Bench Cookies

[Brandon Weiss]

I'm looking for opinions on the bench cookies. Mainly for their use with a router, as shown in the Rockler advertisement. I don't have my router table built yet, so I need a way to stabilize a workpiece on the bench so I can take the router to the edge. Are these things really worth it, or should I just clamp and route like I've been doing?

[Ryan Baker]

Bench cookies rock! They work exactly as advertised. Very useful when you need the piece clear of the bench to leave room for the bit.

[Stan Urbas]

AND, they are very low-calorie!

[Jeff Monson]

I think they are ok for the investment, I've used mine for quite some time now and they are starting to break down a bit, they also dont work well when there is alot of dust on them. They really knock down vibration when sanding. Quite a handy device overall.

[Brandon Weiss]

The foam material worried me that day I saw them in Rockler. I was worried the foam was too flimsy. I can see how they would break down. I don't know if I would use them for more than routing though so maybe I could prevent the breakdown just a little bit by using them only for that. The other thing that worried me is when I put one down and put some lateral pressure on it, it seemed to give quite a bit. Again because the foam was so thick. That was just my uninformed opinion though after a quick look in the store. Thus I come to you guys.

[Tri Hoang]

I think you can make a bunch of them in different sizes with just some wood/rubber pads.

[Jim Rimmer]

Bench cookies rock! They work exactly as advertised. Very useful when you need the piece clear of the bench to leave room for the bit.
+1 for the cookies

[Paul Ryan]

For the price and if you can get free shipping they aren't worth making for that. They are really nice for all sort of things but routing is # 1. I use mine all of the time even though I have a nice router table.

[Joe Shinall]

Lovin the bench cookies! Got mine free with a promotion a few months back because I spent like $400+ on merchandise. I've used them for routing, sanding, elevation for clamping, and even staining and painting. They're pretty rugged even though they have foam. The first time you put a lot of weight on them and then take the weight off, you will see an indention in the foam and get worried. Don't worry, they will come back to normal.

[brian platt]

I've used them for sanding medium size panels and they have worked well. Have not tried routing yet.

[doug faist]

If you're into turny things, it's kind of kick to make you own bench cookies. Flat surfaces on each side get a piece of shelf liner (the rubbery stuff) and, voila!

Or maybe I'm just too cheap, but mine work great.

Doug

[Dan Forman]

The foam is textured neoprene, which is pretty tough stuff. . They work well.

Dan

[Josiah Bartlett]

I just use the under-rug anti skid pad material and route off the edge of the bench- it has much more surface area than a cookie.

[Cliff Holmes]

When I first saw the bench cookies announced, I thought they were a silly idea. But then I tried them ... and like them. I did a little review of them recently: http://www.thewoodnerd.com/reviews/benchCookies.html

[Dave Wagner]

I got a set when they were on sale...work great.! :)

[Bruce Page]

I got 8 of them for Christmas. I haven't used them yet but I think they will work great for their intended purpose.

[Brandon Boyd]

If you decide to make your own or refurb your actual BenchCookies find a techie friend that has old mousepads laying around. Scavenge as many as you can. They work great for the non-skid surface.

Brandon

[Cary Falk]

I like mine. After being covered in dust they still grip. I can't say that about that foam router/sanding pad and tool chest drawer liners.

[Bryan Morgan]

I am a fan of the bench cookies. I use them to plop stuff on and route or plane. They work great, even with a little dust on my bench... which I was surprised about actually.... I though they'd slip around in the dust.

[Daryl Henderson]

Hockey Puck and tool box drawer liner from HF. However, the old mouse pad trick sounds better than drawer liner.

[Cliff Holmes]

Hockey Puck and tool box drawer liner from HF

Is all that really worth it? Bench Cookies are only $3 each

[Brandon Weiss]

I like the mousepad idea. Shape is optional, certainly doesn't have to be round. I think I'll make mine. I know they are only 3 bucks each but it sounds more economical to make. Plus, I can customize. One of an Engineer's favorite activities is redesigning!

[Ryan Baker]

I also found that they work quite well when dusty. I expected them to slip more once the sawdust got on them. I don't find the rubber to be a problem at all. They have been very stable for me. A little weight keeps them planted to the table very well. A router mat and working off the edge of the table is a big pain a lot of the time, constantly trying to reposition to avoid running into the table edge.

[jim gossage]

If you decide to make your own, you can get a 12 x 12" self adhesive rubber mat here for 6.99. You could make your cookies and more with that and not have to mess with the glue.

http://www.ptreeusa.com/shop_accessories.htm#2892