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Making a Holdfast for Sale…

This project is the making of a holdfast by Amos Tucker, Wilson NC. A holdfast is a wood worker’s tool used on a workbench to quickly clamp down the work. Strike the top and it wedges itself in a hole and clamps, strike the back to release. You may have seen this done on the PBS series”The Woodwright’s Shop” with Roy Underhill. These fit in a 5/8″ hole and will work in a bench 1″ to 3″ thick. I also make two other sizes, 3/4″ (my most popular) and 7/8″. The prices below are for 3/4″


Price: 3/4″ Holdfasts
1 single @ $70.00 plus shipping costs.
2 or more @ 65.00 each w/Free Shipping
12 or more @55.00 each w/Free Shipping

*Free shipping available to the lower 48 states only.
International shipping available on request at your cost.

 

Wholesale Woodworking holdfasts fo sale

I also sell these wholesale in quantities of twelve or more $55.00 each (Free Shipping) – Retail each $70.00 plus shipping. Two or more I will let you have them at $65.00 each(Free Shipping)

Holdfasts

Contact Me. Amos Tucker 252-289-7317 for wholesale.

Woodworking holdfasts for sale at the woodwrights shop school store

Or Ed Lebetkin at the Woodwright’s School store. 919-698-0230 for retail.

A 5/8″ dia. holdfast holding down a piece of oak.

 

My “story board” showing the lengths for each transition.

 

Cut a piece of 5/8″ round to 13 1/2″ long…

 

sand both ends square…

chamfer all around each end to remove burrs…

place in forge…

heat a section about 4″ long centered about 4 ” from end…

the ruler shows the length of the heated area…

 

bend over the horn of the anvil to insure a large radius…

 

a large radius is needed or the inside corner of the 90 will push in on itself and form a cold shut …

 

compare the bend (lengths of each leg) to the story board and adjust if needed. Remember each transition of the holdfast needs to match the one in the story board or the next step will not come out the same…

happy with the bend, back in the fire it goes…

a piece of brick can be used to hold your work where you want it…

on this second heat begin to define the corner by placing the short leg of the 90 beyond the edge of the anvil and striking the top of the holdfast toward you three or four times…

 

move atop the anvil setting the end of the short leg on the face and strike the back of the holdfast once or twice. At this point try not to be too agressive with the hammer blows or the legs will bend…

 

continue to go back and forth between the preceding two steps with moderate hammer blows until a defined corner appears…

check your progress against the story board. Notice the short leg is a little off…

back to the fire…

when the short leg starts to get too short (and it will) you can adjust it by placing the top of the holdfast on the face of the anvil like so and hammer the end of the long end

back to the hammer blows as before

compare again…

with a defined corner and the lengths OK, hammer harder now to finish the 90…

 

I use a power hammer for the next step so a convenience bend has to be made…

 

these next few pictures show the power hammer (a 50# new style little giant) developing the flared end of the holdfast

 

reheated, I turn the holdfast over and use the power hammer to drive in my touch mark

quickly come back to the anvil and begin to clean up where the power hammer could not reach…

 

compare to story board, looks good…

 

planish the area that will contact the wood, this is best done at a low heat…

reheat and straighten the convenience bend

while you still have some heat, quench the corner and back so they don’t move during the next step…

still hot enough to move, place top of holdfast on horn as shown and strike the end of the long end to create the first gradual curve…

slide over and make the last curve the other way…

compare to story board and adjust as needed…

 

put tip of long end in the forge….

hammer out taper on end…

wire brush scale off

quench until completely cool and sand the area that will contact the wood…

lightly oil, smile at handy work, take to market.

 

Custom Holdfasts for Sale

I have since modified my holdfasts to work better. They are a little longer with a leg that tapers from 3/4″ to 5/8″.

Still want to see more? View videos of the process? Visit our new site, www.BestHandForgedHoldfasts.com

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The Blacksmith's Anvil
252-237-4223 | 252-289-7317
amostucker@earthlink.net


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