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Thread: Bench dogs

  1. #1
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    Default Bench dogs

    In process of building new bench ( will post some pics when I work out how to make the right file size on my tablet ) and have been looking into bench dogs . so many questions with ,so many different opinions . what size ,spacing etc . the best priced dogs I have found are ausdogs (AusDogs). was thinking of three rows down my bench (1090x1300 with a hovarter face vice full width of short end ) with maybe 200mm spacing . any thoughts? Cheers rob

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  3. #2
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    Wow, a one meter wide vice? You'll give the rest of us an inferiority complex.

    Having recently built a bench top (the rest is still in progress), that has been used extensively to build the base, I can offer the following observations. Note that my main use for this bench is with hand tools. My old bench is an assembly table employing a range of hacks to make it usable with hand tools.

    1) Make your front holes close to the edge. Mine are 45 mm. I'd read this advice and thought it daft, but decided to trust the masters (Kalus etc.). How right they were, I feel like I dodged a bullet there.

    2) If building the top from laminations, it is easy to add square/ rectangular dog holes, and make them at a small forward leaning angle. Regardless of the quasi religious arguments about round verses square dogs, square are much easier to make the dogs yourself.

    3) I struggle to understand why someone would buy regular bench dogs. Round or square, you could make a full set in under an hour from most scrap. I'm happy to be corrected of I've not considering something.

    4) The only complaints I'd read about people's retrospective review of their bench builds with respect to dog hole spacing was that the spaces were too large. I did mine at 100 mm.

    5) I only have the one row of holes against the front of the bench. I will likely add several round holes closer to the middle/ back for hold fasts and/or through bench clamps. Before drilling them however, I'll wait till I've put some more miles on it so that I only add holes that I need. I don't want to end up with a top which may be mistaken for Swiss cheese.

    Kind regards,
    Lance

  4. #3
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    I originally started out with 2 of the larger Veritas round brass bench dogs for my bench. They work well but I found them a bit tight in the original 3/4" or 20mm holes I drilled for them. Later I found I was sometimes losing small items off the bench down the holes, not to mention the rubbish that would fall through when I went to brush down sawdust off the benchtop. I eventually made a set of wooden dogs to fill all the other dog holes using these instructions using dowel and street sweeper bristles. Worked a treat!

    The retail brass dogs don't do a lot of damage to the fine edge of a chisel or plane iron when you do eventually hit one, but the dowel ones are even kinder. I used vic ash dowel from bunnies and worried about the grain orientation but so far I haven't had any failures.
    Franklin

  5. #4
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    I bought the ujk parf guide system which provides 96mm spaced holes and 20mm holes. This matches festool's MFT table, as seen on Ausdogs website and gives you access to all the accessories made for that top. As for dogs I have bought and are happy with John at yellowbox ( The Yellowbox Shed – 3D Printing, CNC machining and timber bits ) They sell all the dogs 20mm or 3/4" and all the accessories and are reasonably priced and no I don't work for them. Since then I have bought a Stanton bench which also has 20mm holes 96mm apart. I've also bought dogs from Axminster in UK but after shipping the costs get high. So my recommendation is 20mm holes 96mm apart to provide compatibility to the large number of dogs and accessories and have a look at Yellowbox's website. Ausdogs are reasonably priced as well. I hope this helps

  6. #5
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    The traditional work bench will use rectangular dogs, with "holes" formed at the start of the bench build ...




    Then a jig was built for the router ...



    ... and the dog holes machined out ..




    The dogs all recess flush with the bench top when not in use ..

    Quite commonly today, many prefer to drill a 3/4" hole and use a brass (see Lee Valley) or wooden (shop made) dog.

    I use both, with the rectangular ones along the front of the bench.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek
    Visit www.inthewoodshop.com for tutorials on constructing handtools, handtool reviews, and my trials and tribulations with furniture builds.

  7. #6
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    I agree with having holes close to edge is a good idea . bit late for square holes as top is glued up already ,so I will be drilling round ones . was working on 200mm spacing is vice has that much travel . was thinking of forging some holdfast from 19 mm round bar . thanks for your input .

  8. #7
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    Was not worried to much about man glitter ,but maybe I will make some wooden dogs . thanks for your suggestions.

  9. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Raw the builder View Post
    Was not worried to much about man glitter
    That's a great phrase I'd heard before. Good one!

    Kind regards,
    Lance

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