Making a featherboard for your table saw is easy and boosts safety. You need a scrap of hardwood and some simple hardware. By cutting angled “fingers” into the wood, you create gentle pressure that holds your workpiece flat against the fence. This simple jig prevents dangerous kickback and gives you cleaner, more accurate cuts every time.
Your table saw is the heart of your workshop. It can make powerful, precise cuts that are impossible by hand. But let’s be honest, it can also be a little intimidating. One of the most common worries is the workpiece drifting away from the fence or, worse, kicking back. This can ruin your project and put you in danger. It’s a frustrating problem that every woodworker faces. But what if a simple, homemade tool could fix all of that? You don’t need to spend a lot of money to make your workshop safer and your cuts better. Let’s build a genius featherboard that will give you confidence and control for every cut.
What Exactly Is a Featherboard?
Think of a featherboard as a trusty helper in your workshop. It’s a simple safety device, usually made of wood or plastic, with a series of flexible fingers cut into one side. These fingers are angled to act like a one-way gate. They apply steady, even pressure to your workpiece, holding it firmly against the table saw fence or the tabletop.
A featherboard has two main jobs, and it does them both perfectly:
- It Improves Safety: The primary reason to use a featherboard is to prevent kickback. Kickback happens when the wood gets pinched by the blade and is thrown back toward you at high speed. The angled fingers of a featherboard allow you to push the wood forward easily but dig in and stop it from moving backward. This simple action dramatically reduces the risk of a dangerous accident.
- It Increases Accuracy: Have you ever made a cut, only to find the line isn’t perfectly straight? That often happens because the wood drifts slightly away from the fence as you push it through. A featherboard solves this by keeping constant pressure on the workpiece, ensuring it stays exactly where it needs to be. The result is crisp, clean, and perfectly straight cuts every single time.
Using a featherboard means you can keep your hands further away from the spinning blade while still having full control over your material. It’s one of the smartest, cheapest upgrades you can make for your table saw.
Why You Should Never Cut Without One
Working with a table saw requires respect for its power. While it’s an incredible tool, the risks are real if you don’t take the proper precautions. Using a featherboard isn’t just a “nice-to-have” accessory; it’s a fundamental part of safe workshop practice. Here’s a closer look at the dangers you avoid by using one.
The Real Danger of Kickback
Kickback is one of the most serious dangers in woodworking. It occurs when the saw blade catches the wood and violently throws it back at the operator. This can happen in a split second and with incredible force. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, table saws are linked to thousands of injuries each year, many of them caused by kickback.
A featherboard is your first line of defense. The angled fingers press the wood down and against the fence. If the wood starts to lift or twist and the blade begins to bind, the fingers dig in. They effectively stop the backward motion that leads to kickback. It acts as a safety brake, holding the wood in place so you can turn off the saw and assess the situation safely.
Avoiding Ruined Projects and Wasted Wood
Beyond safety, a featherboard is your key to better woodworking. Without one, it’s very difficult to maintain constant pressure against the fence throughout a long cut. Your hand might waver, or the wood might have a slight bow in it. This tiny movement causes the wood to drift from the fence, resulting in a crooked cut, burn marks from the blade, or an inconsistent width.
This is not just frustrating—it’s expensive. Wasting a beautiful piece of hardwood because of a sloppy cut is a terrible feeling. A featherboard eliminates this guesswork. It applies consistent, unwavering pressure from start to finish. This guarantees your workpiece follows the fence perfectly, giving you the professional-quality results you want.
