B ench hooks are used with a work- bench to hold wood while it is sawn. They serve a couple of important functions—they allow stock to be safely and effectively held as it is sawn, and pre- vent accidental contact between the saw and workbench or vise. The saw will dam- age the workbench, and accidental contact with the vise will quickly damage a saw. So the use of bench hooks both provides safety for the students and allows us to get better use from our investment in tools. At Clear Spring School, we’ve gone through a number of bench hooks of vari- ous designs. Our kids are just learning, and saw cuts can wander off lines and out of grooves, making bench hooks less accurate over time. This year, instead of just replac- ing the old worn ones, I decided to redesign and improve. This new model is designed to give the students a better grip on the stock, offer better control during the cut, and provide for exact duplication of parts through the use of stop blocks. Another advantage of this new design is that it pro- vides a clear place for the left hand to rest during the cut with a wall of safety between it and the blade. There is always a trade-off in learning. Measuring and marking each piece of wood with pencil and square works well for proj- ects where only one or two parts are required, but when there are a number of WOODWORK 00 APRIL 2007 A BEGINNER’S BENCH HOOK Some clever modifications make this a handy aid for kids BY DOUG STOWE
Transcript
Bench hooks are used with a work-bench to hold wood while it is sawn.They serve a couple of important
functions—they allow stock to be safelyand effectively held as it is sawn, and pre-vent accidental contact between the sawand workbench or vise. The saw will dam-age the workbench, and accidental contactwith the vise will quickly damage a saw. Sothe use of bench hooks both provides safetyfor the students and allows us to get better
use from our investment in tools.At Clear Spring School, we’ve gone
through a number of bench hooks of vari-ous designs. Our kids are just learning, andsaw cuts can wander off lines and out ofgrooves, making bench hooks less accurateover time. This year, instead of just replac-ing the old worn ones, I decided to redesignand improve. This new model is designedto give the students a better grip on thestock, offer better control during the cut,
and provide for exact duplication of partsthrough the use of stop blocks. Anotheradvantage of this new design is that it pro-vides a clear place for the left hand to restduring the cut with a wall of safety betweenit and the blade.
There is always a trade-off in learning.Measuring and marking each piece of woodwith pencil and square works well for proj-ects where only one or two parts arerequired, but when there are a number of
W O O D W O R K 00 A P R I L 2 0 0 7
A BEGINNER’SBENCH HOOKSome clever modifications make this a handy aid for kids
BY DOUG STOWE
parts that must all be the same length, theuse of a stop block on the improved benchhook gives square cuts and precise lengths.While it eliminates some of the repetitionof measuring and marking, it also elimi-nates error and gives the student greaterspeed and confidence in the work
We use Japanese pull saws from Vaughanand Bushnell Manufacturing. These saws,called Bear Saws, have a stiffer blade and areable to handle more abuse than a dozukisaw. To assist in accurate placement of thesaw in the bench hook, magnets inset in thehinged guide piece hold the saw blade inposition as it slides back and forth in mak-ing the cut. The improved bench hook canbe assembled in mirror image for use byleft-handed students
To make the bench hook, begin by cut-ting the various parts to size. The parts neednot be exactly sized to the same dimensionsas the bench hooks we use at Clear Spring.We selected the width of the base based onthe maximum width of stock to be cut andthe comfortable length of travel when usingthe Bear Saw. Woodworkers using longersaws could make wider bench hooks thatwould be quite effective. Also, the length of
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Making Sloyd Trivets or Plant Stands
WHILE OUR PROGRAM at ClearSpring School isn’t modeled directly onEducational Sloyd, there are times whenwe use sloyd projects for general skill-
building. Making a sloyd trivet or plantstand as shown in Gustaf Larsson’s bookElementary Sloyd (Silver Burdett and Co.Boston, 1902) is a simple project, madea bit easier still when we consider that inGustav Larsson’s instructions the stu-
dents sized the stock to width as well aslengths using hand tools.
For this project at Clear Spring, thematerials were prepared to width andthickness from scrap 2x4s, which pro-vided material that nailed easily withoutsplitting.The students carefully measure
the distance between thecut line and the stopblock and clamp it inplace. After cutting theparts to length, the stu-dents sand them smoothand nail them into thefinished trivet.While thisis a simple project, itrequires a great deal ofattention to get goodresults.And of course the
students take pride in their work.
Base supports 2 @ 5/8" x 5/8" x 5-1/2"Slats 4 @ 3/8" x 3/8" x 5-1/2"Nails 15 @ #18 gauge x 3/4"
(Round head brass-plated)
the front piece on our bench hooks is sizedfor cutting stock 12" or less, the case formost of our children’s projects. You couldmake the front piece longer or simply usethe bench hook without the stop block inplace, though this would require measur-ing and marking each piece.
After the parts are cut to size, make a cut-out in the hinged hold-down to provideclearance for the stop block. First, drill a 1-1/2" hole with a Forstner bit as indicated inthe drawing; I use a drillpress, fence and stop-block for this operation since I make severalbench hooks at a time (1). Then use thebandsaw with a fence to cut into the edge ofthe hole from two directions (2).
Next, use the drillpress to drill 3/4" holesfor the magnets to fit. Careful adjustmentof the depth is required so that the mag-nets, when glued in place, will be flush withthe surface of the wood. Note that whilemost of the bench hook is made from 3/4"Birch plywood, the facing strip is madefrom solid oak (3).
Use screws to attach the front and backto the bench hook base. While this could bedone with glue and nail gun, the screwsallow parts to be replaced as needed with-out replacing the entire bench hook. Locatethe screws some distance away from wherethe saw cut will be made. Use a spacer blockto position the base 3/4" above the work-bench while the front piece is attached (4).
This 3/4" offset provides a place for the frontpiece to be gripped by the vise during use.
Use an nail gun or screws to attach thesaw guide to the hold-down block, and thenuse a piano hinge to attach the hold-downblock to the base. I use a 1/16" thickness ofwood as a spacer between the parts whilethe screws are pre-drilled and driven inplace. This gives full range of movement tothe hinge and prevents it from bindingbefore it puts pressure on the wood (5). Usea clamp to hold the parts securely in placeas the screws are installed. The first cut withthe saw requires a great deal of attention tomake sure the blade is carefully alignedwith the saw guide. In later use, the bladewill fit easily in the pre-made saw cuts.
As final steps, glue coarse sandpaper to thebase and secure heavy weather stripping tothe underside of the hold-down. The sand-paper and the weather stripping help to keepthe stock from moving around as it is cut,giving a bit more control to young hands.
Doug Stowe is a contributing editor forWoodwork magazine.
