October 21, 2011

My workholding just got a lot better

My shop is evolving.

The work I've done in the past has been don on the top of a shop made cabinet.  It's a little over 24" deep and 32" tall, a typical cabinet, but not a typical work surface.  The main trouble is there is nothing to hold anything down.  A concoction of wooden handscrew clamps held down with f-clamps or quick clamps has been my vise and any planing has been done on a set of bench hooks to stop the work from sliding back onto the worktop and a scrap of wood thinner than what is being planed wedged against the adjoining wall to act as a planing stop of sorts.  While far from ideal, this setup actually works.  A ton of movement is possible and I really don't like beating up my Bad Axe Toolworks bench hooks like that.  Not to mention there are issues with the stock thickness interfering with all members of the support crew.

The old way, don't mind the mess in the background :)

Now, meet the newest, smallest addition to the workshop.

The Veritas Wonder Pup

This little guy from Veritas is awesome.  A simple little clamping bench dog. (the Wonder Dog is available too, with a longer post to go through thicker work surfaces) With a bench dog (Thanks, TW toolworks!) at one end of the work and the Pup clamping the other, I can now traverse work without issue.  I'm not sure why I waited to get one of these, but the increase in holding ability is fantastic.  I can plane more accurately, more quickly, and with way less stress wondering where things will fly when the work slips, slides, and twists out of the way.

The new way

I plan on using square dogs in my proper bench, whenever that gets built, but this little guy will still have a place along the back row to help out when he can.

Next up in clamping improvements?  The Benchcrafted Moxon Vise!

Sean