Rules of Thumb B Y C H R I S G O C H N O U R

Expand your workbench S TA N DA R D B E N C H H O O K

This bench hook excels at holding stock when

with versatile bench hooks crosscutting as well as handplaning. An extension

arm adds support for long stock, and an auxiliary
deck can be used for planing thin stock.

Dust trap, 1⁄8 in.

Even in a contemporary workshop filled deep by 1⁄8 in. wide
Stop block, 1 in. thick by
with power tools and timesaving devices, 1 3⁄8 in. high by 6 1⁄2 in. long,
it often is more practical and convenient to sits in a 1⁄4-in.-deep dado.
perform some woodworking tasks, such
as final fitting of joinery and detail work, at Auxiliary deck,
the workbench using hand tools. 1 1⁄8 in. thick
Since temporarily relocating with my
family to a two-bedroom apartment in
downtown Washington, D.C., I’ve em-
Planing step,
braced this notion to the extreme. My shop 3
⁄8 in. deep by
here, tucked into the corner of one of the 2 in. wide
bedrooms, consists of my bench and
my most essential hand tools. Just as
important is a collection of bench
hooks that I draw on regularly,
which are capable of performing a
range of tasks, including cutting
11 in.
square and mitered ends as well between
as fine-tuning miters and ends to hook and
perfection. Even in less extreme stop block
shop conditions than mine, these bench
hooks are indispensable tools.

Beyond the basic bench hook

In its simplest form, the bench hook is a
Platform, maple,
platform that can be held steady against a 7
⁄8 in. thick by Extension arm,
workbench for performing tasks such as 8 1⁄2 in. wide by 7
⁄8 in. thick by
crosscutting and handplaning. A hook on 17 1⁄2 in. long 7
Hook, ⁄8 in. square, 1 3⁄4 in. wide by
sits in a 1⁄8-in.-deep 13 in. long
the underside of the platform fits over the rabbet.
edge of the bench and keeps the platform

TASKS FOR THE STANDARD BENCH HOOK

Hook one end over the workbench. The bench

hook makes easy work of cutting the shoulder on a
tenon (above). The step on the edge of the bench
hook provides a true and square surface to guide a An auxiliary deck raises thin stock. A
bench plane for trimming the end of a board (right). solid-maple shim reduces the height of the
stop block to accommodate thin stock.

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R u l e s o f Th u m b (continued)

MITER BLOCK
Designed for rough-cutting miters, the miter block is a combination of a bench hook
and a miter box. Forward pressure keeps it steady on the bench while the workpiece
is held tight against the stop block, and the sawkerfs guide the sawblade.

Platform, ash, 7⁄8 in.

thick by 6 1⁄4 in. wide
Sawkerfs by 12 in. long

Rough-cut miters. The miter-block bench hook is con-

venient for cutting small pieces of trim or molding.

Stop block, 1 3⁄4 in. thick by

2 in. tall by 12 in. long

Stop-block dado,
1
⁄4 in. deep by
1 3⁄4 in. wide

Hook, 7⁄8 in. thick by 7⁄8 in.

