A simple push stick
July 15, 2010 4 Comments
I’m in between big projects, so I’ve been keeping my self busy with little shop maintenance projects. Monday night I cleaned every saw blade I owned. While waiting for a particularly nasty blade to loosen up, I looked over at my saw and realized that I really didn’t like my push stick; so I decided to make a new one. After a little tinkering in Sketchup & an evening in the shop I came up with what you see below. It’s made from 3/4″ Baltic birch, and is roughly 15″ long by 8″ tall . I’ve played with it a little bit and I like it a lot better than my old one. The long base creates a large gripping surface, which does an excellent job of keeping the stock tight to the fence.
Posted in: Power Tool Woodworking
Hey Dan. Nice design this new push stick of yours. Any particular reason why you used baltic birch?
It was the first board I garbed out of the scrap bin that was the right size.
Dan,
Why the series of large holes in the push stick (other than the one where your hand will go)? Is it to reduce the overall weight? If so, wouldn’t the extra heft be beneficial for keeping boards flat to the table as you push them through?
On a side note, I just finished watching your two videos and wanted to let you know I appreciate you sharing your shop and cutting board build with us. Keep up the good work. I’m looking forward to future updates.
All the best,
Mike Zilis
Bartlett, IL
Hi mike,
Thanks for the kind words on the videos. I plan on doing a video series during my next project. I’m hoping to start it in the next week or so(I’m waiting for some supplies to come in).
You hit the nail on the head with regards to the holes. Without the holes it weighed in at roughly 1.5 lbs, and that felt a little unwieldy, with the holes it’s probably less than half a pound. The light downward force I apply with my hand is more than enough to hold the boards flat to the surface.