Making a Bench Dog

This little craft work is the result of a moderate-sized screw-up;
I unwittingly positioned one dog-hole such that the dog will hit the bench leg when the dog is in retracted position. As a matter of fact, it cannot retract flush to the bench at all.

The solution is to make a shorter dog out of hardwood. I like Krenov's idea of using a springy wood and a ballpoint pen's spring to hold the dog in position. What I do not like is the seemingly fragile nature of the contraption.

In terms of spring mechanism, I've decided to follow an old European design:

I would always prefer the spring force to be exerted in the same axis as the long grain of my bench. My bench is not glued up, but held together with threaded rods.

So where can I find a piece of metal for a spring?

I believe the bowsaw blade's main body is at least spring hardened, even though the teeth are impulse hardened. This worked to my advantage, since the hard teeth can be broken off easily at the impulse hardening line with a plier. As you can see, woodworking involves some metalworking, and elementary Dentistry.

Using the bowsaw blade also saves me from drilling the 2 holes in spring steel. I saved at least $2 in drill bits and a chockfull of hair.

I know two things about the wood in this bench dog; It came from a chopping board, and it is bloody tough and hard, almost like rosewood. Besides being easy to shape, using wood allows you to constantly trim the dog's protrusion above the bench as your bench goes through periodical flattening or shrinkage.

The quintessential shape. No need to reinvent the wheel.

Notice below: I've blued the screws for rust resistance, but mainly for vanity.
Notice also the shallow trough I've cut at the end of the dog. This will give the spring an erection, so it can do its job. It also ensures the screw heads stay below the width of the dog.

I made two dogs because a bowsaw blade has two ends. So I have two springs. Waste not.

No, I did not face one of the dogs with scrap rosewood for durability. I did that because of inaccuracy in my layout. The rosewood facing will fill the dog hole nicely, keeping out saw dust and shavings.

Well,.... almost.
I forgot that I have to deal will inconsistent hand cut dog holes too.

The long and short of it.

Comments

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