essentÊrving°17

T O O i. S AND E Q U I P M £ N T

-.26 A benchscrew in use with a bÅ‚ock of : being used to raise the carving to a - r.ible working height.

â–  .: nventional bench vice can be used * i . .23), but it limits the anglcs ac which work â€”â–     held. It is neverthcless always useful to

- - s. if only for preparing wood. Those with |    release are morÄ™ expensive but pay for

i ne=seives in convenience. If there is provision ~ - dog to be fitted to the moving head, and if :^n be fitted on the bench, panels can be l fc- rhout the need for clamps. This makcs

II t—• "g and carving easier as there are no I no~_^:;ons above the work (Fig 1.24). Clamps L    iemand that the workpiece has at lcast

I    p irallel sidcs. Unless the workpiece is

l r •stable becausc it is heavv> irregularly I ascc: r.cces of wood must have fiat surfaces 1 —    ^- "cm. If the piece can bear it a bÅ‚ock can

Fig 1.27 A webbing clamp holding an awkward piece on a saiu horse.

be screwed on to the base, but the bÅ‚ock and the workpiece must both be fiat where they mcet. At least two thick screws are needed if the workpiece is to be carved with force. The lengths of the screws and their positions must be noted to avoid the risk of carving into them or their ieaving ugly holes on the finished article.

Another traditional way of holding wood which allows it to be easily workcd all round is the bench screw (Fig 1.23). The pointed tip is screwed into the underside of the piece, then the body of the screw is pushed through a hole in the bench and fastened by a wing nut underneath. The work may be raised by adding a bÅ‚ock between it and the bench (Fig 1.26).

Large pieces of wood may be so heavy as to need no restraint, though a saw horse may form a solid cradle which allows the work to be seen all round and rotated easily. Webbing clamps are exccllent for gripping awkwardly shapcd pieces (Fig 1.27).

Increasingly popular today is the balhand-socket type of universal clamp, with the work screwed down to a faceplate that can be rotated through 360’' horizontally and 180* in the vertical piane (Fig 1.28). The bali and Socket joint is locked by mechanical or hydraulic pressure. A good one is

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