Use and Care Manual

25
10.0 Safety devices
10.1 Feather board
Feather boards, or “combs,” can be purchased at
most tool stores, or made by the operator to suit
particular applications. The feather board (Figure
9-13) should be made of straight grain hardwood
approximately 1" thick and 4" to 8" wide depending
on the size of the machine. The length is
developed in accordance with intended use.
Feather boards can be fastened to the table or rip
fence by use of C-clamps. Alternatively, drilled and
tapped holes in the table top allow the use of wing
nuts and washers as a method of clamping. If this
method of fastening is used, provide slots in the
feather board for adjustment. (The illustration
shows a method of attaching and use of the
feather board as a vertical comb. The horizontal
application is essentially the same except that the
attachment is to the table top.)
Figure 9-13: feather board
10.2 Push stick and push block
The use of a push block or push stick provides an
added level of safety for the operator. A push stick
is included with your table saw, but you may wish
to make others personalized for different cutting
procedures. The templates in Figures 9-15 and 9-
15 offer construction details.
Figure 9-14: push block template
Figure 9-15: push stick template