I got an e-mail asking me if i would make two holdfasts for a woodworker. As always i wrote back that i would be glad to make them, and i await further instructions from the potential client. Now the question is what are they? what do they look like? does anyone have any pics? I dont want to appear as dumb, as i AM, thats bad for biz. any help would be greatly appreciated.

I got an e-mail asking me if i would make two holdfasts for a woodworker. As always i wrote back that i would be glad to make them, and i await further instructions from the potential client. Now the question is what are they? what do they look like? does anyone have any pics? I dont want to appear as dumb, as i AM, thats bad for biz. any help would be greatly appreciated.

They look a lot like the hold fast used with an anvil.

thanks so much, what a resource this site is THANKS IFI!

Just be sure to get the size requirements from them. Especially import is the shaft diameter as this part fits into a hole(s) in the bench.

here is another picture.


I prefer to have more of an arch to my holdfasts that what is shown on the one with the leaf, but that is a personal preference. Also make the end that will be doing the holding pretty beefy. If it is too small it can mar the wood or break off.

Great! thanks again, now i know something to discuss with him about his holdfasts.

Here's a couple I recently made. Both were forged from 5/8 inch hot rolled mild steel. They were made to fit the 3/4 inch round holes in my workbench. The one with the leaf was patterned after one I saw on the Popular Woodworking website. I forget the name of the maker.







The second is from an illustration in Moxon's Mechanix Exercises:



Here's a couple of shots of both together:





You might want to consider offering a planing stop (Moxon calls it a "bench hook") for your customer"







Let me know if I can clear up anything the pictures don't explain. bart

The holdfast with the leaf-end,on the top-most photo(with a line of holdfasts),was made by my friend/mentor/long-time partner in all things forged Phil Koontz.
Originally,many years ago,for Chris Shwartz,the editor of Woodworking Magazine.
(Over the years i've also bootlegged enough of them,helping Phil to keep up with orders).
We both find it that the 11/16" rd stock works better in the standard,3/4" hole in most benches.The depth of bench-top matters,too-the deeper,the less positive is the locking action,to where starting at approx. 4" they may have to be counter-bored from the bottom of bench.
In regard to marring,et c.,a sacrificial wooden pad is,of course,always used with iron bench-dogs.
In a foto the holdfasts are stuck in the forge to scale the vert.part,as that adds some friction to further help their holding in the bench.

I made a bunch of these up many years ago for the furniture maker in the studio in back of ours. She wanted them with a higher arch them the commercial ones which was no problem and she wanted the pad where it contacted the polished bright enough to "pop zits". I did that for her and she was right pleased with them, she paid me the same a commercial hold fasts which at the time I though was an awful lot of money, $8 ea. I wish I had thought of that leaf pattern, that sure looks nice. B)

The holdfast with the leaf-end,on the top-most photo(with a line of holdfasts),was made by my friend/mentor/long-time partner in all things forged Phil Koontz.
Originally,many years ago,for Chris Shwartz,the editor of Woodworking Magazine.
(Over the years i've also bootlegged enough of them,helping Phil to keep up with orders).
We both find it that the 11/16" rd stock works better in the standard,3/4" hole in most benches.The depth of bench-top matters,too-the deeper,the less positive is the locking action,to where starting at approx. 4" they may have to be counter-bored from the bottom of bench.
In regard to marring,et c.,a sacrificial wooden pad is,of course,always used with iron bench-dogs.
In a foto the holdfasts are stuck in the forge to scale the vert.part,as that adds some friction to further help their holding in the bench.

Thanks Jake...I knew I had "borrowed" it from an article by Chris Shwartz but could not remember the maker(s). I always thought that something between 5/8 and 3/4 would be ideal, but the 5/8 inch was all I could find locally. Both of the ones I made work well, but not great. May have to find some 11/16. bart

Hi,Bart,i forgot to add that you did a good job on these,you drew it out gradually in section nicely(it helps a good deal,as the dog is essentially a spring).
11/16" is often not in stock,but it's nothing exotic.Any place should be able to get it for you given a few days.Cold-rolled,if possible,as that's especially(dimentionally)reliable.
Nice job on them planing dogs,too.(Never could bring meself to make any,as it sets me teeth on edge,just getting that close to iron with a plane).
All the best,Jake

I would make the plane dog out of copper to save an accidental clip with a plane iron. Nice job on everything though! Good tip on scaling the shaft for friction.