Every few years, I find myself needing a new table saw push stick. The last one I’ve been using was actually given to me by my dad and was well overdue for a replacement. I had cleaned it up and repaired it a few times, including cutting about an inch off of the bottom to re-square it, but that push stick was finally starting to come apart.
When my dad had made my old table saw push stick, he definitely took a little more time and effort than I do for these, as I view them as truly disposable. He spent the time to ensure all of the lines were straight, the edges were rounded comfortably, and he even put a few layers of finish on it. I basically cut them out on the bandsaw, spend 10 minutes sanding, and then throw a single coat of finish on them. Obviously, you can choose how much effort you want to take in making them a finished product.
As for the design of this push stick, I love it’s simplicity and how quick they are to make. It’s also a very good functional design. The forward slanting handle allows you to put downward pressure on the piece, while the sacrificial hardboard pushes the material forward and prevents kickbacks. I also like to make these push sticks a little taller than necessary to allow me to cut 1/4″ off the bottom a few times after it gets too chewed up from running over the blade of the table saw. You can see in the picture above just how chewed up my old one had gotten.
Materials needed
- 3/4″ plywood – 2 pieces, each at least 12″ x 8″
- Wood glue
- Brass threaded insert
- Threaded T-handle (matching brass insert nut)
- 1/8″ hardboard
Tools used
- Table saw
- band saw
- drill
- sander
Step 1: Draw the table saw push stick outline on the plywood
The first step in making your new table saw push stick is to draw out the design onto your plywood. The scrap plywood I had happened to be large enough for making two push sticks. You’ll notice my reference lines to remind me which side the slot for the hardboard was going to be. Since I was cutting two sticks from the same pieces of plywood, I had to ensure the designs were mirrored so the slots would be cut on one side of the plywood.
Step 2: Cut the slot for the hardboard
The next step you’ll want to take is to cut the dados to hold the sacrificial hardboard. I recommend doubling up the 1/8″ hardboard so it is 1/4″ total thick. I also recommend having these pieces be 1″ wide – which means your dados need to be 1/2″ deep.
I find the easiest way to set my table saw blade to the right distance from the fence is to use the actual T knob and insert to measure. As you’ll see in the pic below, I start by putting the T-Knob next to the blade and push the fence up against the far end.
Once your blade is set, run both of your pieces of plywood, then move your fence out 1/8″ to make the second cut. Once you’ve run two passes on the table saw, use two pieces of hardwood to test fit the width of your groove.
If you look closely, you might notice my Ridge Carbide Super Blade flat tooth table saw blade. I love this blade for cutting thin dados or grooves where a flat bottom really makes a difference. It was well worth the investment.
Step 3: Glue the plywood together
Once you have the dados cut, it’s time for gluing the two pieces of plywood together. You’ll see in the first pic below that I use two pieces of hardboard cut to 1″ wide to ensure those dados stay lined up during glue up. You’ll also see my 42# John Deere tractor weights. I think 84# of weight should be plenty to hold the pieces tight together while the glue dries.
Step 4: Cut out and sand the table saw push stick
After letting the glue set up over night (ok, maybe it was a week or two later – I had some other things to do!!!) it was time to go over to the bandsaw and do a quick cut out. I then hit the spindle sander as well as the palm sander and wound up with what I would call an acceptable utility piece.
Step 5: Drill, set threaded insert, and finish
Now that you’ve finished cleaning up the table saw push stick, it’s time to drill the hole for threaded insert. The hole for the threaded insert should be centered on the back, at least 1″ up from the bottom (higher is better). Use a drill bit as specified for your threaded insert.
For finishing, a quick coat of poly or polyacrylic has always been fine in my mind. Once you’ve got yours to a place your happy, screw in your threaded insert, slide in your sacrificial hardboard (letting it extend past the bottom about 1/4″), and tighten your T knob.
This piece is now done and ready for use!
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