Holes in my bench!? Where?

**RobTro** · 6th February 2008, 12:00 AM

After posting about my bench I just finished I was asked by a beginner woodworker about why there are holes in my bench top.

<o></o>This is a good question actually. While there are many people who do know what “dogs” are and what they are used for, there a many that do not. Or they may know in a general way, what they are, but not be quite sure on there actual use. As I keep telling my kids, no-one is born knowing everything. You have to learn about it at some stage. And these forums are great places to start learning.

Dog holes, I have found out, are very useful to have. The workmate I have been using until recently has holes for plastic dogs but they were so useless as to be , well.., useless. But now I have my new bench, I am finding out what a difference a solid, stable and heavy bench can offer.

I am no woodworking expert but I’ll have a go at answering the question of why I have holes in my bench. I will try to pass on what I have picked up while designing, building and using my bench.
On my bench I have two rows of holes.

The front row is for “bench dogs”. And the back row is for using with “hold downs”.
But of course you can use “dogs” and “hold downs” in any of the holes. And for that matter, any special jigs your can devise to hold work.

The dog holes etc. are for using “dogs” and “hold downs” which are used for helping to hold you work so that you can do what ever you are wanting to do. Planing, chiseling, trimming etc. I don’t really use power tools, but I would imagine that they would be useful for holding work while using those electron eating machines, too.
Here is a picture (from left to right) with a hold down, two "dogs" and a wonder dog.
Attachment 66653

The dog can be raised and lowered in the holes. Or totally removed.

Attachment 66655 Attachment 66656

Basically you can put a dog into one of the holes at the front of the bench and put the timber you are planning against this and plane your piece of wood. The dog stops it from sliding away.
Attachment 66654

This can be a little unstable as the work may want to turn sideways.

In my case I do not have a tail vise. This is due to my space limitation. But I can get the same effect by using a “wonder dog” from Veritas. I put this in one of the dog holes and screw it tight, clamping the work between this and another dog.

<o>Attachment 66657 Attachment 66658

Now, you don’t have to have a tail vice and clamp your piece of wood between two dogs. You can do it the old fashioned way, which is the way I have been working recently. That is, you use one dog to push your work against and then you clamp a batten (just piece of wood) to the side to stop the piece moving, especially if it is a bit wide and you are not planning straight down the line of the dog. So, if your bench is like most benches these days and has a tail vise (do a search if you don’t know about these) you place another dog in a hole in the tail vise and then you close the tail vise, clamping your piece of wood between two dogs. Your bit of wood is now held solidly, clamped between two dogs. The dogs should have a face that is at a slight angle so the forces applied are also pushing the work piece down on to the bench top.
<font]>Here is a shot. Attachment 66664
</font]><font]>
And using the hold downs you can clamp things to your bench.</font]></o>

**RobTro** · 6th February 2008, 12:10 AM

Try to ignore the mixed up paragraph in the previous post about tail vise use. It is in the wrong place, but when I try to edit it, it just doesn't show up to be edited. Like some hidden text. ????

Here a couple of shots of using the hold downs. I don't know why I would want to hold a saw bench like this, but it shows how you can hold things to your bench to do what ever. The same as for the door. It is not being worked on, again just to show how the hold downs can hold things.

Attachment 66665 Attachment 66666 Attachment 66667 Attachment 66668
Attachment 66669 Attachment 66670 CIMG3240 (Medium).JPG

Anyway I hope this helps the new woodworker-to-be get an idae of why there are holes and the top and dogs on my bench.

By the way, the little box is my son's project. 8 years old. He used off cuts and I drilled some pilot holes for the nails. He marked it out and hammered.

I'm using it to put odds and ends in.

Rob

**RufflyRustic** · 6th February 2008, 09:04 AM

Now that's a good explanation of holes in benches, dogs and hold downs

greenie fired and thread rated.

cheers
Wendy

**wheelinround** · 6th February 2008, 09:39 AM

Agree with Wendy excellent work Rob

maybe one for the Wiki

**jmk89** · 6th February 2008, 09:53 AM

Originally Posted by wheelinround

Agree with Wendy excellent work Rob

maybe one for the Wiki

I agree.

