When I started out my woodworking hobby, I was intimated by the table saw and the first “accessory” I bought was the Gripper. But since it’s fairly expensive, as push sticks go, I would always worry about protecting it. It was videos like these that made me realize that I should be building my own. Love this style push stick, only change I made was to embed a magnet to the side so it sticks to my tools and it’s always there when I need it.

I like mine a little taller. I have a sacrificial bottom (the part that touches the wood) so when it gets chewed up I cut it off and glue on a new one. Thank you for the video. Well done 👍 and yes wood is by far the best material for a push stick.

From the first time you introduce that style of push stick i never look back. Simple and super safe.

I like to glue 3/4 inch scrap ply together to make a 1 1/2 inch push stick. Never have to worry about twisting of the wood and can make any height.

Great Video, thanks Jay! Agree 100% with shop built push sticks. One small tip is to spray paint them a bright color like red, as this helps then clearly stand out against the rest of the wood pieces around the workshop. Easy to find. Also you can see quickly where the stick is being chewed away, and might need re-surfacing.

I'm close to the beginning woodworker category, but this looks like it's worthwhile making (although I do intend to use the blade guard as much as I can). However, instead of making it 16" long, I'll probably make it 400mm long. 😜

When you're making those thin rips, your finger is pushing right into the blade, and it's going to go into the blade as the end of the wood passes by if you keep pushing. Of course you're being mindful and careful as you make that cut, but table saw accidents happen because we become complacent and used to the danger. Why not use a block of wood to apply pressure from the side?

Late to the game but this is your first video that popped into my feed. What a great video, well spoken, very well explained , great presentation, and NO MUSIC over it to drive my old ears nuts. I like your design and will be building a few of them. Being mostly broke most of my life I have always just cut a notch in a likely looking scrap for my push sticks. I have subscribed and look forward to watching more of your videos.

Love everything you put out Brother! Keep on keeping on!

I made one of these many years ago when you made a video about these and I've never gone back to anything else. They're perfect and so easy to remake as needed!

Hey Jay - I have made your V1.0 push stick since I saw it probably a couple of years ago. It also has been my go to push stick. But thanks for showing some intricacies which I was not aware of and been missing on the application of those. Now will look into making the V2.0 push stick soon. Thanks again for all your no-nonsense, to the point videos showing affordable ideas around the shop.

Thanks for making the variety of videos to help us all keep thinking of creative building and working safe. Happy New Year and keep up the good, honest living!

I’m just starting out with woodworking. Don’t have much in the way of these sorts of helpers, and this was just what I needed to see. Eyeballed your basic design, and whipped up my own in about 5 minutes with a jigsaw. It’s ugly, and I’ll get around to sanding it eventually. Maybe lol. But it does exactly what I needed it to do, so thanks! 👌

Great advice Jay, thanks!

That's my favorite style of push stick as well Jay. I make mine a bit shorter though and a bit taller (very slightly). I made a master template and use that to batch them out with a flush trim bit. Once I get my onefinity CNC I'll obviously be using that.

Awesome video and great information, thanks for sharing Jay!!!!

My current push sticks are triangles I cut out of 1/2" plywood. They're about shot and need to be replaced soon. You've given me some interesting things to think about in making new ones. Thanks for sharing!

Well, I learn something every day. Thanks for thinking this out.

Thanks Jay. Very well said and thanks for the PDF! !! !!!

THANKS FOR THE VIDEO

Thanks Jay. I saw this video and went right to my shop and made the original version push stick. I love it. Great idea to make it 16 inches long. I don't have a hole cutter so I left the hole off my push stick. So far, I don't miss the hole. Of course, I can always buy a hole cutter and cut a hole into my push stick if I think I need it. By the way, I threw away my plastic push stick that came with my table saw. I hear that plastic push sticks can be very dangerous if they come into contact with a running saw blade. Flying pieces of broken plastic can be damaging to us. Keep up the good work. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks Jay...again, perfect timing, as I was getting ready to buy a push stick/block and you made me realize otherwise.

I've been using a versiin of your old push block from years ago for a long time, and have found it to be exxellent.

Thanks Jay!

Great explanation, Jay. Bill

Extremely well thought out Jay and plan to make them asap, thank you!

Very helpful Jay!

Hi Jay. I made some of your first generation push sticks and now I'm going to make a couple of the second gen sticks tomorrow. Thank you very much. Todd in NH.

Always awesome!

Just found your channel. I loved your detailed explanation of the push stick. Many others glaze over topics like this. I get the dynamics of a push stick and push block so much more now. Thank you. I look forward to watching more of your videos.

Great info!!!

I have a laser that's usually meant to open doors for you, slapped to my ceiling and it's set that if my hands are within the danger zone, it will automatically trip a relay and stop the saw, which then turns the brake. Easily tinkered (same mechanism used for mall doors) in, something every table saw DIY shop should have.

GREAT Info & Ideas Dude !!

love it , going make some over weekend Jay

Nice, thanks. I will use this design.

Sir, this is so informative and helpful. Greatly appreciated!

An important topic comprehensively covered. At my age after a life on the tools, my hands are arthritic and several fingers have been broken/dislocated over the years. I am very still very attached to them.

