holdfasts in plywood benchtop question

Re: holdfasts in plywood benchtop question

Mark Harrison -- in Sydney, Australia

>I've been using them in -- what was -- a chipboard door that presently serves as my benchtop. I've been doing that for about five years. They'are starting to get a little battered but I rounded over the edges with a router bit that has helped preserve them.

I also screwed and glued some 4 by 2's under the holes to give a bit more depth and this also helped.

I see no reason why plywood shouldn't be even better than what I have.

Traditional or Veritas?

mike recchione

>Mark,

Do you use traditional holdfasts or the Veritas (no banging) kind? This benchtop is 3" thick, so I don't think it needs any more thickness.

Thanks,

Mike

Re: Traditional or Veritas?

Brad in Ottawa

>Mike,

I just picked up the Veritas Hold Down. I have already used it to hold down some battens and some pieces to mortise.

My bench top is not glorious solid maple but some man-made wood product. I can't give you an impression of long term wear and tear.

My limited observations indicate that it looks like both bench and hold down will last a long time.

HTH,

Brad

Re: holdfasts in plywood benchtop question

Christopher Fitch @ Memphis

>I have a plywood top. It's 4 sheets of Baltic Birch laminated together with 3/4" dog holes.

I have Veritas brass dogs, the Wonder Dog, and a regular holddown from Jorgenson.

I have experienced no issues with damage to the dog holes. Since I did use baltic birch, there may be a difference since my top has far more plies than yours does.

If you are concerned about chipping or damaga, there are some things you can do to help strengthen the holes:

1) use some hard finish on the inside of the holes like Polyurethane. This will toughen the wood.

2) wax the insides of the holes. This allows any items to slide in and out easier.

3) chamfer the edges of the holes to prevent damage as you insert items.

I only did #1 and #2 and things seem fine for me.

Re: holdfasts in plywood benchtop question

John in Richmond Hill, ON, CA

>Hi Mike

My bench top is 3 pieces of 3/4" maple plywood laminated together. I drilled 3/4" holes for the Veritas Hold-down and bench dogs. I chamfered to tops of the holes as suggested by a Popular Woodworking article.

I only see limited time in the workshop and acquired the hold-down at the beginning of this year so I'm not sure how fast this would wear. I have not noticed any chips of plywood when I pull out the hold-down and when locking the hold-down, I have not noticed any slipping either.

Hope this info was useful

js

Veritas my choice hands down

Eric Hedberg

>My bench is a composite of particle board and other materials I am too embarassed to mention. I use the Veritas hold down and regret the years I didn't have it. Because of the clamping action, you can also use it in applications that wouldn't work with a traditional hold down. I've had no significant problem with chipping, but should the day come to redo the top, I will probably opt to chamfer the dog holes slightly. Eric

Thanks, everyone

mike recchione

>It sounds like the Veritas holdfasts will work fine.

There's something worse than particle board?

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>Eric, I'm intrigued. What can it be? Did you laminate a bunch of copies of "This Old House" together or something?

Re: Traditional or Veritas?

Mark Harrison -- in Sydney, Australia

>Sorry, I use the ones you clout with a mallet. The Veritas type I would think to be relatively benign by comparison.

Thanks, Mark

mike recchione

>The only issue with the Veritas is that they have teeth. But they seem to be working just fine for everyone that has them.

You're closer than you realize

Eric Hedberg

>Let's just say my bench reads like the earth's crust. The deposition of many layers of history over its industrial origins. I hadn't considered using This Old House as a laminate although it would probably work pretty good. Provided of course I could get access to the imported Italian polymer binder to adhere them to a Scandinavian high performance underlayment provided by an upscale corporate sponser in exchange for promotional consideration. When I dumped my subscription I sent mine to be recycled into drywall;-) Eric (Who can abuse his bench with no feelings of regret)

Aussies...

Eric Hedberg

>Too much testosterone. Make the best hats in the world though! The best part is that if you order online at the right time you can get them shipped the day before you ordered them! Eric (Proud daily wearer of his leather Jackaroo and Akubra for fancy ocassions)

Re: Aussies...

Mark Harrison -- in Sydney, Australia

>Too much testosterone? Because I use a holdfast you whack with a mallet? :-)

As vices go, this would scarcely upset anyone except the bench. (pun absolutely intended :-)

testosterone - that's too big a word for me.

Andrew F in Australia

>Hi Mark,

Hope the job hunting's going well.

Tostesterone(sic) - grunt - I dunno what Eric's saying about us.

Cheers,

Andrew

(who's off to the club for lunch to eat a steak that hangs over both sides of the plate.)

Re: There's something worse than particle board?

William Duffield, on the Cohansey

>Homasote, perhaps?

Do you ever talley those whacks?

Don Thompson - Cutler Ridge, Florida

>