Magnetic Featherboard

Jim DeLaney

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I'd seen the commercially made magnetic featherboards in Rocklers' and Woodcraft's catalogs for about fifty bucks, and thought that was pretty steep.

So, when I got a sale catalog from Enco, and they had the magnetic indicator bases for $8.89, with free shipping, I decided to make my own. I used two of the magnetic bases, an plastic featherboard I already had on hand and a couple scraps of wood and PVC to make this one. Total cost: $18 for the magnetics. If I'd had to buy a new plastic featherboard for it, that would have added about $10.

The magnetic bases are rated at 130 pounds of pull (each) so they don't move at all once the switches are turned. Works great!
 

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pretty slick there Jim! $18 is a bargain alrighty.

I just picked up several featherboards from rockler, they're the type that lock into the miter slot, as well as into the fence. I need to modify the t-bolt to fit my fence, but that's just a couple of minutes with a grinder on each one. if that.
 
Jim those are really neat. I have wanted some magnetic featherboards for some time but could not get my mind around the cost. I also did not know of Enco. Thanks for both introducing me to Enco and the idea. I see the magnetic bases are still on special.
 
Jim those are really neat. I have wanted some magnetic featherboards for some time but could not get my mind around the cost. I also did not know of Enco. Thanks for both introducing me to Enco and the idea. I see the magnetic bases are still on special.

Yeah, cost was uppermost in my mind, too. $50 for a featherboard seems like a whole lot!

Enco's catalog can be a slippery slope. There's a lot of good stuff in it, and the prices are pretty good overall. BTW, their carbide two-flute end mills work great in a router, and they're generally about half the cost of a comparable router bit.
 
Actually, I think the thing that Jim left out is that these may be preferable to the store bought versions for a couple of reasons.

1) I've got a couple of store bought ones. I like to get the featherboard right up close to in front of the blade, but the store bought ones can't get into the right position because of the zero clearance insert on my saw.

2) The store bought ones work, but may not be as strong as the ones Jim made.

What I like about the idea of this is that you could offset the feather board enough from the ZCI so that it can work for cutting small strips.

Really a very nice idea Jim!
 
1) I've got a couple of store bought ones. I like to get the featherboard right up close to in front of the blade, but the store bought ones can't get into the right position because of the zero clearance insert on my saw.

[size=+1]Yeah, you can vary the 'overhang' of the actual featherboard - closer to or further from the magnets.[/size]

2) The store bought ones work, but may not be as strong as the ones Jim made.

[size=+1]At 130# of attraction each, the magnets don't move! Since you have the commercial one, how strong is it? Does it slide around on the table? [/size]

What I like about the idea of this is that you could offset the feather board enough from the ZCI so that it can work for cutting small strips.

[size=+1]Yeah, it works very well for that. Also, with a minor mod, you could stack two (or more) featherboards for higher work - like resawing on the bandsaw. I haven't tried it yet, but I just might.[/size]

Really a very nice idea Jim!

[size=+1]Thanks![/size]
 
Now that's a gloat. Saved money, and MacGyvered some jigs, and did woodworking all at once...

Got a part number? Can't find it on use-enco.com

Well Art, I thought I had an alternate source for you in case the enco sale was over, but then remembered you were in Canada,:doh::D and I doubt if they have Harbor Freight's there. HF has them on sale for $7.99 thru October 27 th, (lot# 5645) for anyone that has a HF store handy, or you can order them from HF on the internet @ www.HarborFreightusa.com. (don't know if they ship to Canda or not).:dunno:

I haven't used them for the application Jim is using, but I have used one of the HF cheapies for several years set against the backside of some flimsy tablesaw fences to keep them from moving at the back end when pressure was applied, and it has worked great. They are plenty strong. I've also used it as a stop block for the mitre guage when cutting rabbets and tenons on the ends of boards with the TS.
 
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Well Art, I thought I had an alternate source for you in case the enco sale was over, but then remembered you were in Canada,:doh::D

Nope, no Harbor Freight here.
But the Enco website says that they ship to Canada - I haven't actually gone through to see how much they would charge on shipping though.

Oh, and their "free shipping" deals only apply to the lower-48 anyways.