Store-Bought vs. a DIY Featherboard
When you decide you need a featherboard, you have two choices: buy one from a store or make your own. Both are great options, but they suit different needs and budgets. A homemade version is incredibly rewarding and can be customized to your exact needs. Here’s a simple breakdown to help you decide.
| Feature | Store-Bought Featherboard | DIY Featherboard |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Typically $15 to $40. The price can go up for magnetic or stackable models. | Often free! You can make one from a scrap piece of hardwood you already have. |
| Materials | Usually made from a durable, high-impact plastic. Comes with all necessary hardware. | Made from hardwood like maple, oak, or birch. You get to choose the best material for the job. |
| Time Investment | Ready to use right out of the box. No assembly or effort required. | Takes about 30-60 minutes to build. It’s a quick and satisfying project. |
| Customization | Standard sizes. You get what you get, which fits most standard table saws. | Fully customizable. You can make it any size, height, or shape to fit your specific saw or project needs. |
| Skill Building | No new skills are learned. It’s a simple purchase. | Excellent practice for making accurate cuts and building useful shop jigs. It builds your confidence. |
For a beginner, building your own featherboard is a fantastic first project. It teaches you about the importance of jigs, improves your cutting skills, and gives you a valuable safety tool you made with your own hands.
Gather Your Tools and Materials
Ready to build? The best part about this project is that it uses common tools and a small piece of scrap wood. You probably have everything you need in your workshop right now. Let’s get it all together.
Materials You’ll Need:
- A Piece of Hardwood: Look for a straight-grained, defect-free piece of hardwood. Maple, birch, or oak are perfect choices because they are strong but have enough flex for the fingers. A good starting size is about 3/4 inch thick, 4-5 inches wide, and 8-10 inches long.
- Miter Bar or Hardwood Runner: You need a way to secure the featherboard in your table saw’s miter slot. You can buy a commercial metal miter bar, or you can make one from a stable hardwood like oak.
- Hardware: You’ll need bolts, washers, and knobs to attach the featherboard to the miter bar. Two 1/4-20 T-bolts or carriage bolts (about 2 inches long), two matching washers, and two star knobs or wing nuts work perfectly.
Tools for the Job:
- Safety Gear: Always start with safety glasses and hearing protection.
- Table Saw: This is what we’ll use to cut the fingers. A miter gauge is essential for the angled cut.
- Measuring and Marking Tools: A tape measure or ruler, a combination square, and a sharp pencil are necessary for accurate layouts.
- Drill or Drill Press: To drill the mounting holes for your hardware. A drill press gives you perfectly straight holes, but a handheld drill will also work.
- Clamps: Helpful for holding things steady while drilling.
- Sandpaper: A piece of 120-grit or 150-grit sandpaper to smooth any rough edges when you’re done.
That’s it! With these simple items, you’re ready to create a high-quality tool that will serve you for years to come.
Step-by-Step: How to Make Your Table Saw Featherboard
Now for the fun part! Follow these simple steps to build your custom featherboard. We’ll go slow and focus on getting each step right. Before you know it, you’ll have a finished tool ready for action.
Step 1: Prepare Your Hardwood Blank
Start with your piece of hardwood. Make sure it has square edges and a flat face. If you’re using a rough piece of scrap, run it through your jointer and planer first. A good dimension to aim for is roughly 3/4″ thick, 5″ wide, and 10″ long. This gives you plenty of room for fingers and for clamping it down. A clean, square block is the foundation for an accurate jig.
Step 2: Cut the Main Angle
The angle of the fingers is the most important part of the featherboard. An angle between 30 and 45 degrees works best. Set the miter gauge on your table saw to 30 degrees. Place your wood blank against the miter gauge and carefully make a cut across the shorter end of the board. This angled face is where you will cut the “feathers.”
Step 3: Lay Out the Finger Cuts
With the angle cut, it’s time to mark where the fingers will go. Using your ruler and pencil, draw a line along the long edge of the board, about 2 inches from the back. This is your “stop line”—don’t cut the fingers past this line. Next, starting from one edge of the angled face, make a mark every 1/4 inch. Use a square to draw lines from these marks back to your stop line. These parallel lines are your cutting guides for each finger.
