If you've recently purchased a router table, a table saw or any other stationary power tool, you may have noticed that your new prized possession didn't arrive with every related (and often, very desirable) piece of equipment imaginable already in the box. Don't feel cheated. By convention, power tools come with the equipment necessary to perform their basic functions safely, under typical operating conditions - and that's about it. Ultimately, most power tool owners discover that a few items in the "power tool accessories" department that rarely come standard, are difficult to do without. Fortunately, the power tool add-ons that most woodworkers call "indispensable" don't cost an arm and a leg. Some of the best are very affordable to buy ready-made, or can be made without too much trouble in the shop. The humble "feather board" is a prime example.

If you haven't had the opportunity to use one, a featherboard is the most common member of a family of mechanical hold-down devices designed to help hold stock up against a tool's surface or fence while it’s cut of otherwise machined. In its simplest form, a featherboard is a shop-made device cut from a piece of straight grained, 3" - 6" wide scrap. To make one, you simply crosscut the board at approximately 30 degrees and then make a series of stopped cuts in the direction of the grain roughly 1/8" apart. The end result should be a series of flexible "fingers" running across angled end of the board.

A featherboard actually serves two purposes. As mentioned, it helps hold the stock up tight against the surface of tool or fence while you run it through. In most cases, a featherboard is able to do a better job than a human operator of keeping the stock on track. A featherboard has just one job – to apply and even, consistent pressure. It doesn't have to worry about such things as changing hand positions to keep the stock moving, or keeping up the appropriate feed rate. Along with that, a featherboard can be positioned closer to the action than human finger should ever venture, applying pressure where it is most effective and least likely to be overcome by vibration. Together, these advantages make a featherboard or other mechanical hold-down device just about indispensable for delicate edge forming, grooving and rabbeting operations.

Using a featherboard also offers safety benefits. Because of the angled orientation of its fingers, when a featherboard is set up to apply a gentle pressure, it will allow stock to move easily in the direction of the cut while all but preventing movement in reverse.  And while it should be noted that they are not a replacement for the riving knife and anti-kickback pawls that now come standard with most table saws, featherboards do provide significant kickback insurance. 

Should you make your own featherboards, or buy them ready-made? Making your own is a viable choice: A shop-made featherboard can work just as well and a store-bought model, and of course they're virtually cost-free. But like most things, there are a couple of tradeoffs:  Featherboards aren’t particularly hard to make, but they don’t make themselves. Depending on your how much enjoyment you get out of making jigs, and how much shop-time you have on hand, you may decide that the chance to get on with your work outweighs the modest cost of a store-bought model.  More to the point, shop-made featherboards are typically much less user-friendly than ready-made varieties. If you’re planning to simply clamp a basic shop-made featherboard in place, remember that you have to do that while you hold it in a position that exerts a slight pressure on a representative piece of the stock.  That, in itself, can involve a bit of surprisingly awkward one-handed clamping.

Getting the featherboard secured in the right place can be especially difficult when the goal is to clamp it to the surface of the tool; most table saw beds and router table tops just weren’t designed to make the process easy and convenient. Rockler Table Featherboards, on the other hand, side-step the clamping problem. Their miter slot hold-down bars expand to clamp the featherboard firmly into a standard 3/4’’ x 3/8’’ miter slot and secure its position simultaneously, with the turn of a couple of knobs.

Rockler featherboards also make more involved set-ups much easier. One featherboard isn't always enough; occasionally, you need "stacked" featherboards.  When you're running stock vertically along the fence - as in the case of cutting raised panels with a vertical panel-raising bit - you need the extra support of a second featherboard up near the top of the fence. The second featherboard ensures that the entire face of the stock will stay in contact with the fence, and not just the bottom edge. A perfect companion to our popular Deluxe Router Router Fence, the Rockler Double Featherboard Kit lets you position two perfectly aligned featherboards one on top of the other with the same quick and easy turn of a knob. And if you already own the basic kit, the Rockler Retrofit Double Featherboard Kit lets you do it for considerably less.

