9 Best Featherboard For Table Saw 2023: Review & Details Guide

Is safety first? Or efficiency?

Don’t worry. You won’t need to muddle over this dilemma, thanks to the existence of a phenomenal tool known as featherboard.

It is a tool that combines these two factors better than any other table saw accessory. Hardened professionals are already well acquainted with this devicel and its usefulness. And for beginners, this is a gift!

However, like most sawing accessories, there are several technical complexities involved with a perfect purchase of a featherboard. The matter also depends on your own needs, priorities, experience, and level of skill.

So, we created an open field guide for everyone. Whether you know your stuff and want to verify further, get the latest info, or start to learn about the ins and outs of a device that’s relatively new to you, this guide has it all.

Best Featherboards For Table Saw Reviews

1. Bosch, Feather Boards 2-Pack (RA1171 + RA1181)

Bosch provides a simple yet effective solution for a smoother as well as safer table saw operation through this product.

Each 5.6-ounce featherboard is constructed with 18 feathers. The high number of board feathers ensure that your cutting piece will be safely set during the sawing process. The downward faced feathers provide aerodynamic advantage.

The boards have a dual track design. Each track is 4-inches long with a distance of 3.75-inches between them. Each board is specially crafted for rip-cut table saws. They come pre-painted and primed, showing off a premium black color. The external structure follows “Brick Mold Design”.

These are original replacement parts, also known as OEM parts. Thus, you can use them with confidence for any genuine Bosch sawing products, such as table saw, router saws, etc. The manufacturer specifically denotes that these boards are compatible with RA1171 and RA1181 model Bosch routing table as well.

The product is shipped in a safe package, with each board packed individually to prevent any type of shipment damage. You’ll get 4 additional bolts, wing nuts, and washers too.

They are recommended by multiple experts due to their ability of creating a flexible yet firm pressure on the cutting piece. With this product, you can use the dual featherboards to secure the cutting material both on the base and along the fence.

Given the quality offered, the product comes at a surprisingly low price and doesn’t create any marring, trailing or footprints on the cutting material.

Highlighted Features:

• The 18 feather construction provides a highly effective featherboard.
• Produces a firm pressure for security while allowing flexibility of workflow.
• The “dual-board deal” allows you to secure materials in a foolproof way.
• Won’t mar or produce trails on your material after the sawing is done.
• Exclusively manufactured for rip-cut table saws.

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2. Kreg, True-FLEX Blue Featherboard (Pack of 2) PRS3020

The flex is true in this product, both in the literal and urban-hip sense of the word.

Kreg provides you a pair of deep blue featherboards that perform just as well as they look. Each board is manufactured using composite plastic, making them highly impact resistant and long lasting.

These futuristic boards are designed with “finger flex” technology. Thus, each board is able to balance out the pressure between its feathers, providing a truly focused push on the sawing material. They are light, have a portability friendly structure, and ensures you get both safety and strength out of their use.

Each board has two trigonal wing nuts, which use raised, stainless-steel screw with rust-resistant coating. It has two parallel tracks to adjust the wing nuts. However, the boards are compatible with (0.375 X 0.75)-inch miter saw tracks. So, check your table saw specifications before making a purchase.

The makers have included a handy feature, known as a wedge-lock with each board. So, besides table saws, the product is able to adapt to t-slots, miter saws, and other sawing hardware without compromising any safety parameters.

Also, since you get a pair of these boards, a cutting material can be clamped down both vertically (on the fence) and horizontally (on the table-top/base). Combined, these features provide a security system that is able to completely eliminate risk of kickbacks, chattering, etc.

Highlighted features:

3. Uses parallel tracks to improve wing nut adjustability and shock absorption.
4. Provides a wedge lock for universal compatibility and complete security.
5. Includes “finger flex” technology to create a focused push on sawing materials.
6. Offers a pair of boards for allowing both vertical and horizontal clamping.
7. Feature-rich security system eliminates risk of kickbacks.

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3. Milescraft, Yellow Featherboard for Table Saws and Fences 1406

The 1406 is innovative in every aspect, from its spiral wing nuts to the highly ergonomic track design.

It easily meets the demand of an easy-to-carry featherboard, using a unique shape and 12.8-ounces of weight. The bright yellow board uses premium-grade hard plastic for construction, ensuring longevity and structural strength.

Milescraft offers an extra 0.75-inch T-track, which ensures compatibility with the standardized slot measurement used on the majority of table saws. It also provides a 0.625-inch miter slot, compatible with most miter saws.

The product uses two wing nuts, screwed-in and secured by plate guards. You can adjust them using the aerodynamically curved tracks. If you squeeze the nuts, the tracks contract, increasing pressure on the cutting material to keep it safely flexible. Or, by loosening the nuts you can also achieve your intended pressure.

