FHB Logo Facebook LinkedIn Email Pinterest Twitter Instagram Plus Icon Close Icon Navigation Search Icon Navigation Search Icon Arrow Down Icon Video Guide Icon Article Guide Icon Modal Close Icon Guide Search Icon Skip to content
Subscribe

In every issue you'll find...

  • Expert insights on techniques and principles
  • Unbiased tool reviews
  • Step-by-step details to master the job
  • Field-tested advice and know-how
Subscribe Now!
Subscribe
  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Videos
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House
  • Podcast
  • Join
  • Log In
Subscribe
Mastered in a Minute

How to Use a Featherboard When Rip-Cutting Wood on a Tablesaw

Make cleaner cuts and prevent dangerous kickback with this handy tablesaw accessory.

By Matthew Millham

A featherboard serves two important purposes: It holds the board you are cutting tight to to your tablesaw fence, which makes for cleaner, straighter cuts; and it prevents the sawblade from dangerously kicking the board backward, which could cause serious injuries or damage. Featherboards work essentially like a flexible, spring-loaded fence with angled “fingers” that only allow a board to slide freely in the direction of the sawblade.

Featherboards are not just limited to tablesaws—they’re great accessories for shapers and router tables too. If your saw or shaper has the right type of fence (i.e., a tall fence with a groove), you can also use a featherboard to keep stock down flat on the table, which is particularly helpful if you’re cutting a dado or a trim detail that needs to be at a very specific depth.

Where to get one

Being a bit of a specialty tool, a featherboard may not be available at your local big box store, but high-quality building supply stores and tool dealers should have them in stock. Or you could order one online.

This pair of featherboards from Kreg is well-rated and available at a decent price:
Kreg PRS3020 True-FLEX Featherboard 2-pack

Another good option, which Fine Homebuilding‘s Justin Fink reviewed in a recent issue, is this unique foam-fingered featherboard:
Bow Products FeatherPro 

You can also make your own

If you’ve got some scrapboards with tight, straight grain lying around, you can make your own featherboard for free, but the hassle of securely clamping a homemade jig to your saw might convince you that it’s worth the cost to buy one that slides right into the slots on your saw and easily clamps down with the twist of a knob.

Here’s how to use a featherboard:

  • If you’re using a manufactured featherboard, it likely will just slide into the miter groove on your tablesaw (if it’s a homemade featherboard, you will just place it on the table)
  • Position the tool with the angled end pointed in the feed direction
  • Make sure the featherboard is slightly in front of the blade to prevent waste from interfering with the cut
  • To get it into the correct position for the particular cut you’re making, lower the blade with the tool off and place the stock against the fence
  • Then press the featherboard against the stock and tighten the locking mechanism (or, if using a homemade model, use a pair of short woodworking C-clamps or bar clamps to clamp it to the table)
  • Before cutting, test the fit in a dry run with the blade down; the workpiece should move forward easily but be hard to pull back
  • Once positioned, raise the blade and you’re ready to rip
  • Turn on the saw and carefully push the workpiece through the blade; use a push stick if necessary to keep your hands safely away from the blade while cutting

Related articles:

  • Tool Test: SawStop’s Portable Tablesaw
  • Make a saw guide for faster, cleaner cuts
  • A User’s Guide to Featherboards

 

Sign up for eletters today and get the latest how-to from Fine Homebuilding, plus special offers.

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters
×

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

New Feature

Fine Homebuilding Forums

Ask questions, offer advice, and share your work

View Comments

  1. User avater
    ChaseGraham | Sep 12, 2019 02:00am | #1

    Very informative!

Log in or create an account to post a comment.

Sign up Log in

Become a member and get full access to FineHomebuilding.com

More Mastered in a Minute

View All
  • Air-Seal Penetrations With Canned Foam
  • How to Finish Drywall Around a Shower Enclosure
  • How to Install Exterior Laminate PVC Siding
  • Protect Roof-Wall Intersections with Self-Adhering Underlayment
View All

Up Next

Video Shorts

Featured Story

Vent Your Rainscreen for Longevity

Ben Bogie overviews how Cor-A-Vent Rainscreen Siding Vent is integrated into a high-performance wall assembly to promote airflow and drying.

Featured Video

How to Install Cable Rail Around Wood-Post Corners

Use these tips to keep cables tight and straight for a professional-looking deck-railing job.

