Bench Bull

After some research and planning, this week I finally made this project, based on the articles by Yoav Liberman that appeared in Popular Woodworking Magazine in December 2015 - January 2016 ('Bench Bull:' The Jack of All Bench Jigs, Part 1 - Popular Woodworking Magazine, ‘Bench Bull’ – The Jack of All Bench Jigs, Part 2 - Popular Woodworking Magazine, ‘Bench Bull’ – The Jack of All Bench Jigs, Part 3 - Popular Woodworking Magazine).

Instead of using 2 x 4 lumber, I reused wood from pallets, which measure 3.5 x 1.5”. The segments were cut at 15, 4 + 4, 10, and 15”; they were sanded and square checked before gluing. The overall length of the fixture is 15” and the height is 6”.

By clamping the bench bull to the workbench you can hold the work piece in a number of manners (hand screw clamps, F-style clamps, bar clamps, C-clamps, pipe clamps, Wonder pups, etc.), with the advantage of working at a more comfortable height.

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Regards, morsa.

I'd never heard of one before (I'm not a woodworker) but it's a really good idea. I'm going to tuck the concept into the back of my mind and try to remember it when I encounter a metalworking job where it, or its reproduction in metal, could be used.

Thanks, mklotz.
A frequent issue in woodworking is to raise the height of the piece you are working on to make some works (woodcarvings, cutting dovetail joints, etc.) more comfortable, and at the same time provide several ways to hold the workpiece. Many of these accessories include a Moxon vise. Here are some examples of benchtop benches, and here is my version of a benchtop bench with Moxon vise.
Perhaps you could use a wood riser where you would anchor your metal clamping devices.

I'm not particularly concerned with the working height. It's less of an issue with metalworking since much of the work is done on machines and they dictate the height. Bench vises, if properly installed, bring the work much higher than is the case with the classic woodworking vises so hand work is at a more comfortable height.

What appeals to me about the design is the fact that it provides opportunities to clamp the work without the need for T-slots or tapped holes. I'm sure there are situations where that would be an advantage but it will take a bit of cogitation until I can turn the idea into a useful metalworking tool.

Thanks again for your presentation.

I agree. Inspired by this concept of bench bull, some sophisticated models have been developed which include a Moxon vise with fixed pipe clamps, T-tracks for clamping woodworks (cool designs), etc. but I decided to keep it simple.
Thanks, again.

Marv - A simple "T" shape that you clamp in your mill vise can give you a flat surface (a finish flycut will get it true) that you can clamp a workpiece with Kant-twists.
You could set it up to be horizontal, vertical or at some angle. A cantilevered clamping surface will call for lighter cutting forces although you could make it an "H" shape and contrive supports with drilled and tapped holes and studs and nuts to support an outboard end of the plate near the cut. Many years ago built a "short and squatty" "H" shaped fixture for my mill like this. Doesn't get used much although I'm thinking of building a smaller version to hold flat brass parts of scale model locomotives for machining contours on side and main rods and precise axle holes in the frames. Ed Weldon, Los Gatos, CA, USA

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Thanks morsa! We've added your Bench Bull to our Workholding category,
as well as to your builder page: morsa's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

<div id="blocks"> <div class="block b1 pngfix"> <div class="bimg"> <div> <a href="http://www.homemadetools.net/homemade-bench-bull-2"> <img src="/uploads/169789/homemade-bench-bull-2.jpeg"/> </a> </div> </div> <div class="head pngfix"></div> <div class="left pngfix"></div> <div class="right pngfix"></div> <div class="blockover b1 pngfix"> <div class="title"> <a href="http://www.homemadetools.net/homemade-bench-bull-2">Bench Bull</a> <span> by <a href="http://www.homemadetools.net/builder/morsa">morsa</a></span> </div> <div class="tags">tags: <a href='http://www.homemadetools.net/tag/clamp'>clamp</a> </div> </div> </div> </div>
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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ed Weldon

Marv - A simple "T" shape that you clamp in your mill vise can give you a flat surface (a finish flycut will get it true) that you can clamp a workpiece with Kant-twists.
You could set it up to be horizontal, vertical or at some angle. A cantilevered clamping surface will call for lighter cutting forces although you could make it an "H" shape and contrive supports with drilled and tapped holes and studs and nuts to support an outboard end of the plate near the cut. Many years ago built a "short and squatty" "H" shaped fixture for my mill like this. Doesn't get used much although I'm thinking of building a smaller version to hold flat brass parts of scale model locomotives for machining contours on side and main rods and precise axle holes in the frames. Ed Weldon, Los Gatos, CA, USA

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An elevated "T" has some attraction but the real appeal of the bull design to me is the ability to pass clamps through the body of the bull. This opens up the possibility of using chain clamps, e.g....

https://www.grainger.com/product/6C6...170523135536:s

or some other form of flexible clamping element to secure odd-shaped workpieces.

I haven't had a chance yet to devote much time to what can be done with the concept but I'm sure there's more there than just an elevated work platform.

I like your page!

Thanks, de houtdraaier. You are very kind.

A classic internet DIY mashup: Bench Bull Meets Moxon Vise = Bulloxon.

Thanks, Jon. You are right; that is one of the advantages of having readily available information. Furthermore, woodworkers (like me) take advantage of procedures and tricks shown by metalworkers and vice versa.

Although I already knew this post, a second look of the final suggestion, gave me the idea of making a second bench bull, in order to use them as supports to assemble or finishing bookcases, cabinets, etc.

To be fair, many of the mashups are gimmicky. Someone will add a cupholder and call it BenchBullBeer. :beer2:

:lol:
That could be a good idea (just kidding).