DIY Woodworking Bench Dogs

I hate to drill holes in my WorkBench

I have always used clamps to hold down what I am working on but sometimes the clamps do not reach far enough in to hold anything down.

I have been thinking about #Bench Dogs for quite some time but a) hate to drill holes in my bench and b) they are not cheap.

But every now and then I get tired of my work sliding all over the place and took the plunge and drilled some holes.

Now there are a few different types of bench dogs out there.  Some square, some round, some with locking pins and springs and so on.

The ones here are very simple.  A dowel with a piece of metal inserted in them to hold the dowel in the hole.

You can get away without the spring if you do not drill your holes ( I suggest 3/4 inch) all the way through, then the dowels will just bottom out and not fall through.  The downside of this is that sawdust and dirt will get in the holes and you will have to vacuum them out.

If you do drill them all the way through by mistake, then just nail a piece of wood on the underside or a nail/screw to stop the bench dog from falling through.

You don’t need a lot of them just a few at the front and back and maybe 1 or 2 on either side depending on if you are right handed or left handed.

So decide where a bench dog would be best suited and try one just to see how it works for you.  If your work moves too much, try flattening one side of the bench dog to hold the work more securely.

Have Fun as always

Bench dogs are a work bench accessory used to clamp work down to the table, or used as a stop when planing or sanding a piece. They can also be used as standoffs to keep work elevated off your workbench. Bench dogs fit snugly into openings drilled into the workbench and can be square or round.

I made the ultimate workbench recently and included openings for bench dogs, so this was the perfect accessory for my new workbench. While you can easily buy bench dogs, making your own is super easy and can be customized any way you need them.

The strip of metal used for the spring of the dogs can be any thin piece of steel. Those with a keen eye may have seen thin bits of steel along the street, left over from the metal brooms the street sweepers use. These are perfect for our application. If you can’t find these on the street you can always buy 1/8″ wide steel fish tape and cut it into sections.