Popular Woodworking 2006-12 № 159, страница 17

Tool Test

Better Featherboards for Many Tools

Traditionally, a shop-made featherboard is used to hold a small or narrow workp iece firmly against a fence or machine table. The common form has been around since the inception of the table saw, and when I first saw the FeatherBow, I thought, ""Why would I spend $30 for something I could make in five minutes ?" But after testing these featherboards on our table saw and router table, I believe it's $30 well spent.

In addition to the traditional form of featherboard on one end, the other end is bow shaped and can also be used for controlling stock. The bow-shaped end has a plastic piece on the inside of the bow that is used to gauge the amount of pressure the bow exerts on the work. While the bow shape effectively holds the work down to the table firmly, it won't prevent stock from moving backward as the traditional shape will.

The company also makes a FeatherBow Junior, which has the bow shape on one end and a single feather on the other. It's intended

to be used as an addition to the larger version, providing downward pressure from the fence, while the large hold-in, mounted in the miter-gauge slot, applies lateral pressure. The large size has an expanding bolt that locks the device in the miter-gauge slot, and the small one is designed to attach to a T-track or to a piece of wood attached to the table saw fence.

The big advantage to these is the ease and adjustability of mounting. This is the major drawback to shop-made featherboards; you need to use two clamps on each one, and it can be difficult to locate them where you want them, and to find a suitable place to clamp to.

While the product is nicely made and functions as it should, the printed instructions leave a lot to be desired. The company is in the process of updating its written manual.

— Robert Lang For more information, circle # 115 on Free Information Card.

SPECIFICATIONS

FeatherBow Street price: $7.45 to $29.95 Construction: Molded Celcon plastic Hold-down pressure: 10 to 35 pounds Guarantee: Lifetime Performance: ••••O Price range: $$$ Company: 860-896-0683 featherbow.com

Gramercy Tools Bowsaw Gets All the Details Right

As a devoted band saw user, I've always resisted the bowsaw, which was used by early American and English woodworkers to cut curves. My problem with the modern manufactured bowsaws was that they were difficult to steer, they cut slowly and were unbalanced.

The new 12" bowsaw from Gramercy Tools, however, is another animal entirely. The first time I used it was like the first time I used a premium handplane - it was an almost religious experience. Thanks to the saw's sharp and narrow blade, its featherweight frame and its remarkable balance, the saw absolutely flies through your work, tracks a line and is so balanced that you use it one-handed.

Like all my favorite tools, this bowsaw seems almost psychic and anticipates where I want to go and what I want to do.

So what's the secret? It's the details. Unlike other manufactured bowsaws, this one is lightweight at only 12.4 ounces (other saws that I've weighed tip the scales at 22.2 ounces). With this type of saw, every ounce counts.

The hickory frame is nicely sculpted in all the right places and even has a recess up by the handle for your index finger, which

is one of the reasons the saw is easy to steer with just one hand. The toggle that tightens the fishing line at top is easy to tension and release.

The b la de s the m-selves are also special. While some bowsaws use scrap band saw blades, the Gramercy uses thin blades (Vs" wide at most) that are made like a coping saw blade with integral pins. Other bowsaws have separate pins that get lost or are tricky to remove. The Gramercy bowsaw comes with three blades: 24, 18 and 10 tpi.

The saw is worth every bit of its $ 140 price tag, but you can cut that price by purchasing a kit that includes the blades and brass fittings for $26 and then download the free plans for the saw from the company's web site (it's an easy one-day project to build).

— Christopher Schwarz For more information, circle # 176 on Free Information Card.

SPECIFICATIONS

Gramercy Tools Bowsaw Street price: $140 (saw kit, $26) Frame material: Hickory Weight: 12.4 ounces Handle length: 4" Performance: < Price range:! Tools for Working Wood: 800-426-4613 or toolsforworkingwood.com

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Popular Woodworking December 2006