Router Table Hold-Down

When cutting joinery, especially long joints like the groove you see above, it’s important to make sure a cut stays straight. But solid wood has its own shape, which can confound your efforts. To prevent a board from pushing itself up at the middle or on the ends, I use the hold-down you see here. This hold-down is made from two laminated scraps of plywood I had leftover from a recent project. The idea behind this little accessory is that the holes and kerfs create a spring out of the plywood board. That springiness allows it to press down on a workpiece, keeping the cut at the proper depth throughout.

This hold-down functions similarly to a featherboard, and is useful both at the router table and the table saw. Why do I prefer this version over a featherboard? Easy — I can make it right in my shop from any scraps I happen to have. -John Maynard Murphy, Texas