featherboard placement on router table

[matt rucinski]

might be a dumb question but is there anything wrong with having your feather board on a router table push the wood directly on the bit? meaning not having it before or after the bit? i have always avoided it in the past but i don't think i ever really thought about it because that's where you want it on the table saw.

[Matt Day]

Since there's not a kerf that could pinch the blade, I think it's fine. I do it all the time.

Let me rephrase that - If I'm using the RT to cut a profile that will have an edge that will always ride the fence, I don't worry about it and use the feather board downstream of the bit. If you're using your RT to edge joint or something, don't use the feather board downstream of the bit.

[scott vroom]

might be a dumb question but is there anything wrong with having your feather board on a router table push the wood directly on the bit? meaning not having it before or after the bit? i have always avoided it in the past but i don't think i ever really thought about it because that's where you want it on the table saw.

Not sure I understand correctly, but you NEVER want a featherboard that sits on the table that is positioned at or past the point where the wood meets the table saw blade. Very dangerous

[George Gyulatyan]

I don't see an issue with it. In fact when routing an edge profile, I find it helps me with consistency especially when routing long boards. I usually use two featherboards, one from the top another from the side pushing into the fence.

I also use similar setup on the table saw, with two featherboards, one on the side pushing into the fence and another one pushing down onto the table when cutting dados to control the depth of the dado, although in this case, I place the featherboard that's pushing on the side, before the blade. Although since dados and grooves are not through cuts, there is very little chance of the kerf pinching the back of the blade causing kickback, however I don't want to chance it (however improbable) and have the workpiece turn into the blade causing issues.

[Bill Huber]

Not sure I understand correctly, but you NEVER want a featherboard that sits on the table that is positioned at or past the point where the wood meets the table saw blade. Very dangerous
Scott, he is talking about a router table, not a table saw.

I do it all the time as long as I am using the fence, I don`t do it when using the bit only.

[John McClanahan]

Right at the bit makes sense to me.

[Neil Brooks]

Ayup. I do it, too.

The horizontal one presses the stock against the bit.
The vertical one(s) are before and after the bit.

[scott vroom]

Bill, read his original post again....he says: "i have always avoided it in the past but i don't think i ever really thought about it because that's where you want it on the table saw."

Perhaps he meant that he uses a fence mounted featherboard in the table saw cutting zone? When I first read it i interpreted it that he places a featherboard on his TS to hold the stock against the blade. Anyways, better to be safe than sorry :)


Scott, he is talking about a router table, not a table saw.

I do it all the time as long as I am using the fence, I don`t do it when using the bit only.

[Bill Huber]

Bill, read his original post again....he says: "i have always avoided it in the past but i don't think i ever really thought about it because that's where you want it on the table saw."

Perhaps he meant that he uses a fence mounted featherboard in the table saw cutting zone? When I first read it i interpreted it that he places a featherboard on his TS to hold the stock against the blade. Anyways, better to be safe than sorry :)

LOL.... I guess it is all in the way you read it.

I read it as he knew not to do it on the saw but wasn't sure on the router table.

[scott vroom]

LOL...there I go again with that ASSume thing :rolleyes:


LOL.... I guess it is all in the way you read it.

I read it as he knew not to do it on the saw but wasn't sure on the router table.

[matt rucinski]

thanks guys... to clearify what i was saying... i only use a feather board in the horizontal position before the blade on the table saw. unfortuantely it's difficult to use one vertically for me because i have a unifence. (i think it is time to look into that peachtree extrustion for the unifences)...so when i use the router i always put the horizontal feather board before the bit i guess instictively... i was hesitant to try it at the bit position without some confirmation of saftey. i really appreciate the input.

on a side note i dropped my table saw blade yesterday (freud fusion) and it slightly bent one of the teeth... i did my best to straghten it but it's quite obvious that i couldn't get it perfect and it's cutting quite poorly... when you send them to get sharpened, do most places true the blade (if that's the right term?) i know it's not the most expensive blade but it's a lot in my wife's eyes