# Featherboard alternatives?



## username1 (Jul 12, 2017)

I guess I saw what would be a type of spring board (?) on the Router Workshop, maybe they called them "apostrophes"?

Looked like an interesting concept. Was wondering if anyone has pics of their homemade spring boards or other featherboard alternatives?


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

I found this online, but the link to a tool seller didn't show them. Was this it?


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

I've seen one that uses a 1/8 or 3/16 thick strip of wood that clamped to the fence so that it bows down onto the work but I don't have a picture and it was quite while ago. Member with user name Botelho from Brazil , who we haven't seen here for a while, posted a very simple method for making a standard type one once. You could probably find it using the Community Search.


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

I have seen a lot of great ideas for methods of holding work against the fence, including the one you mention. I have always just made my own feather boards before I finally invested in some plastic ones. There are some metal spring finger hold down sold. I bought a router table that had them on the fence,but didn't like them so took them off, because they left blck marks on the wood. Wooden ones would not do that.

Herb


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

I forgot to mention Board Buddies for the router table: https://www.amazon.ca/Woodstock-W11...=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B0000223VK That's one other option.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> I forgot to mention Board Buddies for the router table: https://www.amazon.ca/Woodstock-W11...=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B0000223VK That's one other option.


those work premium...


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## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

Is this what you had in mind?

Shop Built Band Saw Feather Board Build Fits The Craftsman And Rikon 10? Band Saws | Benchtop Woodworking Tools


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## username1 (Jul 12, 2017)

MEBCWD said:


> Is this what you had in mind?
> 
> Shop Built Band Saw Feather Board Build Fits The Craftsman And Rikon 10? Band Saws | Benchtop Woodworking Tools



Yes! Interested in those kind of ideas and what everyone has made themselves. Not so much interested in store-bought.


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## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

They are easy to make and work well. I have a few buried out there in my shop that I made many years ago for use with my 5 in One tool and router table.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

That's the one I was thinking about. Someone posted a few years ago where they had adapted that for use on a router fence to hold the work down. I can't remember how they had it mounted.


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## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

These are the parts I used for, what I call, a springboard.

I glue and screw the spring to the base on both sides. I use 2 countersunk head machine screws through the runner, 2 washers and 2 knobs to mount it in a miter groove. Adjust it where it is in contact with the material with a little pressure and when the knobs are tightened the countersunk screws spread the sides of the runner and clamps it into the miter slot and holds the base in place.

You can also make these and just glue and screw the spring to the leading edge of the base. The spring can be any length and can be a little thicker (like a single finger feather board).


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## Roy A (Feb 5, 2020)

Small Feather Board for Table Saw, Mitre Saw, Fencing, Bandsaw This 3/8" x 3-1/4" x 7-1/2" with aprox. 2" up and down adjustment is really Great for drill press fences, shop built Miter Saw , Fence or any other fence that excepts 1/4" x 20 hex head bolts. With this jig & Fixture set, this allows you to set up the feather board to lock in any standard 3/4" miter slot with or without T slot.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

This is a simple video that I think is what you're looking for. Very minimal gear required. Note how high the blade is, that's so all the fingers will be close to the same length on both top and bottom. Simple clamping method demonstrated as well.Personally, I would leave the long board and cut it off AFTER cutting the fingers, just don't like getting my paws that close to a blade. Note that you don't have to overdo the pressure of the fingers against the workpiece. That kind of featherboard can be used on any table with T track, or you can simply clamp it to a fence for down pressure on a workpiece. That would be the case with many routing tasks.


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## chessnut2 (Sep 15, 2011)

I've been thinking about trying one of these:
https://www.toolnut.com/hedgehog-hh...RwSGRHjWi1-AyUkE99ZpWv8BJz1SSYqxoCQXYQAvD_BwE


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## Steve Pack (Jan 1, 2014)

Is this what you are looking for? Not cheap but well made.

JessEm - Clear-Cut Precision Stock Guides, # 04215


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## tomp913 (Mar 7, 2014)

If you make a lot of featherboards (or just like to make neat jigs), here's an idea for a jig similar to that used for cutting box joints. It does have a limitation on how long the fingers can be cut, based of the max. height of the blade above the saw table.

I can't find a photo of the actual jig (left it in my buddy's shop) but it was similar to that shown in the photo, except on a smaller scale and with the fingers made from Lexan. It was almost as long as the fence on the router table so supported both the infeed and outfeed sides of the part and was perfect for routing the edge on small moldings


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## tomp913 (Mar 7, 2014)

A little more searching and I found the picture of the featherboard that I posted on this forum a couple of years back. The Lexan finger is basically the same as the one on the Grip-Tite magnetic featherboard (I have an earlier version where the body is made of wood and there is no lever to release the magnet so you wind up prying it off the saw table.






Did find this photo of my magnetic featherboard in use, and the molding I was cutting - you can see the drawback using it when cutting a narrow part, the magnet didn't hit the table ripping this narrow part so I had to use a standard feather board and just use it to keep downward pressure on the part. Have the problem solved now since I replaced the Unifence............


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

One of the things about a lot of those devices is that they take more time to set up than it takes to make the cut. One that doesn't is the the magswitch. It looks like the model I have isn't sold any more but there are newer ones that look similarly easy. They are super fast to set up so I wind up using it a lot. When you have to fiddle a bunch to set up before making just one cut, the temptation is to skip the safety device. I have "board buddies" that are really effective but a PITA to set up so they don't get used unless I'm doing a lot of cutting.


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## CharleyL (Feb 28, 2009)

The WoodRat uses a stiff bristle scrub brush as a featherboard. I've tried using a brush like this as a featherboard on my router table, and it works quite well. I attached one to a board so I can clamp the board to hold the brush in just the right position. It works quite well.

Charley


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

CharleyL said:


> The WoodRat uses a stiff bristle scrub brush as a featherboard. I've tried using a brush like this as a featherboard on my router table, and it works quite well. I attached one to a board so I can clamp the board to hold the brush in just the right position. It works quite well.
> 
> Charley


will that brush hold against a kick back???


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## CharleyL (Feb 28, 2009)

Stick486 said:


> will that brush hold against a kick back???


Not likely on it's own, but I have never used it alone. When I have used it, it is for holding the work down or toward the fence of my router table right near the cutting point. If the cutter should cut a bristle or two, it doesn't hurt the bit or the brush. I was cutting molding at the time and it seemed to work very well for this.

Charley


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