"I don't think a bench dog hole needs to be perfectly vertical."
The only time that fails is if you have jigs, like a stop, that you may wish to insert into two holes simultaneously.
I agree though, it doesn't need to be dead on vertical.
Moderator
"I don't think a bench dog hole needs to be perfectly vertical."
The only time that fails is if you have jigs, like a stop, that you may wish to insert into two holes simultaneously.
I agree though, it doesn't need to be dead on vertical.
Contributor
Prashun, In theory yes, but in practice, in the vast majority of situations the jig should still perform even if there is a small deviation from vertical. If the holes were way off, and/or the jig had long posts, that's another story.Originally Posted by Prashun Patel
I do think the goal should be to work accurately, but speaking for myself, sometimes I can get too anxious about achieving perfection when it's just not essential.
Contributor
A few issues come to mind; not that I am an expert, so assume that I might be wrong
Heavy and hard to move around. If you will not move it, that is a good thing. Very difficult to deal with while creating it in the first place.
I understand that dog holes sometimes do not work so well in a very thick bench. It has something to do with a hold fast wedging a bit when you pound it in and the depth keeps it straight. This is the part that I don't remember well as to accuracy, but that is the "fact" stuck in my mind. I can think of ways around this if it is a problem, like hollowing out the bottom to be a bit wider.
Moderator
I speak from personal experience regarding the stop. But I DO take your point that it's not super critical otherwise.
An additional opinion on random angle dog holes. First, to clarify, I am talking about 3/4" round dog holes for which there are so many accessories. My first bench with dog holes had holes that I thought were pretty close. I didn't have problems when putting some serious grip on a rough plank for some initial work. The "pretty close" parameter started to fail when I had to do things that required a little more finesse. Dog faces were skewed enough to allow the work to slip, fixtures with multiple dogs would not seat correctly and so forth. I worked through this by filling a few of the more "relaxed" specification holes and re-drilling.
When I added more holes to that bench I used a router to assure perpendicularity. This moved me from "pretty close" to "really close". Although certainly nothing like 'machine shop' accuracy, well within my requirements. The problem now was I found myself always working at that end of the bench because the dogs always worked well. No problem. I used the router on the next bench and all is well. Like a lot of things, dog holes can be over-thought. The likelihood of you getting it 'right' on your first bench will be increased by the information from the forum but, in the end, your requirements are your requirements.
As to spacing; the holes should at least be closer together than your vice jaw's travel. That is, you should never find yourself trying to tighten up to a dog and find one hole too close and another too far. This basic can then be tuned on your tolerance for winding your vise handle. Using my fist dogged bench again as an example, I set the dog holes based on the vises opening (which was plenty). This gave me a workable solution but, sometimes involved a lot of winding. My new bench has dogs about every 4-1/2" at the front vise and about 6" at the end vise position. This has worked well for me to date.
TNNW (74).jpg . TNNW (73).jpg
Who knows what the future holds.
Last edited by glenn bradley; 01-10-2018 at 1:57 PM.
[OP]
Member
If I were to go to the plunge router route what sort of bit would I need? I'm assuming not just any three-quarter inch bit would work
I use something like this. I drill a 3/8" through hole down the center of each position to make the job for the 3/4" bit easier.
Last edited by glenn bradley; 01-12-2018 at 12:19 AM.
Member
I used an inexpensive 3/4" HHS spiral upcut bit from MLCS when I cut my bench dog holes with a plunge router.
https://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shop.../bt_solid.html
Contributor
This is a great idea! Thanks for sharing.
Contributor
They said it. Pre drill on penciled in lines with a spade bit to remove lots of the bulk of the waste and then use a 3/4" up cut spiral bit with some type of guide setup (if your German blood, like mine, demands it) to route the main hole down as deep as the router bit will go. Use the straight sided router holes to guide either a brace/bit combo or a long enough spade bit to finish the complete depth of the holes.
David
Member
Here is a witty post by Chris Schwarz on the subject
The 6 Personalities of Workbench Builders | Lost Art Press
I havent figured out which one I am yet
Good luck
Tom
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