Drilling Bench Dog Holes

So you have built your dream workbench and you are ready to drill holes for some bench dogs. Bench dogs provide a great way to enhance the functionality of a bench as they can be used in conjunction with a good vise to lock in a work piece solidly for hand work such as hand planing or chiseling. But, the idea of turning your beautiful new bench top into Swiss cheese can be daunting! To guide you through this process with confidence that you will end up with a highly functional bench top that is still beautiful, George shares tips to make the process of drilling bench top holes less intimidating:

Bench dog hole spacing. The spacing of your bench dogs will be heavily influenced by whether you decide to install a vise on your bench. Without a vise, bench dogs still have a place on a bench, but the spacing requires are more rigid if a vise will be used.

Marking for holes. Mark all of your holes carefully before drilling. Do not mark directly on your workbench top, but instead follow George’s approach for a temporary marking surface. You will need to understand the relationship of the travel distance on your vise and bench dog placement before marking your bench dog holes.

Drilling bench dog holes. When it comes time to drill the actual bench dog holes you will want to choose a high quality bit that is capable of precision placement. It will also be critical to drill holes that are precisely perpendicular to the surface of your bench top. A drill guide is the best guarantee for making that happen.

Now that your workbench is set up properly with bench dog holes, perhaps you would like to expand your knowledge on portable tools and hand tools that you can use on your new bench.