Basser425

I started a question about T-Track placment on a bench and no one really answered my question, so I will try another angle on this. Presumably it makes little difference if one uses traditional bench dog and similar hold downs or the T-Track system... they all are designed to assist in holding the project to the bench... same for bench boards...
1.is there any rule of thumb on location on these hold downs? especially in reference to face mounted vices?
2.with a face vise.... how do you guys support the OTHER end on the board? Seems like anything 3+ times longer than the width of your vise jaws will start moving around?

I am hand planing some edges on material for face frames, as well as flattening out the rough cut material and currently just clamping it with hand clamps to a 4X8 sheet of ply mounted on 1X3 frame on a saw horse arrangement. It works but barely!!! I can use the under side of the ply( the actual 1X3 frame to side clamp the boards for edge work... and the top of the table for flat surface work.....I am trying to translate all of this to my work bench(under modification) and placment of a vise and hold down placments. even these expensive work bench kits seem to have NO accommodation for holding the OTHER end of longer pieces of wood.
Andy

Gerry KIERNAN

Hi Andy

In my old shop[prior to moving here] I had two woodworking vises, with ten inch jaws, mounted about four feet apart on my work bench. It was easy to clamp a fairly long board and do edge planing that way. The vises came with me, but I haven't yet built a new work bench, so they are still sitting on a shelf. One of my projects in planning. I have, since coming here, purchased tee tracks with fittings, as well as a set of four bench stops. Hopefully some one else in the forum comes up with some good ideas for placement, or we will have to wing it.

Gerry

Wood4Fun

I'm definately not an expert in this area, but I have an opinion :)

1. I don't think so. Put the track where it makes sense to you. I think a lot depends on the type of work you do. If you are working with larger stuff, it might make sense to put the track farther way, smaller stuff would dictate the opposite. I use those old school holdfast things that look like a big hook... where you insert one end into the table, position the arm over your piece, and whack it with a hammer. If I don't have a good hole to use for the particular work I am doing, I break out my drill and make a new hole where it makes sense.

2. If I didn't have a second vice on the othe end (which I don't), I'd probably use a clamp on the far end. be creative. It doesn't have to be done the same way as the next guy, as long as it works. I've been thinking about drilling a hole through the leg of my bench so I can use one of my afore mentioned clamps for just this sort of thing... but I haven't had a piece to work with that dictated doing that yet.

user4178

After reading your other post and this post it seems to me that part of your problem is the vise isn't wide enough. Under the price of the vise is a instruction link that shows a workbench in various stages of operation. http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...14&cat=1,41659 I hope this answers your question in one way or another.

Basser425

I THINK this is how I will go. the vise is on the left side, but not at the very end of the table. I have 2 tracks placed 6" from the ends of each side of the vise. front of the table is the pict with drawers showing... have to build the door fronts.




[IMG]http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/picture.php?albumid=154&pictureid=920[IMG]

Basser425

my problem is that I never worked on a real workbench with a good vise and hold downs, so I have no idea what should work or not. I do appreciate all comments and suggestions though, thanks
Andy