Dog hole template

[Anthony Whitesell]

My plan to drill the dog holes in my work bench is to use a plunge router with the 3/4" diameter 1/2"shank spiral bit fitted with a 1"OD guide bushing to keep the router centered on the template made from perf board.

I have all the parts and pieces. But I'm stumped as to how to enlarge the holes in the perf board. If memory serves, they are 1/4" diameter holes that I need to drill out to 1". Spade bits won't work, the point is on a taped and I can't get the bit right in the center of the hole. Any other ideas?

[Mark Salomon]

Have you considered simply marking out the locations for the holes and then using router with an edge guide and up spiral bit. Worked fine for me. I think Glen Huey has a video showing him making dog holes this way--simple and fast.

[Adam Strong]

Using a plunge router with the proper bit there is no reason for a template/guide bushing set-up. It will only complicate things. As Mark already said, an edge guide and layout lines are all you need.

[Cory Hoehn]

I remember seeing a video somewhere with a guy using a 3/4" spiral upcut bit. He created a hardboard template that just fit the base of his router. It kept the router still so that he could plunge into the top. It also had a hook on the end to keep it in place. I think those bits are really expensive, though.

What about just buying a portable drill guide or making one with a drill press and using an auger bit on a hand drill?

[Alan Schaffter]

How thick is the top of your bench. If it is 2" or thicker, a router bit will be too short and you will need to finish the holes with a drill and an auger, brad point bit, spade bit, or Forstner bit with a shank extension.

I drilled all my 3/4" dog holes with a power hand drill. To hold the drill and bit vertically I used a 30" long drilling guide made from a piece of 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" hardwood (see pic). I marked the guide hole locations, one for each row of dog holes, in the guide and drilled them at the drillpress. I clamped the guide across the table at pre-marked locations and used a Forstner bit followed by a brad point bit to finish the hole. If I had been able to find my shank extension I might have just used the Forstner bit for the full depth of the hole. For a finished appearance I came back later and used a router with a chamfering bit to put a very slight chamfer on the top of each dog hole. If you are concerned about blow-out on the bottom, drill very slowly when finishing the hole or clamp a backer board to the bottom of the bench top.

Mark the location(s) of your vise hardware and the table understructure with a pencil on the bench top, then layout the locations of your dog holes- you may not be able to drill dog holes at the spacing and locations you originally thought, especially if you want even spacing. You will need to be able to reach and push the dogs up from underneath and will also need clearance if you plan to use holdfasts. I spent quite a bit of time figuring out the spacing for my four rows of holes so I wouldn't hit anything under the table and so the spacing was uniform.

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/1463/medium/IMG_29101.jpg

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/1463/medium/IMG_29171.jpg

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/1463/medium/IMG_29201.jpg

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/1463/medium/IMG_2931.jpg

[Lee Schierer]

My dog doesn't use a template for any of his holes, he just digs them to suit.....:D sorry it's been a slow day here today.

[Larry Fox]

I usually just drill them with a drill and either a forstner bit or even a spade bit if that is what I happen to find first. I drill new ones every once in a while as I need to hold something and there is no hole there. Never had a problem of any sort with slipping or anything like that. I must confess though that my bench is not, by any means a work of art.

[Anthony Whitesell]

I did consider using the edge guide, but it's too short. I also found it very difficult to lay out the center of the hole and hit it squarely with a 3/4" diameter bit. I already have the 3/4" bit. I got it with freeshipping and an after thanksgiving day discount from woodcraft for $25.

My plan is to enlarge four holes (if I can figure out a good way to do it) in a piece of perfboard. I will use the template to layout out two of the holes and then insert pegs and move the template up. The other two holes will fit over the pegs and the I can drill the next two.

[Alan Schaffter]

I did consider using the edge guide, but it's too short. I also found it very difficult to lay out the center of the hole and hit it squarely with a 3/4" diameter bit. I already have the 3/4" bit. I got it with freeshipping and an after thanksgiving day discount from woodcraft for $25.

My plan is to enlarge four holes (if I can figure out a good way to do it) in a piece of perfboard. I will use the template to layout out two of the holes and then insert pegs and move the template up. The other two holes will fit over the pegs and the I can drill the next two.

That should work. I had thought about adding "tails" to my alignment board so I could use pegs to guarantee the spacing- was just too lazy and besides, why do they have to be perfect- mine are probably within .001 or less (less than thickness of my pencil marks).

[Anthony Whitesell]

I know someone had a post on here about a clever way to enlarge holes, but I can't find it.

[Paul Atkins]

Use a 3/4 " countersink and drill till it goes through. I has to start in the center.

[David Cefai]

I must be missing out on something, possibly because I don't know what "perf board" is.

Could you not drill 1" holes in a piece of board just thick enough to accomodate the router collar and then use this as your template? You can make the board large enough to clamp to the bench at both ends.

If the router bottoms out before you have drilled through the benchtop you can then carry on with a handheld drill. The existing hole should serve as an accurate guide to carry on drilling.

[Anthony Whitesell]

perf board =peg board = hard board with holes conviently drilled at regular intervals. There a tip/trick about using the stuff as a shelf pin drilling jig. Then someone had a cleaver way of accurately enlarging the holes. I was/am hopeful that someone can remember what the trick was.

[Anthony Whitesell]

Well I made the template the only way I could figure out how, using a spade bit. The widest part of the spade fit just inside the pegboard hole. I thought that would work. I drilled holes on a 4"x4" grid. It turns out it wasn't close enough. The holes creap to one side at the rate of 0.1" per set. After drilling 10 pairs of holes, I had drifted a full inch. The workbench top looks aweful. I'm half tempted to hack off the front 9 inches and try again, but I really need to move on to other projects.

Lesson learned, that technique doesn't work. Now if I could only find the trick on enlarging the holes. I thought it was on the 'creek, but maybe it was in a magazine. :confused:

[kevin loftus]

You have to plug the hole first before making
it larger. :)

[Anthony Whitesell]

But then I lose the center of the hole. I might as well just try to hand measure measure evenly paced holes in a solid piece of hardboard. For the life of me I cannot find the trick to enlarging the holes using the perfboard. I spent an hour looking through magazines last night and haven't found it. That's only the first box though.

[Barry wines]

I made a template out of 1 1/2" thick white oak,drilled 1" holes on a drill press and used a fence and stop blocks for alignment. I then pressed brass bushings with a 3/4" i.d into the holes. I drilled the holes with a 3/4" drill bit in a corded 1/2" portable drill. Use a square with alignment marks on it and the template to keep from yawing as you move down the table. You can use spacer sticks to get a uniform spacing or you can scribe your layout on the bench top ahead of time

[Ed Calkins]

But then I lose the center of the hole. I might as well just try to hand measure measure evenly paced holes in a solid piece of hardboard. For the life of me I cannot find the trick to enlarging the holes using the perfboard. I spent an hour looking through magazines last night and haven't found it. That's only the first box though.
I would put a 1/4" drill in my drill press, lower it through the hole to be enlarged in the perf board, clamp the perf board, and then use a larger drill to enlarge the hole (maybe a 3/4" hole saw?). Another way would be to clamp the perf board to a solid board and then use a 1/4" centering punch in the hole to make a center punch mark in the wood clamped under the hole, then drill with a spade bit or whatever using the center punch mark. I think there are many ways to enlarge the hole while holding the location. I might be missing something.