: Rob,

: Thanks for these great tips. Your description is crystal clear, and I like
: the safety feature!

: Most descriptions of these setups suggest using TWO featherboards (one
: attached to the fence as you describe, and a second lying flat on the
: table, pushing the board towards the fence). I imagine one must re-adjust
: this second feather board after each cut.

: But you did not talk about a board on the table---does that mean it is
: possible to do the ripping without it?

: Thanks again,

: Ed

Only one featherboard is needed. Side pressure to keep the board against the fence comes from you. I make a living at this so I can't take the time to reset a featherboard for each cut. Again, it is very important to have infeed and outfeed tables set to support the board. This will make ALL the difference in a consistant strip cut. Setting side pressure with a featherboard gives no guarantee of a consistant cut if you don't guide the board well with your hands and use your eyes. One roller angled off on a feed tray will cause your board to veer to the side with enough leverage to overcome a feather board.

If you set your feed tables well and develope good hand and body pressure on the board as you feed it into the saw, it's easy to get very consistant strips.

Also, waxing your saw table before work makes a BIG difference.

Over many years of professional woodworking one of the most important lessons I've learned was from a contractor I worked under. He was always over my shoulder saying "Time is Money!". He would scold me for making elaborate and elegant jigs for something could be done fast and dirty, BUT NOT WITHOUT CONSIDERING SAFTEY!

If you've no time or cost constraint you can waste a lot of energy thinking about ten ways to Sunday of doing the task when JUST DOING IT already, will get it done.

The more time you spend just using the tool you'll develope tool handling skills woodworkers don't talk about, because they don't even know they're doing it. There are woodworkers in other parts of the world who have very simple tools and do things with them that you would not believe. Tool handling skills take time to learn but that doesn't mean it's not fun time. When you learn those skills you become so focused on the work that time is suspended. It's the woodworker's high! Don't tell anybody.

All the best,
Rob