Clamp any carving with this solidly built and versatile bench
By Bob Duncan
While many carvers work in their lap or on a tabletop, some projects call for clamping. Enter the Sjobergs Elite Clamping Platform. Paired with the right accessories, its all-over pattern of dog holes lets you clamp any carving—even irregular shapes.
The 18-1/2″ by 23-1/2″ (47cm by 60cm) platform is large enough to hold most projects while still fitting easily into your shop. It’s made of solid beech wood, which will take a beating without damaging your tools, and its heavy-duty metal braces have a 100lb. (45.4kg) weight capacity, so it will hold firm even if you’re pounding a large project with a mallet. It was designed to attach to a Sjobergs Elite Workbench, but can be attached to a wall or another workbench instead.
The platform is covered in 3/4″ (19mm)-diameter dog holes, which allow you to use almost any clamping accessory or configuration. It comes with four bench dogs, works well with the company’s ST11-Holdfast and other holding accessories, and accommodates cam-style clamps, shop-made fences and wedges, and even devices made by other manufacturers, such as Veritas’ Wonder Dog. You could thread a bench screw up through one of the holes into a carving.
Although an experienced woodworker with the right tools could make a similar clamping bench, building one as solid and exact as this platform would take days. Too, drilling all of the holes exactly perpendicular to the surfaces (including the sides) would be a challenge, and the usefulness of the platform drops dramatically if the holes aren’t perfect.
For solid construction and endless versatility at a convenient size, the Sjobergs Elite Clamping Platform is the ideal solution.
The Sjöbergs Elite Clamping Platform retails for $468. For a limited time through Dec. 31, 2017, it is available $399 and includes a bonus 3/4″ (19mm) holdfast. The combo’s total value is $539. To locate a dealer or retailer for all Affinity Tool Works brands, visit www.affinitytool.com.
Looking for more clamping ideas? CLICK HERE for more shop-made clamping solutions.
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