Gramercy - Holdfast (Rating: 4)

I recently completed my Roubo bench and a set of holdfasts were the last item. Between the hand forged really nice and expensive ones and the cast iron made in china break on the first use cheap ones, there were these. They are not cast, so they have flexibility to not break under normal use. The cheap ones at woodcraft and rocker are cast, and they will break because they are cast.

Nor are they hand wrought by a blacksmith. These are the best ones because they have the texture on the shank to hold among the best and they have the flexibility to not break. And they are a beauty to behold.

Then there are the ones from Veritas that have a barbed shank. These hold the best from what I've read, maybe too well. The barbs, I'm told, will tear up the dog hole eventually. Can anyone confirm this?

These are a great compromise. They are made from round steel stock, heated and bent to shape. As cold rolled steel, the flexibility is inherent and there is no way these will break. And at $35 plus $11 shipping for two holdfasts, I don't think they can be beat for value. They're not the best thing to look at, but I can live with that if they work well. It's a tool after all.

The one area that they are lacking in is texture. On the shank it is smooth and that's fine in thinner wood where it can still grip well. But on my 3 3/4" thick bench top, they can't get the angle they need to wedge tightly, so even with beating on them hard they won't hold. I back drilled the bottom of the first hole almost a half inch, put a bevel on the top of the hole and it still wouldn't hold. It just wouldn't grab. I had read on the website they say to scuff up the shank with rough sandpaper. I used some 100 grit paper going around the shank, not up and down. I took the first one and gave it a good smack with my lightweight mallet and it stuck right in and held. That's all it took, so I drilled the rest of my dog holes and didn't back drill any of them and they all held perfectly.

Wood Rim Bicycle part Electric blue Automotive exterior


Made in USA is a big selling point with me, these come from Brooklyn, NY.

Wood Table Chair Hardwood Flooring


Scuff marks around the shank.

Building Wood House Flooring Wood stain


Holdfasts in their homes.

So that's the trick to get these to work on a thick top. Put a 100 grit patch on the shank and spin it around in it to scuff it up a bit, do not go lengthwise, it will just slip out. So this is really my only gripe, it would be nice if they were textured already. I was also thinking about putting a finish on them, maybe blueing or parkerizing them to keep the rust off. My shop is the garage after all.

Not much more to say, they hold really well once tuned up, I put them on a piece of walnut and was trying to lift the holdfasts up, and if I was strong enough to lift my bench, it would have come off the floor. But it weighs over 300lbs and I don't need a back injury, but they held well. I also wasn't able to move the board at all, it was stuck down. So for a simple tool that does a simple job they work very well, 4 stars.

If you're looking for holdfasts, I recommend these. Have a great day and thanks for reading.

Wayne