Copper pipe as an alternative for holdfast clamps?
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10 February 2014 at 1:51 pm #27593
I couldn’t find holdfast clamps for sale in Europe so I was thinking that maybe I could replace them by bending a copper pipe in more or less the same shape:
http://www.galoototron.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/mortise_holdfast.jpg
Bending a copper pipe isn’t very difficult, either by using a special tool or by filling the pipe with sand. But that’s of course because copper is a soft metal. On the other hand, the spring of the copper pipe could be sufficient to work as a clamp. Any thoughts?
10 February 2014 at 2:43 pm #27594Even if a copper pipe had the strength to hold down your workpiece, I’m not sure it would withstand being hit by a hammer.
My guess is it would collapse/bend as soon as you try locking your holdfast down.
10 February 2014 at 3:18 pm #27596Just will not work copper just dose no have the strength to sustain its shape being hit by hammer.
I totally agree with Dave.10 February 2014 at 3:52 pm #27599Paul wrote a blog post about using common F-style clamps for holdfasts.
http://paulsellers.com/2013/03/13753/Steven, I’m with the rest here, i don’t think Copper would work very well, however if you have a piece handy, give it a shot and let us know how it worked. I wouldn’t go buy it to experiment. You could probably get so e high carbon steel bar much cheaper than copper and hand form them yourself.
Hi Steven.
Just to let you know I was able to get gramercy holdfasts from Dieter Schmidt. They were fairly priced with reasonable postage to uk but I think they deliver throughout Europe.
http://www.fine-tools.com/holdfast.html
Might be of some help. Richard Maguire of Maguires workbenches sell some as well12 February 2014 at 7:00 am #27734After watching Paul’s video on making the blades for the wooden hand plane, I thought about this same problem. I’m in Australia, so old items are a rarity, and new stuff is exorbitantly expensive.
I was going to try buying some lengths of rebar and forging some simple holdfasts. It’s certainly cheaper than copper pipe, and much stronger I would imagine. Anyone know if that’s likely to work?
12 February 2014 at 8:02 am #27735[quote quote=27734]After watching Paul’s video on making the blades for the wooden hand plane, I thought about this same problem. I’m in Australia, so old items are a rarity, and new stuff is exorbitantly expensive.
I was going to try buying some lengths of rebar and forging some simple holdfasts. It’s certainly cheaper than copper pipe, and much stronger I would imagine. Anyone know if that’s likely to work?
[/quote]I hadn’t thought about rebar. Isn’t it going to damage the dog hole though?
12 February 2014 at 9:07 am #27739I wouldn’t have thought so. Holdfasts are traditionally made out of iron anyway, and the metal in rebar is not particularly hard… it’s more kind of springy. If you sized it appropriately to your dog holes, the gentle tap used to set the Holdfast should just pinch the sides of the hole.
I could be completely wrong though.
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