DCT Bench Holdfast Woodworking Tools – 8in Bench Holdfast Clamps Woodworking Bench Holddown Clamps, 2 Pack

I'm just starting out with hand tool woodworking and needed to save money where I can. I needed a pair of holdfasts, but couldn't justify forged holdfasts. These have worked quite well under daily use carving and general woodwork and I'm quite happy, especially for the price. They hold tight to my dog holes and release when tapped from behind. So far, they show no signs of giving up, as some cast holdfasts do. The only change I've made to them is to glue some leather to the pads to protect the wood, rather than buy slip-on pads that might fall off, but adding pads is common for all holdfasts that don't have them. I'm very happy with this purchase!

Love these and I use them daily on my workshop table. I bought 2 to knock into dog holes in my bench to hold down limber quick and easy as I do this or that with a piece. Recommend a rubber mallet to knock ‘em in and to knock ‘em back to vertical so you can remove. Probably does not replace a good clamp but it is great at roughly securing stuff you are working on

When I first tried these out on my table they felt VERY loose in the hole and wouldn't grab and did not work at all. I measured the shaft diameter (0.67") and was angry because that's way less than the 3/4" that the product listed. I found other people has the same issue with these: way too loose and wouldn't hold. Then I started reading around to see what the deal is. Even the very nice $100 holdfasts have similar shaft diameter for 3/4" dog holes. For me, the problem was not the holdfast diameter, it was the thickness of my table (4"+). You actually need a relatively thin table for these to work. I counter-bored the holes from below down to about 2" and now the holdfasts work perfectly. If that doesn't work for you, you can try roughing up the shaft with some 40 grit sand paper or marring up the surface some how. One other comment: these are cast, rather than forged, and so they don't have the strength you'd expect from a more expensive product. We'll see how long they last...

Works really well. The first ones I grab.

Solid and strong. Unlike some similar products this won't shatter off dropped on a concrete floor.

These are great. I wish I had ordered some sooner. They hold strong. I can pick up my work bench with the wood these are holding down.

Tried the 3/4" dog size as reccomended, tried the next size down and up. Tried it with 1.5" bench thickness, 2.5", and 3.5" and every combination thereof. Tried filing the seams like suggested and tried all the hole sizes again. The only way it would hold is if I absolutely wailed on it (enough to snap off the boards I had glued on to add bench thickness) and even then only about as well as a paperweight. Maybe I'm missing something as I've never used a hold fast before, but I just couldn't figure it out and ended up returning.

The top actually touches the workpiece is not flat, but rather uneven, which will dent the workpiece unless you grind it flat or always use sacrificial wood pieces.

I alike the price I put leather round the rest to stop slipping.

Fabricados en Taiwan, de los dos piezas, uno entro muy ajustado en un agujero de 11/16, el otro no entro en el mismo agujero :-(

jederzeit wieder

Do not work as described by the seller I do not hold anything at all they come loose Everything