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Small Stock Bench Hook? *LINK*

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Small Stock Bench Hook? *LINK*

#1

Small Stock Bench Hook? *LINK*

DONALD THOMPSON

>There was a posting on the Turning messageboard the other day, about cutting pen turning blanks to length using a power miter saw, and the problems with flying offcuts, etc. Some folks suggested using a table saw, or a band saw.

A pen blank starts at about 3/4" x 3/4" x 5". They get cut more or less in half for turning. It seems to me that this is a good candidate for a bench hook and a cross-cut back saw.

Here is a link to Howard Ruttan's "In the Workshop" site, illustrating a basic bench hook. Can you think of any nifty improvements for pen-turning-sized blanks?


Howard Ruttan in the Workshop - Bench Hook

Re: Small Stock Bench Hook? *LINK*

#2

Re: Small Stock Bench Hook?

Joel

>first:

The fence should not be flush with the end of the stop. This way you saw into the bench stop and get a nice clean exit AND the bench stop protects your bench from getting cut

two:

Don't glue it together. BEnch stops are disposable. You make them out of scrap and as you chewup the base you trim the stops back to expose more clean base.

Three - some people suggest using the edgens of the stop as a saw guide. I don't- more trouble than it's worth and much faster and accurate to cut to a line as best as you can and use a shooting board for real accuracy

Re: Small Stock Bench Hook? *LINK*

#3

Re: Small Stock Bench Hook?

William Duffield, on the Cohansey

>An additional advantage to Joel's suggestion for backing off the stop is you can use the hook with a shoulder plane for trimming tenons. The work with the shoulder plane also tends to keep the end of the fence square.

When I make a bench hook, I make it an extra couple of inches wide, and then rip the extra two inches off the far side. This "extra" hook can now be moved back and forth along the face of the bench to support the other end of long stock. Really, the two hooks don't need to be as wide as one hook would have to be.

Re: Small Stock Bench Hook? *LINK*

#4

Re: Small Stock Bench Hook?

Don Thompson - Cutler Ridge, Florida

>Thanks guys.

Bob, of Bob's Workshop, mentions the extra bench hook piece for long boards, although he uses a same-height chute board.

So, no sawing up against the fence, eh?

Re: Small Stock Bench Hook? *LINK*

#5

Re: Small Stock Bench Hook?

Dean J in MN

> So, no sawing up against the fence, eh?

In my experience it does more harm than good. Once you get the feel for sawing to a line the fence just seems to get in my way.

-Dean

Re: Small Stock Bench Hook? *LINK*

#6

Re: Small Stock Bench Hook?

Ted Shuck, Centennial, CO

>I prefer to saw up against the fence. Seems to help prevent blowout on the backside of the cut. I always mark the cut and saw to the line, but find that my cuts are cleaner if I keep the line right on the end of the fence.

Ted

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