hand rails/hand holds

anybody like them and are they useful, or just smoke and mirrors

The grooves along the rails as seen on SS Hazen and Stretch boards do have a function. They stiffen the rail line and I've heard folks say they give a place to grip.

If you look at the flimsy sheet metal on cars, most commonly found on doors, Detroit has found that the those indents give ridigity to an otherwise flat surface.

When place along a rail line, especially if the blank has a center stringer, it imparts stiffness towards the rail to help reduce rail twist-off.

How much does it help? I don't know, but there was an interesting observation over at Sways on the Chapstick packaging, here

i think the one i will send you will have rail holds , use a 120 degree vcut router bit .45 down 2" wide

if you use a piece of like 1" pvc pipe 3" long wrapped in sand paper you will probably have more room for error. just start off east until you start getting your groove then just work it until its how you like it. using a router on the finishing touches for a board may spell disaster. especially on the rails.

i use 3 lb eps foam so it routers real well . as long as i make a rail guide to follow the contour of the board. i think i can get a perfect cut and finish, all freehand work would be done on the ends unless i make a jig ( ramp ) that the router would walk up on for the end taper as it goes up. correction will use a 120 degree, .45 depth and 1.1/4 wide cutter