Making a Holdfast

This documents the making of a pair of holdfasts for a local woodcarver. These are a pretty straightforward style with an upset right-angle bend. Simpler versions can be made, but most old holdfasts we’ve seen have that sharp bend, and we favor a historical approach, both in our designs and in the tools and techniques we use. In fact, the only tool used in this video that would have been out of place in an eighteenth-century blacksmith’s shop is the wire brush!