If you've got a set of parf dogs that were manufactured when they were first released, there may be an issue fitting them into the jig for the PGS.  I'm having trouble with both the short and tall dogs, neither will fit inside the jig, they get stuck halfway.  I do have another set of tall dogs I ordered a year or so ago and those fit inside very tightly.  I'm going to call Lee Valley tomorrow.  I suspect they will just send out a new set of dogs.

@RKA  I am getting ready to use my PGS on new bench tops & your post regarding this problem prompted me to checkout the fit of my Parf dogs to the PGS jig. I basically found the same problem you described much to my chagrin. I tried the 3mm bushing supplied with the PGS & found that it initially was a tight fit as well. This indicated to me that quite possibly the orange finish was of enough thickness to be causing the problem. I decided to try some moderate experimenting to see if I could rectify the issue without going the vendor complaint route. First, I applied a coating of 3 in 1 oil to both the inside of the jig holes & the external surface of the Parf dogs to negate friction. Then I used very fine steel wool on the oiled surfaces to remove any possible foreign matter. Then using extreme patience I proceeded to press each Parf dog into each hole at least a half dozen times. Each time the dog entry got easier. I suspect the tolerances on the hole & Parf dog are very tight to insure accuracy of the system & if the dog is slightly askew it will immediately jam, so care must be taken when inserting it. I have one set of Long & Short Parf dogs I purchased in March 2014 & two pair Short - one pair Long purchased in August 2016 so I do not think the issue is with the dogs, at least in my case. By the way, the long dogs are not used with the PGS. I realize this can be frustrating as one would expect the components to mate right out of the box. Hope my findings help with your issue.

Hi Chaps

Sorry but I have been out all day and have only just returned to base.

Axminster are aware of this and are doing some research now. I do not believe that it is a Lee Valley /  Parf Dog problem at this stage - after all they are making Parf Dogs for track saw cutting stations and Axminster are utilising them in the Parf Guide System to create custom track saw cutting stations. Here are my thoughts but I must stress that @AxminsterTools will need to let us know what they discover.

1.   The fit of the dog shoulders in the 20 mm jig has been made deliberately as close as possible to slop free.

2.   Yes, it is certainly possible for the anodising to be just a dash too thick - or rather the oxide is too thick. This is being looked at by Axminster and their anodising processor.

3.   The deliberate tighter fit means that the dogs may need a little "wiggle" to get perfect alignment for them to pass through.

4.   I would hope that Axminster can give some very simple guidance to users to sort this out which would not invalidate any warranty - something along the lines of what @squarecut has done - but please wait for Axminster's advice.

If the fit of the dogs into the 20 mm guide block were loose then the accuracy might suffer.

Peter

Peter, I tried oil and it didn't resolve the issue, the older dogs will not fit.  But I did realize the bottom side of the hole is a hair wider allowing the dog to get halfway in before it binds.  The top side is narrower preventing the dog from getting into the hole at all.  Trying this same thing with the newer dogs yielded the same results, in the sense it was easier to insert from the bottom and more difficult to insert in the top (but since they are a bit smaller, they will insert fully from either side). 

Hopefully that helps shed some light.  Pics are below in case I wasn't clear in my descriptions.

(Edit 2/13/17)
Just a quick follow up on this issue for those similarly affected.  I deemed the fit a little too tight to proceed with the honing and since I could see variation in the dogs, I asked Lee Valley to send out a replacement set for the ones I purchased in 2013.  The new set arrived last week and the small dogs fit perfectly in the guide.  The larger dogs almost fit.  I could hone the guide a bit, however really speaking, I will only use the short dogs with this guide and they fit perfectly, so why add slop to the fit?  In summary:
-small and large dogs purchased in 2013 do not fit
-large dogs purchased in 2016 do fit
-small dogs from 2017 do fit
-large dogs from 2017 do not fit

Kudos to Lee Valley for their excellent service! 

Good Afternoon All,

The tolerances we use when machining the hole in the jig are extremely accurate, the jig is then anodized which gives a better, more durable protective coating.

The anodizing process adds a very small layer on the surface of the block, normally around 15-20 microns in thickness. To put that into context, photo copier paper is around 100 microns. After anodizing all the holes are checked for tolerance using a plug gauge.

The dog and hole are both made to such a high tolerance that very occasionally you may experience the dog being a bit tight when inserting into the hole. If this occurs we would recommend using a very mild abrasive such as brasso / T-cut / honing pastes, or as South Rider recommends toothpaste, between the dog and hole to slacken the whole ever so slightly. This will likely only need a couple of turns "back and forth" to sort.

