Sliding Hold-Down

When ripping narrow strips or cutting a rabbet along the edge of a workpiece, it’s sometimes hard to keep the board flat against the saw table. And if you use a featherboard, it can get in the way. The handy sliding hold-down jig you see here solves these problems. Keith Krueger of Bellefontaine, Ohio, sent us the prototype for this jig, and I’ll admit it’s a clever idea. What’s really unique is how the featherboard actually slides with the workpiece at the end of the cut, maintaining pressure on the workpiece. The secret to this is in the drawer slides hidden inside. And the photo at left shows how the featherboard carriage is held stationary with a pivoting catch until the push block releases it. Then the top of the carriage (and the featherboard) moves with the workpiece through the cut.