Bench dogs – round or square holes

gkahlbaugh | Posted in Power Tools and Machinery on November 24, 2003 06:38am

I recently built my first woodworkers bench but didn’t give much thought to bench dogs as I was gluing up the top. The bench top is 2″ maple. I have considered two options to resolve the problem: drilling round holes and using commercial dogs that I have seen in various catalogs or drilling the same round holes and getting out the chisel to square the holes. I’m leaning toward the round holes because of the time savings. I’m looking for pros or cons to the round holes. Thanks.

Replies

mlbfreestyle | Nov 24, 2003 06:55am | #1
I have square holes in my bench. I love them. The main thing IMO is to have the pegs slanted into the work about 3 or 4 degrees. Otherwise, your work will want to lift off the bench when tightened. This may be the most significant thing to consider. I use my bench for surface planing and sticking, so successful clamping with dogs is critical.

I milled the dog holes in the edge of the bench and then laminated a cap piece over that. This allowed me to mill the extra little ledge that accepts the larger head of the dog. With this style dog, you can pop the dog down flush for storage without having it fall through the bench. My dogs are made of beech and have a small spring loaded bullet in the back to provide some pressure so they hold position in the bench.
VeniciaL | Nov 24, 2003 09:00am | #2
Bear,

Some people like round ones. Some like square ones. And some insist that the universe will come to an end if they be forced to use a bench with the "wrong" kind. We woodworkers seem to have been born with the ability to debate minutae.

Leave your holes round. The round dogs will work just fine. And you will have the ability to hold irregularly-shaped objects without any additional wedges needed if you had square dogs.

I have used benches with square dogs, round dogs with square heads and round dogs with round heads. They all worked.

As far as dogs which recess into the bench, I prefer to pull unused ones out and flip them into the bench's tool tray. That way, I know where they are, and can stick them in in an instant, when needed. The recessed variety are invariably under a workpiece already on the bench, or are hidden otherwise, or too hard to reach along the back row of holes to pop up from beneath.

My 2c

VL

hammer1 | Nov 24, 2003 10:00am | #5
The square dogs need the correct mortice to fit and operate well. One thing I found annoying was how far they typically extend below the bench top. I was always wailing my knee if I left one in. With a round hole you can easily use dowels to make specialty fixtures or jigs. If you really need full monster holding power for heavy hand planing and shaping, the square is the way to go. This only applies if you have a traditional wood shoulder style vice and one dog only on each end of the work piece. Round can get elongated and slip after heavy use. Those shoulder vices will snap a 3/4" oak dowel like a toothpick. If you are using the dog opposite a steel vice or even a twin or single screw end vice, the round will be fine. The round with square face are less susceptable to rolling in the hole when lateral pressure is applied to the work.

Ole | Nov 24, 2003 11:37am | #6
LeeValley got some round bench dog/pups. The 2° inward slope of the dog face hold wood very securely. With your bench-top being 2" you should do fine with the pups (2 3/8")

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?page=31127&category=1,41637,41645&ccurrency=3&SID=

All you have to do is drill a perpendicular 3/4" hole to make them fit.

Ole

.... I Love the smell of sawdust in the morning....

RANGERP75R | Nov 24, 2003 09:25am | #3
Bear

   Have used both. The square have the advantage of having a 2 degree cant which forces work down. If you make your own round ones with either round or square heads, the heads can be canted to achieve the same. There are more commercial accessories available for round.

   Square are easy to install before the top is assembled. Round would be if already assembled as yours. I would go with round to save frustration and time. Drill an 3/4" piece of stock template on the drill press and clamp it on your bench to insure the drill bit you use on the live run is vertical.

   You might consider a trapezoid shape. I'm not sure what that is, but it sounds exciting. ha..ha..

Good luck with the holes...

sarge..jt

Proud member of the : "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
bjpearce | Nov 24, 2003 09:51am | #4
Bear,

Got this great idea from The Workbench Book, drill your round holes straight as normal, get some 3/4 inch dowel to fit in the hole, then cut up some pieces of timber, about 1.5 - 2 inches square, drill a 3/4 inch hole through them and drive dowel in.

Now you have the best of both worlds, use them like the dogs that come with the ol' B'n'D work-bench-mate-thing, just drop 'em in the hole, and the square head will stop them falling through, you can angle the griping face too.

If you get the chance to have a look through the book, it's on pg 106 ish, along with a few other great ideas.

Ben
Raehm | Nov 24, 2003 08:56pm | #7
I'd go with round at this point. I used round holes and I was a little concerned with the holes getting slop with time. Being somewhat anal I drilled 1" diameter holes and lined them with 3/4" ID 1" OD Polyethylene tubing. This give a snug smooth hole that should wear very slowly. Here's a tip for drilling straight holes. Drill a 3/16" hole through a thick piece of scrap wood the same distance from the edge of the wood as the hole will be from the edge of the bench. Screw a thin piece of wood to the edge so you can reference the scrap accurately to the edge of the bench. Use this drill guide to drill 3/16" holes in you bench. Now use a spade bit to drill the holes in the bench. The pilot hole will keep the lead point of the spade bit from wandering. Drill from both sides to avoid tear-out.

yotonyb | Nov 24, 2003 09:27pm | #8
The recently delivered Tools and Shops had a nice article on dadoing the square holes for square dogs before assembling your top.

If you're drilling the round holes, a template or good layout lines and a guide to keep your drill at the proper angle with respect to the benchtop are essential. Depending on the material, maybe an auger bit in a sturdy 1/2" drill. Clamp a board on the "exit" side to prevent tearout or drill from both sides as Steve suggested. Keep your chin away from the drill...

Another option is put your drill press on a roll-around cart and bring the drill press to the bench top.

Woodworking unplugged would demand that this work be done with a brace-and-bit!

tony b.

gkahlbaugh | Nov 25, 2003 03:48am | #9
I'd like to thank everyone for all of the input and good ideas. Off to the drill press I go to put some round holes in the workbench top. Seems like the extra effort to put square holes after the top is made isn't necessary especially as one of you pointed out, if I'm not going to be doing a lot of heavy planing and only have a metal woodworkers vise. Thanks again for taking the time to help with my question.

George