...art

ps: No Harbor Freight. Grizzly won't sell to us, and Amazon won't ship tools north either :( ... Sometimes I wonder if having a Lee Valley Tools store right here in town makes up for that ... :dunno: :rofl: (well, Lee Valley and gov't Healthcare...)
 
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Nope, no Harbor Freight here.
But the Enco website says that they ship to Canada - I haven't actually gone through to see how much they would charge on shipping though.

Oh, and their "free shipping" deals only apply to the lower-48 anyways.

...art

ps: No Harbor Freight. Grizzly won't sell to us, and Amazon won't ship tools north either :( ... Sometimes I wonder if having a Lee Valley Tools store right here in town makes up for that ... :dunno: :rofl: (well, Lee Valley and gov't Healthcare...)

Art one place that has the same bases is Busy Bee Tools. I am not a fan of their stuff but they are the only other choice to the HD and Lee Valley.
At Busy Bee they are about $12 each. If you live close to a Busy Bee then you would save on shipping and broker fees. So i guess they would work out cheaper especially with the C$ dollar dropping like it has.
 
HF has them on sale for $7.99 thru October 27 th, (lot# 5645) for anyone that has a HF store handy, or you can order them from HF on the internet.

They are plenty strong. I've also used it as a stop block for the mitre guage when cutting rabbets and tenons on the ends of boards with the TS.

The HF bases only claim to have 45 lbs of grip, if that matters. Enco's claim 130 lbs. Of course, this may be like Sears HP rating...

Don
 
Jim, that is a great job, I'm really impressed, and I'm so impressed, that I'll be copying your idea :thumb:

I was thinking to make one without the wooden bit you put in there, to keep the feather board on the surface of the table, for re-sawing on the bandsaw, I'd rather have the feather board up higher. Mounting the feather-board on the top of the magnetic bases would be just about perfect, in fact, I could mount two, with a spacer, for re-sawing really tall stuff.

Thanks again, great idea!

Cheers!
 
Very cool idea. Been thinking of I might rig up a quick on-off method of attaching a featherboard to the magnetic base I have, but I can slide mine if I put some muscle behind it when it's locked down. Two of em together, though, that'd do the trick.

Enco's catalog can be a slippery slope.

I think it was Enco that had some New-Old Stock files from the WWII era for a while. Fella gave me a couple of them that he'd gotten, and man what a difference those made over the big box ones I've used.

A Canadian fella on one of the other forums lives close enough to the border that he has made a few over night trips down to the U.S. just to shop at HF. Gotta be careful to keep total purchases down so he doesn't have to pay duty, but he's bought a lathe and I think a drill press from them on separate trips.
 
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Way cool Jim, and if you make a combination of different applications using stu's remarks, you are more versitle than the Store (over priced) bought ones... :thumb: Thanks for the posting

PS. a couple weeks ago I used my (clamped in the slot) feather board and was a bit close to the blade, when the work piece passed through one tooth sprang back and caught a saw tooth. "POW" :eek: broke the featherboard and filled my shorts as well. Just a reminder.... I got a new one to replace the (now) Two smaller pieces.
 
Magnetic Feather Boards

Hi Jim,
This is really great!!! Looks like you will be taking over for Niki!!! Good Job, Thank You for the help, Joe
 
Jim, that is a great job, I'm really impressed, and I'm so impressed, that I'll be copying your idea :thumb:

I was thinking to make one without the wooden bit you put in there, to keep the feather board on the surface of the table, for re-sawing on the bandsaw, I'd rather have the feather board up higher.

Jim,

This is all your fault! ;) I just ordered two of them. No more clamping a wooden straight edge to the bandsaw for angled rip cuts! Hurrah! :thumb:

Thanks for solving a big problem for me!

Thanks,

Bill
 
Jim,

This is all your fault! ;) I just ordered two of them. No more clamping a wooden straight edge to the bandsaw for angled rip cuts! Hurrah! :thumb:

Thanks for solving a big problem for me!

Thanks,

Bill

Glad I could help, Bill. :D

BTW, the threaded insert at the top is M8. ot a problem for me, as I have quite a collection of SI (metric) hardware lying about, but you may need a trip to the hardware store...
 
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