One controls where your hands are. The other controls where the wood goes.
Verdict
A push block keeps your hands away from the blade and gives downward and forward control at the same time. A featherboard holds the workpiece against the fence so it cannot drift and pinch, which is what causes kickback. They address different halves of the same risk. Use both, along with the riving knife, on every rip.
~$80
Check GRR-RIPPER+ Push Block with SafeRip Kit Price~$80
Check Magswitch Universal Featherboard Price| GRR-RIPPER+ Push Block with SafeRip Kit | Magswitch Universal Featherboard | |
|---|---|---|
| Keeps hands from the blade | Yes | Indirectly |
| Prevents drift from the fence | Partly | Yes |
| Helps on narrow rips | Yes | Yes |
| Setup time | None | Position before the cut |
| Works on a router table | Yes | Yes |
| Replaces a riving knife | No | No |
You rip narrow stock, which is where hands get closest to the blade and where a simple push stick offers least control. A block that grips the workpiece on both sides of the cut line keeps it flat and keeps you clear.
Check GRR-RIPPER+ Push Block with SafeRip Kit on Amazon
You want the workpiece pinned against the fence through the whole cut. Kickback usually starts when the offcut or the workpiece rotates into the back of the blade, and a featherboard positioned before the blade prevents exactly that.
Check Magswitch Universal Featherboard on Amazon
The workpiece contacting the rising back of the blade, usually because it drifted from the fence, twisted, or pinched closed on the blade. A riving knife prevents the pinch, a featherboard prevents the drift.
It is the single most important safety device on a table saw and it does not control your hands or the workpiece. Use it always, and use it with the other two.
Before. A featherboard positioned alongside or after the blade traps the offcut against the blade, which causes the problem it is meant to prevent.
Comparison based on published manufacturer specifications and the general consensus of owner reports. We have not tested these units side by side. Confirm current prices and specifications before buying. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.