Yellow Board Mates BY Peachtree Woodworking - PW1235

I read several reviews on forums where people said Board Mates where not affective. I purchased a set for my table saw & radial arm and found them to work great. They hold the work down to the table and the angled rollers pull the work against the fence. This reduces the vibration in the cut, giving you a cleaner cut and consistent rip width. The Con: Instructions, what instructions, nothing in the boxes. The units are simple to assemble, just looking at the pictures on the box. I found the Adjustments are by feeling for what the right amount of resistance needs to be in order for it work. I started out, like most Americans, way too much pressure, really made feeding a work out, then backed down the pressure till I achieved the sweet spot. I now just do a setup using a scrap piece for thickness and I'm done. Do I recommend them? I should have bought these 25 years ago, I would have improved my rip cuts on a lot of projects. I purchased them now, because I had a large job with long expensive boards that need to be ripped and with my in/out feed tables ... I hated long rips. Now bring them on, 8', 10', 12' or even 2', 3', you'll see improved cuts.

OK, could be nicer but they work

These were expensive paper weights. The mounting holes don't match the advertised mounting rail and one of the roller height screws were cross threaded - sent them back and was charged more than $15 shipping. If a product does not work as advertised there should be no shipping charges!

does not work on my fence

I bought the Peachtree Uni-T-Fence extruded aluminum fence for my Delta Unisaw then purchased these Board Mate hold downs to attach directly to the fence. As expected, the Board Mates bolted right to the fence using some regular hex bolts and wing nuts (not included). Way to go Peachtree for making such a great an versatile fence; I highly reccomend their Uni-T-Fence as a Unifence replacement.Firstly, I gotta say these Board Mates are a bit of a hassle to adjust; it seems easy enough, just turn the eyebolt (not shown in the stock image) to raise or lower until just below the thickness of your wood but it is actually kinda difficult! If you have a Unifence, then the eye of the eyebolt is to close to the fence head to provide good adjustment clearance without using a tool and turning the eye little by little. For major adjustment you may as well just remove the thing first. Then it's "guess and check". Also, when you adjust the height of the arm you are changing the spring tension so that needs adjustment too. However, the wingnut on the spring tensioning screw doesn't turn easily and it is simply too small and has hard edges that bite into your fingers. The action of the spring arms is a bit sticky so you need to work the lever a few times to ensure the arm isn't stuck. The Board Mates also slide in and out on a two part dovetailed base and lock using two wing screws but the are also way to small and sharp edged. Also, the placement of one of the wing screws was conflicting with my attachment wingnut making installation and removal a PITA.Well, I made a few changes now and they work much better than stock. First, I dismantled them completely and filed the arm housing casting where I could see the arm was rubbing. There is s small plastic wedge inside that is supposed to slide as you turn the eyebolt against it but it's "track" was rough casting so I filed that smooth and added some oil to all moving parts (it comes bone dry). I added a washer to the spring adjust and swapped out the wingnut for a larger one... Same thread size, just larger. Still, I may end up swapping that out for an even better plastic threaded knob. Next I reassembled, and swapped out the stock wing screws with set screws. Requires a tool now but really I don't find myself needing to adjust in and out so much. The extra clearance allowed me to swap my own wing its with some larger plastic threaded knobs. I take these off regularly so the knobs make attachment and removal much easier. I only use these for long boards and plywood. I usually leave them off since even when set and used properly, they get in the way making it difficult to push the last bit through (with or without a push stick). For long cuts, when properly set they do their job keeping stock pressed both against the table and against the fence. For cutting dadoes, grooves and rabets they are a must.My rating is based on their out of the box quality and having to dink around so much getting them to work well.

Great product. Keeps you wood down flat on the table and up tight against the fence. And, it reduces the risk of kick-back. Works just like it is advertised... I don't know what I ever did without it. It serves a number of the same functions of a power feeder for $600 to $1200 less money. This is a accessory that any small, dollar conscience shop should add to their table saw. Love it, and would definitely recommend it to a friend.

In working by myself in my wood shop, these make it possible for me to handle some stock by myself which previously required two of us to control it. They eliminate kickback and between them and a magnetic push block, they are the perfect solution to a difficult problem.By the way they fit perfectly on any of the full-sized Ridgid table saws, and no drilling or additional blocks, standoffs, etc. are requireed. A pair of 10x24 bolts and nuts take care of them perfectly.Definitely recommended.

LOVE these board mates!! Makes ripping of 8 foot boards so much easier. These attached quite easily to the fence on my 27 year old Craftsman Contractors tablesaw. I did use my own bolts and nuts but any home shop should have a decent assortment of these.