Christopher Schwarz and Lucy May are pleased to announce the newest addition to their family. Length: 18”. Weight: 9 lbs., 4 oz. Birth date: Feb. 15, 2012. Delivered by: Peter Ross, blacksmith and white smith. After more than seven years of searching, I have finally found a bench holdfast that works effortlessly with a French-style … Read more
Convenient workholding is essential for every woodworking project, whether it’s a stout leg vise or a small spring clamp. Sometimes old methods, like using a holdfast are best and other times innovative new clamps come along. I’m thinking of the “K” body clamp Bessey introduced more than a decade ago that was a vast improvement … Read more
by Steve Shanesy
Page 12
From the April 2012 issue, #196
Toggle clamps are an indispensable workholding device for jigs, but they are a bit fussy to adjust to the desired height and clamp pressure. Leave it to Bessey to come up with clever innovations that give the traditional toggle clamp a big leap forward.
With these new versions, variation in thickness of the work is a non-issue. You can clamp a wide range of thicknesses, from a thin veneer to 23⁄4″ stock, without a single adjustment. Just lift the lever handle, change material and lower the lever. Done. A simple screw adjustment provides a clamping pressure range from 50-550 pounds per square inch, and the selected pressure does not change when the material’s thickness changes.
Web site: Bessey Tools
Video: See this toggle clamp in action. Read more
My coverage of the conference was hampered by CW’s policy of photography for “Personal Use Only.” I understand why they are doing this. They don’t want the presenters, who may be working on books or videos, to complain about having their content raided by the woodworking paparazzi. On the flip side (my side), attendance will … Read more
It’s been years (actually more like two decades) since I last used a vacuum press during my days in a commercial shop. My recollection is that it was a cumbersome and noisy task. Are you familiar with the high-pitched whine of many vacuum pumps? So a few months back I began investigating bag-clamping systems and … Read more
Installing vises in workbenches is always a finicky process – unless you go for a super-simple setup like the one I prefer: A quick-release vise for the end vise and a simple leg vise for the face vise. We have 10 benches being built in this class at Kelly Mehler’s School of Woodworking, and no … Read more
And you thought yesterday’s posts about Estonian workholding was obscure? Bah, that was amateur hour. Let’s talk about the Charles Fenner Patent frame saw, a fairly rare bird among collectors. Usually “rare” means “didn’t work or sell too well.” But the Fenner is so wild that I had to try one out. The thing has … Read more
