If you're not familiar with Magswitch featherboards and accessories, let me introduce you. As you might infer from the name, Magswitch products are based on a unique magnetic locking system that allows featherboards, fences, and other useful accessories to be attached to any ferrous metal surface (like cast iron table tops and fences) with the flip of a switch. Thus, the brand name, "Magswitch."
The heart of the Magswitch system is the Magswitch Starter Kit. The Starter kit includes a Universal Base, a pair of Mag Jigs, and a featherboard attachment. Basically, this gives you a great featherboard that can be mounted anywhere on your table saw, jointer, drill press, or band saw.
Turning the knobs on the Magswitch reverses the polarity of one of two magnets housed inside, causing the magnets to either attract or repel each other. With the switch in the "off" position, the magnet's poles are opposing and cancel each other out. With the switch "on" the magnet poles are aligned and work together to secure the Magswitch to the tabletop. It is a simple and extremely effective system that needs no power cord and never runs out of battery.
The next piece of the system is the Vertical Featherboard Attachment. This gives you the ability to create a tandem featherboard to support tall workpieces. The featherboard can also be mounted vertically. With this combination, one featherboard helps to keep the workpiece against the fence while the other keeps the workpiece from bouncing or lifting off the table. Because the magnets are so strong you don't have to worry about the assembly lifting like you might with a featherboard that mounts in the miter track.
The Magswitch Thin Stock Guide and Ripping Jig can be attached to the Mag Base in place of the featherboard and serves a couple of different purposes. First, it acts as a thin strip ripping guide, allowing you to accurately adjust the rip fence to cut thin strips of wood. This system allows you to safely and consistently rip thin strips at the table saw without trapping the strip between the blade and rip fence which can cause dangerous kickback.
The two flat faces of the Thin Stock Guide can be used as a hold-down to keep thin pieces of material from lifting as the pass through the blade. One side has steps conveniently marked for different thicknesses and the other has a consistent 45° angle for a universal fit with stock ranging to 3/4" thick.
For supporting a tall workpiece, the Dual Roll Guide is perfect (see below). This is great for those situations where you need to create a track between the rip fence and Dual Roll Guide for the workpiece to run through with no chance of a bobble or tipping.
The Magswitch Resaw Guide is an accessory specific to the band saw. It gives you a single set of guide bearings that provide a pivot point for resawing thicker stock into thinner boards. The rollers are aligned with the blade of the band saw during use.
Every band saw blade has what's known as "drift," meaning that the cut line through the workpiece may not be parallel. When using a traditional fence, the fence must be aligned to the blade's drift angle to ensure straight cuts. The Resaw Guide eliminates the tedious fence alignment by providing a pivot point for the workpiece to allow you to adjust for blade drift during the cut. Simply draw a line on the edge of the workpiece to follow then pivot the workpiece as needed to stay on the line during the cut. The Resaw Guide is also nice for those exceptionally grainy pieces that tend to make the blade wander when making tall cuts.
The last piece of the system is the Universal 18" Fence. Perfect for tools like the drill press or bandsaw that don't have a fence, or at least not a good one.
The Magswitch Universal fence has a set of 1/4"-20 T-tracks on one face and a set of 5/16"-18 tracks on the other which provide almost unlimited options for mounting feather boards, hold-downs, or just about anything else you can think of.
If all you really need is a basic featherboard Magswitch has you covered with the Universal Featherboard. This handy item is a dedicated featherboard that works on either the right or left of the saw blade.
If you are inclined to make your own custom jigs and fixtures MagSwitch offers the MagJig. These are the magnetic switches that come with the starter kit. They fit into a 40mm or 1-5/8" hole and are perfect for 3/4" thick material. They can be a real lifesaver when it comes to securing your custom or project-specific fixtures.
Magswitch accessories are so handy to have around the shop, we've created a number of money-saving packages.
