Making My Workbench

[pollys13]

I read up on and looked around at various designs and finally settled on this one. http://www.instructables.com/id/Buildin ... workbench/ He uses an IKEA solid core kitchen worktop with 3 mm of Beech on top of that. For £19 more I bought a solid Beech worktop. Bought a couple of nice clamps, same as he uses in his design.Will need to turn a couple of handles for them.

I bought a cheapy solid core door from Wickes and had them cut 12mm MDF to size to pin on top of door. I'll support it on 3 telescopic trestles and use as a small assemble table

I'm wondering, any tips on drilling the dog holes out so I can avoid messing up the worktop? I have the drill guide Ebay UK item number 52083835070 slightly different to his. See his in attached picture.
I'm thinking of somehow clamping the drill guide to the worktop to be 100% sure no movement when drilling out the dog hole and messing up the Beech top?
Peter.

 

[Bodgers]

You might be better of with a router to do the dog holes.

Sent from my MI 3W using Tapatalk

 

[pollys13]

You might be better of with a router to do the dog holes.

Sent from my MI 3W using Tapatalk

OK, why? I've got a big half inch powerful one and a smaller less heavy, less power one.
Cheers.

 

[pollys13]

I've also got a Dewalt 633 1/2 inch router but is really difficult to remove from the table and put back. Is why I got the Wickes one.
What type of router cutter should I be thinking of using to do the dog holes?
Peter.

 

[custard]

You'll do fine drilling the dog holes with that drill guide set up, that's pretty much what I generally use for bench builds.

You'll certainly benefit from a little sharpen of your forstner bit every ten or dozen holes, which is a dead easy sharpening job with a little slip stone. Seriously, the difference between struggling and burning your way through the wood with a blunt bit, versus singing effortlessly through with a keen edge, well, it has to be experienced to appreciate. I strongly suspect that a lot of the problems people report with dog holes are down to the user not knowing how to sharpen their drill bits.

Good luck!

 

[Bodgers]

You might be better of with a router to do the dog holes.

Sent from my MI 3W using Tapatalk

OK, why? I've got a big half inch powerful one and a smaller less heavy, less power one.
Cheers.

Accuracy, clean cut. Pretty much guaranteed to be square to the surface.

Unless you have nice expensive, sharp, forstner bits...

 

[Phil Pascoe]

You can do it easily with a normal auger - sharp of course. The problems with a router are that many people haven't a long enough cutter and that any sort of drill bit is easier to centre. It really isn't difficult. Use a router afterwards to run a small rounding over bit around the holes - it stops any damage at the edge of the hole, and looks way neater.

 

[bugbear]

Pretty much guaranteed to be square to the surface.

He's got a drill guide, so the router has no special advantage there.

I'm thinking of somehow clamping the drill guide to the worktop to be 100% sure no movement when drilling out the dog hole and messing up the Beech top

Just put long beams (2x4, or similar) across, clamped at both edges of the bench - since your clamps obviously won't reach.

BugBear

 

[custard]

Use a router afterwards to run a small rounding over bit around the holes - it stops any damage at the edge of the hole, and looks way neater.

+1. Especially if you use hold fasts with toothed edges, they splinter up dog holes in short order.

 

[pollys13]

Use a router afterwards to run a small rounding over bit around the holes - it stops any damage at the edge of the hole, and looks way neater.

+1. Especially if you use hold fasts with toothed edges, they splinter up dog holes in short order.

Ah, thanks for the tip

 

[pollys13]

You can do it easily with a normal auger - sharp of course. The problems with a router are that many people haven't a long enough cutter and that any sort of drill bit is easier to centre. It really isn't difficult. Use a router afterwards to run a small rounding over bit around the holes - it stops any damage at the edge of the hole, and looks way neater.

OK cheers for that.

 

[pollys13]

You might be better of with a router to do the dog holes.

Sent from my MI 3W using Tapatalk

OK, why? I've got a big half inch powerful one and a smaller less heavy, less power one.
Cheers.

Accuracy, clean cut. Pretty much guaranteed to be square to the surface.

Unless you have nice expensive, sharp, forstner bits...

OK what type of cutter would you say to use?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Any straight cutter - just make sure it has a bottom cut, some haven't.

 

[Ttrees]

What say those to making a jig to at least do the marking out
so the dog holes are equally spaced apart ?
I was thinking of the possibility's of various clamping methods , For instance
imagine a sort of heavy gauge framing square with two dogs welded on ..
Ive seen somewhere a man making a dowel or maybe octagonal stuff using very long dogs
with dead centers in them .
Seems like it would be more rigid to make jigs doubly dogged down
Now if I can just decide on round or square dog holes :roll:

 

[deema]

I'm probably a little unusual in my approach. Just drill holes where and when you need them. Drilling them fairly vertical is fine in my book, after all, it's to accommodate either a dog or a clamp. In application neither is affected by the odd degree out of plumb. A nice auger and brace are the weapons of choice. A few pounds off an auction site gets you the tools you need.

People aren't concerned about the bench you use, just the stuff you produce from it.

I once tried the convention of having a row of equally spaced holes and found often they were a compromise to my clamping requirements.....so drilled additional holes. I'm sure most people find about 80% of the holes never get used!

A plane stop at one of the bench, is a good starting point. I wouldn't worry about ending up drilling too many holes if you follow my approach, I only have about 6.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

An idea I mentioned in another thread - think about the possibility of wanting to bolt something like a drill stand or a morticer down to your bench - you can space your dog holes to use for that. I've got dog holes that allow me to bolt down a drill stand close to the vice so I can swing a drill or router with a 43mm collar out over the vice.

 

[Bodgers]

You might be better of with a router to do the dog holes.

Sent from my MI 3W using Tapatalk

OK, why? I've got a big half inch powerful one and a smaller less heavy, less power one.
Cheers.

Accuracy, clean cut. Pretty much guaranteed to be square to the surface.

Unless you have nice expensive, sharp, forstner bits...

OK what type of cutter would you say to use?

http://www.popularwoodworking.com/workb ... rite-holes

 

[pollys13]

http://www.popularwoodworking.com/workb ... rite-holes[/quote]
My plunge router has an edge guide just like that though my router seems bigger. I'll order one of those bits first thing. I have a set of Bahco spade bits and several other sizes, other makes should have one of those suitable for hole.Will also get a rounding over bit to round over top of hole as phil p suggests,
Cheers,
Peter.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Yeah ... well ... why not just use a decent auger and have done in one hit? You'd avoid the problem of centreing a router bit and save changing tools unnecessarily. Of course it's only aesthetics that call for the holes to regular, anyway - you could have the bench looking like it had been machine gunned, it would make no difference to its practicality. Incidentally Wealden are top class cutters and brilliant mail order.

 

[pollys13]

Yeah ... well ... why not just use a decent auger and have done in one hit? You'd avoid the problem of centreing a router bit and save changing tools unnecessarily. Of course it's only aesthetics that call for the holes to regular, anyway - you could have the bench looking like it had been machine gunned, it would make no difference to its practicality. Incidentally Wealden are top class cutters and brilliant mail order.

Thanks.