Christopher Schwarz: Question about Bench Holdfast

Re: Christopher Schwarz: Question about Bench Hold

Christopher Schwarz

>Christopher,

Most holdfasts seem to be located in the center of the width of the top and usually on the left or right third of the length.

I've always thought these were good locations because you can secure table legs for mortising while watching your verticals and you have room to secure drawer sides and fronts to chop out your pin and tail waste.

The only time I want the holes moved is when I chop out dovetails for case sides; then I wish they were about 4" further or closer away.

The holdfast also should have come with a collar that works in your bench leg � unless I dreamed that.

Chris

Question about Bench Hold + a thread-jack

Christopher Fitch @ Memphis

>>Most holdfasts seem to be located in the center of the width of the top and usually on the left or right third of the length.

>

>I've always thought these were good locations because you can secure table legs for mortising while watching your verticals and you have room to secure drawer sides and fronts to chop out your pin and tail waste.

Sounds cool.. I think I can pick a pretty good spot for it.

:)

>The holdfast also should have come with a collar that works in your bench leg � unless I dreamed that.

It does indeed come with a collar and hardware. However, in the manual it *seems* to indicate that you should use the collar no matter where you mount it. They do show it being mounted on a bench leg sitting in the collar as well as on the top, but still mounted in the collar. I will have to examine some more later to see if I have missed something.

From the ebay item picture, they show it mounted in the collar. I have a regular style holdfast, the good ole' hit it in the dog-hole style. This one is more like the Veritas style holdfast with the exception of the collar.

On a different note, (thread-jack warning) I also have a mortised bench stop from Lee Valley. I have not yet mounted it either. Any suggestions on to where it might go?

Christopher

Re: Question about Bench Hold + a thread-jack

Adam Cherubini, NJ

>Chris,

In my opinion, the planing stop should be in the far front left hand corner (depending on whether you are righty or lefty). I'd stick it as close to the end as you can stand and no more than an inch or two from the front face of the bench. That will let you plane the edge of narrow stock with a fenced plane, where the fence must overhang the bench. (there are other reasons)

Regarding your holdfast hole(s), you can use your holdfast (or preferably two) as stops. You push your board back against the holdfasts' shafts, then forward into the planing stop. For narrower stock, use the holdfasts to clamp a thin board (1/2" ply wood works great) to the bench and use that for a top (so you don't need a ton of holes).

In essence, your bench begins to represent a Japanese trestle bench. Like benches with tail vises, people feel strongly these trestle type set-ups are superior.

I take away two things:

1) People prefer what they are comfortable with

2) Each design has benefits. Tail vises aren't just a "superior" design.

Adam

Bench jack

Paul M. in San Diego

>Hi Christopher,

I wish I took pictures of the carnage to the mouth and hock blade on my best jointer when I hit the top of a metal bench dog (and that was a brass surface!). The chip breaker was even bent where a chunk of brass lodged itself between the blade and the chip breaker.

That was the last time I used metal dogs. I made sure that I made wooden dogs before I allowed myself to fix my jointer back into shape. I've missed on the dog height adjustment a couple of times since then, but that now just makes my wooden dogs a bit shorter and doesn't hurt the plane at all.

I would never put a device like that bench jack on my bench. I want nothing but wood near my planes.

On another note, I do use the holdfast holes like Adam is suggesting. I put a short wooden dog in the hole, and use this as a inboard limit to prevent the board from rotating on the end dog while planing. This is just what I've been doing since my tail vise was never completed. I wouldn't actually use the holdfast for this task, as that is a metal obstruction that would surely trash a plane when hit.

I have found that holdfasts work great for plough planes and for all sorts of chisel work, but for surface planing there are better ways of holding a board.

JMHO. -- Paul M.

Re: Christopher Schwarz: Question about Bench Hold

Lloyd Robins

>Chris, do you recommend 1 or 2 of the holdfasts? Thanks.

Re: Christopher Schwarz: Question about Bench Hold

Christopher Schwarz

>Lloyd,

I need only one for my work (I use a planing stop). I generally use the holdfast for keeping work down on the bench for dovetailing or mortising.

Hope this helps.

Chris