Expert Reviews, Buying Guides & Tips for Every Woodworker
An overhead blade guard vs riving knife comparison weighs two different table saw protections: a guard that shields the spinning blade from your hands and dust, and a riving knife that sits just behind the blade to stop wood from pinching and launching back at you. One blocks contact. The other blocks kickback. Most buyers … Read more
A table saw is refreshingly honest. It does exactly what you ask, it does it fast, and it has no opinion whatsoever about your thumbs. That’s why a well-chosen overhead blade guard for table saw safety keeps climbing the upgrade list in serious shops. It hangs a clear shield above the blade and stays out … Read more
Let’s be upfront about the search you just typed. An aftermarket blade guard under $150 sounds like a ten-minute shopping errand, and honestly, it nearly is. Nearly. The full overarm guards woodworkers daydream about, the swing-arm, dust-ported, see-through kind, mostly cost $300 to $500. The two well-known ones I checked in September 2026 both sit … Read more
Here’s a definition to start us off: a featherboard is a spring-fingered jig that clamps into your miter slot or T-track and presses stock firmly against the rip fence, holding a steady feed line and cutting down on kickback while you push wood past the blade. That’s the textbook answer. The real answer, the one … Read more
Here’s a confession every new woodworker eventually makes, usually right after a board kicks sideways off the table: your hands are not a clamp. They shake, they get tired, and they definitely aren’t rated for the 4,000-rpm argument happening six inches away from them. That’s the whole reason a featherboard for beginners table saw setup … Read more
Rip a 1-1/2″ strip of walnut on a table saw without any hold-down, and you’re basically betting your knuckles against physics. Narrow stock wobbles. It drifts off the fence. And the second it pinches the blade, you’ve got a projectile moving faster than you can flinch. That’s exactly the gap a dual featherboard kit for … Read more
Thin stock has a mind of its own on a table saw. Feed a strip that’s a quarter-inch or thinner without help, and it wanders, chatters, and sometimes lifts right off the table the second the blade bites in. That’s the exact moment a featherboard for resawing thin stock earns its keep. It’s a simple … Read more
Here’s a confession every woodworker eventually makes, usually right after a board kicks back and leaves a dent in the wall six feet behind the saw: hands are not a safety device. Neither is hoping for the best. What actually keeps a workpiece pinned where it belongs — instead of launching toward your sternum — … Read more
An adjustable featherboard for router table and table saw combo setups is a spring-fingered hold-down jig that clamps into a miter slot, T-track, or magnetic base and presses stock firmly against a fence or tabletop, typically covering both machines with one accessory. Here’s the thing nobody tells you when you buy your first combo table: … Read more
Here’s a confession every table saw owner eventually makes, usually right after a board kicks sideways and clips a knuckle: your hands are not a clamp, and they were never meant to be one. A standard featherboard for miter slot table saws is a spring-loaded safety jig that locks into your saw’s miter track and … Read more