Feather boards

[jimsong]

This not a question, but a warning. Do NOT re-angle feather boards with a sliding miter saw!
The feather board will explode, driving riata pine shrapnel into walls, arms, and chests!
AND, knock a carbide tip off of one tooth of a fifty dollar saw blade!
Don't ask me how I know this!
(It seemed like a good idea at the time. But then, so did making feather boards at 45 degrees, instead of the customary 30 degrees.)

 

[Wannabe]

Ain't life exiting. Had boards explode on me a time or two. My reaction is usually the same. I freeze, shifting my eyes around looking for blood. Wwhaat hhapped. It is always the same, lost presence of mind and did something or didn't do something to cause the problem. Exciting is not fun.
Bob

 

[oldsparkey]

OK.... For us uneducated folks ( ME ) what is a feather board. So the rest of us can not have all the fun you had.

Splane Ya Self Lucy.......

Chuck.

 

[Wannabe]

jimsong,
Come to think of it, why were you using a featherboard with a sliding miter saw?
Bob

 

[Kayak Jack]

I understand splinters, etc. WTH is a (1) feather board? And (2) sliding miter saw?

My Japanese hand saw almost got away from me the other day - the neighbor had his eye on it. I'm not grown up yet enough to run power tools.

 

[jimsong]

Chuck,
A feather board is a one bye, properly cut at a 30 degree angle, and then sliced, in quarter inch intervals, londitudnally, about eight inches, to another 30 degree angle. It's used for holding material tight to a fence, to insure the cut is precise
A welcome added benefit, is that it prevents any kick back. This is important to those of us unable to afford European saws, that have proper splitter systems. And due to the idiocy of the American splitter system, we remove the stupid splitter!
Bob,
I wasn't using the feather board with the slider, I was trying to re-angle it.
Four or five years ago, I had a job that required ipa to be ripped into 1/4 strips. The lumber was a tad wet, and was closing behind the kerf. I felt that a 45 degree feather board would give me a better purchase on the planks. And it did. No one was slain doing the procedure.
I have used the 45 degree feather boards now and then, in the intervening years, but they have to be set so far back on the saw, that it becomes awkward.
I am now trimming a house, and the setting of the feather board finally bothered me enough, to change the angle to one that is more useful. One that could be placed higher on the saw.
The slider was set up, and I have much confidence in it's accuracy, so it seemed to be the perfect tool.
I had just touched the blade to the wood, when the whole damned thing blew up.
I will modify the rest of the feather boards, but I'll do it on the table saw, or the band saw.

 

[Kayak Jack]

Your teknologee is way beyond me, Jimsong. You modernistical guys are way past me. Sounds like you work wood commercially for a living. Even an exploding feather board, though, is not as bad as some people.

 

[hairymick]

Chuck,

Will take some piccies of mine when I get it set up next time.

Jim tells ya true. DO NOT EVER cut a feather board in a mitre saw.

A very very good tip mate. 8)

 

[jimsong]

Jack and Chuck,
For general wood working, a sliding miter saw is surpassed only by the table saw, the battery powered screw gun, and the RO sander.
It will cut a 4X6 at any angle (up to 45 degrees) within 1/100th of a degree. It is far more accurate than most of our eyes. (Kind of like the Remington 700!)
It's like a regular chop saw, except the motor and blade are on rails.
I don't know the capacity of mine is, but it cut 4X6s for a dock railing so well, that I never had to trim except for dusting an end for the length.

 

[oldsparkey]

OK...

For this old southern boy .... I have no idea of what you are saying and all I know is that the handsaws I use never give me any problems.

All Right , a couple problems like sweating when using them and blowing the sawdust away as the cuts are being made but huffing and puffing along with some cussing is good for the person.

I have noticed the more cussing along with the rest the more folks tend to stay away from the shop and let me do my thing .... Jezeeeeee... Some parents have made there kids walk down the block one over from here when they go to the school behind here.

The worst I have done is to cut off a part of the wood panel under what I was cuting and now and then nick a finger. A small price to pay for building a boat.

 

[Wannabe]

jimsong,
Got the picture now. You pulled the saw out, lowered it, turned it on and when you pushed the blade into the featherboard the fingers started bending, changing the angle causing a pinch. Is that correct. Just how many splinters do you have now. I have lusted after one of those saws for years. My buddy finally bought one.
Bob

 

[jimsong]

Jack, Compadre,
You know I am a simple truck herder. If I had had the chance I would have been a wood butcher. But one February, when I worked three hours all month, really,REALLY, took the the romance out of carpentry.
I have pursued carpentry and cabinet making as sort of a hobby, dabbled in spoon carving, carved latticework, furniture, and even dipped my toes into musical instuments. (Damned shallow dip, though! I need to get to Ponchatoula, and pick Piper's brain! I am confident that the cheap scotch, and the andoulle, have not suppressed Pipers wood working skills!)

 

[jimsong]

Yeah, Bob,
That is exactly what happened! It ain't gonna happen again!
Splinters an inch deep into my chest and arms, kind of reminds me of my idiocy.
I have worked wood since I was a child, I have never been so surprized.
(Well, there was the time I sawed off the tippy tip of a finger, when I fourteen. THAT was sure suprizing!)

 

[jimsong]

Concerning hand saws:
My next to youngest son, once sawed off his thumb. With a hand saw!
At the hospital. after all was said and done, I asked him "How many strokes did it take to saw off your thumb?"
His expression chilled the sun three degrees. He was about ten at the time.
(He is now, a sought after, trim carpenter. With two thumbs, and a healthy respect for things with sharp edges)

 

[Kayak Jack]

Jimsong,

If'n you visit Piper San and pick his brain, leave some lint for me?