Hey everyone! I'm a newbie woodworker trying to make some custom trim pieces that are about 8 to 10 feet long. I've planed down some boards but I'm struggling with the final rip; I've got pieces that are around 1 inch tall and between 0.6 to 0.75 inches wide. Right now, I'm trying to rip them down to 0.5 inches, setting the distance between the blade and the fence at 0.5 inches to keep the piece on the right and trash on the left. However, the long boards are causing a lot of wobbling and shaking, which feels unsafe. I'm considering picking up two affordable featherboards — one to hold the pieces from the side and another from the top while pushing them through. The issue is that my Skil 10" Table Saw doesn't have a T track on the fence rail, so I'm looking for featherboards that would work without needing to modify the fence rail. Would just a side featherboard be enough to stabilize the boards? Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated!
2 Answers
If you're open to a bit of modification, I've done something similar by drilling holes in the fence and adding a length of aluminum extrusion with T-track bolts. It cost me a bit, but it's super reliable and helped me achieve great results. If you're concerned about cutting into your fence, you can often find replacements online for cheap. Just a thought if you want a solid long-term solution!
Have you checked if the face of your fence is magnetic? Magswitch makes a magnetic featherboard that could work for your setup! It's a nice option if you want to avoid any drilling or major modifications.
I haven't looked closely at that yet, but I'll check later! I did notice a track of some kind at the top of my fence from some pictures I was looking at, but it doesn’t seem like the typical T track. I wonder if they have a featherboard that fits that slot!
Definitely worth checking! Some featherboards are designed for different configurations, so you might be in luck.
Thanks for that option! It might be more than I want to do for this project, but I can see how it would work really well. I might have to consider it if I can’t find a simpler approach!