How to Use a Featherboard when Rip Cutting Wood on a Tablesaw
How to Use a Featherboard when Rip Cutting Wood on a Tablesaw
This handy jig holds boards tight to the fence to help you make cleaner cuts and prevent dangerous kickback.
A featherboard serves two important purposes: It holds the board you are cutting tight to to your tablesaw fence, which makes for cleaner, straighter cuts; and it prevents the sawblade from dangerously kicking the board backward, which could cause serious injuries or damage. Featherboards work essentially like a flexible, spring-loaded fence with angled “fingers” that only allow a board to slide freely in the direction of the sawblade.
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For anyone who was dumb and confused like me as to why yours slides in the track… here’s what you do. Make sure you use the set of bolts that don’t have that weird flat head and make sure they enter the guide on the side that is countersunk. This way when you tighten it down, it’ll spread out the plastic and lock it into the channel.
Nice short video. Straight to the point. I learned all in needed to in under a minute, where countless other videos would have taken 20 minutes to explain what you did in less than 1.
Thanks Chris
You should have mentioned that the featherboards are a “OK” alternative to wood splitters/fins. The way you present the video is like telling people that wood splitters are not necessary if they have a featherboard. Featherboards are good but are not as good as a wood splitter/fin. You can still experience kickbacks.
What brand of feather board is this?
Great advice in a short sharp manner perfect cheers
I just bought one, after tightening the board it has no play between the material and the jig. However, if I move it up and down the track, it moves. Will that be a problem when cutting? Or should I get some stops for the track?
I bought one today and I can’t get it to tighten up in the table saw channel. The instructions that came with it were crap.
That’s it?!
You have kickback cause you’re not using a riving knife. No amount of featherboard will help you without all the safety precautions in place.
Excellent, to the point, and very helpful.