Mortising in thin boards

If you use a wood screw

Bill Houghton, finally Spring? in Sebastopol, CA

>why would you need the extra pieces of wood? Wouldn't the wood screw itself provide the "base?"

Good idea, that said.

Re: If you use a wood screw

Jeremy Osner

>Well I guess. Except all my wood screws are so old and beat up they are not really a flat base.

Re: convenient and quick method

paul womack

>illustrated here

If your boards really are wide and thin, you could incorporate your idea of chunky auxilliary boards on either side of the workpiece.

BugBear

Re: convenient and quick method

Jeremy Osner

>This looks like a great idea. Good enough to make me think about buying a new handscrew that will lie square on my bench.

Thanks Paul!

Jeremy Osner

>Thanks for the pointer -- last night I tried this method out and it worked very well.

Re: convenient and quick method

William Duffield, on the Cohansey

>Sunday afternoon, the same day that you were posting your query, and Paul was responding, I was in the Joyner's Shop at Pennsbury Manor, watching Adam, Dave and Zodo chopping mortises. They were using the same work holding method that I use, and that BugBear also recommends, but with some subtle variations. Paul's photos show the wooden handscrew clamped to the top of the bench with an iron C-clamp. Another wooden handscrew performs this function just as well. The other subtle variation I noticed on First Day was that the handscrews they were using have wooden screw threads, while my modern ones have steel screws and steel nuts,. The steel screws are much stronger than wooden threads, and will suffer a lot more abuse. Although you have to be much more careful with the traditional ones made solely from wood, they still work very well for this job. You just have to be a bit more careful to apply force with finesse, watching the alignment of the jaws, instead of just cranking down harder if they start to slip, or you will strip the threads.

Re: convenient and quick method

Jeremy Osner


>Yeah, all my handscrews have wooden threads (mostly because I am too cheap to pay for new handscrews.) Also they are mostly warped, but I was able to come up with one that is square and flat. I thought of using another handscrew to attach it to my bench but the c-clamp seemed simpler.

Re: convenient and quick method

paul womack


>Paul's photos show the wooden handscrew clamped to the top of the bench with an iron C-clamp. Another wooden handscrew performs this function just as well.

Agreed.

In the UK handscrews are quite rare. I don't know why.

I have only ONE (in the appropriate size).

BugBear

Re: convenient and quick method

Alice Frampton, UK


>At last, there's a tool I see more of than you do! Mind you seeing them and seeing them at sensible prices are two very different things...

Cheers, Alf

Re: Stupid Dog Trick

William Duffield, on the Cohansey


>I have at least eighteen of them, all metal screws, in sizes from 5 down to 4/0 (but no 5/0 yet), including one with custom made rock maple jaws with v-grooves and dog holes for holding problem work. These tongue-in-cheek photos are just to give an idea of their versatility, especially of my custom clamp. The setup in the lower left photo is clamped to the bench top by yet another hand screw, as in the examples we have been discussing. Light work only could be accomplished at these extensions. For heavier work, I prefer my patternmaker's vise, again equipped with custom, interchangeable jaws.

Re: Stupid Dog Trick

paul womack


>including one with custom made rock maple jaws with v-grooves and dog holes for holding problem work

That is just freakin' awesome!!

BugBear (sounding strangely American today)

Re: Stupid Dog Trick

William Duffield, on the Cohansey


>What I like about the big ones is that I can toss them on my little red wagon, along with an 8/4 beam and a pair of saw horses and do a substantial variety of hand tool woodworking away from my bench (under an oak across the street at Hysterical Society events, for example).

You can find kits consisting of just the hardware and handles, so you can make your own custom jaws in any size and shape, out of any species or other materials you desire. The only metalworking required is drilling a hole through each handle and screw, and peining a pin to hold them together. For example, http://www.amazon.com/gp/browse.html/102-5098764-5288926?node=553162

Re: Cost

paul womack


>Yes; the kits are most interesting; cheap, shop made clamps in "interesting" timbers.

Jorgensen handscrew kits

But in the UK, I was quoted (by the importer)

J06 �11.10

J08 �12.50

J10 �14.62

J12 �18.11

((choke))

Amazon(US) are offering the 8" (J-8) at $4.50!!

Boy, those things must take a lot of shipping!!

BugBear

Re: Ouch!

William Duffield, on the Cohansey


>Note that the ones offered by Amazon at my link are NOT Jorgensens. I prefer the Jorge's thread pattern to most others I have used. I seem to be able to apply more pressure more evenly, with less chance of their loosening. However, some of the loosening problems I have had with other brands was due to a bad storage practice in our shop, which we have since corrected. Do not hang them on pins made from allthread, or any other steel. It wears down the threads. We slipped copper pipe over the allthread, and the problem did not get any worse. Or, hang them on wooden pegs.

Re: Ouch!

Joe Rogers, Northern Virginia


>I don't hang mine at all. Space for a clamp rack is nonexistant while sharing the utility room with SWMBO for laundry duty. However I clamp them to the I beam that supports the kitchen joists above or clamp them to the exposed joists. Hope BB finds a way to aquire the hardware to build more handscrews. They are truly versitile beasts.JR