Piston Stop Block for Woodworking

Piston Stop Block

I built an adjustable fence for my drill press and it was a great addition. Then to make it even more versatile, I added this "piston" stop block.

As you can see in the drawings below, the body of the stop block is made from two pieces of wood shaped to fit over the fence and then screwed together. The "piston", used to tighten the stop block down on the fence, is a short piece of 3/4"-dia. dowel. The dowel fits into a hole that's pre-drilled into the inside face of the stop block. And then a threaded insert is installed on the outside face.

The final part is a star knob with a short section of threaded rod attached that runs through the insert and into the "piston." This allows the stop block to be positioned and tightened down quickly and easily.

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