A featherboard is a great accessory for supporting a workpiece when cutting on the table saw. But if you’re cutting a workpiece on edge, most featherboards aren’t thick enough to provide adequate support. That’s why I built this stacking featherboard.
After the plywood is cut to size, you can cut the fingers of the featherboard and drill out the adjusting slots for the machine screws, as shown in the drawing to the left. Next cut a piece for the runner. The runner is ripped down the center on either end and drilled out for the flat-headed screws that tighten it in the miter slot.
It has a full height of 21⁄4", high enough to hold most tall pieces firmly against the fence. And if you’re working with a flat workpiece, you can reduce the height by removing one or two layers. The three layers for the featherboard can be cut from a single 12" x 24" sheet of plywood. Finally, I added two star knobs to the top of the screws. Tightening the knobs expands the runner and locks it in.
