A rubber tip helps to keep a woodworker's fingertips intact

I once saw a woodworker use the eraser end of a pencil as a hold-down to keep his fingers away from a rotating blade. Most of my pencils are too short or missing their erasers, and the pencil seems a bit fragile for some workpieces.

So, I beefed up the concept with a set of rubber leg tips from the hardware store. They fit perfectly on ³⁄₄ " dowels—a lot stronger than pencils. For comfort, I rounded over one end of the dowel, and then slipped the rubber leg tip over the other end.

I now keep several "finger savers" stashed around the shop: with my pushstick at the tablesaw, and others at the radial-arm saw, mitersaw, and bandsaw.
—Serge Duclos, Delson, Que.