Router jig for cutting bench dog holes?

[tonyps]

Afternoon all,

I remember reading an article/watching a video where a guy used a jig of some sort with a router, to get "dead-on spacing/accuracy" for these but for the life of me, cannot seem to remember where or who did it? Anyone here have any experience with such a thing?
I am planing to shorten the length of the bench (to 5' from 7') a bit before re-surfacing it and then plan to add the bench dog holes..
As always, you input/comments welcome.

Thanks again,

Tony ...

 

[mkepke]

I recall "Norm" using a plate-aluminum router-jig to 'drill' holes for shelf pins.

You could do similar building a jig from a scrap of plywood and using a router with a collar. I'd probably pre-drill the holes to remove some of the waste tho. A 3/4" dog hole is a good bit of material.

-Mark

 

[zapdafish]

I made a jig except I used a hand drill at the time.

Basically route 2 holes spaced out the distance you want into a piece of mdf or ply.

Around one of the holes I would find a way to fasten the router down or drill holes so you can mount the router to the jig.

Add guides to the jig so that the two holes are the correct distance from the edge of the table. After drilling the first hole, slide the jig over and use the bench dog to align both holes and rinse and repeat.

The holes will be the exact same distance apart this way.

 

[hockey1]

I built a similar jig that Norm used out of some aluminum plate I had laying around the shop. I just built an aux table for my drill press.

1. I set the depth of the fence on the drill press to how deep I wanted the holes to be on the jig
2. On an aux table roughly centered I marked two lines EXACTLY 2 inches apart.
3. Drilled the first hole with what ever bit size you choose on first line previously marked. I chose 3/4 inch to to make for easy plugging of the router. I feel that a larger hole in this case would be easier to find with a router.
4. Slid the aux table over to next line and firmly clamped the aux table in place and drilled.
5. With jig material, drill first hole
6. Take a dowel and plug first hole drilled in the aux table the dowel should protrude approx. 1/4 inch
7. Place first hole of jig onto dowel and drill next hole
8. ......wash rinse repeat until your hearts content.
9. Since nothing other than the quill moving up and down every thing should be in place I then chucked up an old router bit to chamfer the insides of the large holes. Just to make it easier to find the hole in the jig with the big ole router .

Good luck
If needed I can take some pictures

 

[KenOfCary]

I didn't use a jig, I just laid everything out with pencil and used an edge guide on the router to keep things square. I used the router to start the holes straight with a 3/4" up-cut spiral bit and finished them up with a bit and brace to avoid bottom-side blowout. Once the tip of the bit poked through the bottom of the bench I finished the hole from the underside using the poke through point as my starter hole for the bit / brace.

Pics can be found in this thread.

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/workshops/39311-roubo-workbench-more-progress-4.html

This process worked very well. For a previous bench I made a little jig out of a 1x4 with two 3/4" holes in it, then stuck a bench dog in one of the holes so that after drilling one in the bench, I'd put the jig with the dog in it into the existing hole to position the next hole. Didn't bother with that for the new bench. Just did careful layout with a lot of parallel pencil lines.

- Ken.

 

[junquecol]

For perfectly square (yeah,right) holes, you could use a bench top drill press. Add a fence to table that sets the distance from edge of table. With new top supported on a couple of saw horses, clamp DP table to underside of top. (You will need a helper. ) Drill first hole, then move on to next.

 

[Alan in Little Washington]

Afternoon all,

I remember reading an article/watching a video where a guy used a jig of some sort with a router, to get "dead-on spacing/accuracy" for these but for the life of me, cannot seem to remember where or who did it? Anyone here have any experience with such a thing?
I am planing to shorten the length of the bench (to 5' from 7') a bit before re-surfacing it and then plan to add the bench dog holes..
As always, you input/comments welcome.

Thanks again,

Tony ...

A couple of questions-
Why do you need a jig for "dead-on spacing/accuracy"?
Round or square dog holes?
How thick is your top?

In my experience using a straight edge and/or carpenter's square will yield accurate enough spacing. A brad point bit cuts a clean hole or you can start the hole with a Forstner bit.

Also, whether they are square or round, dogs are made smaller than the stated size of the hole. Most round dogs like those from Lee Valley and holdfasts like those from Lee Valley and Grammercy require 3/4" holes.

If your top is thick, router bits won't go all the way through.

I added round dog holes to my bench top after it was assembled, easily with an electric hand drill, a 3/4" brad point bit, and a drilling guide made with my drill press with some scrap hardwood:

 

[Roy G]

I followed Tage Frid's article in FWW and made the dog holes in one of the bench boards before I attached it to the top. It's been so long I have no idea how I did it, but I have to think a saw was involved because these holes were for rectangular bench dogs, which I got the idea for out of Krenov's book.

Roy G

 

[Alan in Little Washington]

I followed Tage Frid's article in FWW and made the dog holes in one of the bench boards before I attached it to the top. It's been so long I have no idea how I did it, but I have to think a saw was involved because these holes were for rectangular bench dogs, which I got the idea for out of Krenov's book.

Roy G

There are one or more threads here and Monty's bench build thread from a few years ago in the archives that show how to make square (rectangular) dog holes before the top is laminated up.

 

[Tarhead]

Go as deep as you can with a 3/4" Router bit and use that hole to guide a long 3/4" spade bit to almost finish the hole. Don't allow it to go all the way through. As soon as the point penetrates, pull it out and finish the hole from the bottom pointing up.

 

[tonyps]

Thanks for your comments and suggestions. I decided on the 3/4" bit, almost all the way through, then the spade bit and then finish from the bottom route.......the "ocd" part of my brain wants the exactness, while the rest of it just wanted em done...
The bench top is roughly 5" thick. Will put up some pics when done.

Thanks again,

Tony ...