Micheal Connor Woodwork - Gramercy Tools

HOLDFASTS Before the advent of the modern vice, holdfasts used to come in all sorts of sizes. Workbenches were covered with holes top and side for clamping work everywhere. The holdfast was sufficiently important to rate almost half a page in Moxon's Mechanicks Exercises (1678 - the first book on woodworking in English). But by the middle of the 19th century, as regular vices of all sorts of designs became more popular, the holdfast disappeared from view. It may be that the old ones were all hand forged and forged locally - to the best of our knowledge we have never seen a forged holdfast listed in any tool catalogue in the 19th century. But we digress. We have been using holdfasts of one sort or another since we started woodworking and our bench has also been drilled with 3/4" holes for this purpose. But the only holdfasts we could get were cast ones, which aren't very good, or really expensive hand forged ones, which can be quite nice, but also variable and expensive.

So about a year ago, after getting a shipment of cast holdfasts that were so brittle as to be totally useless (though inexpensive), we gave up and started thinking about solutions. We ended up designing a tool ourselves: a modern holdfast, made of modern formed wire, in a modern factory. They work great and are pretty inexpensive.

The best part of holdfasts is how fast they work. You hit them on the top of the arm to lock them and on the side of the stem to loosen. In general they are used (and work even better) in pairs.

The holdfast is designed for 3/4" hole in a workbench top of a 1 3/4" thick or thicker. 6 1/2" reach. Maximum clamping 7 1/4" in a 2" thick benchtop. Patent Pending. Made in USA.

Note: we have discovered that while the holdfasts work great they will work even better and in more benches if you just rub a little 150 or 220 sandpaper around the stems (not up and down, round and round)

"Holdfasts that really work...The masterminds at Gramercy Tools have patented a process for making a holdfast that works extraordinarily well for an equally extraordinary price - Buy a pair. It will change your workholding for the better - instantly. (5 out of 5 stars)."- Popular Woodworking

Finally! A holdfast which works and is priced reasonably." - Frank Klausz

	BOW SAW KITS A good bow saw is a wonderful thing. A good blade in a nice frame is an even MORE wonderful thing. Making a bow saw or a frame saw or even a small coping saw isn't difficult as long as you have the right hardware. Here is the right hardware. We designed these brass pins for a turning saw of our own design that uses 12" cross-pined blades (just like coping saw blades only longer). We also wanted to be able to handle a range of blade sizes, so these pins have a hook for cross-pinned blades, as well as a 1/16" hole for mounting drilled blades. The slot for the blades is .030". Our blades and coping saw blades will fit easily in the slot. For thicker blades you can always grind the ends a little thinner. The pins have a wide shoulder to take the tension of the saw. Behind the shoulder the shaft has grooves and a flat for an interference fit so once a handle is glued in, it will not twist or pull off. Overall the pins are about 2 3/4" of which the front part of the shaft with the hook is 1 7/8" long.
	Tip: When performing delicate work, or sawing a very tight curve, there is a tendency to shorten your saw stroke. Try, instead to use a full stroke, even sawing in place, as you turn tight corners. Since the blade is fastened at its ends, the longer stroke will convey your angle of cut to the wood more completely rather than letting the thin blade twist up in the middle. This will help you cut faster and more accurately. Don't forget to keep your index finger forward. *When we say "bow saw" we mean it in the English and American traditional sense - a small frame saw with a narrow blade for curves, piercing, and other intricate work. Another term commonly used is "turning saw." Link to Bow Saw Construction Tips
	COMPLETE SAWS Micheal Connor Woodwork Bow Saws are made in Australia from Australian Timber using the Gramercy Tools Bow Saw Kit components. There's been a big revolution in handsaws lately and now everyone knows how wonderful a good saw is if it's done right. However, nearly the whole revival has been with various permutations of backsaws. Well, sometimes you have to cut a curve. That's what a bow saw is for.
These differ from the stocky European frame saws used on the continent for cutting just about everything. In the US and in England, where bulkier cutting is historically accomplished with big handsaws, "bow saws" or "turning saws" evolved with thinner, lighter frames, and very narrow blades for cutting tight curves. Gramercy Tools went to original historical materials, did a lot of research (click here), and came up with what they think is an optimum design. The saw looks conspicuously like a 200 year old saw, confirming a long-held suspicions that 18th century craftsmen really knew what they were doing. Besides the frame, the important thing for a turning saw is having a very narrow blade. The blades are only about 1/8" wide at their widest. They are also quite thin. The biggest problem found with recent bow saw incarnations was that their blades, usually culled from band saw stock, were altogether too wide. With Gramercy Tools blades you can easily cut a really tight radius. They work like coping saw blades, with a cross-pin to hook them in place, so that you can change a blade easily. If you're doing any pierced work, this is really the way to go. Micheal Connor Woodwork chose Black Wattle for the saw. It's strong and flexible and makes a lightweight saw that you will find nimble and responsive in use. Even the subtle shape of our toggle makes it very easy to tighten up, even easy to over-tighten, a considerable improvement over stiff modern mechanisms. The Micheal Connor Woodwork Bow Saw comes with an assortment of three 12" long blades: 10, 18, and 24tpi. The maximum depth of cut of the saw is 6". Link to Design Considerations