Holdfasts By Gramercy Tools

Before the advent of the modern vise, 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, are pretty inexpensive, and have a low profile that won’t get in the way of your woodworking.

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. Patented. 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 Tools for Working Wood 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