How to Cut Square Bench Dog Holes

Slip on a pair of safety glasses and wear them anytime you operate power equipment. Set the table saw's miter gauge at 88 degrees and crosscut a piece of scrap 3/4-inch plywood to begin the jig. Use plywood that's about 2 to 3 inches wider than the width of your tabletop stock.

Trim out a small section on one of the cut pieces of plywood to create a notch. The notch allows the bench dog some freedom of movement as it is employed to grip workpieces. Make the notch around 2 inches long and about 1/4 inch wide. Cut the notch with a jigsaw.

Screw a 1-by-1-inch piece of scrap hardwood to the bottom of each piece of plywood. This hardwood cleat will hold the two parts of the jig together, and it acts as a reference guide when cutting bench dog holes. Make sure the 88-degree cuts are parallel to one another and the two pieces of the jig are far enough apart to accommodate the width of your bench dog plus the router collar.

Lay out the locations of the bench dog holes on a section of lumber that you plan to glue up for a tabletop. Use a tape measure to space the holes and mark the locations with a pencil.

Clamp the jig you made over a hole location with the 1-by-1-inch hardwood cleat resting firmly on the bottom of the lumber.

Cut the groove for the bench dog hole by allowing the router's guide bushing or collar to follow the jig. Depending on the type of wood you are using and the depth of the groove, you may need to make several passes with the router instead of trying to cut the entire groove at once. The depth of the routered groove must match the width of the bench dog you are using.

Move the jig to the next bench dog hole location and repeat the process.