On

Ogee

17/11/2006 6:50 PM

Magnetic Featherboards

Howdy,
just wondering if anyone has any experience with these magnetic
featherboards:

http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=5970
http://www.magswitch.us/prod01.htm

I'm considering buying one of them, should be useful for my Veritas
steel router table...

But there's also this model to consider:
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=51234&cat=1,43000

So the question is, what's the best solution?
(And no, I do not want to make something out of wood, have already done
that and I'm not too happy about it).


This topic has 10 replies

Rr

"RicodJour"

in reply to Ogee on 17/11/2006 6:50 PM

17/11/2006 12:25 PM



On Nov 17, 12:50 pm, Ogee <[email protected]> wrote:
> Howdy,
> just wondering if anyone has any experience with these magnetic
> featherboards:
>
> http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=5970http://www.magswitch.us/prod01.htm
>
> I'm considering buying one of them, should be useful for my Veritas
> steel router table...
>
> But there's also this model to consider:http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=51234&cat=1,43000
>
> So the question is, what's the best solution?
> (And no, I do not want to make something out of wood, have already done
> that and I'm not too happy about it).

Isn't this a woodworking newsgroup? You're not supposed to give up
after a try or two. Buy some rare earth magnets on eBay, mortise
spaces a bit larger and deeper than the magnets. Use epoxy to glue the
magnets in place and to cover the face of the magnet so there's no
metal exposed. 1/8" of epoxy cover is all you need. The nickel
coating on the magnets, and the magnets themselves, are a bit fragile.
I have some that are over ten years old and still doing fine.

R

Ds

"DonkeyHody"

in reply to Ogee on 17/11/2006 6:50 PM

17/11/2006 2:37 PM


Ogee wrote:
> Howdy,
> just wondering if anyone has any experience with these magnetic
> featherboards:
>
> http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=5970
> http://www.magswitch.us/prod01.htm
>
> I'm considering buying one of them, should be useful for my Veritas
> steel router table...
>
> But there's also this model to consider:
> http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=51234&cat=1,43000
>
> So the question is, what's the best solution?
> (And no, I do not want to make something out of wood, have already done
> that and I'm not too happy about it).

I have a magnetic featherboard that's just like the Lee Valley one in
your link. It holds well enough except when it inevitably ends up
straddling the miter slot, then it's prone to slip. And the plastic
"feather" isn't doesn't have enough give, so I have to position it
pretty carefully. It's so much trouble that I only use it for cuts
that seem particularly difficult to hold. Ordinarily, I just use two
push sticks.

DonkeyHody
"He who lieth down with dogs waketh up with fleas."

EP

"Edwin Pawlowski"

in reply to Ogee on 17/11/2006 6:50 PM

17/11/2006 6:03 PM


"Ogee" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> But there's also this model to consider:
> http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=51234&cat=1,43000
>

I have this one and like it. easy to set up, easy to remove. Holds very
well. I'd buy it again.

Never saw the others so I can't comment on them.

On

Ogee

in reply to Ogee on 17/11/2006 6:50 PM

17/11/2006 10:00 PM

RicodJour wrote:
>
> On Nov 17, 12:50 pm, Ogee <[email protected]> wrote:
>> Howdy,
>> just wondering if anyone has any experience with these magnetic
>> featherboards:
>>
>> http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=5970http://www.magswitch.us/prod01.htm
>>
>> I'm considering buying one of them, should be useful for my Veritas
>> steel router table...
>>
>> But there's also this model to consider:http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=51234&cat=1,43000
>>
>> So the question is, what's the best solution?
>> (And no, I do not want to make something out of wood, have already done
>> that and I'm not too happy about it).
>
> Isn't this a woodworking newsgroup? You're not supposed to give up
> after a try or two. Buy some rare earth magnets on eBay, mortise
> spaces a bit larger and deeper than the magnets. Use epoxy to glue the
> magnets in place and to cover the face of the magnet so there's no
> metal exposed. 1/8" of epoxy cover is all you need. The nickel
> coating on the magnets, and the magnets themselves, are a bit fragile.
> I have some that are over ten years old and still doing fine.
>

Yeah, but do they have an on/off button...?
:-)

On

Ogee

in reply to Ogee on 17/11/2006 6:50 PM

18/11/2006 10:09 AM

Prometheus wrote:
> On Fri, 17 Nov 2006 18:50:00 +0100, Ogee <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>> But there's also this model to consider:
>> http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=51234&cat=1,43000
>
> I've used this style, and they work great- it was a different brand,
> but I don't imagine you have much to worry about with a LV product.
>
Yes. it would probably do the job, but what's nice about the other
product is the ability to switch the magnets on/off.
Anybody know how that's done?

