In its most basic state a bench hook is basically just three pieces of wood attached in such a way that they are able to use gravity to hold your work still as you are sawing planing or chiseling.
Woodworking bench hook. Bench stops and hooks work by preventing a workpiece from wandering while dressing it with a hand tool. When the glue dries you re ready to go to work. The bench hook is without question one of the most indispensable tools in my wood shop. Attach the bench stop.
It s deceptively sophisticated and exceptionally simple to make. May 23 2019 explore dustynbuckingha s board easy woodworking ideas on pinterest. The scale helps you cut short bits to length. How to build a bench hook.
A bench hook is a simple wooden appliance that hooks against a workbench s edge and is used to hold pieces of wood while you cut them with a cross cut back saw. That will only make it slippery and difficult get hooked. Remember why bench hooks work. Dimension square up a piece of scrap lumber.
Early bench hooks were made from one piece of wood. The bed fence and hook were all sawn from a single piece of thick stock. Later bench hooks were made from three pieces of wood but the grain of the fence and the hook were at 90 to that of the bed so your bench hook could self destruct thank you seasonal expansion and contraction before the appliance got completely chewed up by your saw. They use the gravity of the forward motion of your saw to hold the bench hook snug to the bench.
Not only do these great tools improve the safety of all of those tasks they also allow for much greater accuracy. Don t apply a film finish to the bench hook. This handy addition to your shooting board will perform the same function only the forward force of pushing your hand plane will be what holds the shooting board against the bench. Because a bench hook is a woodworking appliance that is built to take abuse there is no need to use a nice piece of lumber.
With your bench hook assembled mark a scale on its fence in 1 2 or 1 4 increments. In many cases this mechanical advantage provides all of the holding power you ll require to complete a particular task without the need for additional levers or hold downs. It s a great choice for a first time hand tool only project.