Uh Oh... Is this going to be a problem??

[Will Hon]

I'm in the process of building my first workbench. I've been working on the trestles and all the while surfacing enough boards to glue-up face to face (edge grain working surface). I had looked through the fine woodworking repertoire of workbench designs and noted that they made most of there benches about 2.5"- 2.75" thick. Like usual, I decided to slightly out due them and go with a 3" thick top. I then purchased all my hardware from Lee-Valley... quick release vice, tail vice, and BENCH DOGS!!

Well the problem is the bench dogs say they require a minimum 3" thick top to work properly... and I thought I was going overboard at that thickness. And now I'm worried that after final flattening I might be closer to 2&3/4"- 2&7/8" final thickness... am I in trouble? I wasn't planning on putting aprons on the bench, but should I make the side with the tail vice thicker at like 4". Or will they still function fine at 3"?

[doug faist]

Wil - probably not a problem depending on which dogs you bought. However, if you haven't purchased them yet, think seriously about making your own. Easy project, way less expensive and you can make them fit your particular style and needs.

Have fun with your project.

Doug

[Will Hon]

Sorry, ton of posts tonight, I gotta bump this...

[Dan Forman]

Shouldn't be, if you drill all the way through the top, which you will want to do anyway so that you can use a pair of Gramercy holdfasts. http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/Merchant/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=toolshop&Product_Code=MS-HOLDFAST.XX&Category_Code


Just don't put any drawers below the top so that here is room for the posts.

Dan

[Mark Maleski]

If this is your first workbench, it likely won't be your last. You'll figure out multiple things you don't like about this one, and fix them in your second one.

If you do find the dogs won't work in your thickness top, you can probably return them in exchange for the LV bench pups.

[Joe Scharle]

You could glue some blocks under the holes and drill thru them.

[glenn bradley]

Joe has a great solution. I can't really answer as my top is 3" but, I have seen many commercial tops with dog holes that were sub-2". I don't know that I would worry about being just a bit under. Perhaps some folks with thinner tops could chime in.

[Kent A Bathurst]

..........closer to 2&3/4"- 2&7/8" final thickness... am I in trouble?.....

I think you will be fine. I have the Veritas steel + brass square dogs. Here is what I think is going on with the 3" recommendation - when you have the full height of the brass face exposed - just barely - then the apex of the spring is at 3" below the table surface. So, if your table is at 2-3/4", then the apex would be exposed below the table. I think the spring will still grip the side of the dog hole just fine. OF course, if you have only half the face exposed, then you are short of the apex, but that would be true with 3" anyway.

If it turns out not to work all that well for you, then you could simply retrofit by glue-screw a pair of 1/4" cleat on the underside of the table, right along the edge of the dog holes.

I'd tee it up, Will - pretty sure you'll be fine, and if not, the fix is trivial.

[Dan Forman]

Shouldn't be, if you drill all the way through the top, which you will want to do anyway so that you can use a pair of Gramercy holdfasts. http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/Merchant/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=toolshop&Product_Code=MS-HOLDFAST.XX&Category_Code


Just don't put any drawers below the top so that here is room for the posts.

Dan

Oops, I might have been thinking of the "pups", which is what I have - it's been a long time since I got them.

Dan