Guess it's something like in these magnetic bases:
http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=1666

I'm tempted to buy a Magswitch featherboard and open it just to
see how they do it...

FB

Frank Boettcher

in reply to Ogee on 17/11/2006 6:50 PM

17/11/2006 1:20 PM

On Fri, 17 Nov 2006 18:50:00 +0100, Ogee <[email protected]> wrote:

>Howdy,
>just wondering if anyone has any experience with these magnetic
>featherboards:
>
>http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=5970
>http://www.magswitch.us/prod01.htm
>
>I'm considering buying one of them, should be useful for my Veritas
>steel router table...
>
>But there's also this model to consider:
>http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=51234&cat=1,43000
>
>So the question is, what's the best solution?
>(And no, I do not want to make something out of wood, have already done
>that and I'm not too happy about it).


Used my grip tites yesterday afternoon, set up on a shaper to run a
bunch of stock making stiles and rails. I use them regularly. The
only disadvantage is that to use them on a fence face as hold downs,
you have to add a steel plate to your fence because they are magnetic.
If you have lots of fences that are either aluminum, wood, or
composite or laminate, they won't work without doing that. But for a
cast iron table they are slick.

Haven't used the other ones, but the fact they are magnetic would
solve the problem of the ones that expand and lock in a miter slot.
Seems like no matter what size the stock, that thing just won't reach
far enough.....

Frank

Pp

Prometheus

in reply to Ogee on 17/11/2006 6:50 PM

19/11/2006 2:12 AM

On Sat, 18 Nov 2006 10:09:15 +0100, Ogee <[email protected]> wrote:

>Prometheus wrote:
>> On Fri, 17 Nov 2006 18:50:00 +0100, Ogee <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>
>>> But there's also this model to consider:
>>> http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=51234&cat=1,43000
>>
>> I've used this style, and they work great- it was a different brand,
>> but I don't imagine you have much to worry about with a LV product.
>>
>Yes. it would probably do the job, but what's nice about the other
>product is the ability to switch the magnets on/off.
>Anybody know how that's done?

I don't know about on/off "switches", but there are a number of
magnets that will release by pulling them away from the table with a
lever or handle. Usually used on pick-up tools. The type LV sells is
fairly easy to remove by 'rotating' the magnet away from the table- it
just won't slide easily.

>Guess it's something like in these magnetic bases:
>http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=1666
>
>I'm tempted to buy a Magswitch featherboard and open it just to
>see how they do it...

Pp

Prometheus

in reply to Ogee on 17/11/2006 6:50 PM

18/11/2006 12:24 AM

On Fri, 17 Nov 2006 18:50:00 +0100, Ogee <[email protected]> wrote:


>But there's also this model to consider:
>http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=51234&cat=1,43000

I've used this style, and they work great- it was a different brand,
but I don't imagine you have much to worry about with a LV product.

Cc

"CW"

in reply to Ogee on 17/11/2006 6:50 PM

18/11/2006 1:12 PM

The base is split, separated by a non magnetic substance. The magnet is
rotated by the switch. When the individual poles line up with individual
halves of the body, the base sticks. When the magnet is rotated so both
poles line up with the same half, the magnetism, for the most part, is
contained within the body.

"Ogee" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Prometheus wrote:
> > On Fri, 17 Nov 2006 18:50:00 +0100, Ogee <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> > Yes. it would probably do the job, but what's nice about the other
> product is the ability to switch the magnets on/off.
> Anybody know how that's done?

On

Ogee

in reply to Ogee on 17/11/2006 6:50 PM

19/11/2006 8:29 AM

CW wrote:
> The base is split, separated by a non magnetic substance. The magnet is
> rotated by the switch. When the individual poles line up with individual
> halves of the body, the base sticks. When the magnet is rotated so both
> poles line up with the same half, the magnetism, for the most part, is
> contained within the body.
>

Could be interesting to make one myself,but maybe it would be too much
work...


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