A bench hook is a workbench

Workbench

A workbench is sturdy table at which manual work is done. They range from simple flat surfaces to very complex designs that may be considered tools in themselves. Workbenches vary in size from tiny jewelers benches to the huge benches used by staircase makers...

 accessory used in woodworking

Woodworking

Woodworking is the process of building, making or carving something using wood.-History:Along with stone, mud, and animal parts, wood was one of the first materials worked by early humans. Microwear analysis of the Mousterian stone tools used by the Neanderthals show that many were used to work wood...

. The purpose of the bench hook is to provide a stop against which a piece of wood being worked can be placed to hold it steady whilst cutting, planing, or chiseling that piece of wood.

The bench hook is simply a short wooden board with a batten

Batten

A batten is a thin strip of solid material, typically made from wood, plastic or metal. Battens are used in building construction and various other fields as both structural and purely cosmetic elements...

 fixed top (the stop) and bottom (the hook) at opposite ends (see diagram to the right). Usually, the stop is shorter than the width of the bench hook's base and offset from one edge. This is so that when using the bench hook in cutting operations, the wood may be sawed all the way through without the stop interfering with the saw.

There is a bench hook for people who are left handed as well as right handed. In use, the bench hook is laid flat on the bench top with the hook hard up against the edge of the bench. The wood to be worked is held against the stop. No clamps or other mechanical fixing is required - the wood is held in place by the pressure exerted upon it by the tool being used.

Bench hooks are used with hand tools such as the backsaw

Backsaw

A backsaw is any hand saw which has a stiffening rib on the edge opposite the cutting edge, allowing for better control and more precise cutting than with other types of saws. Backsaws are normally used in woodworking for precise work, such as cutting dovetails, mitres, or tenons in cabinetry and...

, hand plane

Plane (tool)

A hand plane is a tool for shaping wood. When powered by electricity, the tool may be called a planer. Planes are used to flatten, reduce the thickness of, and impart a smooth surface to a rough piece of lumber or timber. Planing is used to produce horizontal, vertical, or inclined flat surfaces on...

 and chisel

Chisel

A chisel is a tool with a characteristically shaped cutting edge of blade on its end, for carving or cutting a hard material such as wood, stone, or metal. The handle and blade of some types of chisel are made of metal or wood with a sharp edge in it.In use, the chisel is forced into the material...

. Although simple to make, commercially made bench hooks are available.

See also

• Bench dog
  Bench dog
  A bench dog is an accessory used on a woodworking workbench to allow clamping of wooden items whilst being worked.At its most basic a bench dog is simply a peg which is installed in a corresponding dog hole in the top of a bench...
  
  A bench dog is used for holding a piece of wood up against the stop so it doesn't move.