Improved Panavise hook

[mklotz]

In a previous post...

Panavise accessory arbor

I discussed attaching my Panavise to my bench hook. This offered any advantage the value of which I'm only now coming to fully appreciate, to wit...

The bench edge clamp supplied with the base puts the Panavise too close to the edge of the bench. There is no support for one's forearms so it's difficult to hold the hands steadily enough to do fine work. By moving the Panavise back from the edge by use of the bench hook, the forearms are supported and steadier work is the result. In addition, the hook can be simply dropped in place when needed, whereas the supplied clamp requires manipulation; this becomes an important distinction when working on a small (or cluttered) bench when space for the next operation must be frequently cleared.

Nice as it is, the Panavise needs to be detached to use the bench hook for more conventional purposes such as chiseling and sanding. The constant on/off cycle got to be irritating so I decided that the Panavise needed its very own bench hook.

I happened to have a 3/8" plywood circle that was once part of a cable reel. It had a bunch of holes so I filled those with dowel slices and added a substantial hook (visible in second photo), and then installed the Panavise base with countersunk bolts from below. Then I installed four 1/4-20 T-nuts (the type for use in wood) around the vise to provide metal threads for bolting down various accessories (as shown in the first photo).

At the 9 o'clock position a small anvil is clamped while at 3 o'clock a holder for various Foredom points is situated. At 6 o'clock a steel square is bolted so a magnet can be held. In turn, the magnet can hold a small recycled tin can. This is useful for paint thinner or just as a catchall for whatever. Not seen in the photos is a holder for a soldering iron and wiper sponge.

The T-nuts provide another level of utility to what is already a very useful design.





The take-away from all this is to possibly improve your productivity by mounting tools to bench hooks and fitting said hooks with the means for attaching accessories to the mounted tool.