How to drill dog holes

[RayV]

Glued on the last piece of my workbench top last night so as soon as I mount the vises I will be ready to drill the 3/4 dog holes. Question is how do I do this?

The top is 60x30 made from a 1" butcher block Oak table and two layers of 3/4 plywood. I didn't weigh it but it is heavy, so heavy I had to trim the ends with a circular saw because it would have tipped the TS (good thing I checked it out before I turned on the TS).

The tail vise will be similar to this but it will fit tight on the corner so that I can clamp either along the front or the end.

part of the tail vise on the end of the bench will be about 12" so I plan on having a row of holes 1" in from the front and a row ~10" in running the length of the bench.

My front vise will be about 15" wide and I will put two rows of holes running front to back in line with that vise.

I doubt I can get the top safely up on the drill press to make these holes without building a giant contraption so I am going to have to do it with a hand-held drill.

Will a block of wood with a 3/4 hole be enough of a jig?

Will a 3/4 saw-tooth Forstner bit be able to drill these holes? (I don't have a 3/4 twist or brad point)

What about a hole-saw?

What should the spacing be? (I should get at least 10" of travel on the tail vise)

[Charlie M. 1958]

With all that time and money invested in the bench, I'd go ahead and buy on of those jigs that you attach to your hand drill for that very purpose. You can get one in the $20-$30 range, and they are handy to have around once in a while.

[Charlie M. 1958]

Here is a link to Rockler's version, but you can find them cheaper at your local big box.

[J T]

Wed, Mar 21, 2007, 6:34am (EDT-3) [e-mail] (RayV) doth query: Will a block of wood with a 3/4 hole be enough of a jig?

That was my first thought. Then when I pndered it some more, it ws my secnd thught as well. But I think I'd try a couple of practice holes first. then I'd go for it.

JOAT Custom philosophizing done. No job too small; must be indoor work, with no heavy lifting.

[flip+]

I happen to have one of those "hand drill press" attachments, but if I didn't and needed to do this in a pinch, I'd consider a block of wood with metal sleve with an inside diameter as close to your drill bit diameter as possible. Drill the block on your press, insert pipe, insert bit, and viola!

If you want a wider base than a hunk of 2x4, pin it to a piece of plywood.

[RayV]

accurate/sturdy are they?

[SWDeveloper]

A forstner bit is a bit unwieldy with a hand-held drill, but it might work well with a jig. Build the jig so that it hooks over the edge for better support and enough area for clamps. If you make the jig to have TWO holes you can use a 3/4" dowel to secure the 2nd to the last hole and make them evenly spaced. A "Port-A-Line" attachment to a hand drill will work. Either way, a shop vac will be helpful to clear out the chips and help keep your cutting tool cool.

[Andy]

(snipped "hand drill press" stuff)

I've only tried the HF version, and I was not impressed, but none that I've seen seem very solid. My suggestion: drill a ~1/2" hole by hand into your bench top, then use a plunge router with a 3/4" bit at a fairly low speed and plunge as deep as it will go. If you need to drill deeper than that, just use a forstner and you already have a guide hole started. You might make a larger router sub-base or somehow secure the router so it doesn't move while you're plunging. I'd stay away from a hole saw - at 2-1/2" thick, your top might be thicker than the hole saw is deep, so it might not work at all, and even if it did, it probably wouldn't leave a very clean hole. Good luck, Andy

[Neillarson]

There is a new bit out by Irwin that is intended to replace Spade Bits. The only review I saw was that it was 3 times faster and self cleaning. The reviewer seem to love it. It is called the Irwin Speedbor Max Drill Bit.

Amazon has a kit that includes a 3/4"

I'm sure you can find the individual bit if you look around.

I would say that a home made jig as mentioned in an earlier reply that will allow you to make uniform holes and this bit may well be the way to go.

[J.]

I'd use that clamped block of wood with an appropriately angled hole as a guide for a brace and augur bit. A bevel gage laid on the benchtop at the same angle will serve as a visual aid. Just go slow and practice on a few thick scraps. A straight pencil line on the top with hole centers dimpled along it will serve to locate the augur point and make for an accurate series of holes along the line.

You could probably do just as well with a spade bit in an electric drill if you have a really steady hand and don't go too fast. But personally I find it a lot easier to wander off course with an electric drill than with a hand brace.

J.

RayV wrote:

[Lew Hodgett]

Time for Fred Bingham.

See Practical Yacht Joinery for details.

He's been there, done that.

BTW, with a hand drill, I'd use a ship's auger.

Much easier to get holes that are square to the surface.

Lew

[russellseaton1]

end.http://www.lie-nielsen.com/catalog.php?grp=1297> The part of the tail vise on the end of the bench will be about 12" so

I used a Porter Cable 7529 (3+ hp 18 pound plunge model) router and a

3/4" straight, two carbide cutters bit to drill about 40 or so dog holes in my 2.5" thick solid oak workbench top. I think I marked where each hole was to go with an awl. Then put a V bit into the router. Centered it on the awl mark. Then changed to the 3/4" bit and plunged. I think I had to pull the bit out of the collet a bit after the first plunge to get all the way through the top. I used a couple clamps on the router base to keep it securely in place while plunging. It took some time but the holes ended up straight and clean and properly placed. A jig to move the router to the next correct spot could probably be made to reduce some of the tasks I did.

[Larry W]

When I wanted additional dog holes in my bench I just chucked up a 3/4" spade bit & drilled them. Did I do something wrong?

[Pounds on Wood]

If you can't take your benchtop to the drillpress, take your drillpress to the benchtop. That's what I did. Just rotate the head on the column to the side of the base and table. Clamp the base in position on the benchtop and drill away. I used a spade bit because it takes less linear force. Now, I used a benchtop sized drillpress but I don't see that it matters. But there may well be some drillpresses that won't slide down the column.

[CW]

[charlieb]

snip

Critical thing is that the holes are square to the top of the bench.

Critical thing is that the holes are square to the top of the bench. Hole in a block of wood as a guide would work. Mark the center lines on both faces of each line so you have them for referencing the hole guide to layout lines for the round dogholes on the bench top - looks nicer when a row of round holes all line up.

I'd skip the hole saw idea and go with the forstner. CLEAR THE CHIPS OUT FREQUENTLY. Getting a stuck forstner bit out of a deep hole is a REAL PAIN IN THE ASS. And if you've got AllThread through the bench top - mark the location. A 3/4" forstner bit WILL NOT drill through 3/8ths or 1/2 inch AllThread - and it ain't good for the bit at all. Also don't want a dog hole over a banch leg/ pedestal - you may have to push a dog out from below.

Even though your vise jaw has a 10" max capacity, the top of the jaw may not be at bench top level out that far. Not a problem if you've got something between the jaws. But when you're clamping against a bench dog havng the dog in the vise jaw low can be a problem.

Just some things to consider.

charlie b