn a ton. Thank you for the truly impressive content.
InstaBlaster...
I have worked in woodwork shops all my adult life, this man speaks the truth. Many thanx
As a new woodworker I just wanted to say how much I appreciate your videos!
WOW! this guy, 40 years working wood, LEARNED SOMETHING!!!! Thanks.
I can't believe how that video showed to use a featherboard that way. Thanks for the good advice.
The Jensen rollers on the table saw also pulls the work tight to the fence too.
Thank you for this informative video that is quite helpful for us who might be rather new to using a table saw. Every little bit of safety information is priceless!
Excellent video as always, James :) One point, just for those who may not be aware - many job site table saws (including the SawStop that I have) use a hard polymer compound for the saw table surface - NOT iron. So things like Magswitches DO NOT WORK. Some folks may not have thought of this before buying Magswitches, particularly online - they're a bit harder to return when bought that way. Just something to keep in mind.
That's a valuable tip, thanks!
I have a Shopsmith and the top is aluminum so I have the same problem. I agree with Dr_Rock (Pete), excellent video. I knew pretty much everything said, but it’s always good to listen to a safety briefing more than once.
I really liked the design of the magswitches and all the accessories but I lack a steel table saw to use them on. They should make an attachment that utilizes a clamp to use the t-slots on non-ferrous tables. Would not take much to fabricate with the modular design they utilize.
And some cheap table saws have really weird miter tracks that mean you can't mount anything else there either... so a finger board is the only option.
@@stephenborntrager6542 Cosmas Bauer (I think that's the spelling) had a video he did awhile back where he took a very old cast iron table saw and very carefully fixed them using a carbide bit in a wood router and a straightedge. It seemed to work without too many challenges as long as he went very slow and was careful. This is a situation where your milage may vary, and as always be very careful with something like this. All that said, aluminum and plastic are both softer than cast iron, and it might be possible to fix bad slots with this method. Hope it helps!
I’ve watched this channel for years and it has repeatedly brought my attention to potential safety hazards which I was unaware of (the danger of using chainsaw-edged-angle-grinder disks, causes of kickback, etc.) and this episode regarding has been no exception.
The information and experience you’ve shared have been consistently backed up by solid research and has become my most trustworthy source of information on woodworking.
Your delivery is also well thought out and presented in a clear and understandable manner.
My fingers thank you!
✋😅🤚
John R.
PS: Say hello to Mustache Mike!
Just when you think you know all there is to know, Someone comes along and tells you more! Thanks James, you’ve taught this old dog some new tricks!!
Very informative! I've never used a table saw myself, but I definitely understand how putting featherboards beside or behind the blade can increase chances of kickback. The scary thing is I've seen so many people doing that on youtube! Thank you Stumpy for the great content :)
Thanks for reinforcing what I already “knew” about featherboard placement and purpose on a table saw. I especially liked confirmation that a featherboard on the out feed side of the router table is OK. It seemed that way to me but I was afraid to risk it after reading and being told “never out a featherboard on the outfeed side.”
P.S. stacked featherboards for holding a piece vertically against a router table fence makes for safer and better cuts.
Another great video. Everyone who uses a table saw should watch your videos. You need to know how kickback works before hitting the power button. "Potentially shoot a board through drywall." That was understated... 😂
THANKS JAMES, ONCE AGAIN YOU HAVE BROUGHT ME UP TO SPEED ON A SUBJECT IN SHORT ORDER!
Thanks for the advance. I have some feather boards but really didn't know how to use them. They came with my Rockler rotor table. I never used them before. Thanks again.
Yep. Great tips. Nice catch on the magazine site. Agreed, don't put direct pressure on a spinning blade. Even if you get away with getting the board by, it puts pressure on arbors, motors, trunnions, tie rods (on table saws), among other parts, leading to all other sorts of problems involving maintenance.
Great advice. I'm sold on the Featherpro. Love that kickback braking action. My primary need is for keeping a board snug against the fence while cutting a dado, but the kickback brake feature is a nice bonus when I'm ripping a long board. Buying today. Thanks.
Bought some ridge carbide blades today from the owner at a woodworking show. Thanks for the recommendation!
Good video. And I agree about fleatherboard placement; I should not be alongside the blade.
