Magswitch 30mm Pro Table Featherboard

Cheap Magswitch 30mm Pro Table Featherboard Review

Mesa Vista Design GRIP-TITE Magnetic Table Saw Featherboard

Cheap Mesa Vista Design GRIP-TITE Magnetic Table Saw Featherboard Review

I received this feather board for Christmas 2005 and have already used it on one project. Because I already own the Bench Dog feather board, and liked it pretty well, I used that as a benchmark to compare this model.

First the good:

1. The magnetic base is very strong yet releases easily with the tilting lever.

2. The flexible strip that puts sideways pressure on the board you are cutting is stiff enough to do its job, yet flexible enough to bend easily when adjusting the unit.

3. The price is fair for what you get.

As for bad marks...

1. I am disappointed in the flexible strip that holds the workpiece down to the table. It is not adjustable for height and seems to be pushed to its limit while cutting anything that is a full 3/4" thick. If you have thicker stock you will have to remove this for the cut.

2. When using on the table saw as I near the end of a cut, when the end of the board slides out from under the hold down there is a startling "SNAP" noise made as the plasic hold down slaps onto the saw table. Of course you never see that coming because your eyes are on the blade where they should be.

Overall, I like this tool and have found it to be great for jointing the edge of panels that are usually a challenge on the jointer. As for table saw use, its not a terrible design by any stretch of the word but I much prefer the Bench Dog feather board for that application.