A stop block is a simple reusable jig used in

metalworking Metalworking is the process of shaping and reshaping metals in order to create useful objects, parts, assemblies, and large scale structures. As a term, it covers a wide and diverse range of processes, skills, and tools for producing objects on e ...

and

woodworking Woodworking is the skill of making items from wood, and includes cabinetry, furniture making, wood carving, joinery, carpentry, and woodturning. History Along with stone, clay and animal parts, wood was one of the first materials worked b ...

to locate a common edge of a workpiece so that multiple workpieces can get the same operation performed quickly. Common applications are

table saw A table saw (also known as a sawbench or bench saw in England) is a woodworking tool, consisting of a circular saw blade, mounted on an mandrel, arbor, that is driven by an electric motor (directly, by belt, by cable, or by gears). The drive ...

s and manual

milling machine Milling is the process of machining using rotary cutters to remove material by advancing a cutter into a workpiece. This may be done by varying directions on one or several axes, cutter head speed, and pressure. Milling covers a wide variety of ...

s, but they are also used on miter saws,

band saw A bandsaw (also written band saw) is a power saw with a long, sharp blade consisting of a continuous band of toothed metal stretched between two or more wheels to cut material. They are used principally in woodworking, metalworking, and lumb ...

s, radial arm saws, and abrasive saws. Stop blocks used in metalworking usually have a small rod that slides parallel to the vise jaws and can be tightened in a particular position. Stop blocks in woodworking are typically nothing more than wood blocks clamped to a rip fence or auxiliary fence so that a distance from the saw blade can be maintained between cuts.

References

Metalworking tools Woodworking jigs {{Woodworking-stub