The bench pin is a metalsmith’s best friend and its design can be very personal. Many people use pins as they come but they can be real workhorses if you customize yours for your work style and the things that you make over and over. Grab your saw, a drill, and a wood file and go to it.
I definitely like a pin with a v-groove in it for safety while sawing. Sometimes the type without the v-groove is cheaper, thicker or closer-to-hand. Either use a band saw or a coping saw (your jeweler’s saw will do the job, but plan on working on it awhile) to cut a v-groove into the bench pin, and then keep your fingers behind the groove when sawing through ring shanks and other small items. They don’t look like much, but jeweler’s sawblades are sharp!