The feathers follow an upward direction. They have a sturdy build, optimum thickness, and engineered with appropriate and effective mutual distance. The upward curve allows enhanced forward-pressure while blocking backwards force to prevent spring-out/kickbacks of the sawing material.

The board has a double style motion slide. That means, it can move both forward and sideways.

It also has a solid tensioning strategy, which uses “Split-rail Miter Track Construction” and “Pre-loaded Tension Design”. Thus, it balances the tension force throughout the board’s surface, allows you to preset the tension amount for continuous and fast cuts, and dramatically removes chances of kickback.

Highlighted Feature:

1. Two extra slots: one for the table saws and fences, another for miter saws.
2. Uses an intricate tensioning strategy to allows nonstop, fast cuts.
3. Enhances forward-pressure and blocks backwards-force to prevent kickbacks.
4. Provides a “double-style motion slide” for quick and simple installation.
5. Applies hard plastic for external construction, ensuring structural strength.

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4. The Hedgehog, Premium Spiral Featherboard for Table Saws HH-100

Almost literally adopting the physical shape of an hedgehog, the company provides you a bold featherboard with some really mind bending features. The board has been recommended by both Fine Woodworking Magazine and Mark Spagnuolo’s “Essential Joinery” tool guide.

It took “Hedgehog” (the company) more than 24 months to design, test, and finally produce a marketable version of this product.

The yellow HH-100 is only 9.6-Ounces, constructed from DuPont nylon (produced by the pioneer company founded by “Éleuthère Irénée du Pont”, considered as the precursor of nylon materials). Since nylon plastic is actually polymer with a unique chemical structure, the material is able to provide a strong, impact-absorbent, and flexible board.

The board has a pentagonal wing nut to provide great flexibility of use and an aluminum, (0.75 x 0.375)-inch miter clamp that’s compatible with the standard 0.75-inch wide slots used by most table saws. It also has a user friendly assembly feature. This lets you flip the board in a dual direction for allowing usage on both sides of the fence.

The pentagonal single knob, engineered using a “singular pivot nib design” offers multiple benefits. It facilitates spontaneous as well as fast adjustment features, absolute control without complexity, and a linear workflow without sacrificing speed, efficacy, and amount of output.

The single-hand operation style lets you make precision cuts with a smoother flow and higher productivity rate. It also significantly decreases the sawing time while allowing you to multitask.

Highlighted features:

1. Features an ergonomic wing nut which allows single hand usage.
2. The unique hedgehog shape offers superior spontaneity of use.
3. Includes an aluminum (casted) miter slot, designed by “CNC Machine Tech”.
4. Works in single hand operation style.

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5. JessEm Tool Company, Single Featherboard 4015

Known as one of the most popular magnetic featherboard in the market, the 4015 is here to impress.

The company applies their patent pending “Paralign” technology to create the boards, which delivers a seamless setting regardless of a vertical (on the base) or horizontal (on the fence) position. It also comes with additional t-bolts for easy mounting on the miter track and on the fence.

It has four trigonal magnetic wing nuts, set on an ergonomic black plastic base. Two nuts sit at the back, while the other two sit at the expanded front, providing you a dynamic control and an intuitive, more focused clamping style.

The wing nuts are screwed-in by steel bolts in a recessed position. This design allows the wing nuts to multifunction as bolt guards and offers a safer grip on the cutting material.

The modern, sleek looking board is made from industrial-grade, shock absorbent plastic that has been prepared through injection molding. The well-researched aerodynamic structure provides red downward feathers for optimum forward pressure and blocking backward sliding. Their feather-edges are rounded to prevent creating footprints.

The boards are equipped with an effective height maintenance feature, which allows to make stack cuts and saw thicker, longer materials.

Highlighted features:

• Uses the “Paralign” tech for easy installation regardless of setting positions.
• Height maintenance feature allows cutting stacked and long materials.
• Round-molds the feather-tips to prevent creating footprints.
• Four magnetic wing nuts for setting the board anywhere on the table saw.
• Well-researched structure provides dynamic control and an intuitive clamping.

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6. Bench Dog, Feather-Loc Double Featherboard for Table Saws 40-011

In this product, Bench Dog brings onto the bench (excuse the pun!) one of the most well-balanced featherboards that are giants in terms of ergonomics, efficacy, and performance.

Each board is manufactured from plastic (using modern-tech polymer material). The plastic is also an SMM (shape memory material) with high flexural re-achievement.

That means, it can reform to its original shape even if its deformed through extreme temperature by default. This allows the boards to conserve their structural integrity despite strong impact and manage a constant feeding rate during the sawing activity.

The bright orange board is designed with two rectangle shaped wing nuts. Each one is set on an adjusting track that are set conically to each other. The boards provide a dual position feature, which allows you to secure materials completely using clamps on both the base and the fence.

