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A push stick is a familiar device to prevent kickback while ripping a board, but I prefer to use a “push shoe.” It’s shaped like a shoe with a handle, and has a heel, just like a boot. The heel pushes the work through the saw. I’m more comfortable using a push shoe because the entire sole of the shoe is in contact with the board, unlike a push stick.
I’ve modified my push shoe’s heel to accommodate boards of different thicknesses. Rather than cut a simple notch to form the heel, I added a 3/8″ dowel to do the pushing. The dowel fits quite snug through a hole near the shoe’s back end. I just adjust the dowel’s protrusion to match the stock’s thickness. –Charles Mak
