JoshC1501 Posted October 29, 2014 Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 Curious if anyone is using one of these instead of a tail vise. Recently completed some mods and improvements to my workbench. Really just band aids until I can build a proper bench. Since I don't have a tail vise this was appealing. Made one tonight. Having some problems getting it to hold when I get to the front corner of the board, planing cross grain. Some same paper on the batten helped but ultimately using two holdfasts seems to be the only good fix. I am pretty sure the problem is hardboard bench top is to slick, and the sandwich of mdf and ply I made the top out of, just doesn't allow the holdfast to hold tight enough. Anyone else have similar problems? Josh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted October 29, 2014 Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 I also found my benchtop too slick. I eventually used 24g or 36g (I forget) abrasive to 'tooth' the top. Much better stock holding... I haven't tried battons, but I do use a plane stop way more then my wagon vice... I only use the wagon vice for 'heavy duty' operations... My current stop is the traditional T held in place by a leg vice. I'm tempted to build a new stop with a square dog on one end and 3/4" holdfact peg on the other to permit flexable positioning... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC1501 Posted October 29, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 I also found my benchtop too slick. I eventually used 24g or 36g (I forget) abrasive to 'tooth' the top. Much better stock holding... I haven't tried battons, but I do use a plane stop way more then my wagon vice... I only use the wagon vice for 'heavy duty' operations... My current stop is the traditional T held in place by a leg vice. I'm tempted to build a new stop with a square dog on one end and 3/4" holdfact peg on the other to permit flexable positioning... What do you use for cross grain planing besides your wagon vise? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted October 29, 2014 Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 I really try to avoid pinching stock if I can help it, so bench accessories take most of the force while the wagon/leg vices apply just enough force to prevent things from getting out of hand... For roughing at the bench, I made a 'parallel' plane stop with one holdfast dog on each end. Again, I use as little wagon as I can get away with... But, in the spirit of full disclosure, I really don't do much roughing at the bench (I've got a pretty large jointer), so I'm not the best source for info. I'm really a novice with hand tools -- I can 'get it done', but reach for the power switch whenever I can. However, I've got some old/wide stock that I just don't have the heart to rip down --- that goes on the bench... I realize keeping stock wide can lead to unfortunate down-stream problems, but when I pull a 60+ year old 12' x 20" stick, I do what I can to preserve width -- it may not be the wisest strategy, but building a dining room table with a single slip match -- doesn't get any better than that... BTW: all you bench builders -- don't make the mistake that I did -- Tooth the bench from the start... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G S Haydon Posted October 29, 2014 Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 Josh, it's not a bad idea at all. My one tip would be try a notch like this. It allows you to move the batten around to suit the work without the jaws loosing contact. I found the notch made it awkward to line up with holfast holes. I'm also interested that palning across the grain could be less the way it was done than we think. Potentially with the grain and against a planing stop. I tried toothing the bench to but I personally did not find and advantage. Just having a planed pine top with no finish works fine for me. I can see how a hardwood with treatment on it would very slippery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveT Posted October 29, 2014 Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 Love the closing comment on the blog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted October 29, 2014 Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 I've just made one with Graham's mods on one end and the original notch on the other end and it works great with a single holdfast. My bench top has some outdoor oil/varnish blend I had left over on it and it doesn't appear to slip (it's fairly rough to the touch). As you say it may be the hardboard being slick giving the problem. Try putting some finish on it - you may have some left over from a previous project and see if it makes any difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC1501 Posted October 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2014 Josh, it's not a bad idea at all. My one tip would be try a notch like this. It allows you to move the batten around to suit the work without the jaws loosing contact. I found the notch made it awkward to line up with holfast holes. holdfast betten.jpg I'm also interested that palning across the grain could be less the way it was done than we think. Potentially with the grain and against a planing stop. I tried toothing the bench to but I personally did not find and advantage. Just having a planed pine top with no finish works fine for me. I can see how a hardwood with treatment on it would very slippery. Thanks for the input Graham. I will give this design a try. I think my initial impression is correct TerryMcK. The hardboard top and/or the bench top construction. Despite having to use an extra holdfast, it works well. I played around with it a bit more tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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