Bench Hold Downs

[outback]

Has anybody had a crack at making hold downs similar to those in the pic. I wanna holdy downy thingy which will go through a dog hold and holdy downy things.

Yes I did a search but couldn't seem to come up with anything.

Thanks in advance.

[GCP310]

Check out my drawing for a solution.

its a threaded rod that passes thru a 3mm metal hold down. this hold down can vary in size depending on the work peice and has an elongated hole where the rod passes thru. on the under side of yor workbench theres a t nut that recieves the threaded rod. use a couple of self tapper screws to stop the t-nut from dropping out.

hope this may give you some ideas

G

[bsrlee]

Do you want ones with a screw adjustment? If so, just buy one from Lee Valley (just like the pic) or Irwin/Record. Available locally from Mik or Carbatec amongst others, or get them direct.

If a hold down powered by a hammer is suitable, then - yeah, been there, done that. Most good blacksmithing books have a section in the basic tools chapters on how to make & use one as they are a standard work-alone tool for smiths for punching & cutting - 3 or 4 arms being handy for some operations.

Get a length of steel bar - 15mm Mild steel will do, or an old truck coil spring if you are feeling adventurous - heat it to a cheery red colour, bend it over the edge of your anvil & keep going to about 30 degrees off parallel, then bend one leg back in a curve. Quench. Put straight leg in hole & bang end with hammer - down to lock & up from underneath to unlock.

[Barry_White]

Here is a way of making a bench hold. Just buy a cheap F Clamp from Supercheap Autos.

http://www.woodworkingtips.com/etips/etip090100ws.html

[GCP310]

Nice link there Barry. :D

G

[arose62]

I just use a QuikGrip - the heads pop off easily for conversion from clamp to spreader, so they're a natural for this application.

You can also buy QuikGrips which are designed for use as bench hold-downs. These have a fitting which mounts to the bottom of the bench.

Cheers,
Andrew

[LineLefty]

Great link bazza, I thought I'd read every tip there was to read on the net.

Looks prety easy, though not as fun as barechested hammerring hot metal on an anvil :)

And btw, what exactly do they mean by "crimping" the screw threads?

[Sprog]

Why would you bother making hold downs, it would cost more in time and effort.
Get down to Carbatec and spend $19 for a pair of hold downs with quick release nuts and cam operated tightening/loosening.

[Barry_White]

Great link bazza, I thought I'd read every tip there was to read on the net.

Looks prety easy, though not as fun as barechested hammerring hot metal on an anvil :)

And btw, what exactly do they mean by "crimping" the screw threads?Thats not a bad site. There is a few good tips there and you can subscribe and they send out a new tip every week or so.

To crimp the screw threads just means to burr them over so that the nut doesn't come off because if you had the nut too tight you would have difficulty swiveling the the piece of metal. It would be just as easy to use a Nyloc Nut instead.

[Sprog]

And btw, what exactly do they mean by "crimping" the screw threads?

That means whacking the threads with a hammer to distort the threads so the nut will not come off easily :D

[LineLefty]

Why would someone make these things?

Because most of us by nature are the type of people who will spend time and energy making something that we can easily buy at the shop.

Resourcefullness is a wonderful thing. :cool:

[Sprog]

Why would someone make these things?

Because most of us by nature are the type of people who will spend time and energy making something that we can easily buy at the shop.

Resourcefullness is a wonderful thing. :cool:

I am all for making jigs or something useful but for less than $10 for a hold down get real. :D :D

[Barry_White]

Why would you bother making hold downs, it would cost more in time and effort.
Get down to Carbatec and spend $19 for a pair of hold downs with quick release nuts and cam operated tightening/loosening.
The benefit of the home made one is that you don't have to climb under the bench to put the nut on and when you get old with a beer gut it gets harder to get under the bench. With this one you just wriggle the clamp for the piece to swivel round and the then you have the quick adjustment of the F Clamp.

[Sprog]

Bazza,

I can just imagine you scrambling around under the bench :D :D :D :D

[Barry_White]

Bazza,

I can just imagine you scrambling around under the bench :D :D :D :D
Not a pretty site I assure you.

[outback]

The benefit of the home made one is that you don't have to climb under the bench to put the nut on and when you get old with a beer gut it gets harder to get under the bench. With this one you just wriggle the clamp for the piece to swivel round and the then you have the quick adjustment of the F Clamp.
This is the exact reason I'm not too keen on the carbatec ones shown above. I like the F clamp idea, I just wonder if it gives me enough clearance around the head of the clamp. The Veritas ones shown in my original post leave the workpiece fairly uncluttered.

I have an idea using all the above input. I need some 3/4 booker rod, an F clamp and some Yuri Geller magic.

