Thread: Blacksmith made holdfasts

Wood wood I have a gas axe you can borrow

Originally Posted by Pagie

Wood wood I have a gas axe you can borrow

Erm... I'll also need a metalworking vice, a hastily fabricated two-pin bending jig, an anvil for beating the duck bill on and a large oaf to weild the hammer... and do the bending.

That stuff is all way beyond me now.

I sent toolsforworkingwood.com (gramercy holdfasts) an email asking if they could give a group buy discount. Here is their reply...is this an option?

John,
We can't really offer a discount on the holdfasts themselves but you will seriously save on shipping if you buy a bunch. At some point it makes sense to ship via ocean freight - which our system does not automatically calculate for, but we can do that manually for you, otherwise the shipping calculator on the shipping cart is pretty useful.

thanks,
joel

Originally Posted by johnredl

I sent toolsforworkingwood.com (gramercy holdfasts) an email asking if they could give a group buy discount. Here is their reply...is this an option?

John,
We can't really offer a discount on the holdfasts themselves but you will seriously save on shipping if you buy a bunch. At some point it makes sense to ship via ocean freight - which our system does not automatically calculate for, but we can do that manually for you, otherwise the shipping calculator on the shipping cart is pretty useful.

thanks,
joel

If it goes ahead, I'll have two please.

Brett...what r ur thoughts, seeing as you've done this before?

Well, first we need to see what woodie2 turns up. If it transpires that they are suitable then I would advocate that as being the way to go.

I have a feeling that "we can't really discount" is a bluff because they have been known to sell them wholesale before (to an Aussie retailer). Furthermore, they would have a large adminitrative saving in processing only one payment and order. It's entirely possible that they would not be holding enough stock to fill the order.

Certainly there would be a point at which sea freight is a better option, and given that these are cheap, dense items, this would no doubt be sub $1000 which means that GST & Duty would not be applicable. Additional cost then is the domestic postage, and that is likely to be higher than the freight per unit (it was with the Colt Drills). Depending upon the numbers ordered it may be a good idea to have them sent to a few different geographic locations to keep the postage cost down, but also keeping in mind that the international package should be as close to $1000 (excluding freight) as possible. Somewhere around $950 to allow for exchange rate fluctuation between when they were paid for and when they were sent from the USA - it's the day of departure that Oz Customs uses as the exchange rate day, and they use the mid-market rate (whatever that is!).

In short, do-able.

Originally Posted by Woodwould

Erm... I'll also need a metalworking vice, a hastily fabricated two-pin bending jig, an anvil for beating the duck bill on and a large oaf to weild the hammer... and do the bending.

WW, all of those things should be available in ample supply, I would have thought.

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

WW, all of those things should be available in ample supply, I would have thought.

Go for it! These things really aren't rocket surgery and don't require the services of a blacksmith. Even two off-cuts of the same 3/4" or 19.05mm M1020 round bar, clamped in the jaws of a metalworking vice would be suitable as a bending jig, however, if making the holdfasts in quantities, welding the two pins to a scrap of bar would be preferable.

After that, it's a simple job to heat the round bar locally with a heating tip for belting the duckbill flat on an anvil and for making the two bends per the drawing. A few pieces of scrap angle tacked to the bench or a plate would serve as a jig to check the angles are correct.

Most days I can't lift my arm to scratch my head; otherwise I'd happily do it.

I have all of that Woodwould. Just need someone willing to do it.

Originally Posted by Pagie

I have all of that Woodwould. Just need someone willing to do it.

Including the large oaf Pagie?

Certainly large and oafish.

Originally Posted by Loco1960

Gramercy (New York) has them for US$31.95 for two; I ordered two pair and they were here in a week, postage about $20. Total delivered AU$75 for four.

Holdfasts by Gramercy Tools at Tools For Working Wood

I had a look at the Gramercy website and the quoted postage was $55 for 2 holdfast worth $32 for the pair.
I would hope we can get some locally

Originally Posted by ClintO

I had a look at the Gramercy website and the quoted postage was $55 for 2 holdfast worth $32 for the pair.
I would hope we can get some locally

Correct, but as Grammercy themselves said, the postage calculator is crap for outside-of-US sales. They will intervene and calculate a best rate. My four took a "medium sized international box" from the USPO and it was $20 to send.

Originally Posted by Pagie

I had 6 made by the blacksmith on the weekend for $80. At the steam and wood festival at Wandin. They work fine.

Pagie, did you happen to get this guys card? would he make more? they seem like the bee's knee's and for a bargin price (that was them on that flicka page weren't they?)


i doubt anyones going to take up these, but i thought you might be interested to know just the same, the holdfasts made for Chris S by P Ross are priced at $350 each, apparently the reason is because they weigh 10 pounds each and wrought iron is scarce..



he makes another design that fits in a 3/4" hole for $70 each, pic below