MFT Bench Dogs - Thoughts and recommendations?

[bp122]

Hello, fellow sunshine lovers on this fine day!

As some of you know, I started making my first MFT table top.
I do not have any dogs (bench or pets)

Looking around on the multiverse, there are realistically three avenues to get some:
1. Axminster - UJK
+ Super dog looks good, long enough, I like the bevel collar and above the table tightening - £32 each
+ Regular dogs also look good - £20 for the pair
+ All stainless
- Expensive in general

2. Benchdogs UK
+ Larger range and slightly cheaper than UJK
+ Have Stainless and Aluminium (I think) options
- Their quad dogs (apparently) have a tendency to not stand straight as there isn't a register like the UJK

3. Ebay / Bangood / Third party
+ Cheap
- Do not know about quality / tolerance etc
- Not many long options

So the question is, what do you fine people use?
-Make
-Type
-Material
-Experience with them (recommend some / avoid some)
-Price

Basically, knowing what you know now, what would you recommend, please?
Thank you all in advance

 

[Jacob]

Hello, fellow sunshine lovers on this fine day!

As some of you know, I started making my first MFT table top.
I do not have any dogs (bench or pets)

Looking around on the multiverse, there are realistically three avenues to get some:
1. Axminster - UJK
+ Super dog looks good, long enough, I like the bevel collar and above the table tightening - £32 each
+ Regular dogs also look good - £20 for the pair
+ All stainless
- Expensive in general

2. Benchdogs UK
+ Larger range and slightly cheaper than UJK
+ Have Stainless and Aluminium (I think) options
- Their quad dogs (apparently) have a tendency to not stand straight as there isn't a register like the UJK

3. Ebay / Bangood / Third party
+ Cheap
- Do not know about quality / tolerance etc
- Not many long options

So the question is, what do you fine people use?
-Make
-Type
-Material
-Experience with them (recommend some / avoid some)
-Price

Basically, knowing what you know now, what would you recommend, please?
Thank you all in advance

I've got one square one (32mm ish) at the left hand end, for planing. If I had holes as per MFT I'd just find/shape a bit of dowel to fit and cut off a few lengths. You only ever need 2 or 3 at a time.

 

[Spectric]

They can be like clamps, you start with enough but find there is sometimes never enough and you just get more as the need arises.

I use std alloy Benchdogs and no problems, not really got into the Benchdogs quad dogs but they do have there uses. You can screw a dog down if you have access to under the MFT which gives in my opinion a better firmer result than the quad dogs.

Be aware that there are 3/4 inch versions out there so always check you are getting 20mm and not something closer to 19mm.

I would not put to much emphasis on that UJK recess unless you fancy buying there recess cutting tool and then if your MFT has all those UJK recessed holes you are tying yourself to UJK so maybe get some UJK and some benchdogs to compare for yourself.

 

[supertom44]

I've got quite a few different dogs from various places, normally they are an add on to something else I'm already purchasing.

For me a lot of it depends on what you want to use them for.

I have some rail dogs from benchdogs UK which are great.
I've got some UJK dogs which I tend to use as general alignment dogs for glue ups etc.
Planing stop from Veritas which is one of my favourites, super useful.
Also got some cheap protector dogs? short dogs with rubber top to raise work up a couple of mil off the workbench.
3D printed various other dogs as well as cam clamps, work pretty well providing you print in the correct orientation and strength.

 

[bp122]

Thank you @Spectric and @supertom44

I am only looking for 20mm, but you are right, there are others for 19 or 3/4".
I will not be using them for clamping a whole lot as my table will have matchfit grooves on it.

Good point about the UJK though

Dogs for me are mainly for alignment and securing track for track saw (mostly) and router (very rarely)

For other uses like spacing the work up from the table surface etc, I will be printing some from PETG anyway. And I will not be using this workbench for any planing as I have another workbench for that and the fact that this workbench is on wheels.

I only want to buy what I need at this point and then get more if needed rather than buy a large set and not end up using half of it.

I really appreciate you guys describing what you have and sharing your experiences. Very helpful to see the variety.

 

[Sideways]

I first bought a CNC drilled MFT top, then bought a Mk1 parf guide when they first came out and made some tops with that.
When I bought my first top, I bought a bundle with a half dozen alloy dogs with it and they are an excellent snug fit in both my CNC and home made tops at a good price.
I decided to buy some extra stainless steel dogs from Axminster and chose the Veritas ones. Those were far too sloppy a fit and I returned them immediately.
Just a couple of tenths of a mm in machining tolerance makes a big difference in the feel of the fit.
So avoid Veritas ....

 

[akirk]

I have a lot of UJK stuff and it seems universally excellent.
be aware though that how Axminster package and price stuff is not always the best option - so in a recent sale their box containing a lot of MFT stuff was far more expensive than buying the individual items...

 

[Spectric]

Something else to be aware of, quad dogs are 20mm and std dogs are 20mm to fit the hole but 25mm above so when aligning it is something to look for.

 

[Padster]

I have quite a few dogs from benchdogs, and have no issues at at all with their kit.
I made my MFT table top using the MarkII Parf Guide so you get a couple of UKJ dogs - only small but again ok.
The other thing I did get were MFT plugs from Benchdogs that are great as nothing falls through the holes but I have all the holes should I need them and now another full bench when not using as an MFT without scrabbling around underneath for whatever found a hole!! LOL

Padster

 

[Scruples]

I turned my 19mm dogs on the lathe with a slight taper for a tight fit with a slightly larger head. They seem to work fine. Cheap as chips. (Except chips aren't so cheap these days.)

