Thread: Fixtures for the bench #1: Bench Hook Supreme :)

Thanks for sharing Derek! Currently building a moxon vise and planning a shooting board right after but this will have to go on the list as well!

I recall you posting recently about this, either in the video or during your entry table build, and love the idea of a consumable hook. I have since started using my shooting board, which has never been beautiful, just functional, as a sacrificial surface. I certainly wince less when I overshoot a chisel chop now.

The other clever part, is that by having two equal depth hooks, it has an effective infinite width.

Thanks for sharing.

Ah yes - the old bench hook. Probably the most-used (& most ab-used) bench accessory in my shed! Bench hook.jpg

Definitely a 'consumable', Lance, I go through one every few years. I think this one is almost due for replacement...

The other bench accessory that gets plenty of run-time is my bird-mouth board, for use with the jeweller's saw: Bird mouth.jpg

I was introduced to the old bench hook in grade 7 woodwork, more than 60 years ago already, and ever since, if I've had a bench, there's been a bench-hook or two within easy reach. They faded from the scene a while back, I rarely saw anyone else that wasn't of my vintage or older using one. I'd consider them essential for anyone doing hand joinery...

Cheers,

Originally Posted by LanceC

The other clever part, is that by having two equal depth hooks, it has an effective infinite width.

When I make a bench hook, I make one longer one and cut it into three.

One big one where the cutting is done and two smaller ones for the infinite extensions. Two outrigger supports comes in handy when crosscutting a long board near the middle. I find it quicker to do this by hand than to set up the table saw if there is only a couple of boards to cut.

Making one big bench hook and cutting it up guarantees the three components are identical in the critical dimensions to maximize accuracy.

I have gradually got to seeing them as comsumable also. First one I made I treated with care and got more than 20 years out of it. The last few seem to hardly last any time at all. They have kind of become bench protectors. I like the double function of hook and shooting board but I still can't make the mental jump of chopping stuff on a shooting board.
Regards
John

Originally Posted by orraloon

I like the double function of hook and shooting board but I still can't make the mental jump of chopping stuff on a shooting board.

I agree.

To me bench hooks are something you knock together as needed and throw away when they take too many hits.

An accurate shooting board is something that requires a larger investment in time and often in materials and should be looked after. If it is on an incline, as they often are, they don't make very good bench hooks anyway.

Any time that I have invested time in cutting super-accurate mitre cuts into a bench hook, that benchhook (and its outriggers) generally earn protected status as well and it gets put away until it is needed for that purpose again.

John and Doug, the whole idea is to make this bench hook as quickly and as efficiently as possible ... with spot-on accuracy for the shooting board thrown in. It must be cheap - using scraps - otherwise we will not see it as a consumable and feel comfortable chopping on it.


How to make:


1. flat board (pine, MDF, ply). I used a scrap of maple.


2. glue or screw another smaller piece on top to become the main platform. Leave space at one side for the runway.


3. Run the shooting plane down the runway against the platform. This will straighten it and also create a ledge for the sole of the plane to ride against.


4. Add the fence: use a little glue to attach a fence square to the runway. Align with a square. Keep the square against it until it dries. Once dried, you can add screws if you want. I don't bother. Note that I glued on a second fence section. I just did not have a thick enough piece.


5. Add the side fence: place the shooting plane on the runway at one end and position the side fence against it. Move the plane back-and-forth until the side fence is positioned. I screwed it down, which enables it to be moved, if necessary.


6. Add the kerf for sawing: mark the vertical and horizontal square lines across the fence, and saw this with the saw you plan to use (I saw the two lines at the same time. Or you could also use a knife to scribe the likes deeply to act as a kerf for the saws blade to run in). That will keep the kerf tight and prevent the saw from wandering in the cut. You could also clamp a square block against the fence to act as a guide to get this cut made accurately. It is worth the few extra seconds to get it square.


7. Lastly the extension: Plan ahead - make the board about 3" wider than you need, then take it to the table saw and rip a 3" strip from the side opposite the runway (no, I did not do this here - I wasn't planning ahead enough!). That will become the extension.


All this should take 10-15 minutes, tops. The bench hook should last several months. Don't be afraid to chop on it. Use it up! You can/will make another.


Regards from Perth


Derek

Great idea to combine a bench hook, shooting board and 90* mitre box into a single tool - certainly saves on bench real estate and time.

Like Doug, I prefer to have two auxiliary bench hooks to better support longer and more flexible timber pieces.