Help, My Holdfasts Don't Hold!!!

[Stew Hagerty]

OK, I inherited it from my father-in-law a few years ago, and I had been wanting to plane the top of my bench for a long time. So yesterday the mood struck me and away I went.

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Once I was done Planing and Scraping, I applied some traditional Beeswax (and about 15% Carnuba Wax)/BLO/Turpentine (Actually I substitute Low-Odor Mineral Spirits)

Before applying the finish I inserted TWW wooden dogs into my round dog holes.

Well here is the problem:

Even though the dogs were there, it appears as though some of the finish must have worked its way down into the holes because no my Gramercy Holdfasts no longer hold. And I don't mean a hole here or there, I haven't found a single one that they will grab in!!!

I tried wrapping sandpaper around a dowel and running it through. I tried running a Dremel sanding disc through. I tried adding some mineral spirits while running the Dremel disc through. It still won't grab.

HELP!!!!!!:eek:

[Steve Friedman]

Stew,

Not sure if this will help, but I had problems with the Grammercy holdfasts until I started using leather pads on them. If you haven't tried that, I would. I'm not discounting the wax as a possible factor, but I doubt that a little wax in the hole could be the cause. My guess is that the problem is your newly flat and slick benchtop. If the leather pads don't work, try that a some anti-skid rubber stuff under the board. Eventually the top with get scratched and dinged and your holdfasts will work again.

One more thing. I know there's disagreement about this, but I find that the holdfasts really need to be wacked pretty hard to work well and find that using a steel hammer makes a big difference. I know many people think that's in poor form, but it works much better than a wooden mallet for me.

Good luck,

Steve

[Stew Hagerty]

Stew,

Not sure if this will help, but I had problems with the Grammercy holdfasts until I started using leather pads on them. If you haven't tried that, I would. I'm not discounting the wax as a possible factor, but I doubt that a little wax in the hole could be the cause. My guess is that the problem is your newly flat and slick benchtop. If the leather pads don't work, try that a some anti-skid rubber stuff under the board. Eventually the top with get scratched and dinged and your holdfasts will work again.

One more thing. I know there's disagreement about this, but I find that the holdfasts really need to be wacked pretty hard to work well and find that using a steel hammer makes a big difference. I know many people think that's in poor form, but it works much better than a wooden mallet for me.

Good luck,

Steve

Thanks for the ideas Steve.

However, I have had and used these Gramercy Holdfasts for 2-3 years now with no problems whatsoever. Until today!

What happens, is that when I whack them, they just bounce right back. Even if I try to hold them to reduce the bounce, they remain loose without the slightest attempt at grabbing.

I have a lot of work to get done and I really don't have time for this, so of course NOW is when this happens to me!

[Jussi Auvinen]

Check this http://www.theenglishwoodworker.com/?p=1329

[Steve Friedman]

Thanks for the ideas Steve.

However, I have had and used these Gramercy Holdfasts for 2-3 years now with no problems whatsoever. Until today!

What happens, is that when I whack them, they just bounce right back. Even if I try to hold them to reduce the bounce, they remain loose without the slightest attempt at grabbing.

I have a lot of work to get done and I really don't have time for this, so of course NOW is when this happens to me!

Then maybe it's just back luck to flatten one's bench.

Steve

[Stew Hagerty]

Then maybe it's just back luck to flatten one's bench.

Steve

Oh thanks Steve! That's a big help.

At least I didn't break the corner off.

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[Stew Hagerty]

Check this http://www.theenglishwoodworker.com/?p=1329

Jussi,

I gave this a shot and it worked. The holdfasts don't slide into the holes so easily as it expanded their overall diameter (well in the front to back direction at least). But, they sure do grip now. Thank you!!!

[Dan Hintz]

Stew,

Out of curiosity, what grit sandpaper did you use and in what direction did you shift it? I would expect something very low, like 40-60 grit, twisted sideways (rather than up/down) to provide the greatest grip. I guess we'll never know, now, though, since the peening seems to have worked for you.

[Stew Hagerty]

Stew,

Out of curiosity, what grit sandpaper did you use and in what direction did you shift it? I would expect something very low, like 40-60 grit, twisted sideways (rather than up/down) to provide the greatest grip. I guess we'll never know, now, though, since the peening seems to have worked for you.

I used 80 grit and I wrapped it around a 3/4" dowel so it was a tight fit. Because it was so tight, I kind of spiralled it down in. Although it was a pretty shallow spiral, so the scratches would have been nearly horizontal.

[Rob Luter]

I roughed up the shafts of my holdfasts with coarse sandpaper and it worked great. Wrap it around and spin the holdfast. It creates little grooves perpendicular to the axis of the shaft. They hold good and tight now.

[Hilton Ralphs]

I used 80 grit and I wrapped it around a 3/4" dowel so it was a tight fit. Because it was so tight, I kind of spiralled it down in. Although it was a pretty shallow spiral, so the scratches would have been nearly horizontal.

There's the problem, you were supposed to rough up the hold fasts, not your bench dog holes.

[george wilson]

Hit the back edges of your holdfasts with a gunsmith's checkering file,a coarse one. Possibly hit them with a thread restoring file from any auto supply. They will cut to some degree on a round surface,though their teeth have no relief. Should be enough
tooth" generated for the holdfasts to work. I did this many years ago and it worked just fine.