An Innovative Approach to Featherboards

Reading a fellow blogger’s site recently, I came across a tool that I had to talk about here as well.  So after a couple of quick emails for permission, I can show you a brand new tool over in the States, that is so new that it isn’t even on the developers own website yet.

The blog I was reading is by Al Navas, who runs Sandal Woods – Fine Woodworking and Cabinetry Blog. A link is (and has been for ages) available under blogs down the left hand side of this page fwiw.

The tool company is Sommerfeld Tools, and I am going to have to pay closer attention to Marc’s products if this is the sort of thing he is coming up with.

Onto the product itself – it is called the Feather-Guard, and is, surprisingly (ok, not so surprising once you actually read the components of the name), a featherboard and a router bit guard in one.

Sommerfeld Feather Guard

For one, the approach to the feathers themselves is novel, and the fact this featherboard is designed to work at the point the workpiece encounters the bit and not before (or after) is really interesting.  It also covers the bit, and thus the guarding component.

I’d probably wish that it was made from a transparent material, but this isn’t compulsory for safe operation.

It runs in a T Track, and so would be absolutely perfect for an Incra Fence for example.

It can also be used mounted to the table as a horizontal featherboard, and again would need a T Track in the table for this.  Of course you know what I’m going to say next- needs to be able to have MagSwitches attached!

I guess it is unlikely that I’ll get to play with one in person anytime soon to be able to provide further insights into this product, but it certainly looks like one worth keeping an eye on.