Woodworking Tips Index

Indexing Jig Featherboards are a great way to hold a workpiece firmly against a fence or table surface. But there's more to a featherboard than just sawing kerfs in the end of a board. The problem is cutting evenly-spaced kerfs so the fingers flex just the right amount. With the indexing jig shown below, cutting the kerfs is easy and accurate. The jig is nothing more than a long piece of plywood that has two saw kerfs spaced 1/8" apart. One kerf has a hardwood index pin glued in it. And the other kerf lines up with the saw blade. Note: Tilt your saw blade to a 30° angle.

Start by cutting one end of the featherboard at a 30° angle. Note: Size featherboard to suit your saw or router table. Once the featherboard is angled, cut the first kerf by clamping the featherboard to the backing board so it’s tight against the pin (detail ‘a’). Then make the first pass. After the first kerf is cut, unclamp the featherboard and shift it over onto the index pin. Then reclamp the featherboard and make another pass. Now simply repeat this process to complete all the fingers on the featherboard.