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Thread: Bench Dog Hole Size

  1. #16
    This comes up often as an issue with 3/4 in. dowel stock. I tend to select the smaller diameter stock if there is an assortment available. I would rather not mess with perfectly sized 3/4 in. bench holes. If length of dowel is a tight fit in the hole, I wrap some sandpaper around the dowel length and turn it a few passes with progressive grits from 120 to 220. This is what I do for my bench jigs. For individual bench dogs I undersize the length of dowel forming the bench dog using sandpaper wrapped around the length. Once bench dog fits a tad loose ,,I drill and insert a bullet catch into the side . This works extremely well and keeps bench dog from falling through yet maintaining a tight fit at any height. I like this approach as it makes the bench dog much more versatile in different dia. 3/4 in. bench holes.


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  2. #17
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    This is an innovated method to secure the bench dog. I have to take a look at that.

  3. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tim Nguyen View Post
    This is an innovated method to secure the bench dog. I have to take a look at that.
    Mine are sometimes used on a saw bench with a top of 2X material. For those it helps to have the bullet catch closer to the flat. Otherwise when they are in the down position the might fall out.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  4. #19
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    I used. 3/4” router bit. This resulted in good fit for both Veritas bench pup vise and and Gramercy hold fasts. My wooden dogs are flat one side with a wire spring. The bullet catches look much nicer. I spaced my holes every 4 inches and have no regrets

  5. #20
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    Update for me:

    I ended buying a vintage set of Russel Jennings augers. These are stamped Stanley made in England, so I am not sure of the quality. My original concern of buying vintage came to roost.
    The Russel Jennings set aren't sharp out of the package. The spurs aren't cutting as well. The augers aren't pulling itself through the wood. The augers stops when the spurs starts to dig into the wood. There were a few that seems to work well, but the crispness of the cut wasn't as good.

    20200603_145706.jpg20200603_145733.jpg

    Comparing the modern WoodOwl to the vintage RJ augers, the WoodOwl cuts more crisp holes and faster. The 3/4 RJ were over-sized at .78 inches versus the WoodOwl 0.74 inches measuring with a caliper. Waiting on getting a auger file before making more test cuts.
    Last edited by Tim Nguyen; 06-03-2020 at 3:17 PM. Reason: some typos as usual

  6. #21
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    I used a #13 bit, in a 12" sweep Samson #8012 brace. That way, I could taper 7/8" dowels for a snug fit.

    Bit was an almost minty Craftsman bit....

  7. #22
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    Tim, Here is a booklet you may want to download > https://www.toolemerapress.com/2019/...t-company.html

    Even though it is an Irwin booklet it has sharpening information that applies to any brand of auger bit.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  8. #23
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    Thanks for the link! Finding a auger file seems a little crazy right now. Anybody has a particular brand file they recommend? Amazon offers two. Highland woodworking has one, but both Lee Valley and toolsforwoodworker are out of stock.

  9. #24
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    You might try Home Depot > https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rack-A-T...FILE/303355467

    These may have to be special ordered. They may be in the stores.

    Everything is going crazy on pricing. It was my good fortune to find a few new old stock Nicholson brand auger files in a fastener/tool store at a great price.

    If you have specialty machine supply shops, welding supply shops and such it might be a good idea to give them a browsing. It is surprising all the useful items that may have been sitting on the shelves for a few years.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  10. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tim Nguyen View Post
    Update for me:

    I ended buying a vintage set of Russel Jennings augers. These are stamped Stanley made in England, so I am not sure of the quality. My original concern of buying vintage came to roost.
    The Russel Jennings set aren't sharp out of the package. The spurs aren't cutting as well. The augers aren't pulling itself through the wood. The augers stops when the spurs starts to dig into the wood. There were a few that seems to work well, but the crispness of the cut wasn't as good.

    20200603_145706.jpg20200603_145733.jpg

    Comparing the modern WoodOwl to the vintage RJ augers, the WoodOwl cuts more crisp holes and faster. The 3/4 RJ were over-sized at .78 inches versus the WoodOwl 0.74 inches measuring with a caliper. Waiting on getting a auger file before making more test cuts.

    Tim, there are two factors here. Firstly, the Wood Owl are new and the RJ likely have dull cutting edges. You may need to sharpening these. There are m any videos on Youtube that will show you the way. But there is a second factor, and I would explore this first: if the wood is hard, the lead screw may not be able to cut its way into it. There is a way around this - drill a pilot hole slightly narrower that the lead screw. This will reduce the work it is required to do. The auger may cut like it is sharp. If not, then go to point one.

    I posted this a short while back ...





    https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....wns-and-augers

    Regards from Perth

    Derek
    Last edited by Derek Cohen; 06-04-2020 at 5:50 AM.

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