Making a featherboard that locks
I searched the forums for “featherboard” with no hits at all?!
I have made a number of featherboards, all of which require clamping to the table. This is awkward at best, especially threading clamps through the stamped steel grid of my tablesaw.
Has anyone made an expandable system to lock their featherboard to the mitre slot? I have no tee slot on my tablesaw.
What works and what doesn’t? The options I see are:
1- Running a tapered head machine screw from below and hoping the head expands a slotted piece of wood.
2- Tapping an undersized hole in the slots and expanding by running a bolt down from above.
3- Bang in a tapered wooden peg??
4- Grind a bolt oval shaped and use it like a cam in the slot?
Please share your experiences. What type of wood is best for the locking piece? What woods should be avoided?
Please don’t suggest buying either the locking kits or a full assembly!
Replies
Rip a slot in the runner and #1 works fine. I've been using it for years. Art
I have some 'store bought' featherboards that have slotted aluminum keys that fit into the miter slot, with a countersunk screw head inserted up thru the slot, the threads extending up and a knob on top. Tighten the knob sucks the countersunk screw head into the slot, expanding the slot and locking it into the miter slot. Hope that makes some kind of sense.
If only my miter slots were closer to my saw blade, this would be REALLY effective....
As soon as the weather warms up enough to head back to the garage, I plan to make mine with these turn on - turn off rare earth magnets:
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=56000&cat=1,42363,42356&ap=1
The ad blurb on the web page has them holding in place a resaw fence, so they ought to work for a featherboard. LV is also carrying a plastic feather board that already has magnets in it but I think I'll just make half a dozen from scrap, drill them for the magnets, and keep moving the magents on to the next one when I get one too chewed up. It looks like they ought to allow me to make a featherboard that locks in place where ever I want it to go. We'll see.
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=55999&cat=1,42363,42356
Well, I suppose it is suggesting a bought answer to your inquiry. So be it. Just trying to help.
Cheers,
Peter
"bought answer" -- Yeah. I would have suggested GripTite featherboards otherwise.<grin>forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
J, you have to try a pair of MagJig (the correct name) clamps . The smaller 20mm size takes 95 pounds of breakaway force each and the large 30mm is 155 pounds , these are scary strong. I ordered a pair of both and their feather board with the hold down from LV (the feather uses two 30mm units) . As I rudely realized in the last Tn. trip, as I was working a cherry slab 2 1/2" x16"x 10' with out feed rollers on the TS, it was more size and weight than the $15 feather board in the miter slot or 10 to 20 pound magnetic fixture could deal with. I think these MJ's have great merit.
They are not cheap but not stupid expensive so I you work cabinet sized finished stock they might be over kill but more flexible to use. In my case I see more mill slabs or large sticks from my own trees in my future rather than buying s4s from the borgs. After all I will be living in a forrest in even on my spread. All the very best, Paddy
BTW, Sarge, that's a super smart rig that you gave us . Easy to understand, simple to execute and very, very effective, much thanks, pfh
Those mag type are great, and geniuos IMO. The first magnetic fence I bought scratched my surface way too much, sent it back. The magnetic ones people are talking about use reverse polarity of two magnets so when it is off they do not touch the surface but when on they hold great. The one I have (Lee Valley just started distributing ones from an Aus company) uses the rare earth type magnets that have incredible holding strength when compared to other magnets.
I just saw the Lee Valley magnetic featherboard the other day, when their little catalog arrived. I like the design! Probably better than GripTite in some ways -- I suspect the hold-down part is softer. I rarely use that part of the GT. The ease of use for either is well worth the cost.
I use the GripTites for other things -- a fence on an angled drill press table, safety guard occasionally on the router table or jointer, a point fence on the band saw. They're quite clever, LOL.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Only thing I found out with the Lee Valley one is the plastic is quite brittle. I dropped it once and the top fence broke off. A little CA glue and it was all better.
There are a few ways to do this. The flat-head screw does spread the wood enough to keep it in place but over time, the screw may not stay put, so it turns when you try to tighten the knob. At least mine does but I made it over ten years ago so I'm not gonna complain. You could drill a hole that's just smaller than the head of a bolt in the wooden piece that goes into the miter slot and epoxy it in place. You can also buy the steel washer that screws to the bottom of a miter guage and put that on the bottom.
I used hard maple for the locking strip on mine. It hasn't split, it only slips but I think I'm going to rub some chalk on the tapered hole. If that doesn't work, I'll rough it up and glue it in.
I bought an aluminum track that rides in a mitre slot with the lock slot in the bottom. The T bolts go through slots in the top of the feather-board (home-made spring-board in my case) and when you tighten down, the head of the bolt pushes the aluminum track up and renders the track and feather-board im-mobile at the spot you tightened. Quick and effective. Pic is on my router table.
Regards...
Sarge.. jt
Wow! Cool featherboad design! I've only seen the ones with multiple "fingers".
Is yours made with solid wood (that's my guess) or ply?
Morning marking...
It's simply ripped from a sheet of birch ply. The main-frame.. two small wood spacers located at the outer corners.. the center strip and then a single spacer centered between the face. I 3-coated with poly to eliminate moisture.
It has great spring action and gives more constant over-all support than a standard FB as I see it. A look at the picture I posted makes it kind of self explanatory as to how it is designed and built.
Regards...
Sarge.. jt
I use the Magswitch Magnetic Featherboards from Rockler they have 240# breakaway strength when applied. They are pricey, but will give you many years of service. Get the 30mm pro table featherboard, and the vertical featherboard. They can be easily applied to planer- jointer, bandsaw, table saw and even a mortising machine. Go to http://www.Rockler.com and you will see what I"m talking about. Sometimes even an old man like me goes with the new technolegy today. It sure beats using clamps on the fence and table. Let us know what your final decision to do is.
FYI, The March catalog , http://www.eagleamerica.com ,will be introducing switch lock magnets with a screwing flange that can be used for making lockable jigs and fixtures (feather boards).
Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
T, I have all the usual in the miter slot things and they work well but I just picked up some 30mm magnetic housings from LV that are different . I bought them to make a fence to trim log edge on the band saw. I stuck one on the flat side of my stove and could not pull it off . I have since ordered a pair of 20 mm and the plastic 30mm feather board with top feather hold down for my unisaw.
These things work like the hold downs for dial indicators, turn the knob and it sticks -reverse the knob and you can pick it up. They use super duper magnets in these and when engaged THEY DON'T MOVE. We just moved a step ahead. They are not cheap but they work super. Paddy
These are pretty handy for attaching your home built featherboards and other jigs.
http://www.hartvilletool.com/product/11531
I was given two of the large Magswitches. I now drill a couple of holes in all my homemade feather boards and use the magswitches to locate the boards where ever I want. The magswitch fits all sort of boards and jig. WOW! Great little devices. Would like to have about four more.
Better then sliced bread!
The current catalog from PriceCutter (http://www.PriceCutter.com) shows a featherboard that locks in the miter slot and also includes a spring hold-down for $9.99
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