looking for some good hold fasts

larry merlau

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Location
Delton, Michigan
dont want the rockler ones that seem to be breaking.. and have looked at the highland hardware ones but dont know how they stand up either..and of you using them what and where do i go to find them thanks in advance.. or if using regular clamps instead is better in your eyes then let me know your thoughts on that as well
 
Larry,
I don't use a hold down very often, so usually just use one of my regular clamps, but if you need something to permanently install, Grizzly has a variety that you might find one you like.
 
chuck ,, i am using clamps now and have found that they arent cutting it for some applications.. the ones that bill satko showed in his new bench are what ia m looking for or similar idea... not looking for permant type need to move them around for other projects:)
 
Another recommendation for Gramercy holdfasts. They work great and are inexpensive. I would also like to get a pair of hand forged holdfasts. Phil Koontz is probably the guy I am going to contact. Here is the link to his web page with his contact info. Ignore where it says that they are out of stock. He does not update his website. You can google his name and "holdfast" and see more information from others on his product.

http://www.galenavillageblacksmith.com/contactus.html
 
I use holddowns a lot. In my work I like to grab the piece I am working on in a little more controlled fashion as I mostly use holddowns on 'close to finished' parts as opposed to rough stock. For the smack-in kind the Gramercy ones Stu mentions get consistent high praise as far as I have read. I bought some F-style clamps on sale at Harbor Freight, cut the ends off and made these:
 

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I bought some F-style clamps on sale at Harbor Freight, cut the ends off and made these:

For one small improvement to your mod, drill a hole thru the clamp's beam, at just the height of the bench top. Then, insert a dowel or a bolt in that hole to keep the clamp's beam from dropping down thru the dog hole.
 
now those would work well in my situation i have some surface area where i cant get deep enough and yet those would work to hold things in place. thanks glenn.. now i will be near a harbor fright place this week as well.:)
 
+1 to the gramercy ones they are amazing and Glenn you can position them with accuracy if you have many holes in your bench and i use a piece of wood to protect the piece below even though they dont usualy mark the wood themselves if treated properly.

Great idea you got and i like Jims mod too. Thats one thing i can see as a big big plus. Kinda reminds me of those pins Record used to put on their bar clamps to keep them handy for stopping the one side of the clamp. :thumb:

So are the Harbor freight bar clamps any good to clamp with because while you have cut the end off you still have the basic clamping mechanism being the same and the grip on the bar i have experienced on cheaper F clamps has always been an issue.?? If so why do we not all buy HF bar clamps instead of Bessy ones??/
 
If so why do we not all buy HF bar clamps instead of Bessy ones??/
Same answer as all HF questions; there are diamonds in the rough ;-) These blue krinkle painted ones do pretty well for this purpose although I did twist the handle off one of them with almost no effort (the others are still going strong). That's the price you pay for "cheap". We all do things differently but, in general I wouldn't spend any money on f-style clamps anymore as I find them generally a pain compared to parallel clamps.
 
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