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Making bench dogs for less than 1$

This is pretty interesting but where can you get something that would replace a street sweeper bristle??

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Reply to
busbus
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2!* (Did you notice the bench dog and Wonder Pup pictured in Step 2?)

Also, Step 4 tells you to drill a whole. A whole what?

*Step 5 reveals that you needn't junk your town's streetsweeper. "...any piece of hard steel wire would do. It's important to pick hard metal like the ones used to make springs. "
Reply to
Steve

Some windshield wipers have 2 metal strips down each side. They are quite springy and I use these for all kinds of makeshift springs. I even made a micro chisel for some detail work. It didn't stay sharp for very long but it didn't have to either. Art

Reply to
Artemus

Ok, I'm ignorant...what's the wire for?

Reply to
SBH

I didn't see the video, but I assume it's to prevent the bench dog from falling down the hole.

Reply to
Maxwell Lol

On Sat, 24 Jul 2010 08:25:20 -0400, "SBH" wrote the following:

Um, haven't you ever seen a bench dog in use before?!? The wire provides tension between the dog and dog hole to keep a headless dog from dropping through the hole onto the floor.

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-- Exercise ferments the humors, casts them into their proper channels, throws off redundancies, and helps nature in those secret distributions, without which the body cannot subsist in its vigor, nor the soul act with cheerfulness. -- Joseph Addison, The Spectator, July 12, 1711

Reply to
Larry Jaques

Well, it also says if you are live in a community that has a street cleaner that uses steel wire! I don't live in such an area.

That said, I like the idea of a wiper blade.

And, yes, I did notice the Wonder Pup! It was pretty ironic that he used one of those to build his bench dog.

Reply to
busbus

Headless dogs, frozen kitty push sticks, if PETA ever shows up there'll be hell to pay!

Reply to
Lobby Dosser

Good idea! and I just happen to have a couple lying about. Just KNEW this stuff was too good to throw away...

Reply to
Steve

That's what I assumed but why not just make them with a bigger head? The ones I use are a peg with a head on it.

Reply to
SBH

All this talk about making some cheap WOOD bench dogs. And adding springs to them.

I found a small maple workbench at a local store that was a closeout. There were some parts missing including the benchdogs. I talked them down on price and got it home. I measured the holes and saw that they were 3/8". So I took a 3/8" bolt and put it in there. It fit perfectly.

Soooooo....., I cut the threads off some 3/8" bolts. I made up some of different lengths. They work just fine. If I am concerned about the metal marking the board, I just use a small piece of scrap to protect the wood.

A number of people wanted me to make them some "boltdogs" too. At the time, I had a small, horizontal metal bandaw. I would cut the threads off and smooth the cut's edge with a file. It takes about 2 minutes to make one. With a hacksaw, a little longer. The bolts are cheap and never wear out.

Reply to
Lee Michaels

The head will put a large divot in your plane's iron?

Reply to
krw

----------------------------- Now go whole hog and use bronze bolts.

Just a touch of class.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

Never thought of that. I just had the old, ordinary, zinc plated ones laying around from another project. Hmmmmm,,,,,

I used to make gym equipment. I have gone down to the fastener store with a mockup of a joint between two peices of metal. I told the guy behind the counter that I wanted something that looked good in this application. Preferably something that is not zinc plated or black. He brought back some pretty looking fasteners.

And just like women, the prettier they are, the more they cost.

Reply to
Lee Michaels

No more than the flat side of that dowel mockup.

Reply to
SBH

The dowel top goes below the surface of the work piece. A headed peg can't be placed lower than the height of the head. ...or higher, for that matter.

Reply to
krw

On Sat, 24 Jul 2010 15:58:01 -0700, "Lobby Dosser" wrote the following:

For them. We know about all those fur lockers they keep in NYC. PETA's execs are as clean as CONgresscritters are moral.

-- It is pretty hard to tell what does bring happiness; poverty and wealth have both failed. -- Kin Hubbard

Reply to
Larry Jaques

----------------------------- Remember Charlie?

Only the best get to be Star-Kist.

Zinc plated doesn't cut it.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

Perhaps I'm missing something but I would think using a wider larger head would provide less of a chance to dent the material while using a smaller straight flat section in the middle of your work. Similar to distributing your body weight by laying down on ice compared to standing.

Reply to
SBH

Maybe I'm missing what you're missing. ;-) Wider is not taller. A cylindrical peg with a half-flat top will give the largest surface area for a constant diameter, sure. However, that doesn't mean the head has to be larger than the shank. A larger head will keep the peg from falling through, well enough, but it may also stick above the work piece where a plane's iron can hit it (not good for Mr. Plane). Headless dogs can be set below the work piece's surface, out of the way of the plane's iron.

Reply to
krw

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