TUTORIAL
The delicate art of holding on
Alternatively, holdfasts can be used instead of
bench dogs. Holdfasts are steel bars with a hooked
foot at one end, very much like the end of a walking
stick or shepherd’s crook. Like a bench dog, a
holdfast fits into a hole in a workbench and the
hooked part rests on top of the material you want
to keep in place. Tapping the top of a holdfast with
a mallet causes it to sit crookedly in the hole and
wedges the workpiece in place. Although holdfasts
are quite expensive, you can make a small version
very quickly using a large nail. Heat the head of the
nail and flatten it into a spatula, then bend a curve
near the spatula to make the familiar shepherd’s
crook shape. You might need to experiment with the
size of hole you need to drill in the workbench.If you need to apply
pressure on an
uneven surface, a
sock or bag filled
with ball bearings
makes a useful
deformable weight.QUICK TIP
Above
@ou Jan fi_ `our
workpiece more
firTS` onto the IenJh
I` fittinN doNs on
every side, and then
hammering wedges
between the edge of
the workpiece and
the dogs
Right
A homemade
holdfast made from
a large nail can be
very effective and
only takes a few
minutes to make.
Larger cast holdfasts
are e_pensi]e to Iu`
but can be a valuable
workshop toolYou can use magnets to hold non-magnetic, thin, flat
materials together. This is particularly useful in cases
where you need to glue smaller items into place on a
large sheet of material. Simply place a magnet on each
side of the material and use them to hold the pieces in
contact while they dry.NORTH AND SOUTH