 

[Keith Cocker]

I use the Axminster UJK ones and am very happy with them. I tried the Bench dogs variety but thought there weren’t as well made and less enjoyable to use.

 

[bp122]

Excellent sharing, fellas. Thanks a ton!

Turning my own is a possible option - they recently bought a used lathe at work, still not setup yet. But my turning isn't what it used to be! So we'll see.

Funny thing about veritas ones, I had them in my eBay watch list. I'll just go with Ujk - but once cry once right!

And good call on the plugs, I can print them easily and might be very useful!

 

[starfish]

I use mostly benchdog uk , but have had some from aliexpress all very good and tight.

Recently I have started 3d printing some - they are also fine 20mm (20.0mm) Bench Dog Set with Levers, Cams, Stops, etc by CabbitCastle

 

[Herr Nilsson]

Ahh, a subject close to my heart, as I have MFT accessories from UJK, Benchdogs, and Banggood, in equal measure:

Fence system (+ flag stops), compatible (Mafell) rail connectors, and large triangle from Benchdogs - very happy with the combo […mental note to self: stop subscribing to the Benchdogs news letter and drooling over every single nano variation of product/solution you already possess!];

I have a good selection of “pups” from UJK, and I must say I really like the low profile (12mm) version with chamfer ring that fits into my UJK table - they get used the most. I have tall dogs from both UJK and BD, and perhaps the UJK twist-lock jobbies are superior, but come at a higher price, though I do check both variants with a set square. BDs Quad Dog with the *added* chamfer piece are rock solid though.

Incidentally, I would buy the BD slide stop clamp instead of the UJK repeat stop as it’s too expensive, (but hey it’s at least 20% more expensive now compared to when I bought it..?) or though you can always simply clamp down a piece of wood lower down the table in-line with a reliable flag stop at the fence end!? I also have a couple of similar looking items from Banggood (Veritas rip off), which only have one dog/anchor-point, but use a threaded bolt to achieve fantastic clamping pressure, as well the ability to ‘fine tune’ similar to a repeat stop, albeit at a slower rate. Although, it did come with a matching ratchet spanner! Prices jump around a lot on the Banggood website, but can be picked up for a real bargain.

They say you can never have too many clamps, but I think I have too many MFT clamps! I have cam-lock clamps from BG (the ones that imitate the Festool ones) and while they are great, I just don’t reach for them as often, however, if I didn’t have my UJK cam and wedge clamps, I probably would.

The UJK cam and wedge clamping set is great, although you can dent them if you try to get silly with the clamping pressure.

Also, I have yet to use the bench top protectors I bought as I decided “WTFlip just cut into your bench and stop trying to preserve it’s pristineness (sic)”. Plus you get a better cut if you’re cutting into a sacrificial surface, right?

Mostly bought rail clamps and routing accessories from Banggood, but anything made from aluminium or steel, in my experience, has very good tolerance levels. Even a 600mm ‘t’ rule from BG was spot on - checked with my BD precision triangle.

It’s all a slippery slope though!

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

Hello, fellow sunshine lovers on this fine day!

As some of you know, I started making my first MFT table top.
I do not have any dogs (bench or pets)

Looking around on the multiverse, there are realistically three avenues to get some:
1. Axminster - UJK
+ Super dog looks good, long enough, I like the bevel collar and above the table tightening - £32 each
+ Regular dogs also look good - £20 for the pair
+ All stainless
- Expensive in general

2. Benchdogs UK
+ Larger range and slightly cheaper than UJK
+ Have Stainless and Aluminium (I think) options
- Their quad dogs (apparently) have a tendency to not stand straight as there isn't a register like the UJK

3. Ebay / Bangood / Third party
+ Cheap
- Do not know about quality / tolerance etc
- Not many long options

So the question is, what do you fine people use?
-Make
-Type
-Material
-Experience with them (recommend some / avoid some)
-Price

Basically, knowing what you know now, what would you recommend, please?
Thank you all in advance

You really do not need much ...

... if you use a fence and hinge for the track ...

The fence and hinges are shop made. Only the Makita track was purchased.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[bp122]

You really do not need much ...

... if you use a fence and hinge for the track ...

The fence and hinges are shop made. Only the Makita track was purchased.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Thanks, Derek.

I do not have the means to go for a line at this point until the rest of the workshop is a bit better organized to gain some more room. But the benefits are so obvious, especially from your images.

Really appreciate it.

 

[Spectric]

That is nicely done, I do like seeing people who rather than buying of the shelf just get down to making the item themselves and that tracksaw hinge is great.

Who makes this clamp, obviously not Bessey.

 

[Nelsun]

Who makes this clamp, obviously not Bessey.

They're on Bangood for a lot less than the Festool ones. They are thicker (>18mm IIRC) than the Festool ones though so can get in the way.

 

[Dolau]

Really silly question about dogs- just making a workbench with a 45 mm top and thought I would drill some dog holes but I am making a retractable planing stop so not worried about that

my question is - do you drill all the way through or to a certain depth?

I am putting drawers under the top so if I drill through I will get sawdust in my drawers or if I stop before drilling through my holes will always be full of sawdust

in the purchasing stakes, I am finding Temu reliable and the kit good enough for a hobbyist and in my price range despite the bad press they have and digs start at £2.50 plus I have quite a few from workmates that I have never used so will start now

 

[Keith Cocker]

I think the right answer is the one you don’t want! You drill all the way through and don’t have drawers underneath!!!!