Thread: Best dog hole size

Depends on the bench. Is it a hand tool bench or a MFT bench. For a hand tool bench 19mm or 3/4'' is the usual size as things like holdfasts and dogs fit that. Best advice is get the hardware like holdfasts first then give careful thought where the holes go. A swiss cheese of a top can be a pain as small screws and stuff have a habit of getting lost. I have not gone the MFT path but with that the holes are the main feature and the positioning of them has to be spot on. I would be just getting a MFT top as thats machine made so accurate.
Regards
John

I like square dog holes for a workbench with dedicated dogs, but if you want perhaps to use the off the shelf variety of accessories from various manufacturers, then a round dog hole is best. If you oversize, you can always make an insert that resembles a bushing (if you have a lathe), should you make your holes too big and want to use smaller dog hole accessories. As John mentioned, I fully agree, I often see folks with dog holes all over the top of their workbench/worktop and it is 100% true that things will fall down those holes. From my observation (and just my point of view), if you're a powertool user and lucky enough to have the Festool ecosystem, then you dont really have small parts or things resting on your bench that will fall down. But if you plan on using a combination of powertools and hand tools, perhaps having screwdrivers, pencils, screws, nails, etc sitting around on the top...then they will undoubtedly fall through. It all depends on how you plan to use it.
Another point, is perhaps consider if you plan on storing stuff underneath. If you have plenty of boxes or trays of things which you may store underneath, from experience if anything falls through (say some beautiful small brass wood screws) it can be a pain to pull everything out from underneath to find it, or if you plan on gluing up on something with a lot of dog holes, glue runout can drip through and onto whatever it may be underneath, even sanding, a lot of dust can fall through. I have seen some solutions like a tray from 6mm plywood on runners mounted a few inches below the top to catch all that stuff.

Sorry for the brain fart, but yeah it just crossed my mind regarding the dog holes.


Cheers,
Siggy

Thanks Gents. I must admit that I had planned on going the Swiss cheese approach. However I completely take your point about small objects falling through. I'll have to rethink the dog hole layout.

Originally Posted by Eggman2

...I'll have to rethink the dog hole layout.

Oh, dont fear the swiss cheese.

It's moreso, perhaps consider how you want to use the workbench. Swiss Cheese has its time and place most definitely and works very very well, just not in a New York Cheesecake.

2c.

If you go for square dog holes you can make those shouldered dogs and leave them in place flush, then losing bits is negated. Also if you make them big enough you can make some square dogs with holes in them, pop out the solid dog from the location, pop in your 19 or 20 mm holed dog and you can fit your tool. Bit more work but the best of all worlds.

20mm

For sure.

19mm are only for the 3/4" users.

I recently went through this whole hole thing and came down firmly on 20mm. It isn't just Festool, its a standard that's being picked up everywhere.

e.g. UJK Parf Guide Drilling System Mark II for Sale | TSO Products

On the "stuff falling through" this is a PITA, but a tray for ones do-dads solves this, plus as Siggy mentioned, a sliding dust shelf (like the BBQ tray!) is a sensible thing. On my MFT, when it was set up quite permanently, the amount of dust and crud that fell through onto the storage boxes below was much higher than one would think. It was a pain.

On my new mini-bench and kneeling-benches, 20mm was the final answer.

For interesting dogs, have a squizz at these

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Originally Posted by Eggman2

I am about to embark on building a new work bench. I just wanted to get some feedback on the best dog hole size to run with? Specifically I am talking about 19mm vs 20mm. Obviously there are a bunch of tools built for 19mm dog holes. However with to 20mm hole size being championed by Festool on their MFT tables this opens up a whole host of options other options. I just wondered if their were any preferences or opinions one way or the other?

Round dog holes along the edge of the bench are intended to be used with an end vise. They are different to the dog holes used with Festool or holdfast tools. The latter are drilled at 90 degrees/vertical to the bench top. Dog holes used with an end vise need to lean 2 degrees towards them.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Originally Posted by derekcohen

Dog holes used with an end vise need to lean 2 degrees towards them...

I agree 100% with Derek on this - dont forget to make them lean! And the dog holes on the tail vise itself (which may only be 1 if you use a wagon vise, or perhaps upto 4 if you use a different tail vise configuration) should lean a couple of degrees toward those in the benchtop.

Originally Posted by Eggman2

I am about to embark on building a new work bench. I just wanted to get some feedback on the best dog hole size to run with? Specifically I am talking about 19mm vs 20mm. Obviously there are a bunch of tools built for 19mm dog holes. However with to 20mm hole size being championed by Festool on their MFT tables this opens up a whole host of options other options. I just wondered if their were any preferences or opinions one way or the other?

And B&D Workmate dogholes are 25/32" or 19.84 mm, so that's a third standard.

My view is that dogholes in Anglo countries have traditionally been ¾” (or 19.05mm), whereas those from metric or continental countrieshave been 20mm.

If you mainly make your own dogs then the dog size does not matter. If you are likely to buy them in, then do you favour continental or american brands?

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

If you mainly make your own dogs then the dog size does not matter. If you are likely to buy them in, then do you favour continental or American brands?

Its a bit like Swallows.

download.jpg

Originally Posted by woodPixel

20mm

For sure.

19mm are only for the 3/4" users.

I recently went through this whole hole thing and came down firmly on 20mm. It isn't just Festool, its a standard that's being picked up everywhere.

e.g. UJK Parf Guide Drilling System Mark II for Sale | TSO Products

On the "stuff falling through" this is a PITA, but a tray for ones do-dads solves this, plus as Siggy mentioned, a sliding dust shelf (like the BBQ tray!) is a sensible thing. On my MFT, when it was set up quite permanently, the amount of dust and crud that fell through onto the storage boxes below was much higher than one would think. It was a pain.

On my new mini-bench and kneeling-benches, 20mm was the final answer.

For interesting dogs, have a squizz at these

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Hi woodPixel, did you buy a UJK Parf Guide?

Originally Posted by Eggman2

Hi woodPixel, did you buy a UJK Parf Guide?

Indeed I did!

Best thing EVER. I'm about to remake my "bench" as its a well worn and well-weathered hunk of 18mm MDF that's seen better days

I've the Version 1, probably one of the very first to be made, for I put my name down on the list and followed Mr Parfett from his first days on Instagram. I enjoyed his unusual British ways of explaining things.

I've seen the Version 2 and consider it a H U G E improvement over V1, but V1 is entirely serviceable.

If a V2 should happen to drop into my lap, or I find one second hand, I'd snap it up in a second.


edit (one day later!) - Went to retrieve my "well weathered hunk" of MDF for a job... and its been pissing rain here for weeks. It was outside, flat, in the trailer..... well, I cleaned up what amounted to an ENORMOUS weetbix So! Looks like I have to remake one now

It sounds like you have a good reason to break out the Parf Guide now. Thanks for the recommendation. I’ve been eyeing off the Parf guide for a while. I’ll have to put one on my Christmas list.