# Bow Featherboards



## Jim Butler (Apr 19, 2020)

I purchased a set of Bow featherboards and I got to say these things are awesome. Picture is of a setup for testing and just playing with them, not in use, sorry. I have used them a few times on my tablesaw and router table, but no photos.
These setup very fast and allow easy forward movement of the workpiece, but are impressively strong against backward movement. I noticed that when setting these up I think there is not enough pressure on the feathers and try to pull the wood out to re-adjust only to find the wood firmly in the grasp of the feather-board and need to push the wood forward to get the piece out. The stacked set pictured comes with another set of knobs and miter slot bar so you have two singles as needed. Only takes about a quarter turn of the knob to go from full lock to full adjustable. Well made, quality product. Hopes this helps in your decision if you're considering feather boards.


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## Bob Bengal (Jan 2, 2021)

Thanks for the report. Something grippy like EVA does make more sense than the hard plastic of many featherboards. I see on the Bow site that the feathers are reversible and replaceable.

EVA will wear, but it's tougher than you might think. I have an EVA sleeping pad over 40 years old, it still works like new after miles of bush whacking, being set down on rock etc, but I don't lol. It doesn't stiffen/deteriorate with age like some plastics.


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## Tool Agnostic (Aug 13, 2017)

Great review. I have seen the Bow products (including their bandsaw featherboard for resawing). I stayed away from them out of concern that the rubbery material would tear, crumble, or decay over time. After reading your review, I wonder whether I made the right choice.
_-> I would like to see an update in the future, to learn how the soft fingers hold up over time._

I have homemade featherboards from wood, but got tired of the hassles of separate clamps.

Next, I bought a plastic featherboard that grips in the miter slots. There were two problems with the one I bought. The big problem is that they are too finicky to position. You must slide the featherboard in and out along the two tracks in parallel. Otherwise, the featherboard hangs up or tries to twist on one of the two bolts; the tracks fight each other as you position the featherboard.

The other problem with the plastic "miter slot" featherboard is that it would not extend far enough for jobsite saws. I don't know why, but the miter slots on jobsite saws are farther from the blade, so you can't use those featherboards when cutting a thin strip or jointing/shaving the edge of a board. It was a problem for me with the Bosch and the SawStop jobsite saws. (It is not a problem on my current SawStop cabinet saw.)

_Not Recommended_ - The two parallel "tracks" make it hard to set or adjust, and the distance comes up short on some jobsite saws: 
https://www.rockler.com/adjustable-table-featherboard

What I found and like a lot is the Magswitch featherboard. It uses powerful magnets to hold it in place on any cast iron surface. It won't work with jobsite saws or any other saw with an aluminum or granite top. It has plastic fingers, so they may not grab the wood as well as the Bow products described above, but I like the ease and simplicity of positioning. You put the featherboard where you want it and rotate the magnet lock knobs. The powerful magnets are removable, so you can use them to hold anything to the table, like your own jigs. Just drill a matching hole with a Forstner bit. Here is what I bought to get started, and I recommend it:
https://magswitch.com/product/woodworking-starter-kit/


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