A featherboard is a safety device used when working with stationary routers or power

saw A saw is a tool consisting of a tough blade, Wire saw, wire, or Chainsaw, chain with a hard toothed edge used to cut through material. Various terms are used to describe toothed and abrasive saws. Saws began as serrated materials, and when man ...

s such as

table saw A table saw (also known as a sawbench or bench saw in England) is a woodworking tool, consisting of a circular saw blade, mounted on an mandrel, arbor, that is driven by an electric motor (directly, by belt, by cable, or by gears). The drive ...

s or

bandsaw A bandsaw (also written band saw) is a power saw with a long, sharp blade consisting of a continuous band of toothed metal stretched between two or more wheels to cut material. They are used principally in woodworking, metalworking, and lum ...

s. The purpose of a featherboard is to apply pressure against a workpiece, keeping it flat against a machine table or

fence A fence is a structure that encloses an area, typically outdoors, and is usually constructed from posts that are connected by boards, wire, rails or net (textile), netting. A fence differs from a wall in not having a solid foundation along its ...

. Featherboard shapes and sizes vary depending on the tasks for which they are intended. A serviceable featherboard can be shop-fabricated from an approximately 3/4 × 3 × 11 inch piece of straight grained, defect-free wood cut crosswise at a 45-degree angle on one end. Several parallel cuts in the direction of the grain create fingers or "feathers" that flex in the direction of workpiece travel, preventing the workpiece from being dragged backwards by blade friction. Featherboards are also useful for edge jointing, and making moulding on router tables.American Woodworker 2003 Tool Buyers Guide

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