A groovy guide for consistent cuts

To cut consistent, straight grooves at the table saw, it's important to keep the workpiece tight against the rip fence for the entire cut. Traditional featherboards aren't long enough to support the piece before and after the saw blade. The guide shown here is my solution. 

I made the stock guide from 1/4" plywood, 10×22". At the router table, I routed a pair of grooves to accommodate the miter slot hardware. The grooves also allow adjustment for workpieces of varying widths. 

To make mounting and adjustment easy, I used a miter-slot hardware kit and 1/2" plywood clamping blocks. I position the guide to contact the workpiece before and after the blade. With the workpiece against the rip fence and the blade lowered, I push the guide against the workpiece for a sliding fit and tighten the knobs before cutting the grooves. NOTE: To prevent kickback, do not use this guide for through cuts.

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