# Thin Rip Jig?



## eschatz (Feb 12, 2014)

What's the difference between this and a featherboard? I get that the jig comes to a point of sorts and a featherboard is square but how would that make any difference?

Here's a Thin Rip Jig


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## Fred Hargis (Apr 28, 2012)

They're made for very different uses, but I suppose you could use that thin rip as a featherboard (in a fashion). I wouldn't want too, a featherboard holds a much wider area and prevents kickback (that thin rip will not); and I have a shop made single point thin rip jig, but I don't leave it in place like that while sawing, I set the fence and then remove the jig before I cut.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*agreed*

The thin rip jig applies pressure at one point and has no "spring" action.
It is really a bump stop rather than a means to apply pressure to the work.

The feather board has a broader area of contact and has some spring in the feathers to lightly apply pressure to the work, keeping it snug against the fence.

Just remember to only apply pressure *before* the teeth of the blade contact the work, not along the blade's plane itself, where there are teeth.


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

The thin rip jig is a safer way to rip consistent but thin strips of wood than using the fence alone. The fence can bind a thin piece and it could go flying toward the operator.

The Rockler one comes to a point. I made a simple one out of a piece of MDF cut into a rectangle.

Two slots cut to allow me to move the jig side-to-side.

In this picture I am using the jig to cut even lengths with a mitre gauge. Cutting segments to glue together to make a ring, part of a segmented bowl blank.









I also use the same jig to cut thin strips. I use the fence to hold the work piece between the jig and the fence. As Woodnthings mentioned, the jig must be placed before the blade to prevent the piece from binding.

Make a rip, move the fence so the remnant touches the jig, lock down the fence and make another rip.

You can get very consistent results.

The spring in a featherboard would be very difficult to get consistent results.


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

As has been said they are two different items, feather boards are spring loaded to hold the material against the fence, the thin ripping guide is a stop that the material and fence are pushed against to gauge the width of the strip being cut. Some leave them in position to make the cut, others remove them once the fence is locked in position.


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## adot45 (Jul 8, 2013)

Here's mine that I just finished cutting these slices.......had already changed the throat plate but you want to use a zero clearance insert.
This is the cheaper model, coarse threads on the screw.....the high end model has a drywall screw with fine threads. :laughing:


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

adot45 said:


> Here's mine that I just finished cutting these slices.......had already changed the throat plate but you want to use a zero clearance insert.
> This is the cheaper model, coarse threads on the screw.....the high end model has a drywall screw with fine threads. :laughing:


I would have expected at least a SS screw in the high end model.:laughing:


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## jschaben (Apr 1, 2010)

I have use a featherboard as a thin rip jig, Just adjust so there is minimal pressure on the stock.:smile:


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## Lew (Oct 25, 2011)

jschaben said:


> I have use a featherboard as a thin rip jig, Just adjust so there is minimal pressure on the stock.:smile:


I too use a feather board as my thin rip gauge. I also leave it in place if I am making more then one rip.


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## Hammer1 (Aug 1, 2010)

A feather board and a thin rip jig are completely different. When doing a rip operation on the table saw, you normally want the piece that is between the fence and the blade. If you want to cut thin strips of wood, the strips can be too thin to reasonably control the piece between the fence and blade. The thin rip fixture is essentially a measuring device, a reference point. Once set up, you place your work board against the rip fence, then move the fence so the board makes contact with the thin rip fixture. After making a cut, you move the fence for the next cut and so on, moving the fence with each cut. The piece you want is the off cut, not the piece between the fence and blade. The thin rip fixture measures the off cut for repetitive, same size rips. Very thin pieces, 1/32", can be ripped consistently. Too small and wimpy to be caught between the fence and blade. It can be used for larger strips, too. 

With a feather board, it's use is to help keep your work against the fence for ripping, and/or against the table. They are used on router tables and shapers, too, where a thin rip fixture would not work. It places pressure on the work to keep it against the fence but the fingers on the jig are flexible. The flexible fingers do two things. They allow some variation in the initial width of the boards. All the boards you wish to rip to the same size, don't have to be the exact same size before ripping. This may not be the case with those cheap plastic feather boards that fit in a miter way, very little flexibility. As the fingers bend, they not only apply pressure but they also grip and prevent the work from backing up, AKA, kickback. In this type of cut, it's the piece between the fence and blade that you want, you don't change the fence. The thin rip fixture controls the off cut/waste piece, the feather boards control the non-waste piece.


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## jschaben (Apr 1, 2010)

Gee- sure glad I didn't know it couldn't be done while I was doing it


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