Popular Woodworking 2006-06 № 155, страница 45

is mounted on the movable jaw of the vise. While I like bench dogs for some tasks, handplaning all of the stock for a large piece of casework is time consuming, and the bench dogs slow down the work flow because the vise is opened and closed each time the stock is repositioned or swapped out for the next piece. In contrast, the use of a drop-down stop can be a real time-saver.

There are several methods for holding stock on edge for planing. The easiest solution is to use the drop-down bench stop. To steady a narrow workpiece on edge you can slide it into a V-block clamped to the bench near the stop. The wedging action of the tapered jaws of the V-block will prevent the workpiece from tipping as you push the plane over the narrow edge. Wide stock can be placed in the vise; this will lower the position of the workpiece to a more comfortable height for planing. If the workpiece is long, such as the stile of a tall corner cabinet, I'll secure the opposite end with a large handscrew clamp.

Sometimes I'll band saw my own veneer for small boxes or drawer fronts. Holding the thin veneer as I smooth away the band saw marks can be a challenge. One solution is to use a pair of small brass nails or escutcheon pins as a stop. I don't really want nail holes in my benchtop so I drive the pins into an offcut of plywood instead. Then I position the plywood against the drop-down stop. To prevent the plane from striking the pin I drive the head of the pin slightly lower than the thickness of the veneer.

Plywood is also useful for holding drawers when planing them to fit. Fine, inset drawers are constructed the same size as the drawer opening. After assembly, each drawer is painstakingly handplaned to fit its opening.

Fitting traditional drawers typically requires you to plane the side to fit the drawer's opening. But clamping a drawer in your bench vise can wrack it, destroying the joints at the corners. A scrap of plywood and a couple clamps can be rigged up to effectively hold almost any drawer.

Placing the drawer in a vise to hold it while planing would rack it and cause it to break under the severe stress. Instead, I suspend the drawer over the edge of the bench on a piece of plywood that has been secured to the benchtop. The plywood holds the drawer securely without the slightest risk of racking and damaging the drawer. After fitting, the drawer bottom is slid into place in the bottom groove.

Octagonal chair legs and bed posts can be easily secured for planing by cradling them in a V-block. Another method that works well is to first secure the square portion of the post in the vise. As you push the plane with one hand, use the other hand to support the post and pull it upward against the sole of the plane.

Here's one way I shape octagonal parts: I secure the square section in my bench vise and plane the shape with one hand pushing the plane and the other supporting the stock below.

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