Bench Pups

[Julie Moriarty]

FWW had an article a couple of years ago that featured what I think they called Bench Pups. I set the idea aside with plans to make a couple. After I made them a few months ago I didn't have the opportunity to try them until the other day when making some new cabinet doors.

http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/Woodworking/Workbench/BenchPups_01_zpsb6hpsrsi.jpg
The bench pups are maple blocks holding the door in place so I can plane the edge.

http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/Woodworking/Workbench/BenchPups_02_zpscpybn4qh.jpg
This gives you an idea how they are designed. I glued (3) pieces of 5/4 maple together to make the Pups with the middle piece being the one that extends to the dog holes in the bench.

http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/Woodworking/Workbench/BenchPups_03_zpsdzckizbh.jpg
They worked remarkably well. The rubber pads protected the wood and they handled the pressure applied by the vise.

This is another look by the author of the FWW article.
http://s3.amazonaws.com/finewoodworking.s3.tauntoncloud.com/app/uploads/2016/10/19045904/TC-BenchPuppies.jpg

[Ted Reischl]

Saw something like those, but not the FWW ones. I like the ones you built better. They have been on my "to do" list for a while.

Nice job and thanks for posting this!

[Nick Decker]

Very nicely done!

Also, I want your work bench.

[David Eisenhauer]

Thanks for reminding us about the "pups". Nice door by the way.

[Julie Moriarty]

Thanks for the kind words, guys.

The only reason I put them on a to do list is because I had these 5/4 scraps of maple I refused to throw away. Wood down here is SO expensive.

That's why the door panel has the design it does. I had wood I brought down here so rather than going out and buying more wood, I scrapped pieces of maple, cocobolo and padauk together to make up the panels. And a new design was born.

Funny how that works...

[Paul K. Johnson]

I don't get how they work. How are they clamping the piece you're working on?

[Jim Becker]

I don't get how they work. How are they clamping the piece you're working on?

They naturally align as you tighten up the tail vice (or equivalent) so that they hold the workpiece securely. The next to last photo shows this.

[Paul K. Johnson]

Thanks. I didn't notice the vise.