As a preservation carpenter, I often have to sharpen my chisels and plane irons when I’m on a job site. In making holders for some new stones recently, I accidentally discovered a way to keep them from sliding around on a workbench without a vise. As shown in the drawing below, I used 1/2-in. plywood as the base for each holder and 1/4-in. plywood to surround the stone. I tacked on the 1/4-in. plywood strips with 3/4-in. pins driven by my pneumatic pin nailer. The pins went through both layers of plywood and protruded about 1/16 in. on the underside. These protruding tips acted like little spikes to anchor the holder to the worksurface. The pin points dig in, hang on, and leave barely a trace.
Bill Rainford, Merrimack, NH
Edited and Illustrated by Charles Miller
From Fine Homebuilding #236