Of course, should this no remedy the issue or you do not feel comfortable taking the remedial steps then we will replace any guide block FOC.

We trust that helps.

Best regards

Axminster Tools & Machinery

Thanx guys - in another lifetime I was a motorcycle mechanic, and apprentice to a true master.

Thanx guys - in another lifetime I was a motorcycle mechanic, and apprentice to a true master.

In my previous life in Belgium I bought a new Piaggio scooter to get from my flat to work. The last mile was up a very long and steep hill. I picked up my new scooter and was horrified that despite the speedo showing up to 140 km per hour it would only do about 30 kph. I took it back to the shop the next day and said fix it or I want my money back (I said it very politely of course).

I was asked to return 3 days later to collect the scooter. Not only would it easily do 100+ kph on the flat it would go up that hill at 75 kph. I went back to the dealer to thank him.

He told me that he had retired from a career as a mechanic on the race crew for Piaggio ! I am sure that the scooter was illegal or at least not technically covered by my insurance.

Peter

Crickey Peter, deja vu or what reading your experiences with the Piaggio dealer in Belgium.

I had a very similar experience when I was stationed at SHAPE and my little scooter found the hill from Maisieres to Casteau to be slightly beyond the capabilities of 50cc's of raw Italian power! However one of the "fixers" took it away for a service and it came back like a snarling beast. Might have been the same fellow!

Pat

LOL - I just sent Peter a PM with an almost identical story.  That hill was a pain before the modifications to my motorbike.     The hill up Route d'Ath to Jurbise was even worse!

I just checked my Parf dogs in my PGS (both of which I received this week) and they are a perfect fit. Would not want them any tighter, nor any looser. And just for grins, I also checked the large Parf dogs and they are equally nice.  All this talk of old vehicles made me think of my first auto - a 1959 MGA.  Had almost purged it from the memory banks.
Barney

Missed you by a year Peter! That hill is etched firmly in my mind as it was a favourite of the PTI's for fitness runs.

But my time at SHAPE was not wasted and it started me on the slippery slope of Systainer mountain with the ubiquitous Festo AFT65.

And it did allow me to develop a deep love of Abbey beers and hone my self control whilst waiting for the Monks of Westvleteren to 'open the hatch!'

Pat

I bought the Parf dogs from Leevalley 18 months ago before the Parf guide was available, sadly the 2 dont like each other and dont fit snugly. So i have just purchased both long and the short Parf dogs from Axminster to see if this time they will marry, costly divorce though as the postage to Australia isnt cheap.

Having read the earlier few posts I may try some toothpaste on them to see if I can get them to fit.

Guy

@Mr_Mod From my experience with Axminster they use Royal Mail & for some reason they don't offer tracking info on Australian bound parcels (well they haven't on any of mine) If anyone else in Aus has had tracking info from Axminster I'd be interested to know. After waiting 5 weeks and no parcel from Axminster they have re sent my order which means I'm now entering week 7 and still no parcel. Axminster have been fine and it's out of their hands once they dispatch but it seems it's not the same Service to Australia as it is to N/A where people report parcels only taking one week to arrive from Axminster & also with the all important tracking info.

Received mine last week and threw together a top for a home made systainer cart. The dogs fit just right - like a glove on a wet rooster!

Review done Peter! Great product & design.

Yes - can't get my stinking iphone to sync up with my tablet. Thanx!

Ime in the uk and ordered the parf dogs and the short bench dogs when they first came out. Ordered the parf guide system about two weeks ago, but due to work etc I only just looked at it. Have to say quality wise it all looks good but the fit between the dogs and the pgs hole is rather sloppy, and Ime rather disappointed due to the cost of this system compared to a router type system I bought on eBay which didn't work too we'll but was a fraction of the price. Don't know if accuracy will be affected of if the slop is just eliminated when the system is put to use.

The slop is between the hole in the aluminium pgs and dog.

I have not actually used the system yet to make any holes in a board.

I suspect that there will be no slop in the hole cut in the material as I've used the Festool centrotec zorb bit to make the very simple type cutting board you showed in your videos when the parf dogs were first introduced and I have been happy with the fit of the dog and the hole made by a centrotec 20mm zorb bit.

Just went for this attempt to make something more accurate with more hole etc. The router system one I bought I gave up on due to poor tolerances and allot depended on the actual diameter of router bit (I found using a cutter that had been sharpened a few times gave better results but still not very good)