when you say hammer " are you talking sledge hammer or tack hammer ?Originally Posted by Bob Glenn
after you pound holdfast in the same hole for a thousand time WILL the dog hole enlarged
Contributor
when you say hammer " are you talking sledge hammer or tack hammer ?
after you pound holdfast in the same hole for a thousand time WILL the dog hole enlarged
Contributor
Whatever I have handy, usually my wooden mallet Mjolnir, but sometimes a hammer. It doesn't really matter, as you shouldn't have to club the thing to death to get it to hold.
Your endgrain is like your bellybutton. Yes, I know you have it. No, I don't want to see it.
My favorites are: Veritas Cabinetmakers mallet (metal head with wood inserts 18oz.), heavy, homemade froe mallet made from a 2-2.5" white oak log, handle whittled with drawknife & spokeshave, THOR Mallet with nylon heads (can be swapped for other types of heads, including leather).
Last edited by Mike Holbrook; 05-16-2014 at 2:28 PM.
Member
A thought... A friend of mine was using a hammer, striking another metal object, not a nail, and a flake of the struck object about the size of your pinky finger nail came off and went straight into his eye. He lost 100% sight in that eye. All my life I've known of that hazard in the back of my mind. But you often don't give it much thought. After my friends incident, when it comes to striking metal on metal, using safety glasses is in the forefront of my mind now. I don't know about most of you, but working at the bench with a hand plane, I'm not wearing safety glasses. So using a metal hammer on a holdfast would be disruptiv to the work flow for me.
“Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyway”
- John Wayne (1907-1979)
[OP]
Contributor
Thanks Joe. Your story is sobering. I think that was George Wilson's concern too - metal debris.
Fred
Member
I watched a video on line today in which Chris Schwartz hit a hold fast with a steel hammer in every instance where he used a hold fast. I have seen Roy Underhill use a wooden mallet when hitting his holdfadt.
Personally, I would hate to ruin my wooden mallet by hitting a holdfast or risk a metal chip shearing off or ruining the peen of my nail hammer by using it to hit a holdfast. I will stick to using my dedicated dead blow mallet to hit my holdfast.
if it ain't broke, you're not tryin'
Quando omni flunkus, moritati.
Red Green
Contributor
If you could drill and tap your holdfast FOR a drawbolt that would keep it tight
[OP]
Contributor
I just happened to have one like this that I bought online someplace. Tried it today and it worked super!
Thanks to all who gave me advice here. Much appreciated!
Fred
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”
In Schwarz's video "The Workbench" he uses what may look like a metal hammer on his holdfasts. The tool is actually a Veritas Cabinetmaker's Mallet, which does have a metal body, but closer inspection reveals that there are actually wood inserts in both striking faces. There are quite a few old mallets that have metal bodies and various types of inserts in the striking surfaces. I even have an "antique" metal mallet with leather striking surfaces, with Holbrook in big raised letters on the side. The more "modern" THOR mallets offer metal heads with a variety of nylon, rubber, leather...threaded inserts that provide a multitude of striking surfaces. THOR mallets and hammers are available with an astonishing variety of handle, head and striking options.
Last edited by Mike Holbrook; 05-18-2014 at 3:36 AM.
Contributor
I suggest the Wood is Good mallets for hitting holdfasts. Nothing gets hurt and they aren't noisy doing it. Here is one source:
http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/s...m/EE-170-10.XX
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