The compatible track length for T-slots are 7-inches and track width is 0.25-inches. The product includes mounting hardware for the T-slots. However, to use them on table saws using miter tracks you’ll need a “Bench Dog, miter-track adapter 10-012” as well.

Each board uses 13 round-edged feathers which are angled aerodynamically. This exerts consistent, balanced pressure on the sawing material’s surface regardless of how the board is positioned. Thus, you get a firm yet spontaneous grip.

The design also strongly reduces kickbacks, burns on the materials, and proxies for misaligned tilting.

Highlighted Features:

1. Angled feathers allow for balanced pressure regardless of the board’s position.
2. Creates round-edged feathers to avoid marring and burns on sawing materials.
3. Provides features to reduce kickbacks and proxy for misaligned tilting.
4. Uses SMM plastic to reform to original shape when heat deformation occurs.
5. Compatible track length for T-slots are 7-inches and width is 0.25-inches.

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7. Magswitch, Yellow Feather Board 8110134

The 8110134 is considered by many users as the most lightweight and stylish magnetic featherboard to use on table saws.

This bright yellow board is quite futuristic, both in its vision and execution. The product is built combining industry-grade plastic and processed metal (manufactured using the “MIG Welding” method). It has a complete and flexible assembly structure. This allows you to quickly deconstruct it for a spontaneous use.

Magswitch includes 4 parts of the “Magswitch Workholding System” here: a feather-part with reverse feature, the universal mount surface, a pair of magnetic wingnuts equipped with a plastic placer and metal base, as well as two extra jigs (MagJig 150s model).

The reversible feather-part, added with a flexible disintegration system, provides fast setup for both right and left-hand feeds. You can also add the company’s “Vertical Featherboard Attachment” (e.g. model 8110178) to make stack cuts within smaller dimensions, a combined feature delivered by few competitors.

The mount surface can be equipped with a variety of OEM and aftermarket tools to achieve a dynamic use. And, the MagJigs can be used with your other tools too as a helpful support providing kit.

Due to the magnetic wing nuts, you won’t need to worry about clamping issues or miter track/fence positioning. The product can be used on both steel or cast iron base table saws. However, users report that it performs with stronger grip on cast iron bases.

Highlighted features:

• A “reversible feather-part” for fast setup of both right and left hand feeds.
• Minimal but useful assembly system to improve efficacy and workflow.
• The “universal mount surface” can work with many tools for a dynamic use.
• Can perform on table saws with both steel and cast iron base.
• Can make stack cuts within small dimensions added with other Magswitch parts.

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8. DRILLPRO, Feather-Loc Double Featherboards for Table Saws

DRILLPRO delivers a wholesome package in this product that greets you with two smiley faces when you open it.

You’ll get a pair of triangle featherboards with a smiley in the top middle, each weighing 1.6-Ounces with a thickness of 0.625-inches. When joined together (top-side up), they create a beautiful symmetry.

Each board is adorned with an ergonomic design using dual tracks and a multi-dotted pattern, which is aimed to provide you the strongest aerodynamic advantages. Premium quality polymer, produced with advanced chemical formulation is used to create the product, which gives it the flexibility of nylon and strength of ABS plastic.

Every board uses two hexagonal nuts to adjust the board against sawing material using the double conical tracks. Once again, as a surefire benefit of buying a pair, you get a combined hexagonal + horizontal camping protection to set, secure, move, and saw your piece.

The longer track measures 6.5-inches in length and the shorter one is 4.75-inches. However, they both have a width of 0.25-inches.

Each board is manufactured with 13 slightly downwards tilted fingers/feathers. They are designed with carefully calculated spacing to balance out the impact enforced upon them. Thus, they are able to eliminate issues like kickback, lifting, and burned surface on the sawing material.

The product comes with a wedge lock, four pieces of 0.31-inch T-bolts, 6 expansion bolts, and compatible with (0.375 X 0.75)-inch standard T-tracks.

Highlighted features:

1. Uses next-gen polymer to offer flexibility of nylon with the strength of ABS.
2. Multi-dotted pattern creates strong aerodynamics and grip strength.
3. Each featherboard weighs 1.6-Ounces and has a thickness of 0.625-inches.
4. Designed with a smiley on the top middle to provide a sense of aesthetics.
5. Fingers are designed with strategic spacing to balance out the enforced impact.

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9. BOW Products, Featherpro Single Feather Board FP1

Wanna see a featherboard from future? Well, then let’s get ready for a time travel.

The super lightweight 14.4-Ounce featherboard has a total length of 8.75-inches, of which 6.071-inches is taken up by the feather-set. Instead of the traditional use of plastic, BOW went for a foam material with high amount of thickness to create the feathers. It is similar to ABS and polymer in terms of strength and structural solidity but offers a superior flexibility.

