Pushsticks are a safety jig, used to push a piece of wood through a blade, usually on the tablesaw, but also for the router table. Everyone has their own variation of a pushstick design but mainly most pushsticks will look pretty much the same, at the least the safe ones do. There are basically two main design features on a pushstick that need to be adhered to in order for it to work properly and to be safe at the same time. They need to be able to push the workpiece properly while keeping your hands away from the blade (or router bit), and they need to have both forward and downward pressure to push the workpiece into the blade while avoiding the workpiece from being kicked up by the force of the blade.

It's easy to make pushsticks, usually a piece of scrap wood is cut on the bandsaw, or with a jigsaw. ButI recommend making a pushstick that will last you a while, and not just some piece of scrap that you will throw awayafter one use. If you design and make it properly to begin with, you will be more prone to using it, plus it will be safer than some oddly shaped piece of scrap that you pick up because you have nothing better to use.

In this first video,you will see a simple pushstick. Although I can't say that it is the best one that I've ever seen, it does have one good advantage. The fact that it is made of two pieces, a handle and a sacrificial piece. As the pushstick becomes used, it is easy to just exchange the bottom section with another.

In this second video, the pushsticks designed are nicer looking. If you have the time to make fancy pushsticks, go right ahead. Ultimately though you want to be using these jigs. So if you want a sleek pushstick because you feel more comfortable, then great. If you don't have time and don't care that your pushstick won't win a pushstick of the year award, then thats fine also.

Excuse the corny opening, but I didn't make the video ;)

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