Board Buddies for the Table Saw - Review

[Roy Wall]

I've had these guys for about a month or so now and have really found them useful.

The Buddies are mounted on top of the Fence and are adjustable for board thicknesses. Usually, I put them so they are about 1/4 - 3/8" below the thickness of the stock. This allows them to put pressure on the boards - BOTH AGAINST THE CI TOP AND INWARD TOWARD THE FENCE! This makes the cuts Accurate and Safe. The boards cannot raise up to catch the top of the blade and cause kickback. The wheels are rubber and will only rotate clockwise......this prevents the board from coming back at you.

Installation: I suggest you use a MiniTrack or T-Track type of system bolted on the rip fence. This allows you to slide the wheels where they are needed and easy to take off/on. You'll need to mount the Buddies using 1" stock on top of the Bies Type Fence. I rigged up some 3/4" BB on top of a 1/4" thick piece of ply. I tapped the fence in 4 spots with an 1/8TH inch bit and then used self tapping screws from the Borg. I used the MiniTrack so it was recessed in a 3/8" dado to mount FLUSH with the wooden top. This is important (IMHO) so the base of the buddies won't flex back due to the pressure of the springs.

Next, Mount each buddy to the phenolic bases. this gives you the flexibility of sliding them to various positions along the fence. I had to cut the front thumb bolts back about a 1/4 inch so they would "clear" the tightening knobs that slide along the Mini track.

The Buddies are milled within a Dovetail track so they can slide about 4" total either toward the fence (for tight-thin rips) or farther out for general ripping.

The rear board buddie is used the most. It's a good feeling to have the lead edge of the board run under the wheel....you know it is staying down.

For precise groove work....I used the front wheel also. THis gives precision to the depth of cut and from the referenced edge. I've enclosed some photos when cutting drawer fronts, backs, and sides.... and then cutting the groove in them to hold the drawer bottom.

Here are some photos - (to be continued)

[Roy Wall]

More photos......

[Roy Wall]

The one thing I didn't consider was how well these helped feed larger sheets of Ply thru the saw! I've staged some shots with a thinner sheet I needed to rip to 14 3/4"....just a touch. I helped my nephews rip some full sheets last week and it was nice to have the front wheel grab over the board and keep it tight to the fence when I was way back away from the saw. As I worked forward, the ply went under the rear wheel and it was nice a secure..... a great way to handle larger stock!

Mark Singer has spoken highly of these and I agree they 1) increase safety and 2) increase accuracy. I use them all the time now.

They are about $70 for the Yellow Buddies (TS), the T track, and the phenolic bases. Available most everywhere!

Last photos....

[Jim Becker]

Where I always found these wheel systems useful is when working with larger chunks of sheet goods that require you to stand far away from the fence. Because of the force they exert down and towards the fence, they really help keep the material running true through the cut. This should also be the case when trying to do a "glue line rip" on a table saw as they will help reduce or eliminate the "hand-action disconnect" as you move the materal through the cut.

[Noah Katz]

Does the additional friction from they apply noticeably increase the effort required to push the stock through?

Also, what are the phenolic bases you're referring to? I've got some BB's still in the box awaiting a new saw, and they're all metal.

Thanks

[Joe Jensen]

Roy, looks like you have a SawStop saw. Do you have to do something to hold the back of the fence down on the saw top? I've always had a Biesemeyer fence and assumed that the board buddies didn't work with that type fence. I have a SawStop now.

joe

[Mark Singer]

That is a great review and I have been using them for 10 years and would not be without them. Accuracy is great....it pulls material down and alo toward the fence. Dados are even all the way through. Kick back is completely eliminated. You can leave a board in the saw with it running and walk around and pull it through... It works better than a spliter or even a riving knife , IMHO...and it can be added to almost any saw. They quickly become your buddies

[Richard Kagen]

I used the yellow BB for years on my old saw for cutting sheet goods. I always used a wooden screw clamp to hold down the far end of the fence as the BB raise the fence end whcih causes no end of trouble, especially on 1/4 plywood. I was surprised that I am confronted by the same shortcomoing on my new saw with the Beismeyer fence. Anyone know of a purchased or shop made upgrade that hold the far end down?

