Bench Dog Holes 4" or 6" From Front Edge?

[Bill Webster]

Trying to decide where to drill my bench dog holes. I currently have the end vises centered 6” from the edges. Should I move the front end vise 2” closer to the edge so the front dog holes will be 4” from the front edge instead of 6"? The entire bench top is 2 5/8” thick. Click drawing to see larger version.

dog holes.jpg

[Bill Dufour]

I think the outside edge of the vise should be flush with the corner of the table top. As you show it in the top diagram a board would be unsupported 2" out from the vise if you need to saw the end off past the table. For thick boards not a problem but thin trim boards would bend and/snap while being cut. If you need to cut off less then 2". you do not have a good way to do that. It is easier to cut accurately in the vertical direction. Trying to cut horizontally with the board standing up is much harder.
And most shops would not allow a vertical board to be more then five feet above the vise in a vertical direction. Horizontal you could probably do 10 feet or more in the smallest shop

Would you place the top of the vise jaws 2" below the table top?
Bill D

[Jim Becker]

My personal aesthetics would be bothered by one row being set 6" from the edge and one row being set 4" from the edge...but that's me...and I've moved heavily in favor of the 96mm grid system that's becoming more and more popular due to the influence of firms like Festool. Even on a "traditional" bench, that kind of dog setup can provide a lot of versatility. My "regular" bench has three rows of dog holes, rather than just two, but I also don't have the end vices like you are showing on my bench. Were I drilling it today...my previous sentence would come into play for sure.

[Bill Webster]

Would you place the top of the vise jaws 2" below the table top?
Bill D

I really only planned on using the 7" wide end vises on the right end of the bench for the dogs. They are almost flush with the top of the bench.

[Bill Webster]

My personal aesthetics would be bothered by one row being set 6" from the edge and one row being set 4" from the edge...

I thought about that, but maybe having the dogs farther apart would not be better . The goal was to get the front dogs closer to the edge.

[Jim Becker]

I thought about that, but maybe having the dogs farther apart would not be better . The goal was to get the front dogs closer to the edge.

I can see and appreciate that point, too...even though it might make me loony from an anal perspective LOL

[David Eisenhauer]

Conventional thinking is that the closer the dog holes are to the edge, the better to hold narrower pieces. My original bench was a converted TS outfeed table with a single face vise mounted to the right end (as you show) that ended up with the dog holes closer to 7" from the edge than my now hand tool working bench with dog holes around 2-1/2" from the edge. The closer dog holes are more useful than the farther dog holes were. I re purposed and relocated my face vise to have the far edge of the face vise chops even with an end of the bench for better "saw-off" performance as Bill D describes. I now use a wagon vise in place of the face vise in conjunction with the dog holes for work hold down as well as "work-pinching" for stuff hanging over the edge of the bench.

[Bill Webster]

I can see and appreciate that point, too...even though it might make me loony from an anal perspective LOL

I have never wished later that I had spent less time making something higher quality. I wouldn't fret over these hole locations so much if it wasn't so permanent. I think I might just move both end vises out to the edges. It took me a long time to work up the nerve to drill holes in this benchtop. Considered other alternatives to dogs that would have worked ok, but dog holes give me better options. I also want to use dog holes to more conveniently and quickly anchor my Moxon vise.


bench crank end.JPG bench back.JPG bench front.JPG

[richard poitras]

Not to hijack your post but Bill can you give us more information about your adjustable bench base?

[Peter Christensen]

More than a little base envy here Bill. How close to the edge of the bench is the elevation wheel handle? My shins would find it for sure. You know you can drill staggered rows of holes at say 3" and 6" from the edge and you are covered for all eventualities.

[Chris Fournier]

My dog holes are 3/4" and 1" from the front of my benches. Wouldn't want any more.

[Jim Becker]

I have never wished later that I had spent less time making something higher quality. I wouldn't fret over these hole locations so much if it wasn't so permanent. I think I might just move both end vises out to the edges. It took me a long time to work up the nerve to drill holes in this benchtop. Considered other alternatives to dogs that would have worked ok, but dog holes give me better options. I also want to use dog holes to more conveniently and quickly anchor my Moxon vise.

Trust me...I understand. If you do a little searching here at SMC, you'll see where I, um...had to fill a bunch of dog holes that were "inaccurately located" when I drilled them after setting up my Adjust-A-Bench. Not only was that embarrassing...I'm constantly reminded of it since the plugs are "very visible" on the top.

That said...wowsa on that bench's support system that's also adjustable. Do tell!

[Randy Viellenave]

Aloha Bill, I too would like to hear about the base. On another note, since the top is hefty enough. maybe you could put your dogs at 4" from both sides, then build 2" "add-ons" for the front and back, aligning them with pins and securing them with bolts or knobs when you need/want them.

Edit - Added picture, saves a thousand words.bench_sample.jpg

[Andrew Seemann]

Mine are 7/8" from the edge. I've often wished they were a little farther in, but I definitely have not wished them to be 6" from the edge.

[Bill Webster]

A good friend of mine had a cabinet shop and scrapped out his Wysong & Miles stroke sander. This is the table base from it. The benchtop can adjust from 30" to 40" high. The workbench weighs about 700 lbs. The 13" diameter handwheel is on the back side and not in the way, but even when standing in front of it, it's no big deal. It sticks out about 3” past the plane of the table edge. Old arn.

handwheel.jpg