I’ve always known that featherboards made for safer woodworking, but most are a pain to set up, so I’ve avoided them. When I was given a pair of Bench Dog featherboards to try, I didn’t give them much thought. But I soon found myself using them just about every time I went to the router table.

The bright orange plastic featherboards are equipped with bolts attached to T-handles. The bolts engage in T-slots provided on Bench Dog router tables and fences. When used with such a router table, the featherboards were easy to attach and adjust and very secure in use. After a while, mounting them became an intuitive part of the set-up process. The featherboards come with an aluminum bar, which allows them to be used in a miter slot on a tablesaw or bandsaw.

Bench Dog hasn’t reinvented the featherboard, but the company has made it much easier to use. Because of that, I use them more frequently, and I believe I am a safer woodworker for it.

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