Shop-helper hold downs?

[Dan Chouinard]

Jim Tolpin refers to a table saw fence accessory that he calls "shop helpers". Essentially a pair of hold down wheels that only spin in one direction and are angled toward the fence to help hold sheet stock to the fence when ripping.

If anyone has experience with these I would like to know your opinion of their value and where they may be purchased.
Thanks

[Dick Mahany]

Not sure if this is what you are looking for, but Grizzly and WC sell them. I have a set that I bought many years ago for a radial saw. They spin the opposite of the tablesaw wheels and I rarely used them. They did work as advertised, but I just didn't care for the set up. Here's a link to one site that sells them:
http://grizzly.com/products/G2370

[Dan Forman]

I got mine from Peachtree. I like them mainly when ripping sheet goods, they help to keep the piece from moving away from the fence. I think the brand is Board Buddies, at least that's one brand name for them.

Dan

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi, I had a pair of Board Buddies on my tablesaw for a while, they weren't much use to me.

I had a Biessemeyer T fence and of course the fence isn't held down to the table, which means the Board Buddies can't provide much downwards force.

If I really need a hold down on the table saw, I swing the stock feeder over and let it hold and do the pushing.

Some of the most ingenious home made hold downs I saw were made by Nikki, (Nissam). A quick search on this forum will find them.

Regards, Rod.