# Feather Board Mounting



## Mike Wingate (Apr 26, 2009)

Not opting for a mitre track. Am I best, mounting 2 feather boards to a flat bar/beam and clamping it down at the ends to the table top. Rather than clamping each separately. I can put in a couple of slots to allow for fine adjustment. Then the boards can operate in tandem. What do other non mitre track people do with the table mount Feather Boards?


----------



## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Mike

Bob R. of the RWS came up with a great way to do it 
You nay want to take a peek at it.. 

Feather Boards
Router Workshop: featherbd

********* 
Router Tip Archive
Router Workshop: Router Tip Archive


How-To for Feather Boards
http://www.routerforums.com/shop-safety/9874-ice-hold-downs.html
===========






Mike Wingate said:


> Not opting for a mitre track. Am I best, mounting 2 feather boards to a flat bar/beam and clamping it down at the ends to the table top. Rather than clamping each separately. I can put in a couple of slots to allow for fine adjustment. Then the boards can operate in tandem. What do other non mitre track people do with the table mount Feather Boards?


----------



## Twill57 (Jun 8, 2009)

If I understand your plan, it sounds very workable. Just mount the feather boards to a board, and secure the board like a clamp on fence? Before I had a table with a miter slot, I just a used wooden feather board clamped to the table.
I will be interested to see what responses you get here.


----------



## jschaben (Jun 21, 2009)

Sorry guys, still not sold :no: Just means I need another dedicated board to store and keep track of and my shop space is a real premium. 
There is also no reason for tracks to be snag points. If the track is proud of the surface, that is what routers are for. If below the surface, there is plastic shim stock available down to, at least, .0005. Frankly, I have a bigger issue about snagging at the insert as the inserts I have vary in thickness. Shoot, the insert rabbett in my MLCS plate varied in depth over .010 from one side of the opening to the other. I read in another post Rousseau plates are slightly convex, wish I had known that when I was shopping for a plate. :sad:
The solutions for clamping featherboards sans mitre track still do not address the issue of controlling end grain cuts. I suppose some sort of sled could be built but that raises the issue of storing an additional piece. With the mitre slot, I can use the same mitre for the table saw or the router table.
As far as slots being dust collectors, well everything else in the shop is, why should they be different? I keep the vac handy anyway and just tag the table along with everything else.


----------



## Mike Wingate (Apr 26, 2009)

I use a sled with toggle clamps for endgrain work and tenons, if I don't do them on the bandsaw. A board with 2 featherboards can hang up next to it. Mitre slots can weaken tables( mine is only 40mm thick, 2 x 3/4", plus laminate top and bottom). I race on a tandem, so another one should be no problem!


----------



## Mike Wingate (Apr 26, 2009)

Thanks Bob. Nice solution on theRouterWorkshop site. I saw another Curly C device on this web forum.


----------



## cbsjoez1935 (Mar 14, 2007)

Mike,

The feather boards that the RWS shows are great, if you have a piece of white ash or similar wood with a spring to it, I don't have a band saw and I probably could make my Bosch jig saw do the job, but I found a couple of mitre slot feather boards that I use without the slot (my table does not have a slot for a mitre gauge) and just clamp the two feather boards where I want them.

Joe Z.


----------



## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Mike

I did it that way also for a long time until I found a easy way to do the ends grains without the need for a sled 

Plus they always come out right without making any firewood  plus you don't need to sand the joints after you have glued up the parts..

=========





Mike Wingate said:


> I use a sled with toggle clamps for endgrain work and tenons, if I don't do them on the bandsaw. A board with 2 featherboards can hang up next to it. Mitre slots can weaken tables( mine is only 40mm thick, 2 x 3/4", plus laminate top and bottom). I race on a tandem, so another one should be no problem!


----------



## Mike Wingate (Apr 26, 2009)

O.K. Bob, tell all. I go carefully on single pieces, but use a backing board and the sled set-up for production runs. I build electric guitars and there is always endgrain. I don't us a starter pin but I may do so. I like the idea of integrated guard, starter and dust extraction unit I have seen in a few places.


----------



## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

HI Mike

You are going to like this if you do production runs...the key is always use wider stock,,( make a pair at one time) lets say you need a pair of styles for a door frame, you would cut it to right size,but use lets say 5" wide stock, then after the router has done it's job on the ends you put it on the table saw and rip it to the right size,then you come out with two parts without any rip outs on them... the same way for the rails..
The real key is not to move the router up or down once you have it set for the 1st. bit when you switch out the bits it's in the same height,,always start with the cope bit and end up with the bead bit..
The bits can be set in many ways but the best is with a rubber grommet in the router ,just under the router bit..

It's best to use a push block like the one below with a strip of tape on the end of it ... but it's a not must have item the norm..

==========


----------



## Mike Wingate (Apr 26, 2009)

Nice one Bob. Thanks.


----------



## istracpsboss (Sep 14, 2008)

bobj3 said:


> It's best to use a push block like the one below with a strip of tape on the end of it ... but it's a not must have item the norm..
> 
> ==========


Hi Bob

That's an intriguing looking push block. What are all the cut outs on it for, please?

Cheers

Peter


----------

