I would like to hear opinions on the various types of hold down clamps for work benches.
Do the simple cast iron types work well? Do they tend to tear up the workbench top around the hole?
What about the more sophisticated looking (and more expensive) versions such as the Veritas Hold Down and the Veritas Surface Clamp?
Replies
Newt,
I can't speak about the cast iron ones, but I have the Veritas surface and hold-down clamps.
The hold-down clamp is excellent. There's just no way around it. It holds with lots of force, It's easily adjustable, and quickly adjustable, it's solidly built.
One small persnicket, the rod that goes through the bench has ridges in it which work almost too well. When that thing is in there, it's in there. It would have been funny if anyone had seen me trying to get that thing out of there. Perhaps you'll see what I mean.
I ran a forstner bit in and out of the dog holes a couple times, to make a smoother bore. That worked well.
Another thing I did was to order their shorter rod. I think it's 4 -1/2". Something like that. It just screws in. That's been a great solution. Not that I need to use it since I cleaned out the dog holes.
As for the surface clamp, I try to love it as much as the hold-down. It too clamps with lots of force. It's easily and solidly attached to the bench with the split-barrel nut, it's solid, it has a nice round face where it hits the wood being clamped. Also, it's more compact. I'd say its clamp-arm length is about half that of the hold-down. Like I say though, I try to love it as much as the hold-down.
The ribs on the shaft of the surface clamp are a great idea. The clamping head can be moved up or down easily. Sometimes the gap from one rib to the next requires a lot of screwing down of the knob. Sometimes it slips a rib and moves to the next one, so you have back up or you'll run out of the thread on the adjustment knob. These are just minor little things I've noticed. Don't get me wrong though, like the hold-down, it too is a really nice clamp. I highly recommend either, and both.
It will be interesting to see what others have to say.
--Jonnieboy
The simple cast iron ones work great - They're very easy to use, and there are a bunch of different styles out there
As far as tearing up the bench top - If you have a bench made of hard maple, beech, or oak, you'll be fine. However, if your bench is made from laminated 2x4's or composites glued togeather, you're going to get some wear and tear.
Hope this helps
Gregory Paolini
http://www.GregoryPaolini.com
Custom Furniture, Cabinetry, and Woodworking Instruction
Hi mate
I instructed in a high school environment and the cast iron hold downs worked well. The holes copped a lot of wear and tear and abuse and was a problem until I cut out an 8" square around the hole and used a hardwood insert, well and truly screwed down. We could replace it at will.
Not actually a hold down, but we had a lot of timber flying around the workshop when the kids were using a belt sander. I used those brass shelf holders,the ones (1/4" dia) that go into a brass insert. You could put them where required and remove them when not wanted. A bonus was that the brass didn't hurt the belts.
wot
Don't know about the cast irons ones but the Gramercy Steel Wire ones are really good. Smooth shaft and non marring foot. medium tap sets it.
ttp://http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/Merchant/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=toolshop&Product_Code=MS-HOLDFAST.XX&Category_Code=CGT
The Veritas hold-down is really good. I have two Gramercy's and a Lee valley and they pretty much handle everything.
BB
Newt,
Whoa! I almost forgot about the Bench-Dog. They're a great tool for horizontal clamping.
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I was glad to see Boiler's positive response about the Gramercys. I should get a couple of those as well. That should be plenty as far as bench clamps are concerned. It's nice to have options.
-jonnieboy
If you like the wonder dogs, the new Veritas Surface Vise is like a wonder dog on steroids:http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=63825&cat=1,41637“Expectation strolls through the spacious fields of Time towards Opportunity.”
Umberto Eco, The Island of the Day Before
Frozen,
Do have one of them? Do they work as well as they look like they work? The price seems comparable to their other hold-downs and surface clamps.
--Jonnieboy
They do have them and I bought one as soon as they came out. It really refines the wonder dog idea, and running the rod through two dog holes makes it much more stable and rigid. The cross drilled threads make it very easy to adjust. It does take up a fair amount of real estate on the benchtop, so it works best on a big bench (or a small project).“Expectation strolls through the spacious fields of Time towards Opportunity.”
Umberto Eco, The Island of the Day Before
Check out this web site for a great looking and working holdfast.
http://www.galenavillageblacksmith.com/
They're NOT for the run of the mill bench however!
Jake the Russian can produce them in a very short time frame, and, rest assured you'll be proud!
Good luck
Kemo,
Looks like if Jake gets the order in early autumn he may not be able to get it out before the river thaws.
I've often thought I want to live that way. Then I get little tastes of how hard it would be and I snuggle up next to the thermostat and go back to daydreaming.
--jonnieboy
My favorite is wooden, with double wooden screws, and threaded holes in my bench.
Tom
Tom,
Those sound interesting. Do you have any pictures?
--jonnieboy
I have several forged iron holdfasts, made by a local blacksmith (Peter Ross, formerly head blacksmith at Williamsburg for 25 years). I use these on a bench made of poplar. These are incredibly useful, plus beautifuilly made. Cast iron holdfasts will eventually crack, but forged ones are flexible. I also have a pair of Record holdfasts on my other bench. These sit in a metal collar set into a maple benchtop (I actually have 8 of these collars distributed around the benchtop surface). Of the two, I prefer the forged holdfast. It is quick to set and easy to release, and has tremensouis holding power (I can alsmot lift up the benchtop when the holdfast is set). The holdfasts are not cheap, but you get what you pay for,
Forget cast iron and a lot of the technological looking ones. Forged mild steel is the way to go. The ones mentioned by a previous poster that are made by the two blacksmiths in Galena, Alaska are considered among the very best. A number of holdfasts were tested in another magazine that takes no advertising, and theirs were the best. I own three of them and glad to have them.
FWIW, I heve never been in Alaska or met the guys and don't have a relationship other than as a happy customer.
Joe
Joe,
I e-mailed Phil, in Galena, Alaska. He responded within fifteen minutes with information on his (and Jake's) holdfasts. When you get customer service like that, I'm there, I'll take two.
I'm looking forward to them a great deal. I think they're going to be pretty special.
--jonnieboy
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