I'll see how I go in the next couple of days, and post my results.

[outback]

I had a little play today. Below are the prototype pics.

Seems to work OK

I do have reservations about the quality of the steel and welding it in regard to the cannibilised heads of the F clamp

[simon c]

outback, does yours work the same as the veritas one, ie there is nothing below the bench an you just use the thread on the booker rod to grip the inside of the hole? And if so, how well does that work?

Simon

[bitingmidge]

I'm a bit curious as to why the old B&D GripMate style of hold down hasn't had a mention to date.

They seemed to work quite well, had a nice lever action and all the good stuff. Would be very easy to replicate on a bigger scale (not that I would of course without knowing if the patent was still current!! :eek: ), and lend themselves to a bit of 6mm aluminium and 3/4 tube I would have thought?

Cheers,

P :D

[outback]

outback, does yours work the same as the veritas one, ie there is nothing below the bench an you just use the thread on the booker rod to grip the inside of the hole? And if so, how well does that work?

Simon
Perzacterly correct.
I used bokker rod so the thread would grip the dog hole. Absolutley no sign of slippage yet.

To midge, never seen 'em, never 'erd of 'em. look OK, I was trying to keep the workpiece as uncluttered as possible, no matter what you use it's gonna get in the road, Murphy's law dictates that.

[MrFixIt]

Hi


I'm a bit curious as to why the old B&D GripMate style of hold down hasn't had a mention to date.

They seemed to work quite well, had a nice lever action and all the good stuff. Would be very easy to replicate on a bigger scale (not that I would of course without knowing if the patent was still current!! :eek: ), and lend themselves to a bit of 6mm aluminium and 3/4 tube I would have thought?


They do seem to provide a lighter grip than other styles, I have a pair that I use.

As far as the patent is concerned, you can make some for yourself, the patent prevents you from making them and deriving profit from their sale or preventing a potential sale by giving them away etc

[MrFixIt]

Hi

Has anybody had a crack at making hold downs similar to those in the pic. I wanna holdy downy thingy which will go through a dog hold and holdy downy things.

I have frequently thought of making these devices, however time constraints and no serious need for one (or more) I have not yet made one.

The are very simple in design and should be relatively easy to make from some flat bar (steel) and some 18mm round bar. The knob should be available in plastic somewhere, otherwise a short piece of 10mm bar weled across the top "wingnut" style would suffice.

There would be (according to my current mental image) some welding required.

A point missed by most of the respondents here is the fact that there is more clearance around the item being held down and the style of clamp is reasonably "low profile" compared to the workpiece and alternative solutions.

[MrFixIt]

Hi

Well for those that might be interested I spent 5 minutes and produced a rough sketch of my flat bar/round bar workbench (& other) hold down.

I retain all rights to the design and principle of construction, however I gladly allow potential makers to make any amount for themselves for personal use only.

I do not grant rights to mass produce or manufacture this hold down for sale or distribution to others.

Should you wish to pursue manufacture of them for sale then please contact me either via a private message or via 040 88 500 88

[Sprog]

I think Mr Veritas might have something to say about that especially now we have the free trade agreement :D :D :D

[MrFixIt]

Hi

I think Mr Veritas might have something to say about that especially now we have the free trade agreement :D :D :D
Perhaps, though after receiving a good talking to by Mr Record who created a cast iron / forged version in the UK. (hmmm? I wonder who made the first hold down of this "style"?)

AFAIK patents/copyright do not prevent you from "making" one for yourself from the fruits of your own labour.

Certainly though, if there was a serious enquiry from someone on this list that did want to mass produce the item as designed, I would have to consider Mr Veritas. Mr Record and the patent office :D

[Darrell Feltmate]

I have one of those things kicking around the bench that I made years ago. I could try and get a picture later tonight. Basically take a piece of maple or other hard wood about 1" square by about 10 inches long. Drill a hole about an inch from the end just large enough to take a pice of pipe or all thread that will fit a bench dog hole. the hole needs to be around 3* off perpendicular. Press or pound the pipe into place. Drop the pipe through the dog hole with the other end of the wood an the piece to be held down and swat the end of the pipe with a hammer or mallet. When finished a swat on the end of the wood loosens the hold down.

__________
Darrell
www.aroundthewoods.com (http://www.aroundthewoods.com)

[Rhino_Bhejane]

Hi

This is an interesting method I saw, more suited to carving benches but could be adapted.

Have not built it yet, still on the to do list

http://www.woodcentral.com/cgi-bin/readarticle.pl?dir=handtools&file=articles_358.shtml

Regards

Solly

So many jigs so little time...:D

[Grunt]

Bench Hold Downs


I usually find that the weight of the bench and gravity hold the bench down without much problem.