The surface of my workbench is just hardboard over a hollow-core door, so it’s too thin to use with bench dogs. The thin layers of the hollow core door just won’t support the dogs when under pressure. To get around this limitation, I came up with the removable “dog team.” The notched arms are attached to cleats that fit over the end of the bench. The notches allow you to move the stop blocks to any position with just a quick turn of the adjustable block
It’s simple to build, too. I started by drilling a series of holes to make the notched arms. Then cut the arms to final shape at the band saw and fasten them to the cleat. The stop blocks are hardboard and hardwood, connected with screws. To secure a workpiece, all you need to do is set the adjustable stops and tighten the vise. The arms can be built to any length to hold just about any workpiece in position, flat on the bench.