This is exactly what I’ve thought looking at the thin profile push blocks always see, they should look like! I’m new to the table saw but have been watching YT vids for days...your design is the first one like I thought it should be after looking at the typical silhouette style!

Thank you. Got me to rethink what I do at the table saw.

Nice design Jay. This is good timing. Was about to make a new one and now have additional ideas. Thanks!

Very simple, perfect, that mean's there's less chance for me to screw it up. I also like how you go through all of your reasons for your push stick. You hit on one of the reasons for which I don't like traditional push sticks, I have to grope around to find it, or take my eyes off of my cut so I can find it quickly. Then there's how it can be used instead of a push block. Thanks.

Thanks..great information.

Thank you!!

So simple and amazing but seems safety at its core. Great work Jay. Greeting from Australia

A push stick is like my safety glasses , air filters . Fire extinguishers,. All common sense items . I was gifted 2 Grippers . I absolutely love them ! Great video !

Excellent video. Thank you Jay. I hope this video will save someone from injury.

Another lovely one, buddy!

I use 1/2 in ply in the shape of a big shoe. I put adhesive sand paper on the bottom / sole for applying even pressure towards the fence and never have a rocking issue….I ripped the design off of four eyes..love it

Thanks Jay, a simple video, a simple pushstick, but great potential for [not only safety] but ease of operation at the various 'life-changing' machines. cheers

I just watched your video on push stick again, I’m going to make a new one . I was putting to much thought into it until I saw your video.thank you.😎

I made one of the original Jay push beasts back years ago when you started. Still use it! I like your new ones.

Great tips thanks for sharing

Hey Jay Thank you for this video. I have been using a push stick very similar to your push stick 1.0. Mine is cut from a 4x4 that I cut down to 2 inches. Mine took a little more cutting and trimming but is very similar in profile to yours. I love the stability, the reach that I have with the 16 stick. Your video kind of validates the decision I made making Mine .

Thank you for the template. I made two push sticks and will add to my other sticks and do comparisons.

Thanks, Jay. Nice design(s) - easy to make so you don't hesitate to use it and get it chewed up.

I have to thank you. I saw your original push stick video many years ago and it probably has saved my bacon many times over the years. I have no idea how anyone can use the Matthias method with the two little sticks. I tried that a long time ago and ended up with a piece thrown backwards into my garage door. Thank you Jay

Appreciate this! Will make at least 2!

Good video. You voiced everything I've learned about my favorite push block. About 15 years ago I wanted a longer device to hold down a long thin bit of thin ply so I grabbed a dried out 2×10 off cut I picked up from new construction in the neighborhood and added a piece of scrap 1 by to screw onto the back. Tada! I still use that exact same block today and it has been very sacrificial. The hook has been replaced twice now and the 2×10 looks like a wide 2×6 these days. I use other sticks to assist at times but this old scrap sits on my tablesaw ready to go.

Great video as always. My push sticks are not as long but after hearing your reasons for the length I may make a few to try out. 🙏🏼❤️✝️❤️🙏🏼

When I started woodworking around ten years ago, I eventually got a job site table saw and I made your push stick which I still use today, most definitely the best push stick ever, 100% . I like the way the blade can go through the bottom and that you can easily replace the cleat

Great video and explanation....

My father used a supplied push stick for his table saw it was 9” piece of plastic about 1” square ish. And it failed he slipped and cut a chunk out of his fingertip, about one quarter of his nail nicked the bone. It has since healed all is good. Moral of story be skeptical of the jobber parts that come with big box stores tools.

Awesome....thank you!

That’s me, retired and a beginning wood worker! Yep, I bought the Orange Plastic push stick from Amazon.

Thanks for sharing, I do like your design for the jointer even the big micro jig push pads do slip now and then.

Excellent!!

Whether you build one these exact versions or not, Jay gives you most of the things you need to consider when you design your own. If you insist on making an exact copy of someone's, there are at least a hundred of the "best", "most perfect", "last push stick you will ever make" out there! Thanks for making us think, Jay!

Great video! My pushstick? I modeled mine like Frank Howarth's, but used my favorite tenon saw as the template for sizing my hand. I made a 1/4" ply template and then made a couple "users" out of 1/2" Baltic birch.

totally agree, i've never used the push stick that came with saws. I 've always made my own, just like you, out of a 2x4, or 3/4 ply, or 1/2 ply for narrow stuff

Very nice video.

couldn't agree more, I've been using 2x4 scrap for push sticks for years, I just notch them out at the band saw and it's off to the races. Thanks

Good basic design. I like the grip slightly forward so I am putting more downward pressure on the work piece.

Well done! always on... the wood piece! 💪

The only commercial ones I have are the ones that come with machines I have purchased. Other than that I have been using a version of the one you made. They work great. I grab it 9 out of 10.

