Popular Woodworking 2002-04 № 127, страница 13

Q&A

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Featherboards for Safety and Accuracy

Are Featherboards Really Necessary? And How Do You Make Them?

I'm somewhat new to woodworking and want to know more about featherboards. I've seen them in photos and mentioned in articles as safety devices. Should I use them in my shop?

Fred Tipplewait Dallas, Texas

I consider featherboards both a safety device and an excellent aid when making special cuts on a table saw or shaping stock in a router table or on a shaper.

You probably realize that the "spring" from the "fingers" on the end of the featherboard are a great way to hold stock firmly in place, especially near the blade or bit. That's the safety advantage. They also supply continuous pressure on the stock, holding it to a fence. This will produce a more consistent cut or profile on the wood, even compensating for some amount of warp in narrow stock. Sometimes two featherboards are used: one to hold stock to the fence and one from above to hold it down on the table.

A word of caution when using one on a table saw. Set it up so that the pressure is just in front of where the blade is cutting the stock. Don't allow the featherboard to apply pressure behind the cut where the kerf will close up, binding on the blade and leading to a dangerous kickback.

There are many ways to make them and they can be of various shapes and sizes depending on their application.

— Steve Shanesy, editor and publisher

Why are Radial Arm Saws so Scarce These Days?

I have used a radial arm saw in the past and liked it. I now want to buy a saw of my own and wonder why there are no radial arm saws advertised in your magazine. Is there something about a radial arm saw that is inferior to a table saw or other type of saw? I like the fact that I don't have to move the wood with a radial arm saw; I just move the saw itself. With a table saw or any other saw, you have to move the wood.

Joe Casey via the internet

In many of today's woodshops, the sliding compound miter saw is replacing the radial arm. The sliding compound miter saw is often more accurate and less expensive. In fact, there are only a few manufacturers making radial arm saws these days, and their sales in that category are nothing to brag about.

As for comparing the radial arm saw to a table saw, it's our opinion that there is no real comparison. The capacity, accuracy and versatility

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Popular Woodworking April 2002