Opinion on Board Buddies

[Von Bickley]

Looking for opinions on "Board Buddies".
Heard from a professional woodworker yesterday that he really liked them when working with sheet goods.

[Dennis Peacock]

Von,

I have wondered about that myself. I am wanting / needing to do something like using boardbuddies....I just am not sure as to what to put up there. I really like the idea of the stuff being held down to the table and the fence by something other than my two hands.

I know some folks here use boardbuddies.....we'll see what they have to say.

[Ron Meadows]

I bought a set a couple years ago thinking that they'd really help with sheet goods. Problem is that I have a Biesemeyer clone fence on my tablesaw. The back of the fence has no mechanical hold down and any downward pressure on the feed end of a sheet of plywood causes both the board buddy and fence to raise up off the table. I guess you could clamp the back of such a fence down, but that would make changing setups a pain. Mine went back in the box and back to the store.

Hope this helps,

Ron

[Wes Bischel]

I have a pair on my TS. I normally have them off because I'm usually doing random projects here and there - rip vs. cross cut etc of one piece. When I am doing a larger project - on they go.

Once they are adjusted to your liking, they work well. They slide on and off quickly and actually hold the work very well. I don't like them as well for smaller stuff. The front one gets in the way of the push stick which interrupts the flow of the cut.

Just for reference, I have the yellow version on my old Rockwell contractors saw with the original fence.

Wes

[Roger Myers]

Von,
I use them on my table saw frequently...generally have them in place whenever I am ripping, or cutting sheet stock. They can be in the way a little if you are ripping thin stock, but except for that occasion, I wouldn't do a rip cut without them. That said, I still try to do most rough rip cuts on the bandsaw and leave just a trimming operation for the table saw...I feel that is much safer.
I have them mounted on the sliding track so they can be easily positioned, and removed when not needed.
Roger

[Von Bickley]

Another question.
Is anybody using the board buddies with a unifence, if so, did you have problems installing them?

[Bruce Page]

Von, mine mostly collect dust. About the only time I ever use them is if I have a lot of ripping to do. If I had it to do over again, I’d leave them at the store.

[Jim Tobias]

Looking for opinions on "Board Buddies".
Heard from a professional woodworker yesterday that he really liked them when working with sheet goods.

I have had a pair for a year or so and I have to say they are very useful. They make ripping very safe and I can't remember the last project that I did not have to rip a board somewhere in the process. The only tough part of using them is that the magnet is so strong that they are a little hard to adjust on the fence. But if the magnets weren't that strong, they wouldn't do such a great job of holding down the stock. I would buy them again.

[Bartee Lamar]

I have them, I use them for long cuts. A lot of times I only use the rear one to hold the board at the end of the cut. The way mine are mounted the roller keeps the board against the fence.

As you can see I had to Build a thing to mount them on my fence. This is really very handy.

The older I get the more careful I get. I think about every cut and safest way to accomplish the cut.


<img src="http://www.mysaw.com/images/boardbuddiesandsaw.jpg">

[Bartee Lamar]

Here is close picture of mount on the fence. It is just two pieces of 3/4 birch ply glued together. Then standard track hardware.

And yes I would like a better fence but this is much better than what I had.

<img src="http://www.mysaw.com/images/boardbuddycloseup.jpg">

[Don Henthorn Smithville, TX]

I use something similar that Woodworkers Supply sells which I prefer to the board buddies. These don't require the tracks that BB's require. Page 171 in the Winter 2003 catalog #180 if you want to see them.

[Jim Tobias]

Looking for opinions on "Board Buddies".
Heard from a professional woodworker yesterday that he really liked them when working with sheet goods.

Duh. My fault, I read Board Buddies, but was thinking Grip Tites. It isn't the first time my brain and eyes weren't working together. Anyway. the grip tites(which you were not asking about) are very good (in my opinion). I have no experience with Board Buddies.

[Jim Becker]

Von, I have the Lechtung/Woodworker's Supply version of this type of device and have no problems with it on my Xacta Fence. There is no appreciable lifting at the rear of the fence (Much of that can be mitigated by carefully adjusting the fence) and they do the job they are designed to do. I only use them for cutting sheet goods and to keep things down on the table while cutting rabbits or dados close to the edge. That's largely a function of "forgetting" to use them more often! Mine are mounted using Jim Tolpin's fence jigging system--two tapped holes are in the top of the fence and they serve to fasten the various fence jigs I've made to the fence securely.

[Bill Howatt]

Looking for opinions on "Board Buddies".
Heard from a professional woodworker yesterday that he really liked them when working with sheet goods.

I have had them for a few years now. If you use a blade guard they can get in the way of narrow rips.

I tend to use them for cutting sheet goods because they help keep the material tight to the fence. I often only use the rear one since I find it is easier to "get the cut started" without the front one and if I need a push stick it can be in the way. Also the rear one is the one that probably does the most to prevent kickback since it keeps the stock from lifting off the table due to the blade catching the wood. IMO this has more effect on kickback prevention than one-way wheels.

I have a Mule Accusquare fence which doesn't lock at the back but I did install the slider track that came with it. This limits lift to about a 1/16". I sometimes put a clamp at the back of the fence because it makes me feel better not because I think it really needs it.

Unless you have a problem that you think they will solve I wouldn't run out and buy them again. I wanted them to keep the stock against the fence and the real solution to that was to buy a better fence that kept its alignment.

Bill

[Ryan Singer]

These things work great. My dad has them and they keep the wood from flying back at you. before he had them I remember seeing a big hole in the wall where the table saw shot a 2x4 into the woorkshop wall.. it could have taken my dad out!

[Mark Singer]

I love them on the tablesaw! I usually keep only the back one in so I can push through. They only roll one way....very safe. You can actually let go and walk around the saw if they are set correctly. For rabetts and dados I use both to push down!

[Scott Banbury]

I have 'em set up on a plywood base that I can quickly screw to my tablesaw fence, the dust collector fence on my router table and even the rabbeting ledge of my jointer if running lengths for thin T&G or shiplap. I think they are best cheapest solution to a lot of control and safety problems.

[Bill White]

I have used them for years. I'm one of the goofy guys who chose to work with a radial saw 26 years ago (still have the darned thing), and the "buddies" are a natural for it. Have clockwise, counterclockwise, and neutral wheels.