Holed workbenches paired with bench dogs and wedges should make a decent enough system to keep wood items in place while you’re working on them. If you’d like something that can grab a hold of more complex stuff for large projects, however, we have a feeling the X-Mat Assembly System can do a more helpful job.
Made by Woodpeckers, it’s a modular system for holding practically any item being worked on in place. With a variety of modules for workholding objects at practically any angle, it’s a veritable shop assistant that can handle everything from small parts to large, heavy cabinets with ease.
The core module of the X-Mat Assembly System is a square piece of mat (12 x 12 x .075 inches) constructed from super-tough, chemical-resistant resin. Designed with interlocking edges, you can connect as many squares as you want in whatever configuration serves you best. For affixing mats to a workbench, they offer secure strips measuring a quarter the size of the mat, which you can screw on the bench surface for snapping the rest of the interlocking mats into.
Each mat comes with a grid of X-shaped sockets where you can insert different supports, including an L-shaped bracket (for holding large parts during assembly), box clamps (for connecting joints), anchors (for holding the accessories in place), and fingers (for elevating objects, so you can paint both sides without waiting for one side to try). The supports are made from highly-durable glass-reinforced polycarbonate.
Starter kits for the X-Mat Assembly System are available now, priced at $59.99 up.