You Say Benchpeg, I Say Benchpin

Bench pins.

thanks to Gretchen Peterson Johnston

They are common, you make metal jewelry, you use one.
My first bench pin was just a clamp on, portable and very thin.  I figured I wouldn't like using it, I mean, I was cutting out pieces for a sculpture.  Making  sculptures, I  didn't think that having such a tiny pin would help me...
Boy, was I wrong. The first few items I sawed on the pin were dragons to use on other pieces, then I did a few scales to add to the larger dragon... then... all of a sudden, I had all sorts of ideas for cut outs on some of the pieces for sculptures... and that is how I started making jewelry...
I know, right?
This is also how I think... so...
Bench pins are such a universal tool... but each is so very unique... I am always amazed at a person's benchpin.. it tells a lot of the person I think. You can tell if a person is working a lot... if they are fanatic about having a pristine cutting surface... or like me, I do everything on the pin. Sanding, drilling, cutting in and leaving metal, I use the keyhole a lot, since I do finer cutting... I have notches in the sides for when I sand a piece at an angle... I know, I know... I was taught to sand flat... but I know the pieces I work on, they are the ones I make day after day, and I know this angle holds the piece just so... and it works..
There are so many ways each person uses the pin. I was taught to keep the saw in one place, to not move it other than the up and down motion, to always use your opposing hand to move the item being sawed... and to keep it in smooth, constant motion. I know people that are very apt at this... and some that are all over the place.  I learned to saw on wood, so I am still kind of...well... wood orientated but I am learning.

Here is the one that Francesca Watson, of Roadhouse Arts Studio and Gallery and now of The Makery,  uses, She says: "here's mine. This is only my second pin ever - I started with one of the flat versions that go on with a C-clamp, and I didn't care for it. This one is a heavier and sturdier version with an anvil section. I sawed the V fairly shallow, because I also use the pin for drilling (as you can see), and I sawed it off-center so that one "arm" is narrower than the other for when I'm filing rounded shapes. And I'm a leftie, so you can see that I tend to saw into the right side of the pin more often than the left (although you can also see that's had it's fair share!!!). In addition to using it for filing and sawing, I also use it for polishing and stone setting - I place a piece of scrap leather over it with the unfinished (sueded) side up."

David Sparks clamping benchpin

I am amazed at the clamping benchpins. I love the idea of having a surface that will hold your work. Alas, I don't own one. I do know a couple of people that have them... Gretchen Peterson Johnston allowed me to use the picture of her metal, clamping benchpin... as well as David Sparks. who has his clamping benchpin set up so that it opens and closes by pushing on a foot pedal. Very, very ingenious. You can see some of David's work here at SawArtist on Etsy. You can see why he likes having a system to open the clamp easily. I have also embedded a link to a video in the righthand corner of this page. Just under the header of my page... it says David Sparks Benchpin. If you click on that link... you will be amazed.

Mine- I use this one for copper or brass

So... here is my pin, one of  them... I have several, for different uses.For a while, I kept mine really clean, other than the notches, I was very careful to not saw into multitudes of spaces and I really didn't drill on it... well... You can see, I even lay hot metal onto the pin now... I do still try to cut into the same place each time... I also have one that holds a ring so you can saw, sand, whatever... on it. It is wood, cheap and can be replaced easily.

My sanding benchpin

By the way, the slope of the benchpin is to allow for the normal action of your hand, arm and body when you file... Use it to your advantage... I use each one for different purposes.. I know, that is kind of silly, but I don't use the one for steel and tin for copper and brass use, and I even use a different one for silver... rarely do I have gold... so no problems there. I just replaced my ring clamp, so it is nice and pristine for this picture!

I like this one... I use it for sawing on tin or steel

My Benchpin holding ring wooden ring clamp

I've asked people to be able to use pictures of their pins, so if I get more pictures in, I'll insert them with this posting. I love to see what everyone has.


I'm sorry, this little pin belongs
to someone... I don't know who
I saved it, and forgot to credit
the picture... if you know who
this belongs to... please tell me.