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Friends:

To go with our recent video on the traditional Chinese workbench, I've put together a quick video on traditional Chinese workholding. The rural Chinese carpenter had all kinds of ingenious methods of holding wood and I've learned a few. I present these humbly, as I am a mere beginner in this tradition.

In the video, I mention inexpensive Chinese planes you can buy on Amazon. Here's a smoother from a company I like: https://amzn.to/3ZwDYJ7 (That's an affiliate link to keep it short.) The jack I showed in the video is out of stock.

Happy Saturday!

--Rex

Files

Previews only

Chinese Workholding for Beginners

Cheap Chinese Handplane on Amazon (affiliate): https://amzn.to/3Zy5lCC Compass Rose Toolworks: https://www.compassrosetools.com/ Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100066908024254 Check out my Courses: https://rexkrueger.retrieve.com/ Patrons saw this video early: patreon.com/rexkrueger Get my woodturning book: http://www.rexkrueger.com/book Get My Book, Everyday Woodworking: https://amzn.to/3oyjC0E Follow me on Instagram: @rexkrueger --------------------------------------------------------------------- You need a workbench!!!! Try the Minimum Timber Bench. Our most affordable design. Get your plans here: https://www.rexkrueger.com/store/minimum-timber-bench Take the Course: https://tinyurl.com/43yfhjwb --------------------------------------------------------------------- The Incredible English Joiner's Bench: A REAL bench that a beginner can build. Complete Joiner's Bench Bundle (40 pages, full color): https://bit.ly/2QZls9T Incredible English Joiner's Bench: https://youtu.be/zcq1LQq08lk Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLR_8ISkKkV7lpZExOnRhtxIsssZ7nLt6h --------------------------------------------------------------------- Become a member of this channel! Get custom badges and emojis you can use during chats: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj4SLNED1DiNPHComZTCbzw/join ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Wood Work for Humans Tool List (affiliate): *Cutting* Gyokucho Ryoba Saw: https://amzn.to/2Z5Wmda Dewalt Panel Saw: https://amzn.to/2HJqGmO Suizan Dozuki Handsaw: https://amzn.to/3abRyXB (Winner of the affordable dovetail-saw shootout.) Spear and Jackson Tenon Saw: https://amzn.to/2zykhs6 (Needs tune-up to work well.) Crown Tenon Saw: https://amzn.to/3l89Dut (Works out of the box) Carving Knife: https://amzn.to/2DkbsnM Narex True Imperial Chisels: https://amzn.to/2EX4xls (My favorite affordable new chisels.) Blue-Handled Marples Chisels: https://amzn.to/2tVJARY (I use these to make the DIY specialty planes, but I also like them for general work.) *Sharpening* Honing Guide: https://amzn.to/2TaJEZM Norton Coarse/Fine Oil Stone: https://amzn.to/36seh2m Natural Arkansas Fine Oil Stone: https://amzn.to/3irDQmq Green buffing compound: https://amzn.to/2XuUBE2 *Marking and Measuring* Stockman Knife: https://amzn.to/2Pp4bWP (For marking and the built-in awl). Speed Square: https://amzn.to/3gSi6jK Stanley Marking Knife: https://amzn.to/2Ewrxo3 (Excellent, inexpensive marking knife.) Blue Kreg measuring jig: https://amzn.to/2QTnKYd Round-head Protractor: https://amzn.to/37fJ6oz *Drilling* Forstener Bits: https://amzn.to/3jpBgPl Spade Bits: https://amzn.to/2U5kvML *Work-Holding* Orange F Clamps: https://amzn.to/2u3tp4X Screw Clamp: https://amzn.to/3gCa5i8 #woodworking #woodworkingtips #diy #tooltips

Comments

Daniel Bohrer

Thank you for this! There's a short half-minute audio dropout from 7:23, maybe you want to address or voice-over in the public version.

Todd Maurer

Rex, the sound seems to cut out from around 7:23 to around 8:00. See there are people how watch a video longer than 2 minutes!

