41
Work Feed Devices
Before cutting any wood on your saw, study all of the
“Basic Saw Operations”.
As you learn new table saw woodworking techniques,
you’ll see that many types of cuts need different support
and feeding devices, known as jigs or fixtures. They can
help you make cuts more accurately. By helping to steady
the workpiece and keep you away from the blade, they
can help you safely use your saw for certain cuts.
Many people custom build their own jigs and fixtures. Jigs
and fixtures are often designed for a particular cut.
You can use your table saw to easily make many jigs and
fixtures. To get you started, we’ve included instructions
for some simple ones. After you have made a few prac-
tice cuts, make up these jigs before starting any projects.
The use of these devices is explained in “Basic Saw
Operations” section.
Push Stick
Featherboard
Make the push stick from a piece of solid wood. Use a
piece of 1 x 2 (3/4" x 1-5/8" actual) by 15" long.
Make the featherboard from a piece of 8” x 24” x 3/4”
thick solid wood.
90° Notch
Slightly Less Than Thickness
Of Workpiece Up To 3/8"
Kerfs About
5/16" Apart
24"
5"
4-1/2"
8"
Grain
3/8"
Creating the Notch
Cutting Out the Base
3/8" Thick Plywood
Base
At Least 12"
At Least
5-5/8"
At Least 12"
At Least
5-5/8"
3/4" Thick Plywood
Handle
Material for Push Block
Finished Base
These Edges
Must Be
Parallel
Push Block
There are any number of ways to properly cut your work-
pieces to make a push block. The following steps
describe one way you can make a push block.
Making the base:
• Start with a piece of 3/8 inch plywood at least 5-5/8
inches wide or wider and 12 inches long or longer.
• Make two ripcuts. Perform the first ripcut along the side
of the 3/8" wide strip. Next, ripcut the 3/8" plywood to a
width of 5-1/8".
• Crosscut the 3/8" plywood to 12" long.
• Crosscut a 2-1/2" piece off the 3/8" wide by 3/8" thick
strip and save this short piece for later.
• The next cuts will create the 3/8" by 9-1/2" notch in the
base. Mark the long edge of the board 2-1/2" from one
end. Make a crosscut into the edge on the mark, stop-
ping about 3/4" into the board. Set the saw and rip the
width to 4-3/4" along the same edge as the stopped
crosscut. Stop the ripcut where the two cuts intersect.
Turn off the saw and remove the base piece. The base
should now measure as shown.
