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Over the years I have developed a set of pushsticks that I use on any machine that requires them. They are always made out of scrap, without patterns, and I like to paint them fluorescent orange because they are easier to find that way. One word of caution, learned the hard way, about painting them fluorescent orange - tape the surfaces that will contact your workpiece first before spraying. The stuff rubs off and can be a devil to get off before finishing. Anyway, here they are:
- The Skinny Stick
- Made out of a scrap of red oak that just happened to be tapered, This 12 to 14 inch long pushstick is only about 3/8 of an inch thick by 3/4 of an inch wide. It is especially useful when crosscutting narrow pieces or ripping narrow pieces. Here is another view showing the taper, which is down to nearly a quarter of an inch. There is a bird's mouth cut in the end to help firmly hold the stock down while providing pushing support when held at approximately a 45 degree angle. It is not for ripping long pieces as there is only support at the very end of the piece.
- The Regular Stick
- Also made out of a scrap of red oak, This 12 to 14 inch long pushstick is only about 3/4 of an inch thick by 1 inch wide. It is especially useful when crosscutting. A notch cut in the end helps firmly hold the stock down while providing pushing support when held at approximately a 45 degree angle. This stick is used mainly on the table saw but is useful on any tool where you require a set of expendable fingers to finish the cut. It can be used all the way through the cut if the wood is not so wide that it overhangs the front edge of the saw.
- The Jointer Stick
- First let me apologize for the image quality. I am practicing taking digital pictures against a variety of fabric backgrounds and this particular one tends to really pick up the orange color making the pictures hard to look at. The jointer pushstick was made from a scrap bit of two by four lumber. It is designed to provide a great deal of support over a wide and long area to assist me as I flatten stock on the jointer when milling boards four-square. It is also useful at the table saw from time to time, but the reasons for using it at the table saw are what prompted me to make the fourth and final pushstick. Here is one last shot of the jointer pushstick; I think this one turned out a little better.
- The Curling Rock Stick
- In an effort to combine the best of everything, the curling rock pushstick, named for its shape, is made of 3/4 inch plywood. It provides the stock with excellent support through both ripping and crosscutting operations at the table saw. This one is perhaps my favorite because it keeps my hand the furthest from the blade.
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