Shop Made Feather Boards

[Dave Novak]

Happy Veterans Day everyone! I need to resaw some very long/heavy stock so I finally got around to building some out feed support for my bandsaw. The T-tracks are there to secure 2 or 3 stackable shop made feather boards, providing support at the bottom and roughly 8" high. My thoughts going in are to use hardwood scraps, probably 6/4 stock, about 8" wide. Each "feather" would be about 1/8" think, 10" long, and be separated by just the kerf of my bandsaw blade. Looking for any advice/re-direction based on what has worked well for others. Thanks!

[glenn bradley]

Quarter sawn hardwood material (white oak, ash, pecan) with the fingers going the same direction as the grain have worked for me but, plywood also works. Neither of these survive as long as synthetics in my experience but, I have no compunction when making something out of what is at hand when I need to complete a task.

[Lee Schierer]

I've made feather boards from hardwood and pine. Both materials were functional and have lasted for years. I cut the slots on mine with a thin kerf rip blade. I'm not sure that a band saw kerf would be wide enough to give you much flex in your feathers. Longer feathers are better than shorter ones. 10" should be fine.

I don't use my home made ones often any more as I have Grip Tite magnetic ones for my TS that also work on my jointer.

[Jim Becker]

That's a pretty nice setup, Dave! While I don't have the space in my shop to do that, I really, really like the idea and execution.

[Dave Novak]

Thanks for the thoughts guys. I'm thinking Lee might be correct that the bandsaw kerf might not be enough. My alternative though is my table saw blade, which is a smidge over 1/8". If my kerf is that wide, would you recommend I make the feathers thicker than the 1/8" I'd planned? should I think about using construction grade 2X8 material instead of hard maple? I just fiddled with some plastic ones I have laying around, and their pretty soft/flexible.

And Jim, thanks for the kind words. I don't really have the room either, it's just that I'm not skilled or strong enough to manage long heavy boards anymore. I'll just have to work around it.

[John McClanahan]

I find a 1/8" gap to be plenty. There is a New Yankee video where Norm makes a feather board on his bandsaw with single cuts.

John

[Clay Crocker]

I've made them on the table saw (thin kerf blade) and on the bandsaw with good results both ways. The feathers on mine are 3/16" thick and work well. I have a few made out of oak that are as good as the day I made them. A couple others I made out of pine have a couple feathers missing, FWIW. My shop made feather boards don't get much use since I bought a Milescraft tandem feather board a number of years ago.

[Phil Barrett]

I've cut a number of featherboards on my bandsaw. They seem to work well. When adjusted correctly, there is no problem passing the work piece forward and are very resistant to pulling it backwards. I used 3/4" alder for mine.

I keep saying that I need to make a jig but never get to it. Instead I just draw parallel lines and freehand it.

[James Conrad]

Here is a shot of my resaw setup on my MM20. Each featherboard is about 10"x1.25"x2.75", I'll have to check for the exact size. I cut these on the bandsaw, each finger is about 3/32. They stack over the dowel to adjust for resaw height.

[Dan Hahr]

I remember seeing one someone made using skateboard wheels. I liked the idea a lot. Does anyone remember if that was shown on this forum?
Dan

[Jim Andrew]

I made wood featherboards from ash, because the plastic ones that came with the craftsman router table I had at that time were too weak. The wood ones are stiffer and don't "give" like the plastic ones did. Ash seems to be a good wood for this use, have not had any of the fingers break off, and I used my bandsaw to cut the gaps between fingers.

[David Eisenhauer]

I have made several feather boards over the years by picking up whatever leftover I have that is close to the size I need and using my TS with a full-size blade to cut the slots that are eyeballed as I go along. The various feather boards were custom sized for a specific use and all have worked well and have lasted. I haven't had to make one in a while, so I must be getting close to having enough custom ones to fit all needs. I don't think you need to be too scientific about the board - I have used pine, oak, plywood, soft maple, poplar - and the individual fingers each look like they are about the same width as the kerf. I start out with the fingers fairly long, then make the diagonal cut across the width with the BS.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Ooooh, nice! I like how you tall it is.

[Dave Novak]

Thanks for all the thoughtful ideas/suggestions. Still have to buy long bolts to secure them to my t-track before I can test them out, but they sure look/feel like they'll work well.
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