A funny thing happened today when I woke up and went into the shop. Calipers in hand, ready to measure for the plug I was going to make, I decided to give it one more shot. I positioned the holdfast to the left over a scrap of wood, and whacked it with a sledge. Nothing.
Undeterred, I gave it another whack, this time holding the shaft steady as I drove it in. It felt like it seated a bit. After a third whack, it felt like it was grabbing. The fourth whack, it set tightly. Hmm.
It’s a poor craftsman who blames his tools.
And it works pointed right as well.
This is not a political metaphor (yet).
I guess the trick is to hold the shaft steady as you drive it in. So, much less sad than yesterday, I bought a corded drill and made a plumb jig to bore the remaining holes (seen above).
Much like ‘Murica itself, this drill was assembled here with foreign components.
It’s always good to sleep on it.
JPG
The Apartment Woodworker 
“It’s always good to sleep on it”… Indeed it is.
Just a side comment: have you checked out the 20v cordless DeWalt tools? I finally broke down and purchased a drill, 1/2″ impact wrench, 3/8” impact wrench, work light and charger. They all share the interchangeable batteries and work amazingly well. My drill even has a detachable handle like the one on your DW235G.
No financial gain from the manufacturer, mind you. Just thought you might like to know; perhaps something to add to the “list” of tools! Hehe..
LikeLike
Hey James,
Sometimes a holdfast hole can get burnished during the boring. Or is simply too smooth at first. They do seem to hold better the more you use them. And it helps to hit them hard. Really hard.
Yours is the first report I’ve heard of a Crucible holdfast failing to grab in any instance. If you encounter any more trouble down the line, please drop us a line at help@crucibletool.com.
All best,
Chris
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Chris. Seems to be working just fine now. I was attributing it to user error, anyway, having bored by hand a less than perfectly plumb holdfast hole. Must be the burnishing effect.
LikeLike
As far as I understand the working of holdfast, the angle of the hole in the bench is not at all critical. What matters is that the hole must be of a diameter big enough for the holdfast’ stem to be askew in the hole (with an angle about 7° from the hole axis).
The holdfast’ stem is like the pipe of a pipe clamp, the bench top being the lamellae.
Blog of interest:
http://www.popularwoodworking.com/article/The_Mystery_of_Holdfasts
Sylvain
LikeLiked by 1 person
You can also try this:
http://www.theenglishwoodworker.com/holdfasts-get-a-grip/
LikeLike