Sawing aid.

[Son of a gun-ner]

Hi folks.
I couldn't be bothered to set up any power tools just for a couple of cuts in some wooden batten, so, I ended up looking for my bench hook, after about an hour or so looking, I realised I'd left it at my daughter's 240 miles away. Yes, I should have reached for my jigsaw. Anyway, I'd already got a bee in my bonnet about using it, so, I quickly knocked one up out of some bits of scrap wood.

So, why am I telling you this, I've no idea, but it made me think of sharing this simple tool with you, because I'm sure some of you won't have heard of it, or would have forgotten about them from your school days.

This is a bench hook.

20210113_155459.jpg (239.3 KiB) Viewed 3287 times

Made from a piece of 18mm ply, 26cm long by 22 cm wide. With two pieces of 2 by 1 (4.5 by 2cm approximately) prepared timber, 18cm long.
As you can see from the picture, I've glued and screwed one batten along each of the two shorter edges (ends), which are square to the sides. These battens are close to the edge of the left side, and short on the right. Left handed people should fit the battens the opposite way around, close to the right edge etc. When you flip the hook over end to end, it should look the same either side.

Lay the hook down on the bench and push away from you till the underside batten jams against the bench edge, with the upper batten furthest away from you.
Now you can hold bits of wood or tank firmly while you saw them. Alternatively, place your mitre block on the hook while using it to stop it moving about.

Don't worry about damaging it, this is new, my old one is covered in saw cuts, especially near the end of the batten on the right of both sides.

So there you go, a third helping hand when hand sawing, which doesn't have fingers to worry about damaging.

Note, it is best to glue the battens on, I'm using screws till the glue sets. Sadly, screws are not saw friendly, therefore you can remove the screws if you'd prefer.

Note, after the glue has set, there's nothing to stop you adding a couple of angled saw cuts in the battens to use it as an open mitre block. You could even use 2 by 2 (4.5 by 4.5cm) prepared timber for the end batten's for a deeper mitre guide

[Tiger6]

So, why am I telling you this, I've no idea, but it made me think of sharing this simple tool with you, because I'm sure some of you won't have heard of it, or would have forgotten about them from your school days.

Yeah... Thanks Mick, I'd thought I'd successfully forgotten about my school days

[Son of a gun-ner]

So, why am I telling you this, I've no idea, but it made me think of sharing this simple tool with you, because I'm sure some of you won't have heard of it, or would have forgotten about them from your school days.

Yeah... Thanks Mick, I'd thought I'd successfully forgotten about my school days

You are most welcome Martin.

[silversurfer1947]

I remember these from my woodwork lessons at school, though I was heavily discriminated against. Being left handed, trying to use one of them was not exactly simple. No left handed ones were provided!

[Tiger6]

I just remember them being a pain to use because the schools saws were invariably blunt as butter knifes, and I was used to holding wood in a vice at home...

[Son of a gun-ner]

I remember these from my woodwork lessons at school, though I was heavily discriminated against. Being left handed, trying to use one of them was not exactly simple. No left handed ones were provided!

And all those years have passed, and I bet you still haven't made yourself a left handed one

[Son of a gun-ner]

I just remember them being a pain to use because the schools saws were invariably blunt as butter knifes, and I was used to holding wood in a vice at home...

Ahh, when using the hook, you can get a cleaner cut than when using a vice or overhanging a saw horse

[Tiger6]

I just remember them being a pain to use because the schools saws were invariably blunt as butter knifes, and I was used to holding wood in a vice at home...

Ahh, when using the hook, you can get a cleaner cut than when using a vice or overhanging a saw horse

When your excuse for a saw is 'gumming' its way thru the work piece, the cleanliness of the cut is secondary concern to getting it done before your arm falls off...

[Son of a gun-ner]

I just remember them being a pain to use because the schools saws were invariably blunt as butter knifes, and I was used to holding wood in a vice at home...

Ahh, when using the hook, you can get a cleaner cut than when using a vice or overhanging a saw horse

When your excuse for a saw is 'gumming' its way thru the work piece, the cleanliness of the cut is secondary concern to getting it done before your arm falls off...

Gosh, some people are so tight, hard point saws are cheap, maybe we should change your forum name to Tight1

[Tiger6]

Ahh, when using the hook, you can get a cleaner cut than when using a vice or overhanging a saw horse

When your excuse for a saw is 'gumming' its way thru the work piece, the cleanliness of the cut is secondary concern to getting it done before your arm falls off...

Gosh, some people are so tight, hard point saws are cheap, maybe we should change your forum name to Tight1

I doubt hardpoint saws were even a thing when my school bought its workshop tools - and certainly everything was blunt as hell by the time we got to use it. I don't think the school would have been terribly happy with me if I were to rock up with my father's woodworking tools - probably too sharp for even the teachers to be allowed to use