After building my workbench, I needed a few extra accessories to help out with various tasks.
Holdfast Pads
I bought some holdfasts from Gramercy. Check out the video if you're unsure what a holdfast is; it will likely revolutionize your woodworking. I really like the holdfasts but if you don't put something between the foot of the holdfast and your workpiece it could dent or otherwise mar your workpiece. Most people put a small block of scrap wood between the holdfast and the work piece, but I decided to attach a permanent leather pad to the foot of the holdfast. This way I will never forget to protect the workpiece.
Planing Stop
Next I created a very simple planing stop out of some oak dowels and some scrap wood. When the planing stop is dropped into a pair of holes in the bench it creates a brace for face planing a board.
Doe's Foot
A doe's foot is a thin batten used to secure a workpiece. I made a really simple one by cutting a 90 degree notch in a scrap of quarter inch plywood.
Bench Hook
I made a bench hook based on a design by Paul Sellers. This accessory is used for securely holding a workpiece while crosscutting it. This design also has the advantage of working as a shooting board which is useful for sneaking up on perfect 90 degree cuts on a workpiece.
Holdfast Vise
The last piece of equipment is probably the least common one, and I'm not sure when it was invented. It's quite possible that it's a recent addition. I'm calling it a holdfast vise, and it's really a way of using two holdfasts and a block of wood to replace the face vise that workbenches usually have. The main use for it is when you want to hold a board vertically, like when you are cutting dovetails. I based my design on this one.
