JessEm4016 Feather Board Double

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I am a fan of good design and excellent execution no matter where it lies. And I must say that this tool, if it had come with all the pieces (more on that later), makes me happy. This unit is solidly built from top grade plastics, and has been engineered with attention to detail of how a featherboard is to be used and what makes it a pain to work with. In the stacked configuration, which is how it came out of the packaging, it is heavy and substantial feeling. I've used other featherboards that were either made of cheap plastic and broke within weeks of purchasing them, or were so hard to adjust because they had to be attached to the table saw or router table with the same screws and knobs that also secured the feather board. They were a pain to use and align with the work.These, however, are a pleasure to work with; these feather boards are designed to use a frame which allows the miter slot bar or T-track screw used to secure the boards to operate independently of adjusting and aligning the fingerboard part. The frame is the black part, and the finger board is the red. The miter bar or t-track nuts are secured via the knobs on the wider section of the frame, while the fingerboards are adjusted using the two knobs that are closer together on the frame. This allows you to securely fasten the featherboard to the table while also having complete and precise control over the fingerboard placement without having to worry about one or the other knocking the whole thing out of alignment. It's patent pending, and absolutely brilliant. Of all of the featherboards I've ever worked with, these are so well made and well designed that I don't see ever going back to any other design. The only design I see that's better is another Jessem product called the Clear-Cut that provides not only downward clamping force to hold the workpiece against the table, but also inward force that also pushes the work against the fence. However, it's significantly more expensive tan buying a set of these, but may find itself on my next router table build.My only complaint has nothing to do with the product itself, but the vendor whom it was purchased from. I received this product from Amazon Warehouse Deals, and my item was labeled as a damaged package when I purchased, but this packaging was clearly opened, used (it has sawdust on it!), repackaged missing pieces and then returned. The pieces that are missing are 2 of the 8 knobs, several of the screws, and several washers necessary to use the dual featherboards in the two single unit configuration instead of the stacked configuration in which it comes out of the package, which is what I wanted and needed these for. I am buying another set, new this time, and paying extra for the overnight shipping so they are here before evening tomorrow, but I am disappointed in Amazon Warehouse Deals and have reviewed them appropriately separately.

As you have probably gathered from my title, I really do like these featherboards. I had not anticipated such a quick need but by the time they arrived I could not wait to tear open the package. I immediately used them to do some re-sawing on the band saw. I then used them on the table saw the next day to cut a rabbet down a 6' board; using these stacked together held that narrow board right on edge along my TS fence beautifully. I felt much safer using them as I performed that task as I no longer had to have a hand "near" a blade that I could not see. In fact, I have only had them a few weeks but I have probably used them a dozen times already and I already plan to buy another set!Now, on to the quirks. They use non-standard hardware. I noticed this by accident when I grabbed something out of my "jig drawer" and wanted to double check real quick that what I had grabbed was 1/4-20. Oh, it was but the bolt from the JessEm kit was not! It looks like it is 1/4-32 so if you have ideas of how to tie this in with something else, it probably will not work with your existing jig hardware. To go on, the "toilet bolts" JessEm used are non-standard too. The "T" section is much wider than normal so you cannot use them in any of your miter tracks.The last thing is not a design flaw or a deviation from standard practice, it just requires a change in how you may think of using featherboards. Conventional wood featherboards have a long slot and only attach to the table by a single pivot point. Other plastic featherboards, like the Bench Dog models for example, have two points of attachment but you can move each slotted area of the featherboard independently. The JessEm boards follow in a track, forcing you to move both sides at the same time. This requires you to keep the featherboards fairly square against the workpiece (yes that is a good thing) and does not allow you to "cheat" if the workpiece is large enough that you normally would have just canted the featherboard a little to get the most contact that you could. Yes, that is a bad practice, but I have even seen guys like Norm and David Marks do it, they just don't mention it as it is a less than optimal way to use a featherboard. Speaking of trying to accommodate a slightly larger workpiece (like anything that would stick past the saw's throatplate on the arbour side), These JessEm featherboards, riding in their track, have a very limited range. On my left-tilt cabinet saw, they will extend far past the blade (moving from left to right) but won't clear the blade by more than an inch or two in their shortest position. This makes for situations, when you have a narrow workpiece, where you must resort to some other type featherboard in order to keep your hands clear of the blade.Well, that's it. I really like them but they only work in certain (probably most) situations and when they do, they work great. Don't be surprised though if you have situations where you cannot use them to hold your workpiece and must come up with something else.......Hope it helps!