I have even gne to the extent of a grid of holes (about 75mm centres) over the (w)hole surface of the bench so that I can put a dog, wonder dong or holddown wherever it is needed. It makes the bench look funny, but it is soooo useful.

**HappyHammer** · 6th February 2008, 11:19 AM

Hi Rob,

Nice looking bench.

A couple of questions as I'm about to start the design for my bench. Why did you decide on the round holes rather than the more traditional square holes? Also I notice you have put the twin screw on the side of the bench, I'm guessing this is due to space and the location of the bench? I notice that the twin screw doesn't have any holes so that it can be used with the dogs, any reason you didn't do this?

HH.

**HappyHammer** · 6th February 2008, 11:33 AM

Originally Posted by RobTro

In my case I do not have a tail vise. This is due to my space limitation. But I can get the same effect by using a “wonder dog” from Veritas. I put this in one of the dog holes and screw it tight, clamping the work between this and another dog.

Now, you don’t have to have a tail vice and clamp your piece of wood between two dogs. You can do it the old fashioned way, which is the way I have been working recently. That is, you use one dog to push your work against and then you clamp a batten (just piece of wood) to the side to stop the piece moving, especially if it is a bit wide and you are not planning straight down the line of the dog. So, if your bench is like most benches these days and has a tail vise (do a search if you don’t know about these) you place another dog in a hole in the tail vise and then you close the tail vise, clamping your piece of wood between two dogs. Your bit of wood is now held solidly, clamped between two dogs. The dogs should have a face that is at a slight angle so the forces applied are also pushing the work piece down on to the bench top.

Just read your post properly and it answered one of my questions.

Another I just thought of was that you mentioned the dogs should have an angled face but I thought the faces were at right angles and the holes need to be made at a 5 degree angle. I always thought this was a bit silly and that the dogs should have the angle not the hole in the bench.

Also how deep are your holes, did you match the depth to the length of the dogs?

HH.

**artme** · 6th February 2008, 02:13 PM

I used to own adog that dug its own holes.

Seriously Rob that is agood looking bench and a good explanation of hold downs and dogs. Great explanatory photos.

**sCORCH** · 6th February 2008, 02:34 PM

Good one! Very useful for a newbie like me - and a great looking bench as well.

**fletty** · 6th February 2008, 03:15 PM

Originally Posted by HappyHammer

Just read your post properly and it answered one of my questions.

Another I just thought of was that you mentioned the dogs should have an angled face but I thought the faces were at right angles and the holes need to be made at a 5 degree angle. I always thought this was a bit silly and that the dogs should have the angle not the hole in the bench.

HH.

Traditionally, the hole is angled and the dog is square so that when you clamp up, the dog is driven into the hole rather than out of the hole and therefore won't creep up and let go (= bad) or foul the bottom of the plane (= even badder).
Fletty

**Sawdust Maker** · 6th February 2008, 08:02 PM

good explanation of dogs, dogholes etc

me I drooled over the planes pictured. That is just not fair when items like that are displayed to tempt us into a buying frenzie.

Is there a Tools Anonymous?

**jmk89** · 6th February 2008, 08:16 PM

Originally Posted by Sawdust Maker

Is there a Tools Anonymous?

This is it

**RobTro** · 9th February 2008, 03:01 PM

There were a few more questions about dog holes so I added a simple explanation about dog holes on my blog.

Check it out here

Sorry but the order of my blog posts is off. I didn't realise Part I was still in Draft mode. Just find I and then reaad the others in order; II, III, IV

http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/blog.php?b=227

If you are interested.

I am posting this here mainly because the forums are for people to talk about and comment on things. So if anyone would like to add anything extra go ahead. Or if something needs to be corrected then go ahead.

Hope it helps a few beginner bench builders.

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