Related Stories

  • Cordless Stapler for Hard-to-Reach Spaces
  • Tool Test: Cordless Tablesaws
  • Editorial Note: People Live in Buildings
  • Compact Tablesaw for the Job Site

Discussion Forum

Recent Posts and Replies

  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
View More Create Post

Highlights

Fine Homebuilding All Access
Fine Homebuilding Podcast
Tool Tech
Plus, get an extra 20% off with code GIFT20

"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

Video

View All
  • Why You Should Use a Cordless Saw
  • Don't Wait to Get These Tools
  • How to Make Acute Cuts With a Miter Saw
  • How to Wrap a Tangle-Free Extension Cord
View All

Tablesaws

View All Tablesaws Articles
  • SawStop
    Compact Tablesaw for the Job Site
  • Freud 8-in. Box Joint Cutter Set
    Create Precise, Fast Joinery With a Box Joint Cutter
  • Patrick demonstrating use of the Rigid sawhorse
    Lumberjack Sawhorse From Rigid is Worth the Price Tag
  • Make Any Tablesaw Safer
View All Tablesaws Articles

BOOKS, DVDs, & MERCH

Shop the Store
  • 2023 Tool Guide
    Buy Now
  • 2022 Fine Homebuilding Archive
    Buy Now
  • Pretty Good House
    Buy Now
  • Code Check Building 4th Edition
    Buy Now
  • Shop the Store

Fine Homebuilding Magazine

  • Issue 313 - Feb/March 2023
    • Practical System for a Seismic Retrofit
    • Fine Homebuilding Issue #313 Online Highlights
    • Practical System for a Seismic Retrofit
  • Issue 312 - Dec 2022/Jan 2023
    • Tool Test: Cordless Tablesaws
    • Gray-Water System for a Sustainable Home
    • Insulate a Cape Roof to Avoid Ice Dams
  • Issue 311 - November 2022
    • 7 Steps to a Perfect Exterior Paint Job
    • Options for Smarter Home-Energy Tracking
    • The Fine Homebuilding Interview: James Metoyer
  • Issue 310 - October 2022
    • Choosing a Tile-Leveling System
    • Choosing Between HRVs and ERVs
    • Custom Built-in Cabinets Made Easy
  • Issue 309 - Aug/Sept 2022
    • 10 Steps to Install Crown Molding on Cabinets
    • How to Get Sturdy Walls Without OSB
    • Choosing the Right Construction Tape for the Job

Fine Homebuilding

Follow

  • twitter
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • pinterest

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

Membership & Magazine

  • Online Archive
  • Start Free Trial
  • Magazine Subscription
  • Magazine Renewal
  • Gift a Subscription
  • Customer Support
  • Privacy Preferences

Taunton Network

  • Green Building Advisor
  • Fine Woodworking
  • Fine Gardening
  • Threads
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Copyright
  • Terms of Use
  • Site Map
  • Do not sell or share my information
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility
  • California Privacy Rights

© 2023 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

X
X
This is a dialog window which overlays the main content of the page. The modal window is a 'site map' of the most critical areas of the site. Pressing the Escape (ESC) button will close the modal and bring you back to where you were on the page.

Main Menu

  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Video
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Reader Projects
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House

Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk

Webinars

  • Upcoming and On-Demand

Account

  • Log In
  • Join

Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk

Webinars

  • Upcoming and On-Demand

Popular Topics

  • Kitchens
  • Business
  • Bedrooms
  • Roofs
  • Architecture and Design
  • Green Building
  • Decks
  • Framing
  • Safety
  • Remodeling
  • Bathrooms
  • Windows
  • Tilework
  • Ceilings
  • HVAC

Magazine

  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues
  • Magazine Index
  • Subscribe
  • Online Archive
  • Author Guidelines

All Access

  • Member Home
  • Start Free Trial
  • Gift Membership

Shop the Store

  • Books
  • DVDs
  • Taunton Workshops

More

  • FHB Ambassadors
  • Reader Projects
  • Podcast
  • Customer Support

Account

  • Log In
  • Join

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

Follow

  • twitter
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • pinterest

Join All Access

Become a member and get instant access to thousands of videos, how-tos, tool reviews, and design features.

Start Your Free Trial

Subscribe

FHB Magazine

Start your subscription today and save up to 70%

Subscribe

We hope you’ve enjoyed your free articles. To keep reading, become a member today.

Get complete site access to expert advice, how-to videos, Code Check, and more, plus the print magazine.

Start your FREE trial

Already a member? Log in