I agree with everything you said. I have a large kitchen project coming up. And for my Son's safety and mine, I bought extras of everything so we can be safe. One thing I did learn was that when ripping a board that thin strip bends easily. I can use a MAGSWITCH halfway between end of the blade and back of the table saw. The strip goes off to the left and a 3/4 board stacked and pivoting just over the left side of the cut board. By adding a washer between them at the pivot point the board is prevented from lifting higher than the washer gap. By doing it this way, I'm not adding drag, just preventing the board from gaining air like a Hawaiian 🏄😂. It's not a total hold down like the rubber ones. But it doesn't apply pressure unless there's a kickback starting. It's not a total solution. As with all of the different types of items you mentioned, it's all about the situation.
I have been watching quite a few videos on featherboards, just going down the list saw Stump Nubs and knew the advice would be excellent. I love your channel and as a new woodworker i look to you FIRST for good advice. Even I as a nobody could see how bad it was positioning that featherborad along the side the blade.
Great video , I ordered the duo stack to help me make baseboard (tall work pieces). Thanks again
This is brilliant, I am about to make myself a little routertable and was looking into featherboards for this little project that I have coming up. This is really helpful and eventhough unintentional, perfectly timed! Thanks!
The fancy anti-kickback wheels work nicely. You angle them a little bit so they try to drag your board against the fence. They're far from perfect. It takes patience to set them up, and they get in the way, but they are a help.
Go to one of the Amazon links in this video's links, then search for "woodriver kickback".
Great video. I actually put my feather board in hiding. So I'm gonna find it. I tend to not want it because I run mainly shorts through my router table. Since blow out is a problem still feel like this would get in the way for most of my habits. Also you talk about having a small shop. Mines even smaller but if the EMS can fit enough stuff in there ambulance to save a life then we surely can make wood beautiful in a small shop.
Your criticism at 3:47 is correct and completely deserved. (I hope the video you showed has been taken offline. It is dangerous advice.) I was also taught, and it is entirely self-evident, that you NEVER place a featherboard anywhere directly left from the blade. It obviously squeezes the work piece between the featherboard and the blade, creating a perfect combination for an accident. The only variables are not if, but when, the accident will occur and how severe it will be to the worker - and less importantly, to his or her work. Thank you for pointing this out.
In my opinion, a push stick, cross-cut sled and featherboard should be standard equipment with a table saw, for both safety as well as function, just like eye, ear and dust protection. By the way, while I am not a professional woodworker, I have been professionally taught from the first day by some of the best professionals in the business, workers whose work and articles have been repeatedly featured in “Fine Woodworking,” for instance. I only mention this not to crow, but just to let any reader of this comment know that I am writing knowledgeably about this subject.
Extremely helpful video, especially for someone new to featherboards like me. Thank you!
Thank you for your attention to safety, and explaining the details. I'm teaching a young man what I know, and sometimes I don't know as much as I'd like to pass on to him - you're a big help!
I know the video is primarily about feather boards, but it could have been useful to quickly mention that a table saw blade guard is a phenomenal way to prevent kickback. All the cuts here would have benefited from it. I almost always keep mine on. You can't have it on for every cut, but it's useful for like 80-90% of the cuts I make. And it only takes like 20 seconds to put in. Well worth the risk mitigation.
Agreed. Yeah they're a bit of a pain, and yes, it takes maybe a few seconds longer to dial in your cut, but I always try to use mine whenever possible. Ask yourself if you were to lose a finger or two, and could go back in time and take those 45 seconds to put it on, would you?
Interesting. I just watched the Popular Woodworking video on push sticks and feather boards less than 10 min ago. My first reaction was NOT to place the feather board next to the blade as shown. Your video came up on the suggested playlist and confirmed my thoughts. Thank you. (one more thing: I noticed there was no riving knife in the Popular Woodworking presentation)
Im a hack and i know not to put a featherboard where that guy said to. You can see and feel its a bad idea..
It does look like it wouldn't work as well as the in front of the blade position, but the way he had it positioned didn't seem likely to produce kickback. It was in line with the front part of the blade, where the saw teeth are descending. Pressure there would tend to push the work into the table. It wouldn't close up the kerf on the back part of the blade where the teeth are rising.
That assumes the pressure only flexes the off-cut right at the point of contact, which of course isn't true. And while those teeth aren't rising up, they are moving backwards toward you.
if not safe, the wood could burn since it is pushing the material towards the blade on the side.
I was wondering about the feather board pros. I may purchase a set after this video. Thanks James.
So I am here from a rabbit hole I leapt down, and im glad I found your channel. Subscribed.
You'r the best 🙌
As pertinent as always
I always appreciate your advice on safety in woodworking. The video you showed of some irresponsible person regarding the feather-board should be placed close to the blade is downright dangerous and should be called out as this. Thanks James for another excellent tutorial.
