Springboard...Hey Sarge

[thestinker]

Sarge (or anyone else for that matter)-

I was looking at your springboard you have pictured in a lot of your shop pics. I see lots of refrences on the internet about using them on routers, but not table saws. Do you use yours on your table saws or just routers, and is there a danger of pinching the "work" after the blade and causing kickback. Or, is it splayed out away from the fence after the blade so that it can't initiate kick back?


Thanks for the input fellas.

RS

[SARGE..g-47]

Morning RS...

Good question and I will tackle it with my best shot. First... there is nothing past the blade on my TS. I did a picture in haste one evening that got posted that showed it hasitily set up without thinking. That may be where you percieved the idea.

The spring-board on my TS goes only to the point of the final cut that severs the stock.. And that is true with the Euro "short fence" I built and use reverently. The whole point of the spring-board and fence is for support "only" till the cut is complete and a free zone is created after the cut to "avoid" the pinching and possible kick-back you mentioned.

I do extend it past the cut on my router table, which works with a cutter-head that takes its bite in a different manner than the down cutting front teeth of a TS and the dangerous "rising" rear teeth that are mainly responsible for kick-back.

Hope that answers your question and if not.. shout! I will post a more detailed picture of the spring-board in action on the TS. If you saw the one with the SB going beyond... please.. please dis-regard that as it will put you in the same boat that a long fence is capable of producing if you get some "squirrelly tension filled stock".

Regards...

[rcp612]

Morning RS...


I do extend it past the cut on my router table, which works with a cutter-head that takes its bite in a different manner

Regards...

Can the spring board be mounted on the router table fence and used to hold stock down also???

[steve-norrell]

I use a springboard for routing, but do not use it on the table saw.

Mine is cut from white UHMW, using the design shown in Sarge's pictures. It fills the area between the miter slot and the oak strip against the fence. It works very well for routing grooves in board edges (as shown in the picture). Normally, I would also use feather boards to hold the board down against the table surface.

You probably already know that Sarge's comment about never placing any feather boards or other blocks past the center of the blade is excellent advice.

Best regards, Steve.

[LarryG]

Can the spring board be mounted on the router table fence and used to hold stock down also???

Sure ... this is typically done when you're using a profile like a beading bit that would ruin the cut if the workpiece lifted up.

For most routing operations with small or narrow workpieces, however, a sled that holds the workpiece and rides along the fence is far preferable to using featherboards. The sled affords better control by giving you something larger to hang onto, and it gets your fingers farther from the spinning bit in case the workpiece shatters. Featherboards should only be used to control stock on a router table when there's no other way.

EDIT: +1 on the table saw comments. Devices that hold the workpiece down can be used anywhere along the fence, but devices that hold the workpiece against the fence should never extend beyond the centerline of the blade.

[thestinker]

Thanks everyone!!

EDIT: +1 on the table saw comments. Devices that hold the workpiece down can be used anywhere along the fence, but devices that hold the workpiece against the fence should never extend beyond the centerline of the

That was going to be my next question was in realtion to hold downs on the rip fence and if they could be used past the blade. So I also guess that featherboards (and or springboards) on both the table pusing twards the fence and on the fence pushing down on the table could be used at the same time? Or, should they only be used one or the other place?

[SARGE..g-47]

Morning Stinker..

Steve and Larry pretty much have the situation nailed down at this point, but I will add that you could use both. I don't personally use a spring-board on a fence.

A spring-board is usually a little larger than a feather-boards to accomodate the 3 components that make it work. And just how tall is your fence? You could make a narrower one just to suit it's height, but I have never given much thought to doing it frankly. Perhaps I will slow down a bit and make one just to see how well it works.

Larry made an excellent point on using a sled for narrow or small stock. It can get "squirrelly" in a hurry and should always be treated with extreme caution to avoid ruining the stock and even more-so of keeping your hands and fingers the way they were delivered to you at birth.

Steve and Larry:

Thanks for the assist while I was greeting folks that finished thier yearly "Smokey and the Bandit" Run by terminating into our parking lot about 1PM this afternoon. Perfect timing as over 75 Black Trans Ams will fit nicely into our "Year One Experience" car show starting tomorrow. God... I hate my job! ha.. ha... ha..ha..ha..

Regards...

[TheRic]

Is there a certain way to make a springboard? AS in the length of the cuts should be so long, certain percentage of width of board, cuts should be certain width, or do you just go with what looks right. What is the best / worst material to make them with?

[SARGE..g-47]

Morning Ric...

Not really as there are no blue-prints. Just look at mine closely and you see the components. Those are just little blocks of stock glued between the main back..the center strip and the leading edge. Depending on the width and using common sense should give you the answer of how long or short those glue strips should be.

Any particular material... not really again but you don't want to use something so stiff that it won't flex relatively easily. I use left over birch ply but regular ply would work fine. I like the concept of ply for this fixture as it will flex but it is laminated in layers so the tendency for to contract.. expand.. or warp is lessened. And it's an everyday shop-hold item.

These things are extremely easy to make as witnessed by the fact that I made one all by myself.

Regards...

[steve-norrell]

Here is a photo and dimensions of the springboard I built. Mine is sized to match the width of my router table. The slots should be cut so as to give some 'springiness' and to provide tension against the piece being cut.

As Sarge pointed out, each springboard will reflect the individual circumstances of the person building it. The dimensions shown in the picture should be considered ONLY as examples to be modified as appropriate.

Regards, Steve