So seeing as i just built a new workbench myself and had to ask myself this question i thought it was time to come up with something more definitive.
Workbench dog hole pattern. Making the holes after you lay out your holes you need to make them dead vertical. If your front vise hardware is centered you might want to offset the hole in your chop so the dog holes aren t immediately over the vise bar. Where do i put my dog holes. The drill bit cost less than 3 4 the cost of the 3 4 inch router bit and i found lots of other uses for the drill bit.
Once one hole was drilled a dog placed through the first hole in the jig and passed through to the first hole automatically set the second hole of the jig to drill the next hole. 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. I have two tail vises so both needed a row of dogs. You also need three holdfast holes in the front right leg of the bench for edge jointing panels and long boards.
The guide to dog hole placement. But a board larger than that must be secured between the vise dog and a bench dog. They can also be used as standoffs to keep work elevated off your workbench. And i m using cabinet makers vises so the dog hole in the vise chop is already off set from the main screw.
If it s a quick release it won t be a huge deal but it s nice not to need to open the vise to get a bench dog or holddown in the vertical row. So i present my foolproof secret to. Making my workbench a multifunction table with extra dog holes and clamping options https amzn to 2razhmd https amzn to 2rd6iyb donate to support the cha. That depends is usually the answer i give and that probably frustrates more than it helps.
How do you go about choosing the location layout pattern and number of bench dog holes to cut when building a workbench. Ideally space the dog holes so you can secure a board of any width to the workbench ken so start by measuring your vise s capacity. The path of holes needs to be in line with the center of the vise and its dog or in two lines corresponding to two points equidistant on the vise the distance apart would be a number slightly less than the opening of the vise. I ll be the first to admit it i don t really need 84 dog holes.
For example if the vise s jaws can hold a board up to 6 1 2 secure any board up to that size between the jaws. Bench dogs fit snugly into openings drilled into the workbench and can be square or round.