Bench Dog

A bench dog is a removable stop used in a woodworking workbench to hold a piece of wood, characteristically used together with an adjustable dog mounted on a bench vise, so that an item compressed between the two is held fast at each end. A simple peg fitted into a dog hole in the benchtop is the most basic form; a dog that clamps an item fast to the bench itself, rather than merely sandwiching it against a vise dog, is known instead as a holdfast. Dog holes are typically arranged in a line perpendicular to the vise jaws at intervals of four to six inches, and some benches add a second row parallel to the jaws so long or broad items can be held fast in two directions. Bench dogs may be square or round in cross section; round holes are easier to make, but a square dog holds more securely, so some woodworkers use a round dog flattened on its rear face to bear properly in a square hole.