Popular Woodworking 2009-04 № 175, страница 14
Jig Journal BY ROBERT W. LANG Hold Handwork Without a Vise Get started with hand tools without spending a bundle on a bench or vise. Simple solution. A vise is nice, but don't let the lack of one keep you from getting started with hand tools. This simple device will hold work vertically for cutting joints by hand. thing is to acquire skills before you accumulate tools. Then you can load up on the fancy stuff knowing why you absolutely need six or seven different saws, and you'll be able to use them appropriately. In our November 2007 issue (#165), we wrote about a basic bench hook, a simple work-holding device for makingcuts in wood held horizontally. This fixture is a bench hook turned 90° so you can hold work vertically to cut dovetails or tenons. Start with a piece ofVV-thick solid wood or plywood, about 6" wide x 12" long, as a base. Glue a 3A" x 3A" strip along one long edge. On the opposite side, glue and screw the thickest piece of wood you can find to t he 6" x 12" piece. I used a piece of 2 x4, about 12" long. Attach it so that a couple inches of the base extend beyond the long edge ofthe cross-piece. When the glue hascompletely dried, clamp the cross-piece to the edge of a solid, flat surface with a clamp on each end. If you have a bench, use that. If not, use anything handy and solid, such as a machine table or even your kitchen counter. Take your workpiece and with a third clamp, fix it to the jig with one edge tight ^/V-thick solid wood or plywood, about 6" wide x 12" long VERTICAL BENCH HOOK A / V major stumbling block on the road to enjoyable woodworking is "lackoltoolapho-bia," the fear of not beingable to do something without the best possible tool available. Common among power-tool woodworkers, it can alsos:rike the would-be Neanderthal. A basic skill such as sawing to a line can take you a long way in woodworking. If you practice, then cuttingstraight and where you want to isn't that demanding. If you can make cuts repeatedly and consistently, how hard could it be to hand-cut a dovetail or a tenon? You can satisfy that curiosity without investing in a state-of-the-art bench equipped with a fancy vise. Some scraps of wood and a few clamps will get you started. You will need a saw, but you'll need some experience before you can tell the difference between a good saw and a bad one. When you start to add hand-tool skills to your woodworking repertoire, the important 22 ■ Popular Woodworking April 2009 l IAD PHOTO BV Al PAKRIStl; ILLUSTRATION BY ROMRT W. LANG |