Well, it's here, and we're hoping that small, medium-sized, or gigantic box under the tree turned out to be exactly the woodworking gift you wanted. Christmas is an exciting time for huge numbers of our customers. We know that because every year, a few days after the big event, waves of customer reviews start rolling in describing the year's haul, and how it's being put to use. It's the "how it's being put to use" part that we like best. Mixed in with valuable insights on our tools and supplies, we're frequently privileged to witness some pretty impressive end results. So, in honor of the talent and hard work of our customers, here are a few of our favorites:

This beautiful wine cabinet was built by Barry Semegran, who reviewed of our Polyurethane Satin Gel Finish, a product we've had on the shelves for decades. According to him, this wipe on poly is so easy to use and forgiving, it's almost like cheating. It doesn't look like Barry cheats or cuts corners very often to us - in either design of execution. We especially like the painted images on the inside of the doors - a nice surprise when you open the cabinet.

We'd guess that the skills acquired in an auto body shop would transfer well into the woodshop, and here's proof. Built by Mike Leslie for his shop in Sundance, WY, this service cart looks too good to use. Mike was kind enough to include the image along with his review of the Accuride 3832 Full Extension Drawer Slide - which he seems to have worked out very well for him. Later, he got a chance to use the slides again in a matching tool chest. A great design and, judging from the picture, a masterful finishing job. Again, we're wondering how he can bring himself to actually  use it.

Here's a solid looking toy box with a couple of nice touches. Its builder, Dennis DeMorest, used our Antique Brass Piano Hinge and Toy Box Lid Supports as part of the clever fold-down chalk board lid design. We also like the inlaid blocks in the sides and front. 

We often wonder what becomes of some of the more obscure hardware items we've had on hand for years  - such as our Leather Case Handles. Things couldn't be better if they all ended up the attached to items of comparable quality to this handsome walnut and elm burl briefcase. Brad from Austin TX built it for a client in the early 1990's. Fifteen years later when the handle finally wore out, he was happy to find the exact same part still in stock.

Thanks to David T., from Cypress, CA for this impressive image and his kind words about our Wine Box-Elder Burl Pen Blanks. You'll find several images of finely crafted turned pens in our customer reviews. We chose this one because it's an exceptionally well-made example, and because of the format, which really brings you up-close-and-personal with what a great pen looks like. We admire the confidence David must have in order to show the world his work with such bald-faced clarity.

The art of inlay is a branch of woodworking that you can take to high levels of craft, design and expertise without owning a huge shop and tons of expensive tools. As a matter of fact, if you choose "marquetry" (in simplified terms, using thin sheets of veneer instead of the comparatively thick pieces of wood stock used here) you can do the most interesting and demanding parts of the process while sitting at your kitchen table. If you'd like to give it a try, we hope this example will both inspire you and give you something shoot for.  The maker, Bob Shultz from Los Gatos, CA, used our thin stock Padauk and Purpleheart lumber for the flower petals.

We could go on and on. But more than likely, you have some tool testing, set up or assembly to get on with. So here, in parting, is a departure for Dave Miller, a canoe and kayak builder in Juneau, AK.  Dave sent this along with his review of (and general praise for) the Japanese Dozuki Saw, a tool he says excels at accurately cutting the thin, narrow slats he customarily applies to the building of watercraft. We've never seen anything like it. Our only regret is that we haven't seen the completed project. So, if you happen to spot a uniquely decked-out teardrop camper in the wilds of Alaska, please snap a picture and send it in post-haste.

And please keep your own pictures and reviews rolling in. We can't wait to see what you're working on. Merry Christmas from all of us at Rockler.

Let us guess: you’ve been procrastinating, and now you have to finish up your holiday shopping fast. Don’t despair. Here are five sure fire woodworking-related gifts that you can still have in hand on the crucial date. Even better, they’re all on sale, so even if you have to pony up for extra speedy shipping, you’ll still be getting a pretty good deal.

(Editor's note: please notice the date of this posting - the products mentioned may no longer be on sale)

1. The Rockler Heavy Duty Flip Top Roller Stand would be a welcome addition just about anywhere: a home shop, the back of a carpenter’s or even a professional cabinet shop. This shop standard performs such a variety useful functions that it would be impossible for a woodworker not to want one. This particular model is especially useful, as it combines the two common styles of stock outfeed stand. It converts in a matter of seconds from a 14-3/4” standard roller, which is great for very narrow stock or just holding up the dumb end of a board, to a support comprised of 8 ball bearings, the best arrangement for most power tool outfeed applications.
 
