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.
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| The old way, don't mind the mess in the background :) |
Now, meet the newest, smallest addition to the workshop.
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| 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.
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| 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
5 comments:
Great post about a blissfully simple tool. Veritas have never disappointed me and this is one purchase I've been thinking over as well. I use a row of round dog hole and a small "tail" vice on my workbench (aka an old door). Keep up the great posts, I'd like to know more about that plane I see over to the right.
I love these as well. I use it as my tail vise substitute on my Roubo workbench. And who needs square dog holes anyway?!?
Steve, I like the idea of the squares all in place ready to pop up when needed. there will still be round holes strewn about for holdfasts and such. I'm planning on a Wagon Vise for a tail vise, though I know round works in those too. Personal preference, I suppose.
Great method, Sean. The Wonder Dog & Pup are excellent (& cheap). I'm glad to see you work holding is much improved. When do you plan on tackling the permanent bench?
@Dyami The bench definitely won't be this year, maybe not till late next year. I'm going Bench Crafted on Leg and Tail vise and haven't totally decided on what species for the top. The cost of it all is a big determinant as well as the long list of projects ahead of it.
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