A workshop shortcut to make your project easier and a lot more enjoyable.

A bench stop is handy to hold lengths of timber on edge when planing, chiselling or dowelling, or whenever it needs to be held on edge without using clamps.

Here's how

• Take a 140 x 250mm piece of 18mm plywood and find the centre of the 140mm side.
• Mark 40mm to either side of the centre line.
• Square a line down the centre and measure 150mm from the edge.
• Join the marks and cut out the resulting 150 x 80mm triangle.
• Sizes can be varied.

The bench stop is clamped, or more commonly screwed, to the bench. Slide your work piece into the 'V' to hold it in position.