The Heavy Duty Flip Top Stand is made from heavy gage square steel tubing, and has a hefty 220 lbs. load rating. It comes with Rockler’s own unique cam–style leveling system. With a turn of the specially designed foot pads, the stand can be quickly de-wobbled and made to stand up straight on a wonky basement floor or uneven ground at a jobsite. At the regular price of $99.99, it’s a lot of work support for the money. Now, at $59.99 (40 percent off) it represents an uncommonly good deal on a premium version of this wood shop essential.

2. Designed specifically for woodworking applications, Forstner drill bits fill a unique niche in the woodshop. Unlike most other types of bit, they can be used along with a drill press to bore angled holes, holes that partially overlap, and holes on the edge of the material. And they’re just about the only choice for clean larger sized holes, where the alternative is either an inexpensive spade bit or a hole saw - neither of which are especially well known for producing the smooth, crisp-edged holes that exacting woodwork projects call for. In the end, they’re really the only bit suitable for a variety of woodworking tasks.

In the world of woodworking tools, Forstner bits  are an interesting case. The need for their special capabilities and their especially precise, clean holes doesn’t come up all that frequently, but when it does, nothing else will do. Most woodworkers would love to have a full set on hand when the need arises, but many don’t, because they’re focusing on acquiring the “bread and butter” tools they’ll use most frequently. Consequently, Forstner bits are the perfect gift for a great many woodworkers. Right now, you can pick up a set of 16 of the most common sizes for a mere $39.99, or a starter set of 7 for just $11.49 – a whopping 52 and 58 percent off the regular price respectively.

3. As their careers progress, most woodworker develop and ever greater appreciation for fine tools. Interestingly, for most, it really doesn’t matter what the tool does, just so long as it’s exceptionally well made and performs its function – however humble – in a way that sets it apart from the rest of the pack. With that in mind, we’d like to recommend the Felo 5-Piece Screw Driver Set as a gift that’s almost guaranteed to please.

Crafted to the highest standards, these German-made classics are without a doubt as good as screwdrivers get. Their super-hard black tips are ground to precisely fit the screw sizes for which they are intended, will keep their crisp, screw-gripping shape through years of service. And because the shaft is anchored through the entire length of the handle, will stand up to an incredible amount of torque. The ergonomically designed boxwood handles complete the design, in keeping with a tradition that dates back to early Felo models beginning in the 1870s. All in all, this is a very handsome gift, and at $19.99 (42 percent off) a steal.  

4. Of course, these days there’s more than one way to screw in a screw. Our next pick goes to the all encompassing Irwin 41-Piece Fastener Driver Set. A perfect gift for DIYers, cabinetmakers and installers, carpenters and anyone who routinely deals with various types of screw, this handy kit covers fasteners from A to Z. With 39 drivers for the most common sizes of Phillips, square drive, slotted and hex head screws, the handy person on your list will be armed for just about any fastening task that comes along. Not to be neglected, the included soft carrying case provides a valuable organization system, and helps prevent the typical search for the right driver tip that seem to only crop up at pivotal moments in the course of a day’s work.   

Finally, if the woodworker on your list has been especially good this year and you feel inclined to spend a little more. The Rockler Portable Router Table has been a favorite for years. Recently upgraded, the new bench top table comes with features you’d look for on a floor standing router table: a solid aluminum plate, a plate leveling system, a steel stand, and a 1” thick top.

5. The Portable Router Table is great for small home shops. Measuring a diminutive 24” wide x 16” deep x 16” high, it stores easily under a bench when not in use; the compact size also makes it the perfect jobsite companion. The table comes with an adjustable aluminum/MDF fence of the same basic design as the one that accompanies our extremely popular full sized router table. The 1/8” thick steel frame is predrilled for an optional safety switch, and you also get four adjustable four levelers, which make it easy to keep the table planted firmly on an uneven surface.

If you’re looking for something that the big woodworking kid on your list will have put together before the wrapping paper’s cleaned up, the Portable Router Table could be just the ticket. And right now, with a price cut of 30 percent to $139.99, you’ll get a great deal on a table that does everything you’d expect from a full sized floor standing model.

These are just a few suggestions. If you don’t see it here, you’ll find lots more in our Holiday Gift Guide. Or, if you’re looking for an exceptionally good deal, browse the 200 or so items in the Rockler Outlet. Whatever you choose, don't delay - as of right now you still have time, but you won’t for long.