Popular Woodworking 2008-11 № 172, страница 41

A proper featherboard. The fingers of a featherboard are consistent in size and springy, as shown. You can clamp them to the table or to the fence to help improve the safety of many operations.

Better together. Here a push slick is used with a featherboard. The push stick keeps the work flat on the table and moving forward. The featherboard, located in front of the blade, presses the work against the fence.

they get cut and nicked you don't feel so bad. They are the ultimate sacrificial tool.

Featherboards Not a Cure-all

Featherboards, spring boards, combs, anii-kickback fingers, spreaders and magnetic hold-downs all hold the work down or against an edge, and they act like a spring. A featherboard is a piece of solid stock with multiple kerfs that are equally spaced along the grain. The end of the piece iscut at a 30° to 45° angle. Featherboards can help minimize kickback, but ihey do not eliminate it, as some commercial featherboard manufacturers suggest.

Featherboards are designed, for the most part, to be clamped to the table or fence. Clamping them to the fence is usually not a problem. But clamping to the table can be a challenge. To get around this, some commercial featherboards have either built-in expansion bars that fit in the miter gauges slot or heavy-duty magnets. Ifyou use shop clamps to secure your featherboards, use two clamps to prevent the device from pivoting.

1 fa simple clamping solution is not readily available, try placing high-strength, fiber-woven carpet tape on the down side of the featherboard. This will hold it to the table but will not quite give the "stay-put" holding power that you can get with a clamp.

Featherboards that arc clamped to the fence help keep the wood flat against the table and provide some kicking resistance. They can be placed anywhere along the fence where a downward force is needed. Be aware that fence-mounted featherboards can sometimes be restrictive. Table-mounted leather-boards provide force toward the fence and offersome kickingresistance. It is vital that a table-mounted featherboard never be placed

beyond i he front edge oft he blade. 1 f mounted behi nd i he blade, 11le force will push t he wood into the back of the blade.

The Proper Use of Push Sticks

Push slicks are used to help push the stock through the cut while keeping your fingers clear of ihe blade. A good push stick can help hold the workagainsi the table while pushing forward at ihe same time.

They are an absolute must when cutting narrow or thin stock. Push stickscome in all shapes and sizes, and its a good idea to have several different typesand thicknesses ready logo. In most casesthe width of the push slick should be less than the distance between the saw and ihe fence.

I prefer to use a push stick thai both hooks on the back edge and sits on the top of the board. This type of push stick gives me more control and helps keep the siock from tipping up while moving past the blade.

It is important to understand when, and when noi, to use a push stick. As long as you have your hands on a board when making a cut, you will always have a greai degree of control. As soon as you use a push stick, you lose a portion of thai control.

1 always recommend thai you use your hands for pushing your work when you have more than a 3" clearance from the guard - you si mply have more control. I f your hands w ill be within 3" of the guard, however, then a push slick is definitely necessary.

Be aware that you will lose some control.

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Asa matter of fact, ifyou use a push stick with a downward force on a board thai is off ihe table, ii could cause ihe board to tip upward. Push sticks just aren't effective or necessary ai the beginning of a cut on a long board.

1 keep my push stick handy and when my push hand gets to that 3" limit, with my left hand holding the board firm, I use my right hand to pick up the push stick and finish the cut. 1 also keep a second push stick to the left of the table so that my left hand hasaccessto a push stick as well. Be aware that sometimes push slicks can slip off the siock and cause a very dangerous situation. Always keep your push siick hooked firmly over the edge or side of the board. PW

Marc is the founder of the Marc Adams School of Woodworking (marcadams.com), the largest wixxlworking school in North America. I le also is the host of II DVDs, including one on workshop safety, which is available on his website.

A good push stick. I lere's one of my frequently used push sticks. It hooks over the back of ihe work and presses the work flat against the table.

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