Jay, I just made the original push stick that you are using, I really like it, all of my other ones are on the shelf....thanks

I started using 1 1/2” wide push sticks with rear cleats several years ago and I have never looked back. Except I use 2 x 8 to place my hand further away from the blade. Small cost for increased safety. 👊

Excellent presentation. I couldn't agree more: it doesn't really matter if you buy or make most of the items we have in our workshop/shed/workspace! In the end, it comes down to funds, space and personal preference. Whilst I probably would not consider making a table saw, I have made a number of basic push sticks along similar lines. Just offcuts of 4by2, 5by2 and the like. A number of years ago, I did purchase one of those yellow things, but just didn't reach for it that often, and like you said: after a few passes, that fine dust settles, and you really need that cleat. Personally, I prefer the chunky version as it adds to the heft, but that might be down to my laziness. That said, I've never been a fan of jigs and workshop aids that require every tool in the shop, have dozens of moving parts, and take a whole weekend to build. Thanks for sharing.👍

love your style push stick

Great video. My favorite style 😍😍

I like your easy and pragmatic approach. I'm currently using a similar shape but done from plywood to suit the width of the cut. But I think I'll try your wider idea and see how I like it. And for sure it will be my new "thin stock jig" either way. My own fence is an add on over the stock fence so it's a little taller. The fence is 4 inches tall and the push boards I'm using are 1.5 to 2 inches taller than the fence add on. That gives me a nice grip area that is clear of the fence to hold onto the board. And I see that you have that same grip area that sits up higher than the fence. So perhaps it's appropriate to say that the stock width should be 1.5 to 2 inches wider than the height of the fence.

Greqt video. My most-used push stick is a block made from a scrap 2x4 with a heel screwed onto the back. I think using soft woods for the block is the best option since the saw blade chews through them easily without binding or shattering the push stick. Some brittle plastic push sticks can shatter and launch sharp shrapnel pieces. I like to use soft spf for my push block and a relatively dense cut of southern yellow pine for the heel. Or, for the heel. I also sometimes use scrap hardwoods from discarded and salvaged furniture that I sometimes find in alleys in my neighborhood. I think my current push block uses douglas fir for the block and syp for the heel, and it works fine. Both were offcut scraps of 2x dimensional lumber.

Another handy thing for that is to attach a strong magnet for storage (mine is inset so it's flush with edge on the side). Of course keep it on the top where the blade won't get it. I store mine on the body of the saw. A small screw with a magnet that comes with a hold on one side will keep it on a cabinet underside of a table or the body saw easy. Always there and have access to it.

Just saw your video and went out to the shop to make me one. I made the lighter version. Looking forward to using it soon.

The length is the thing I like about the push stick. I use it the apply more pressure to the material when cutting a dado. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrreat tip!

Been away for a few years. You've come a lonnng way from the "apartment shop"! CONGRATS!

Jay, I would highly recommend a sliding table attachment. Built without it for years, recently got a new saw and gave it a shot. Completely changed the game for me. I simply don't need push sticks 99% of the time with it. I was skeptical at first but now I just can't believe it took me so long to get it.

thank you

That ear ring game is on point 👌

I agree with you- I’d never buy or seldom use a plastic push stick. Mine have neodymium magnet/s in the side to attach the push stick to the open side of the cast iron table or to the outside of the fence (always handy, in position and easy to grab). Drill a hole, install the magnet and put duct or painters tape over the magnet to keep it in place. My cleat is a tight fitting dowel that I can adjust down, retract or replace.. My bandsaw push stick stays stuck on the blade guard or in front of the blade when not in use signaling the saw blade is not tensioned.

I 100% agree and have used your design for years. Another point to make is if you use a "plastic" store-bought push stick, you may compromise the safety and quality of your cut to make sure you do not damage your expensive grip. Thanks for a great video!!!

You are a true push-stick Jedi Master! Never hear anyone talk so constructively about a push- stick. Thanks, it’s on my To-Do list after I finish your mobile CNC table 😊👍

That’s an upgrade from my current push block. I have a block of two 1x5 glued together with a cleat screwed on the back, no angles, holes, and very little for sanding or rounding over of the edges that I’m handling. I hate using the long plastic push sticks, I had one break from a kickback.

5:21 - Jay goes all gangsta with his push stick.

Like the hole for a handle idea. Those thumb like grips seem weak with very short grain. Made a 3/4” thick one like that recently. The long flat bottom is important to register any bevel cut. It hadn’t occurred to me to me make a thicker one and sacrifice the bottom with periodic refreshment. I like Woodwork Web sliding block jig for thin strips.

Nice and valuable information however my Yellow and green MicroJig has saved my bacon at least 3 times now. I would recommend both the MicroJig system and this.

I've never owned a store bought push stick. My woodworking began in high school (that's how old I am) and they used push blocks too. Way better leverage throughout the cut. And so cheap to duplicate

Very nice, I'll make myself one

I haven't bought a push stick for years! I make mine like the second one you showed out of thick plywood scraps.

Really good info sir thanks! I heard you mention how uncomfortable it can be to turn that push stick sideways, which is what you needed to do at the bandsaw. Think I see a simple fix for that. I have had the same trouble with the rubber pads getting dusty quick and losing their grip. Def going to make one of these to try.

I too have used several different styles of push sticks. The game changer for me hanging it by a counter balanced braided string directly over my cutting area. Sounds complicated but if you saw it (pun intended) you would hang your push stick up.