Spring-enhanced hold-downs

I use this jig in place of a featherboard hold-down on my tablesaw and router table because it's inexpensive and easy to make. To build one, you'll need an inexpensive window-sash spring. You can get them for about $3/pair at a hardware store. Cut a small kerf in a 1x3x6" scrap of wood to accommodate the tab. Then attach the sash spring with brad nails. Clamped to your fence, the spring action holds the workpiece securely against the table during feeding.
—Dale Robbins, Stockton, Calif.