bench hook design

[Thor]

I just had to build 4 bench hooks for some borrowed sculpture tables. The tables were built originally for stone sculpture, so the round shapes were easily adaptable with sand bags on them to hold the stones.

Anyway, the tops being round sort of threw a loop into the mix of how to use bench hooks on them. I had a "dream", yes, that's how I get a lot of ideas, and when I woke up, this is what I had come up with.
The usual straight piece of wood under the front lip wouldn't work and I did not want to build hooks that were only for use on these round tables, because they are not mine, but borrowed. The 3/4 inch dowels work really well. I'll be covering the dowels with some of that rubber shelf liner and using that stuff under the hooks as well so they will be stable.

The tables are pretty neat too. Again, not mine, but a friend built them from bar stools with carpet scraps between the layers of wood to absorb some of the shock of her mallet. They could easily be adapted to have a square top.

Maybe this will be of interest to others.
christina

[AlArchie]

Clever idea Christina! It should work really well.

Al

[Claude]

Pegs are a great idea! Ummm, you wouldn't by any chance be left-handed, would you? I'm right-handed, and would have put the stop strips on the left and back instead of the right and back...or maybe I carve weirdly...

Claude

[Thor]

Hi Claude,
My bench hook is that way, and I am right handed. I considered making them two different ways for those who might be left handed, but maybe I don't. It just seemed natural to have it that way when I built mine. I have to reconsider that now. Thanks for pointing it out.

Christina

[Claude]

I have never made a bench hook, but I've screwed a couple of strips of wood to my el cheapo work bench as stop strips at various times. I hold the gouge in my left hand, so that the wood is by my thumb and the metal by my pinkie. Then tilt it so the metal sticks out to the left, and whack the wood part with the mallet, sort of like swinging a baseball bat, only smaller and less motion. To me, this is a natural way to do it. I have at times while carving bent my arms and wrists, so the gouge is pointing right, then reach across my left arm with the mallet to hit the handle...but not as a normal way to work... This is really hard to explain...

I guess the main point is that your hook seems different to me, but if it works for you, that's great! Heck, it might even work better for me if I tried it for some time. Most of my carving is on small caricatures and done with just a knife and some palm gouges, though... Maybe, when I hit it big on the lottery, I'll buy a set of the Swiss-made and try some bigger stuff...


Claude

[Kenny_S]

Where there is a will, there is a way. Very neat idear Christina. I like it.

[Al_Hillis]

Neat idea christina thanks for posting