Push Stick

A push stick is a shaped handle, usually notched to hook the back edge of a workpiece, that lets you feed material past a spinning blade -- typically on a table saw -- without putting a hand anywhere near the cutting edge. A push block does a related job with a wider, flatter sole for pressing a workpiece down as well as forward. Both are inexpensive, easy to make in the shop, and genuinely reduce the risk of both direct blade contact and kickback injuries -- there's no good reason to rip narrow stock without one.