Introduction: Making Bench Dogs for Less Than 1$
You just finished building your brand new workbench and now it is time to look for some accessories. Since you have drilled dozens of 3/4" bench dog holes in your workbench, you say to yourself, I should get at least ten of these. This is where my instructable will save you lots of money!
Bench dogs, made of brass are sold for about 15$ each! Who need brass bench dogs? Wood made bench dogs can handle much more force you will ever be able to apply on it. So here is a short instructable on how to build your own bench dogs for almost nothing.
Step 1: Tools and Material
Materiel:
- 3/4" diameter, 4" long hardwood dowel
- A street sweeper bristle
- Glue gun glue stick (optional)
- Hand saw
- Hand plane
- Cutters
- Drill with 3/32" cutting bit
- Glue gun (optional)
About street sweeper bristles. Hopefully, you live in a town where the street sweeper uses brushes made from steel wires. You will find lost brush wires by looking on the side of the road.
The glue gun is optional. You can use any kind of glue to make this project. The glue is used only to maintain the metal wire in place when the bench dog is not used.
Step 2: Cut the Wood Dowel to 4"
Cut a 4" piece of wood dowel using your handsaw. On this picture you can see a bench dog I bought for about 15.00$. After this project I'll not need it anymore. It will probably end up on Ebay!
Step 3: Plane One Side of the Wood Dowel
Use your hand plane to flatten on side of the wood dowel.
Step 4: Drill a Whole to Hold the Spring
Drill a hole at about 1.5" from one end of the wood dowel at an angle of 30 degrees from the horizontal. Move the drill from left to right to make the hole wider for the steel wire to fit in.
Step 5: Cut a 2" Piece of Steel Wire
Using your cutters, cut a 2" long piece of steel wire. If you can't find any wires from street sweeper, any piece of hard steel wire would do. It's important to pick hard metal like the ones used to make springs.
Step 6: Insert the Wire in Place
Use your cutters to slightly bend one end of the wire and insert the other end in the hole you made in the wood dowel. You can use your cutters to tap the wire so it fits tight in the hole.
Step 7: Glue the Wire in Place
Secure the steel wire in place using glue, remove the excess and you are done. You can use any type of glue to make this project but the glue gun is fast and cheap.
Step 8: Your Finished!
Your bench dog is now finished. To use it, slide it in a 3/4" hole on your workbench, flat face facing the piece you want to block. You should be able to make these for less than 0.50$ each, depending on the quality of the wood dowel you use.
23 Comments
4 years ago
Any Auto Zone should have one or two pair of discarded wiper blades in the cans outside of the front door. These pieces of steel are stainless, hard, and the perfect size to work with. I bored two holes and with the help of needle nose pliers put both ends back into the dog. I cut a trough the width of the metal piece between the two holes about 1/16" deep to accept the spring metal when compressed. With a hammer, you can tap the spring into place and shape the arch in the spring to perfection.
7 years ago
I like the idea of using street sweeper tines, free stuff is always good. Find yourself a discarded broom or yard rake with a 3/4 handle and you have free dogs :-)
Another very cheap alternative is wire coat hangers, they are often made of reasonably springy steel and can be obtained very cheaply or even for free.
Yet another would be high tensile fencing wire (if you're more rural than urban).
I would tend to cut a slight incline in the face of the dog (with a chisel) so that it slightly holds the work down on the bench rather than just being perpendicular.
Nice 'ible, thanks :-)
7 years ago
I like the idea of using street sweeper tines, free stuff is always good. Find yourself a discarded broom or yard rake with a 3/4 handle and you have free dogs :-)
Another very cheap alternative is wire coat hangers, they are often made of reasonably springy steel and can be obtained very cheaply or even for free.
Yet another would be high tensile fencing wire (if you're more rural than urban).
I would tend to cut a slight incline in the face of the dog (with a chisel) so that it slightly holds the work down on the bench rather than just being perpendicular.
Nice 'ible, thanks :-)
8 years ago on Introduction
These look like the spring would stick on the way back out. If they do, maybe you could attach both ends of the spring. If you drill the holes angle to point to each end, the spring would be locked in by tension.
8 years ago on Introduction
Fish tape is a great alternative to street sweeper tines, both about the same gauge and thickness of spring steel. Except a fish tape costs a fraction of a portion of a street sweeper brush replacement. And is readily available at places besides your local curb.
Source: Used to drive and maintain a street sweeper, own and use a fish tape.
Reply 8 years ago on Introduction
Hey thanks for your comment.
You are right, street sweeper are expensive but I don't buy them, I find these on the side of the street after the street sweeper passed! Free stuff is the best! :)
8 years ago on Step 8
Great idea and I have an alternative idea for the spring part, why wouldn't a common bobby pin work to in the same way to act as a spring? maybe clipped 3/4 way down the one side of the bobby pin and either glued in place so it would fit in an impression on the side of the bench dog- or just bent out at 90degrees and glued back in-to give the spring effect. still a great idea, A whack to my head (why didn't I think of this) its a very simple concept- Keep up the good work!!
Reply 8 years ago on Step 8
Thank you for your comment! Yep, a bobby pin or whatever piece of junk metal that can act as a spring will save you a ton of money! :)
9 years ago on Introduction
you want spring steel, so if you have a dead garden leaf rake with the springy tines they are what you want. People throw them out all the time. A piece of electricians metal snake will work as well
go here for a picture
http://www.gardentoolcompany.com/leaf-rake-20-tine...
I never paid this kind of cash for even and American Made rake, but it is for illustration.
Reply 9 years ago on Introduction
Oh yeah you can also Make a Kalimba with these tines (thumb piano).
give it a whirls, this is a cool project. Then use the bench to make a box that becomes your Kalimba.
here is a Kalimba, a very fine one indeed.
http://www.amazon.com/DOBANI-THMP-Mid-East-Thumb-Piano/dp/B0009V9XBC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394126309&sr=8-1&keywords=kalimba
11 years ago on Introduction
Instead of street sweeper bristles try using the bristles from an old metal rake.
Reply 10 years ago on Introduction
Perfect! I have old rakes, but street sweepers are a rare bird in my neighborhood.
11 years ago on Step 8
great idae, should sav e some money on these
11 years ago on Introduction
For those with out a local street sweeper, I bet that the leftover splines from an old pair of windshield wipers would do very well instead. I have a pile of these that I have used for all sorts of projects that needed a small piece of springy (and stainless) steel.
11 years ago on Introduction
More simple, more better! Nice 'ible and super useful. Now if I can just find somewhere they still brush the streets! :>) Got to be an app for that.
11 years ago on Step 8
nice ible! if i ever get time/materials/space to build a really nice woodworking bench ill probably use this
12 years ago on Introduction
How many holes and where do you drill them In the top of your table how far apart thanks
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
There are 15 1/4" holes. Each group of 3 holes are 8 inches apart. The three rows are aligned with my bench vise so I can squeeze boards between the vise pin and the center bench dog.
11 years ago on Introduction
Thanks for the comment! It depends on the material ... What's make bristles perfect for this project is that it is made of hardened steel. You want the wire to spring back to its original position when you pull the bench dog out of the hole.
13 years ago on Introduction
What is this used for?