The next fresh aspect of the product are hinges. They are curved in the middle of each feather. When you are feeding the material in, the feathers stay grounded with open hinges, allowing a wider surface allowance of the sawing material to balance out the exerted tension evenly.

Thus, you get a more spontaneous flow and enhanced precision of control even through high impact situations. But when a kickback starts to occur, the hinges close by design, slowing down the backward pull and preventing an upcoming disaster.

The foam feathers are also safer than plastic ones. Because, even if they get caught up in the blade, the flying residue won’t hurt you. And with a ruined feather-set, you can easily replace it with another. This isn’t the case with most boards using plastic feather as they often demand a full replacement.

The board uses a bright light-green plastic surface with two pentagonal wing nuts, locked in using repressed stainless steel screws. The foam material is also designed to prevent creating burns and footprints on the material after sawing.

Highlighted features:

• Thick foam feathers increase surface allowance of the infeed material.
• Increased surface allocation provides a smoother flow and superior precision.
• Patented hinge mechanism effectively reduces kickback and impact.
• In case of a blade-feather contact, these feathers are safer than plastic ones.
• The feedback sensitive feathers can be replaced and reversed.

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Table Saw Featherboard Buying Guide

Wing Nut/Adjuster Knob Features

There are primarily three distinct features you should look for about the wing nuts of a featherboard:

a) Shape: The shape of a wing nut can vary from trigonal, pentagonal, hexagonal to rectangular. However, the importance is less on the shape and more on the execution. What you need to ensure is choosing a shape that’s ergonomic enough to provide great aerodynamics, a spontaneous user experience, and precision of control.

b) Manual VS Magnetic: This is a matter of preference. Manual knobs last longer, allows more nuance of control, can function with table saw bases made of any material, and finally many professionals are more comfortable using them due to habit.

On the other hand, magnetic knobs can be quickly attached and detached to provide a more spontaneous use, has no restriction of placement (as you can set them anywhere on the board), easily replaceable, and performs much better on an iron cast or steel base table saw. So, weigh the odds and take your pick.

c) Bolts: It’s a detail even seasoned professionals miss.

We are talking about the bolts/screws used to install manual wing nuts into the board. It’s a highly important factor to determine the durability of featherboards as they play a significant part in maintaining the tool’s structural integrity.

We recommend choosing stainless steel, rust-preventive screws that are recessed into the wing nuts. Thus, the nuts can multifunction as a cover guard.

Also, purchase boards with extra extension bolts and T-bolts. They’ll come in handy in future.

Reversible Featherboard

Purchase a reversible featherboard to reap the maximum benefit out of your purchase. With this feature you can simply rearrange the board to manage both right and left hand infeed control with precision and safety.

Detachable Assembly

We recommend purchasing featherboards with a detachable assembly feature. This simply means choosing a board which uses a structure that’s not fixed and can be detached as well as reassembled quickly and intuitively whenever necessary.

This feature will allow you to use the board dynamically while increasing your workflow speed and spontaneity. These are benefits can’t be fetched with fixed structures.

So, why settle for less when you can get more?

Feather Construction

For choosing the right feather for your board we recommend keeping these two prime factors in mind:

a) Aerodynamics: We recommend choosing a feather-set that has been engineered with the aspects of aerodynamics and ergonomics in mind. These can be achieved by the direction of the feathers (upwards or downwards), appropriate spacing, detailed construction, etc.

This feature will allow you a strong grip on the cutting material, superior kickback reduction and prevention of a burned surface. It can also help to substitute for a table saw with a misaligned tilt and mange to bring out a perfect cut.

Also, look for special feature like rounded-edge which prevents creation of unwanted footprints on the sawed material, a smaller triangle as the last feather for better efficacy, etc.

b) Number Of Feathers: In this case, you need to remember “the more the better” is not true in all cases. It depends. However, picking a medium amount for feather number is recommended, such as 13.

Buy In Pairs

It’s always a clever move to buy featherboards in pairs. This allows you to clamp cutting material both vertically (on the fence) and horizontally (on the table-top/base), offering a foolproof protection against kickback.

Pro Tips:

a) Multiple Pairs: Buy multiple pairs to perform stack cuts.

b) Jigs & Push Sticks: Use push sticks and jigs to make angle cuts.

c) Wedge-lock: Purchase boards with a wedge-lock, which will let you use the board with a variety of tools without using any additional hardware. This will provide a smoother and clutter free work environment.

Final Words

Misinformation, confusion, and contradictory information are the leading tactics marketers use to lure you into buying second rate products with your hard-earned money.

Not anymore.

In this guide, we’ve presented to you in a concise and understandable manner every fact you need to know for dodging a shady purchase of the perfect featherboard for your beloved table saw.

So, use it as your weapon and ammunition to fight through the market that’s ready to deceive you at every corner.

And, if used right, you’re sure to beat them all and get a product that’s really worth your time, energy, and money.