How to Build a Feather Board for a Table Saw

For any woodworker or handyman who uses a table saw, a feather board is one accessory that will come in handy time and again. A feather board is simply a piece of hardwood in which "fingers" are cut, and it serves two purposes: first, to hold the work piece flat against the rip fence and/or table and, second, as an additional safeguard against kickback. Feather boards are easy and inexpensive to make for yourself and well worth the time you invest in making them.

18-by-5-by-3/4-inch hardwood board
Table saw
Ruler or tape measure
Pencil

Instructions

- 1
  Crosscut one end of the board at a 45 degree angle, beginning the cut in one of the corners.
- 2
  Draw a pencil line parallel to the 45 degree cut 4 inches up from the sawed edge.
- 3
  Raise the table saw blade to the maximum height and position the rip fence 1/4 inch from the blade.
- 4
  Press the longest edge of the board tightly against the rip fence and make a cut up to the point where it meets the pencil line.
- 5
  Stop the saw and adjust the rip fence to 5/8 inch and repeat the process, again cutting up to the pencil line.
- 6
  Repeat the process, moving the rip fence 3/8 inch farther from the blade with each cut, until you reach the other edge of the board.

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