Featherboard: What It Is and How to Use It

A featherboard is a simple, low-cost accessory that makes many woodworking cuts smoother and safer. It uses a row of flexible fingers to press your workpiece against a fence or tabletop while you feed the stock past a blade or router bit. Set up correctly, it reduces kickback, keeps cuts straight, and improves surface finish by preventing the wood from drifting or chattering.

How a Featherboard Works

The fingers are cut at a slight angle and act like springs. You deflect them a small amount against the workpiece, creating consistent side pressure. That pressure holds the board against a reference surface:

Against the fence for straight ripping or routing profiles
Down against the table to control height and prevent lift

Because the fingers flex only in one direction, they resist the workpiece moving backward toward the operator, which helps minimize kickback on table saws and helps maintain steady feed on router tables.

Common Uses and Applications

Table saw rip cuts: Keeps long boards snug to the fence, improving straightness and reducing burning from wandering.
Router table edge profiles: Holds stock tight to the fence for clean, even reveals on moldings, rabbets, and grooves.
Band saw resawing and rip cuts: Controls lateral drift, helping you follow the fence and produce uniform thickness.
Shaper and spindle molder work: Provides consistent pressure near the cutter to improve surface quality.
Light-duty hold-down on drill presses with fences: Helps keep thin stock flat to the table during repetitive drilling.

Position the featherboard before the blade or bit in the direction of feed. That way it guides the stock into the cut rather than trapping it after the cut.

Types and Variations

Material
- Shop-made wood: Often cut from straight-grained hardwood or plywood. Inexpensive, customizable, and quick to replace.
- Molded plastic or composite: Durable, stable, and often include slots for easy adjustment.
- UHMW or phenolic: Low friction, rigid, and dimensionally stable.
Mounting style
- Miter-slot or T-slot mounted: Uses 3/4 in. by 3/8 in. miter bars or T-bolts to lock into standard table slots.
- Fence-mounted: Clamps or bolts to a router table or saw fence for vertical or horizontal pressure.
- Magnetic: Uses switchable magnets to lock onto cast iron tops; fast to position, great for band saws and table saws with steel tops. Not suitable for aluminum tables.
Orientation
- Horizontal press: Pushes stock toward the fence.
- Vertical hold-down: Presses stock down against the table; often used in pairs with a horizontal featherboard on router tables.
Stackable or tandem setups
- Multiple featherboards can be stacked to cover taller workpieces or used in pairs to hold both before and after the cutter area on router tables, provided the second does not trap the cut-off.

How to Choose a Featherboard

Compatibility: Confirm it fits your table or fence system. Check miter slot size, T-track size, or whether your table is cast iron for magnetic models.
Adjustability: Look for elongated slots, micro-adjust knobs, or cam locks that make fine positioning quick and repeatable.
Finger stiffness: Too soft and it will not hold; too stiff and it can distort the feed. Most commercial models strike a good balance. For shop-made versions, aim for 1/8 to 3/16 in. spacing and 30 to 45 degree finger angle.
Setup speed: Magnetic and quick-cam models save time if you change setups frequently.
Build quality: Rigid body, secure hardware, and flat mating surfaces give more consistent pressure and safer operation.

Setup and Use Tips

Unplug or lock out the tool before setting up.
Place the featherboard so it presses the stock into the fence or down to the table just before the blade or bit. Avoid placing it past the cutting area.
Set finger deflection to light-to-moderate pressure. You should be able to slide the workpiece forward smoothly with firm hand pressure, but feel resistance if you try to pull it backward.
Keep the fingers square to the stock edge and angled in the feed direction. Do not set fingers parallel to the feed.
Use push sticks, push blocks, or a push shoe to keep hands clear while feeding.
For router tables, add a vertical hold-down on the fence and a horizontal featherboard in the table for two-axis control.
Test with scrap to confirm smooth, straight feed before cutting your workpiece.

Maintenance is simple: brush off dust, check for cracked or fatigued fingers, and store flat so wooden versions do not warp. Replace any featherboard with damaged fingers or stripped hardware.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Placing the featherboard after the blade or bit: This can pinch the kerf and cause burning, binding, or kickback.
Applying excessive pressure: Too much deflection makes feeding difficult, increases burning, and can push thin stock away from the fence.
Setting fingers in the wrong direction: The featherboard should resist backward movement, not forward feed.
Forgetting a push stick: A featherboard is not a hand replacement near the blade. Keep your hands well clear.
Using magnets on non-ferrous tables: Magnetic models do not hold on aluminum or laminate tops.
Ignoring stock defects: Twisted, cupped, or bowed lumber may not track safely, even with a featherboard. Joint and plane first when possible.

Related Terms and Concepts

Push stick or push block: Hand tools that let you feed stock safely past a cutter.
Riving knife or splitter: A device on a table saw that keeps the kerf from closing behind the blade.
Fence and miter slot: Reference surfaces and slots used to position featherboards and guide the work.
Hold-down: Any device that applies downward pressure; a vertical featherboard is a type of hold-down.

Practical Examples

Straight ripping on a table saw: Mount a featherboard in the miter slot before the blade to push the workpiece into the fence. Use a push stick at the end of the cut. The result is a straighter rip with less burning.
Routing an edge profile: Clamp a horizontal featherboard to the router table and a vertical one to the fence. The pair keeps the board both tight to the fence and flat to the table, producing a crisp, chatter-free profile.
Resawing on a band saw: Place a featherboard at table height just before the blade to press the board into the resaw fence. For taller stock, stack two featherboards or use a taller model to control the full edge.

Build Your Own Featherboard

Cut a piece of 3/4 in. hardwood or quality plywood to about 3 in. by 10 to 12 in. Rip a 30 to 45 degree end, then make parallel kerfs 1/8 to 3/16 in. apart to form the fingers, stopping the cuts short of the body. Drill and slot mounting holes to match your miter bar or T-bolts. Lightly round over edges to reduce splinters. Label the feed direction on the face.

A well-set featherboard makes machines feel calmer and more predictable. With a few minutes of setup, you gain smoother cuts, better control, and a safer shop.