Step 4: Cut the Fingers
Now, head back to the table saw. It’s crucial to use your miter gauge and a standard blade for this—do not try to do this freehand. Line up your first pencil mark with the saw blade. Turn on the saw and slowly push the wood forward, stopping your cut at the stop line you drew earlier. Turn off the saw, wait for the blade to stop, and pull the wood back. Repeat this process for every line you marked. Take your time to ensure each cut is precise. Soon, you’ll have a full set of flexible fingers!
Step 5: Create and Attach the Miter Bar
Your featherboard needs a way to slide in the miter slot and lock down. If you bought a metal miter bar, you’re one step ahead. If you’re making one from hardwood, rip a strip of wood that fits snugly into your miter slot. It should slide smoothly without any side-to-side wiggle. Once you have a good fit, cut it to be slightly shorter than the body of your featherboard.
Next, place the miter bar in the slot and set the featherboard body on top of it. Mark where you need to drill holes through the featherboard body and the miter bar. For a secure attachment, it’s best to drill a countersunk hole on the bottom of the miter bar for the bolt heads to sit in, so the bar can still slide in the track. An even simpler method for a wooden bar is to just drill through both pieces and glue the bolts into the miter bar.
Step 6: Drill the Mounting Slots
To make your featherboard adjustable, you need to cut slots, not just holes, in the main body. This allows you to slide it back and forth to accommodate different widths of wood. Mark two lines where your bolts will go. Drill a hole at each end of your marked line, then use a jigsaw or a router to remove the material in between to create a slot. Alternatively, you can simply drill a series of overlapping holes with a drill and clean it up with a file. These slots should be about 2-3 inches long.
Step 7: Final Assembly and Sanding
It’s time to put it all together! Push your bolts up through the miter bar and the slots in your featherboard. Place a washer over each bolt and then thread on your star knobs or wing nuts. Don’t tighten them down just yet. Give the entire featherboard a light sanding to remove any sharp edges or splinters, especially around the newly cut fingers. Congratulations, you just built a high-quality workshop jig!
How to Set Up Your Featherboard Correctly
Building the featherboard is half the battle; using it correctly is what truly makes your workshop safer and your projects better. A poor setup can be ineffective or even dangerous. Follow these steps for a perfect setup every single time.
- Position It Before the Blade: This is the most important rule. The featherboard must always be placed on the infeed side of the table saw, meaning before the blade makes contact with the wood. Placing it alongside or after the blade can cause the wood to bind and is extremely dangerous. The goal is to guide the wood into the blade, not to control it as it leaves.
- Set Your Workpiece: Place the piece of wood you intend to cut on the table saw. Position it exactly where you want it, pressed firmly against the fence.
- Slide the Featherboard into Place: With your workpiece held against the fence, slide the featherboard up to it in the miter slot. You want the tips of the angled fingers to make contact with the edge of your workpiece.
- Apply Gentle Pressure: This is key. You don’t need to force it. Push the featherboard forward until the fingers flex slightly. A good rule of thumb is to see the first 1/4 to 1/2 inch of the fingers bend a little. This provides enough pressure to hold the wood securely without making it difficult to push through the cut.
- Lock It Down: Once you have the right amount of pressure, tighten the knobs firmly to lock the featherboard in place. It should not move or wiggle at all.
- Do a Test Run: Before turning on the saw, try sliding your workpiece forward. It should move smoothly with some resistance. Now, try pulling it backward. It should not move. The fingers should dig in and hold it tight. If it moves backward, you need more pressure. If it’s too hard to push forward, you have too much pressure. Adjust as needed.
For extra safety, especially when working with thin or tall pieces of wood, you can use a second featherboard. You can create a vertical featherboard that clamps to your fence to hold the workpiece down against the table. The combination of horizontal and vertical pressure gives you ultimate control.
Common Featherboard Mistakes to Avoid
Making a featherboard is a straightforward project, but a few common mistakes can trip up beginners. Avoiding these pitfalls will ensure your jig works safely and effectively from day one.
