Originally Posted by
Steve Voigt
Jim,
Back when Benchcrafted was selling parallel guide hardware, they had a diagram for this. Three rows with 15/16" between holes, thus there is a hole every 5/16".
However, I've never seen this arrangement on an older bench. What I've seen, and what I've done myself, is two rows of holes 1" on center, so there is a hole every 1/2". I've never regretted this. A benefit most people might not consider is that it's very easy to count off the holes and put the pin in the right hole without guessing. Harder to do this with the three hole system.
In response to my friends Ken and Ron, I have to say: I always chuckle at those hand tool woodworkers who think nothing of spending tons of time resawing or planing by hand, yet they somehow find the five seconds it takes to adjust a parallel guide to be a dealbreaker.
The crisscross is a nice piece of kit; by all means get one if it floats your boat. But the parallel guide is a sturdy, effective solution that has worked for centuries. I have no plans to replace mine.