[Ed Bamba]

Roy, thanks for sharing this with us. I too have the BB, along with a Bies fence, but have yet to install them. I bought mine used off of ebay and it came with the optional BB track system. Is there a reason you decided to forego the use of the optional track? When I place the track on top of the Bies fence, it appears that there is sufficient BB-to-fence clearance. Just wondering. The only thing holding me back from installing mine is the type of fasteners to use. Are self-tapping screws strong enough to hold everything down in a kick back situation? Would a machine screw be stronger or more reliable?

Thanks, Ed

[Al Willits]

Joe brings up a good question, with the Beismeyer fence (least the one I have) it is only anchored on one end, I could see using a clamp on the other end, least I could until I started to build the TS extension off the back.
So what do you do in that case??

Thanks for posting this, I've been looking at them.

Al

[Mark Singer]

I had the Beis fence on my PM 66 and now I have the Beis / SawStop clone on my SawStop and there is no problem with the fence lifting up. I typically only use the rear one behind the blade . I set the BB wheel about 1/4" to 1/2" lower than the stock thickness that creates enough downward force to keep the work piece from kicking back since the wheels only spin one way. It also keeps the work against the fence making cuts more accurate. For rabets and dados I run both Board Buddies....one in front of the blade and one behind.

[Roy Wall]

Does the additional friction from they apply noticeably increase the effort required to push the stock through?

Also, what are the phenolic bases you're referring to? I've got some BB's still in the box awaiting a new saw, and they're all metal.

Thanks

Noah -

Yes, you do feel the wheel and perhaps some more pressure when first starting out. I ran some practice boards under and through both wheels and using only the rear wheel several times with the saw OFF. After a while, you know WHAT TO FEEL FOR.....so it's no surprise. I adjusted the pressure of the wheels, position distance from the fence...all sorts of stuff before using them "Live".

I purchased my BB's from Peachtree Woodworking in GA. You are correct the BB's themselves are metal. Peachtree supplies a set of two phenolic / plastic bases for the BB's to attach. These bases have a 1/4-20 bolt with knob predrilled in a corner.........it is this bolt that you slide in & out of the mini track to position. The only thing I didn't like was having to trim one of the front thumb screws so it would "clear" the black knob of the phenolic base.....a little awkward. I've enclosed new photos to show this.

Also, some shots of the track install. Notice I only got 2' of Mini Track ...it should run the distance of the entire Fence..IMO....I'll have to get some more!

Now - If they make a base a little larger to match up with regular T-track that may be better.....so you won't have to trim the thumb bolt....although not a biggee. The base comes with a positoning template to register the four holes in the metal base of the Buddies.

Lastly, I guess you could "directly" bolt the T Track to the Bies Fence.....but I'd add some 3/8" ply (to match Mini Track) next to the track for added support/leverage. The directions say to use a 1" board and cut a dado out to hold the track. THis is to give "clearance" of the wheels up and over the Bies Fence....you want the wheels to just touch the CI TOP at its "limit" in case you are ripping 1/4" ply, etc.....

Here are some more detail photos......

[Jim Becker]

Like Mark, I never have experienced any problem with "fence lift" when using the wheels with the XActa fence on the Jet saw. (Biesemeyer clone) If the fence is lifting more than a "skoosh", there is something not adjusted right, IMHO...either the fence or on the wheel system. You don't need a gazzillion lbs of down-pressure for the device to work properly.

[Roy Wall]

Roy, looks like you have a SawStop saw. Do you have to do something to hold the back of the fence down on the saw top? I've always had a Biesemeyer fence and assumed that the board buddies didn't work with that type fence. I have a SawStop now.

joe

Joe,

Like Mark says......there is no problem with the fence raising up. The BB's do not put a ton of pressure on the boards...but are sufficient. The upper spring is adjustable in tension and the amount of pressure applied downward / inward.

I've used my Sawstop for a year + half now....and I really had to work at keeping the stock tight against the fence due to operator flaws . This system really keeps the stock tight and increases accuracy.

As you know, with the Riving Knife...I suppose it was virtually impossible for kickback.......Now with the BUddies...It's even safer!! But the main reason for getting them was for the ACCURACY.

You can even get half way through a long cut - stop - walk around the saw - and then pull it on through with complete safety and accuracy.

[Roy Wall]

One last shot of the mechanism:


Notice the wheel position is adjustable using the long thread and stop nut (lower left)

Next the wheel is raised and lowered by the lower right hand bolt - to get it adjusted for thickness of stock.

Lastly, the upper spring with wing nut for tension / pressure adjustments..