wide by 12 in. long

Rabbet, 1⁄8 in. deep

by 7⁄8 in. wide

steady as forward pressure is applied. A stop steady long stock. Both hooks are by a buildup of sawdust between the jig
block on top of the platform, perpendicu- the same thickness, and the stop on the nar- and the plane.
lar to the edge of the bench hook, supports row hook is set the same distance from the
the work while it’s being cut or planed. leading edge as it is on the standard hook. Two bench hooks for miters
The bench hook I favor expands on this I prefer to cut and fit small bits of molding
basic design. On the right side of the plat- Use solid, stable materials—Because I right at the bench. The precision this
form I cut a wide rabbet that serves two use the bench hook so often in my day-to- method affords is hard to beat: It cuts down
functions: First, it protects my workbench day work, I made it from 7⁄8-in.-thick hard on trips across the shop floor to the miter
from being damaged when I use the jig to maple, which is relatively stable. For larger saw or tablesaw; and I’ve found it to be the
crosscut material with a backsaw. Second, bench hooks you might consider using safest way to handle small and fragile
it guides a handplane when the bench thicker stock. Quartersawn lumber is ideal, pieces of molding. To make perfect miters
hook is used as a shooting board. I use this if available, because it’s more stable than consistently, I use a pair of bench hooks: a
feature often to square and true up end plainsawn stock. miter block for rough-cutting, and a miter
grain after crosscutting. I also cut dadoes in the platform where shooting board for fine-tuning.
The bench hook is handy for working the hook and the stop block attach, to en- A miter block is a version of the bench
tenon shoulders and cheeks, but I get fur- sure that they hold steady and remain per- hook designed to guide a sawcut at a 45°
ther use from it with a thick auxiliary plat- pendicular to the edge of the platform. angle in two directions. It serves as a simple
form, which raises the worksurface to I find one other detail about my bench version of a miter box. I made mine of solid
about 1⁄8 in. below the planing stop. In this hook useful. I cut a small groove in the in- alder. On the miter block, the hook and
configuration I can plane small, thin pieces terior corner of the planing step to collect stop block are attached to the platform with
such as loose tenons or splines. sawdust that accumulates when trimming a dado, similar to the standard bench hook.
I also have a second, narrow hook, which with a plane. The groove eliminates po- There’s only one secret to the miter
I use with the standard bench hook to tential inaccuracies that could be caused block, and that’s setting the 45° kerfs in the

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R u l e s o f Th u m b (continued)

M I T E R S H O O T I N G B OA R D
Sawn miters often require fine-tuning. That’s Dust trap,
1
where the miter shooting board comes in handy. ⁄8 in. deep
Two 45° fences made of hardwood support the by 1⁄8 in. wide
workpiece as it is trimmed with a jack plane.

Fences, 1 in. thick by

1 1⁄2 in. wide, glued and
screwed to the platform at
45° to the planing step

Planing step, 3⁄8 in.

deep by 2 in. wide, is
Platform, 11⁄4 in. thick (two rabbeted into the
pieces of 5⁄8-in.-thick Baltic-birch hardwood insert.
plywood) by 7 in. wide by
24 in. long

Hardwood insert, 5⁄8 in.

thick by 2 1⁄4 in. wide

How much should

you cut? Any mater-
Hook (one on each end), ial that extends be-
7
⁄8 in. thick by 1⁄2 in. wide, yond the stop block
is glued and screwed to will be trimmed
the underside of the away. Use your lay-
platform. out lines as a guide.

fence to guide a backsaw. Lay out the kerfs edge of the bench during use. However, it board. Any material that extends into the
with pencil lines and cut them by hand with requires a hook on both ends because the path of the plane will be trimmed off. Hold
a backsaw. Just make sure that the kerfs jig is designed to be reversed for trimming the stock snug against the fence, and pass
aren’t any wider than the blade on the miters in opposite directions. My shooting the plane over the stock with repeated
handsaw you plan to use with the jig, or board sits on the bench at a tilt, which isn’t strokes until it stops cutting.
sloppy miters will result. a problem; however, you can make it long
enough to straddle the bench. Other tips for using a shooting
Miter shooting board finishes the Two fences set at 45° (together forming a board—To keep a plane cutting smoothly
job—Cuts made at the miter block generally 90° angle) are secured to the platform with on a shooting board, apply wax to all of the
are rough. So I use a second bench hook— glue and screws. Care should be taken to working surfaces of the plane and bench
a miter shooting board—to tune miters to a ensure that the fences are accurate, be- hook. It also is important that the plane’s
perfect 45°. I made mine from two stacked cause they serve as a reference for all sub- side be perpendicular to the sole and that
pieces of 5⁄8-in.-thick Baltic-birch plywood, sequent cuts made at the shooting board. you tune up the plane correctly for the task.
which is relatively stable. I glued a strip of A step rabbeted into the edge of the Align the plane blade parallel with its sole,
hardwood in the location of the planing shooting board, as on my standard bench and adjust it for a light cut. Always make
step, which allows me to true up the jig hook, is used to guide a handplane. It also sure the side of the plane is firmly regis-
after construction without having to use a has a small groove for dust accumulation. tered on the planing step.
handplane on plywood. When using the miter shooting board, I When trimming harsh end grain, which
Like my other workbench accessories, generally align the layout line of the miter tends to dull the blade rapidly, dampen the
the shooting board is designed to hook the with the end of the fence on the shooting end grain with water prior to planing.

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