Ilias Kantzaris

Hey Rex, there seems to be an issue with the sound from 7:24 to 8:00.

Daniel Bohrer

But in general: This was a very interesting video, and I think I will adopt some of the workholding technique for my own woodworking! It's always good to look into other cultures for inspiration.

Tom K

Others have commented on the sound, so I won't. But I will say I was a little bummed that there wasn't a link to a planing stop like that. It's an ingenious design that I'd love to incorporate into my low bench work.

judd

I'm really excited about this journey into Chinese woodwork. It's not really your thing, but I'd be so curious how the techniques overlap with the "100 years of humiliation" the Chinese suffered under Western and Japanese colonialism, impoverishment, and war. It'd be so interesting to see the difference between the tools of the great craftspeople of pre-British and colonial times.

Dave West

Great to alternate methods of woodworking. Keep the videos coming but after the holidays. Enjoy some time with them and friends

Richard C von Brecht

I can see how a pragmatist like you can get into the Chinese wood working style. It is direct and to the point. There's not a lot of money tied up in it. The only issue is the durability of the bench as you reuse the plaining stops several times. I guess the solution is knock it apart, replace the top and contimue on. After all, they didn't use glue.

Christopher Hopkins

What do you do about the potentially hundreds of holes that the planing stop puts in your bench as you keep hammering them in and digging them out? That seems like a way to chew up your bench. Are they considered more effemeral in this tradition than in European ones?

Lacci Battafarano

That device looks like it's a hemostat that is meant to be locked closed and held in place by sticking those two projections into holes that also hold the hemostat in place.

Rex Krueger

You have it exactly. Chinese benches are more disposable. (Honestly, I see my benches that way. I never use one for more than a few years).

Rex Krueger

I guess glue is pretty common now, even in traditional carpentry. These benches were often made of Elm (or a similar wood) with interlocking grain, so the damage was minimized.

Rex Krueger

Regardless of that era, it seems that there's always been a interplay between Chinese and European woodworking. The handplane seems to have come to China through European trade and European furniture was deeply influenced by Chinese styles.

Rex Krueger

We're super sorry about that drop out in the sound. We've been having trouble with gliches in the upload. Things look fine in the edit, but there's a problem after putting it up on YouTube. Still, it's on us to get it fixed.

Rex Krueger

We're super sorry about that drop out in the sound. We've been having trouble with gliches in the upload. Things look fine in the edit, but there's a problem after putting it up on YouTube. Still, it's on us to get it fixed.

Rex Krueger

We're super sorry about that drop out in the sound. We've been having trouble with gliches in the upload. Things look fine in the edit, but there's a problem after putting it up on YouTube. Still, it's on us to get it fixed.

Rex Krueger

We're super sorry about that drop out in the sound. We've been having trouble with gliches in the upload. Things look fine in the edit, but there's a problem after putting it up on YouTube. Still, it's on us to get it fixed.

Rex Krueger

We're super sorry about that drop out in the sound. We've been having trouble with gliches in the upload. Things look fine in the edit, but there's a problem after putting it up on YouTube. Still, it's on us to get it fixed.

Todd Maurer

I can’t speak for everyone, but I see it as an opportunity for us to help vet you videos before they go public.

Tom K

That upload can do some wonky stuff. I've had that happen with some of my stuff before. I'm not losing sleep over it. I have plenty of other things to lose sleep over, apparently. LOL

Peter

Since your video on Chinese wood working came out nearly all copies of China at Work have been sold say for a few in the $200+ any chance you want to talk to MIT press about reprinting and selling it on your website?

Lacci Battafarano

Kind of, but the object would be held in the jaws on the small side if it was a hemostat so it's not too similar. I think it's a really ingenious tool. Thanks for showing us how it works. I bet someone could make a versatile planing stop that's very similar with a scissor action that anchors to a bench less destructively too. I wouldn't be surprised if someone in China already has.

Andy

Question—how would a Chinese carpenter set that up to flatten/face-plane boards significantly wider than the bench? Just by keeping the area being planed over the bench?