Bill Tindall
Here is Mr. McKay actually making something(first post of someone making something in months) and from the number of drawer parts it must be something substantial. I am unconcerned how he, or anyone else, holds the parts unless he/they has developed some novel and beneficial way that others might consider adapting. Nor would I suffer a critique of how I hold parts or care how they were held in 1720 unless I was trying to be period correct. How one fixes stuff to a bench depends strongly on the details of the bench construction.

There is no one on this Forum that makes enough stuff to be concerned with whether it takes 8 or 12 seconds to fix the drawer side to the bench, saw horse, what ever. Anybody making something that has that many drawers, and of the apparent quality of construction, has probably made enough stuff that they have settled on a successful method. There is likely no significant room for improvement.

I submit that the conversation should be about what is being made, not some irrelevant detail of how. I am curious what it is to be. What is the design, joinery, wood, finish or even who it is for and where the idea came from-the important stuff.