1. Placing It in the Wrong Position
As mentioned before but worth repeating: never, ever place the featherboard next to or behind the saw blade. Its job is to guide the wood into the cut. If placed past the front of the blade, it can trap the wood after it’s been cut, creating a pinch point that is a major cause of kickback. Always keep the featherboard entirely on the infeed side.
2. Applying Too Much Pressure
It’s tempting to think that more pressure is safer, but that’s not the case. If you crank down the featherboard so hard that you can barely push the wood forward, you are creating a new problem. This excessive friction can cause the wood to burn, the saw’s motor to strain, and you might have to push so hard that you lose control. The pressure should be firm but gentle—just enough to keep the wood from straying.
3. Using Softwood for the Jig
While it might be tempting to use a piece of pine or fir you have lying around, softwoods are not ideal for featherboards. The fingers need to be strong and springy. Softwood fingers are more likely to snap off under pressure, rendering your safety device useless at a critical moment. Stick with a durable hardwood like maple, birch, or oak. For great information on wood properties, the U.S. Forest Service Wood Handbook is a fantastic resource.
4. Cutting the Fingers Too Deep
When cutting the fingers, make sure to stop well before the back edge of the board. If you cut the fingers too deep, you create a weak point where the entire finger assembly can snap off. A solid “backbone” of at least 2 inches is a good rule to follow. This ensures the jig remains strong and durable for years of use.
5. Not Checking for a Snug Fit
If the miter bar for your featherboard wiggles in the miter slot, your jig will not be effective. Any play or slop in the bar will allow the workpiece to drift, defeating the purpose of the featherboard. Take the time to make or adjust your miter bar so it slides smoothly but has absolutely no side-to-side movement.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the best wood for a DIY featherboard?
A straight-grained hardwood is best. Maple, birch, and oak are excellent choices because they are strong, durable, and have good spring-like qualities, which allows the fingers to flex without breaking.
Can I make a featherboard without a table saw?
Yes, you can. You can use a miter saw or a handsaw with a miter box to cut the main angle. To cut the fingers, a bandsaw is an excellent and safe alternative to a table saw. A jigsaw could also work if you are careful to make straight cuts.
How tight should a featherboard be?
It should be snug but not overly tight. A good test is to set it so the fingers flex slightly when you slide the workpiece into place. You should be able to push the wood forward with steady pressure, but it should resist being pulled backward.
Where should you never place a featherboard?
You should never place a featherboard in a position where it applies pressure to the part of the wood that will be the offcut, especially if that piece is between the blade and the fence. This will trap the wood and cause a dangerous kickback. Only apply pressure to the workpiece before it reaches the blade.
Can I use this featherboard for my router table?
Absolutely! The same design works perfectly for a router table. Just like with a table saw, it will hold your workpiece firmly against the fence for safer and more accurate routing.
Why are the featherboard fingers cut at an angle?
The angle is critical. It allows the wood to slide smoothly in one direction (forward) but causes the fingers to dig in and grip the wood if it tries to move in the opposite direction (backward). This one-way action is what prevents kickback.
Is a store-bought plastic featherboard better than a homemade one?
Not necessarily. While plastic featherboards are convenient, a well-made hardwood featherboard is just as effective and durable. The main advantage of a DIY version is that you can customize it to the exact size and stiffness you need for your projects, and you can’t beat the price!
Your Workshop Is Now Safer and Smarter
There you have it. In less than an hour, you’ve turned a simple piece of scrap wood into one of the most valuable safety devices in your workshop. You didn’t just build a jig; you took a major step toward becoming a more confident, precise, and safe woodworker. Every time you use your new featherboard, you’ll be reminded that the best tools are often the ones you make yourself.
From now on, every cut you make on your table saw will be straighter and cleaner. More importantly, you’ll have peace of mind knowing you have a reliable guardian helping to prevent kickback and keeping your hands safely away from the blade. This simple project is a perfect example of how smart woodworking is safe woodworking. So go ahead, put your new featherboard to use, and enjoy the crisp, perfect results on your next project.