Excellent perspective on saw safety
James, I'm really impressed by your tips, and safety measures you provide for us. I also love you new tools reviews. I'm about to start making a set of cabinets, for my workbench, so your tips and tricks are very much appreciated. Please, keep 'em coming!!!
I totally agree! Who ever teaches to use a feather board directly next to a cutter is going to get someone hurt.
Just good stuff as always. Now enjoy a cold one. You’ve earned it my friend.
I always thought the featherboards were for safety, so thanks for clarifying that. I have the jessem clearcut for my table saw and love it. I mounted it to a board that fits in the channel of my fence and lock it down with a couple of those magswitch devices you get from Rockler (or your amazon link in the show notes).
Every once in a while you throw something out there that I would never dream someone would do. Thanks very much for the head's up. Clicked like and killed a troll.
this guy is the GOAT
Great video. Time to place order on Rockler
my Table saw is the baby DeWalt 7485 and with feather boards, I managed to rip about 30 meters of 150mm x 2400mm stock into 70mm pieces safely and quickly. I wouldn't have attempted it with them 👍
You know guys , it all comes down to this ... are we willing to take a corse to lern a knew trade or even a hoby ?!?! Because alot of accidents happened when they said to them selfs ( i can do this self taught ! ) . Take a year corse and you’ll up and dandy to do a lot by your self . The youtube will be just as an update of new ways of doing things or new tools etc... nothing against you Stumpy 🤓 i love to watch your videos 😜 👍🏼
I'm very new to woodworking and this is great advice! Thanks.
Good info, thanks for sharing, I like the new rubber locking design. IDK where that other video came from but yeah, never put a featherboard next to or past the blade, always in front.
Thank you, Professor Hamilton! Your educational skills and presentation is among the best, if not THE BEST! I look forward to your next class...
Good advice as usual 👌
Well stated and great catch on that video that clearly shows a potentially dangerous, VERY dangerous situation!!
1:48 There are featherboards specifically for the fence that are shorter than the featherboards for the miter slots. Use the shorter ones so your hand won't bump into the featherboard when using the push stick.
Thank you for keep it simple, like your advices
Good info. Thanks!
Nothing like running your fingers into the spinning blade (like I did once) to teach you to do it right from now on. Feather boards, and push blocks are good safety devices. I’m not much of a fan of push sticks. I found out when things kick back and go horribly wrong….and your push stick gets knocked out of your hand, your hand will then push into the blade. Now I use a push block.
Very good video Stumpy! You make several great points about the proper use of feather boards. Thanks for your post
Great video thank you
You present the good stuff like a pro.
Good video. I enjoy all your videos. I find this to be an expensive hobby if you chase all these tools and widgets. I do my best to make my own jigs and helping hand type widgets that I can make from wood scrapes. If that piece of plastic costs more than $5 bucks, you can bet I'll make it myself. Its a cost-benefit thing.
Hi, what are your thoughts on vertical feather boards, attached to the fence, behind the table saw blade? Do you think it poses a danger?
I don't know why I had never thought about a featherboard on the fence!
when i trained there wasn't a feather board in sight, except on the shaper for obvious reasons. i must admit i do use one occasionally now if i am doing large runs, or working with extremely long rips.
Thank you for the info. Makes perfect sense. 👍
That video clip with the featherboard against the blade made my skin crawl.
Thanks very useful information. I have those orange ones but the green ones with the foam fingers is a new one on me. I’m going to look into those thanks!
thanks
20+ years ago I have seen some of my veterans woodworker coworkers use clampt short fence block that only go less than half way off the saw blade to have less likely kickback
Once again, very useful advice. Thanks.
Owen here : James, I'm a new woodworker. (82 yrs young).
I appreciate your down to earth explanations . I'm also a hobby organist ( 5 yrs. now ) and would be out of luck by doing something dumb at the table saw. A fast end to my music and wood working aspirations.
The featherboard pro seem like a good product when used properly.
Thanks for explaining how to best use.
Cheers, Owen
More power to you, Owen ;-)
Thanks for the great advice James!
I understand that the one featherboard that pushes towards the fence should be approx 2 in infront of the blade but what about the feather boards that are against the fence pushing down: can you have two or three along side the fence (if there is room) espicially when starting to feed long pieces of wood.
Featherboards pushing downward do not apply pressure to the blade, so you can put them wherever you like.
I dig it.
