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One of the unanswerable questions in woodworking is: What type of bench dog is best?
(Other unanswerables: What does Peter Follansbee hide in his beard? How many puns are possible with the word “rabbet?” Would you like to see my feathered crotch?)
At least on the bench dog question, I have answered it for myself. I prefer a round wooden dog that I make myself.
I’ve had these dogs for many years on my daughter’s French bench, and I can find no fault with them. Here are the details:
• They are made from 3/4”-diameter hickory dowels that I purchased from Midwest Dowel. The dogs are 5” long, which is ideal for the 4”-thick benchtop.
• The dogs have a notch at one end that creates a flat for gripping the work. The notch is 1/4” x 1” long and is angled about 2° or so (on purpose) to help grip the work.
• The notch is lined with a small piece of suede that is glued to the notch. The suede is attached with hide glue or PVA. (I forget which.) Almost any glue will work. The leather prevents the dog from ever marking the work. And it adds to its grip.
• A spring-loaded bullet catch on the shaft of the dog allows it to be quickly and easily moved up and down. When I want them to stay, they stay. These bullet catches are available at my hardware store. Almost any decent store that carries cabinet hardware will stock them.
Why round dogs? They are easier to install on a workbench, especially after assembly. Why hickory? Wooden dogs won’t bang up your tools. Hickory is super tough. Even though you really shouldn’t apply a lot of pressure when clamping your work, the hickory is unlikely to ever break.
And one more thing I like about these dogs: They are cheap and easy to make. You can make one for every hole in your bench, which is something I forgot to do for my daughter’s bench until I found my stash of hickory dowels this morning.
— Christopher Schwarz
