CUTTING AIDS
See Figures 39-41.
Cuttingaids are used to improve the setup and help
make the operator's work safer and moreaccurate.
They can be made from scrap wood and invarious
sizes andshapes for specificprojects.
The basic typos are pushsticks, pushblccks, and
featherboards. If the bladeis set 2 in. or more from
thefence, use a pushstick.Use a pushblcck whenthe
bladeis between 1/2 in.and 2 in. from the fence. (If
thecut is narrower than 1/2 in., use a differentsaw.)
Refer to the drawingsand instructionsprovidedso
youcan make safer and more precisecuts.
PUSHSTICKS
See Figure 39.
Pushsticksmust be narrower than the workpiece, with
a 90" notch in one end and shaped for a gripon the
otherend.
PUSHBLOCKS
See Figure 40.
A pushblockhas an uprighthandle with a base
attached to the handle. Some pushblocks have a foot
thatextends down from the base and against the
workpiece.The foot is attached to the base with glue
onlyto prevent damage to the blade.
FEATNERBOARDS
See Figure 41,
Featherboardsare used for large panels,along with
anauxiliary table and a C-clamp. A featherboard has
anangled end to fit against the edge of the workpiece.
It is clamped in place sothe workpiecemoves be-
tween eitherthe fence and the featherboardor the
table and featherboard, Slots in the endof the
featherboard helpresist kickback and allow for
variationsin the widthof the workpiece.
_i WARNING: Clampthe featherboardagainst the
infeedside ofthe workpiece.If clamped behind
the blade, it could squeeze the cut edges
together, causing binding and kickback. Kickback
cancause serious injury.

--> o)

PUSHSTICKS Fig.39
OO
PUSHBLOCKS Fig.40
2
FEATHERBOARD Fig.41
Note: The Pushstickdesigns above are for illustration
purposesonly. They have not been drawn to
scale.
45 r.lllFUNIIIrRADIALSAW315.220381