I've recently purchased some holdfasts for my woodworking bench and drilled holes into it to use them. While they're strong enough to lift my bench, I've noticed that whenever I put a workpiece in place and apply pressure, it tends to rotate quite easily. Is this due to not pounding the holdfasts in enough, or is it possible that my bench (which has a plywood top and MDF layers) isn't suitable? I often see people effortlessly using their holdfasts while I am struggling to keep everything in place.
2 Answers
To keep your workpiece from rotating, you definitely need at least two points of contact. Simply using one holdfast isn't enough because it can’t resist lateral forces well. If you can add another holdfast or a planing stop, that should help a lot. It’s all about distributing the pressure.
Exactly! I usually set my workpiece against two bench dogs, then whack the holdfast down. It holds perfectly while I plane away.
Have you considered using shoes with your holdfasts? You can attach blocks of wood or glue leather to the ends to help grip your workpiece better. Also, the plywood or MDF might not hold as well as a solid bench top. Make sure the holes in your bench are slightly larger than the holdfast's shaft for the best grip. If your bench top is too thick, that could also reduce holding power—about 4 inches is usually the limit you want to stick to for effective holding.
Totally agree! A doe's foot works well too, as it rotates and locks the piece down when you apply pressure.