Off topic: I wonder how many of use use job site table saws? I do it's a Dewalt and on a folding cart due to space restrictions. I ask it to do more than it's meant to. Just curious.
Good stuff as always. I can't believe that short insert of the feather board pushing the board against the blade. Strewth. Which ever channel it was, needs to take it down pretty quick.
Can you use clamps from Festools in the slots????
Good tutorial. I learned some things!
It'd be good if feather boards had an attachment that reached up and over the piece to apply downward pressure from above as opposed to mounting a feather board over the guide rail as you were showing in the video. In that way, you could easily overcome the issue of the actual blade getting in the way or making it physically impossible to actually add the back up feather board. The part were you mention that you can stack feather boards on top of each other gave me the idea. Hope this makes sense and if it does I have no idea if it has already been done or whether it is a terrible idea LOL
Unless it's a very narrow work piece, the hold down featherboard should not interfere. When you use a pushstick, it should placed on the blade side of center on the piece you are cutting. If it is too narrow, then use a scrap board to push with. Test this theory by putting a board on a table and pushing it on the left corner. It will go towards the right
, conversely if you push on the right, it will go left. Clearly you have keep your pushstick out of the blade, but if you are near it when you push, it will veer toward the fence.
@@garyschmidt7320 Thank you sir. I forgot all about the use of a scrap board in those situations ;-)
Always good stuff. Thanks
I'm not sure if this is the proper application, but I find that the featherboard limits the drift on my band saw. (I do know I should adjust the blade etc., but I'm too lazy, LOL)
Feather boards are wonderful tools, especially now we don’t have to make them.
ANY time any tool doesn’t feel or sound right , stop.
No board, guard, or magic pixie can fix it.
I agree! When people don’t respect the tool is usually when bad things happen. People become complacent and unaware that the saw doesn’t give a shit about you, or your hands!
thank you
Great video..thank you
Featherboarding chickens is messy but TASTY!!!!
Great review
Good advice! Thanks!
Hi, I want to re - saw, rough 2 x 6 mahogany, into 1 x 6 for use in deck construction. I have a 10 inch Metabo job site table saw and wanted to ask, what tips you may have to pull off these cuts. 3.12 inch cut depth. Should i use a featherboard? I will be using a thickness planer after.
James, LOVE the channel!
Have you looked into Board Buddies? I think they were originally made for RAS, but I threw a pair of them on my TS fence and they both push down and pull the workpiece into the fence due to the shape and cant angle of the wheels. For long rip cuts, at least in my case, they make my rips very accurate and I feel as though it makes it safer as well.
Thank you!!
A well fitted (and a well constructed) featherboard should have fingers that bend slitely when you insert your workpiece.
If it just rest against your workpiece when you push it forward - it will just rest against your workpiece in the event of a kick-back.
If a storebought featherboard contains real stiff fingers which don't bend quite easily - scrap it.
(You can make a good one out of wood if you want).
A featherboard MUST provide a (SMALL) amount of force to push the workpiece through it, if you want it to serve it's purpose.
Featherboards don't stop kickback.
Hi James,
I think one aspect of your device is quite incorrect.
You really need the workpiece to be kept as close to the fence as possible at the point of cutting to achieve an accurate cut. Ideally this would be at the blade. However you correctly state that if you cut all of the way through the workpiece you will cause pinching at the blade and most likely cause kick back. But what about the case when you are not cutting all of the way through the workpiece such as when creating a small rebate? In this situation you will definitely achieve more precision with the feather board set opposite the blade and without increasing the possibility of kickback.
The foam feather boards or the JESSEM roller ?
Good video.
Yes, never place a feather board, mounted to apply pressure against the fence, any where past the front tooth of the blade. IMHO the best guard tool/feature to guard against kick back is a riving knife.
How would you compare feather boards to the microjig?
can we get plans on how to build a "versatable"?
Why can't you put it after the blade if you have a riving knife? It seems to me that the ever so slightly amount of pressure there would go a long way to prevent rotation of the blank. Not a crazy amount - that would cause it to bind on the knife...
I don't own a table saw, mind you. So all of this is just a conjecture. Maybe it's just as well i don't.
You can buy Featherboard Pro finger replacements from Amazon for $14 for two of them. Then cut out your own boards for them.
I know from unfortunate personal experience that positioning the feather board to cover the blade is inviting disaster. I made that mistake several years ago, had a bad kick back and needed about 20 stitches to fix it. Stumpy, your caution on that foolhardy practice can not be emphasized enough.