Benchdogs Fence System

[Bugsysiegals]

I wanted to try something different than my Incra fence and since TSO doesn't have anything equivalent I figured I'd try the Benchdogs fence ... plus I wanted their fence dogs.

I received it today and was surprised to see it's not the larger 8020 aluminum but the smaller stuff like my Ender 3 Pro 3D printer.  At first, I thought it might be cheap, but it doesn't seem to flex easily and I'm considering the lighter weight might be nice!?

The threaded rod on the star knob for fence dogs could be slightly longer as they're probably halfway in the nut when it's tight which means loosening them anything more than needed will cause the nut to fall off. 

Other than that, my only complaint so far is the fence dogs are too tight for my Parf drilled table.  The fence dogs measure 19.98mm versus my TSO dogs which are 19.95mm and fit perfectly.  While the fence has no movement, you literally need to remove the fence from the dogs and then twist each dog individually with your best hulk grip to get them out. 

It's really such a shame how much this little difference could make these perfect. Do you think I can recover 0.03mm if I sand the anodizing off the bottoms?  Do you have any other recommendations other than wearing out the holes in my table?

[Distinctive Interiors]

Just try a coat of machine table wax on the 19.98 fence dogs.....?
It should help them slip in & out a bit easier 👍

[afish]

Im not super familiar with benchdogs fence but i know they use some tall dogs to attach the fence. If it was me I would be looking/making some type of bracket and TSO power loc dogs.  love how they attach from the top and super strong holding power.

[Crazyraceguy]

Im not super familiar with benchdogs fence but i know they use some tall dogs to attach the fence. If it was me I would be looking/making some type of bracket and TSO power loc dogs.  love how they attach from the top and super strong holding power.

The Benchdogs system uses some tall dogs with flats milled into them to register the fence against. The power-lock dogs wouldn't work here though because of the center bolt that actuates them. The Benchdogs units are cross-drilled (horizontally) to attach the fence rails.

[Mortiser]

I use the BenchDogs "FenceDogs" with the fence from the protractor on my MFT. They have served me well for years and I find them far preferable to the Festool protractor. Once you set them up, likely you'll not change holes. So in that case I would try the wax and if still too tight, I would sand the two holes slightly with a dowel wrapped with sandpaper. Good luck.

[afish]

Im not super familiar with benchdogs fence but i know they use some tall dogs to attach the fence. If it was me I would be looking/making some type of bracket and TSO power loc dogs.  love how they attach from the top and super strong holding power.

The Benchdogs system uses some tall dogs with flats milled into them to register the fence against. The power-lock dogs wouldn't work here though because of the center bolt that actuates them. The Benchdogs units are cross-drilled (horizontally) to attach the fence rails.

thats why I suggested some type "bracket" in combination of the power lock dogs. Im not a fan of tall dogs but thats me.  I dont know what the fence extrusion looks like on the bottom but Im thinking some type of flat plate attached to the bottom of the fence with a 20mm hole this way you loose very little real estate plus it might be nice having a small .125 gap under the fence to prevent saw dust issues.

[Bugsysiegals]

Just try a coat of machine table wax on the 19.98 fence dogs.....?
It should help them slip in & out a bit easier 👍

Thanks, I wonder if the wax will absorb into the holes and cause fitment issues for the good-fitting dogs...

[Bugsysiegals]

Im not super familiar with benchdogs fence but i know they use some tall dogs to attach the fence. If it was me I would be looking/making some type of bracket and TSO power loc dogs.  love how they attach from the top and super strong holding power.

I seen you mention TSO power loc dogs in another post and since my TSO dogs are the best fitting I considered these but it seems these are meant for locking 2 pieces of MDF together so wouldn't work with a single MDF top?

[afish]

tso says 30mm is min. clamping thickness thats from the very top. if you dont chamfer the hole you are probably picking up a mm or two. However an easy way to overcome this is to make a wood ring/donut with and id of 20mm and an od of 60mm or so and glue/attach them to the bottom of the mft. since you will most likely always be using the same holes 2 is all you probably need. the extra depth should also help with rigidity.   The exact thickness of the donut would depend on how thick the bracket is but if you use .125 bracket half inch donut on the bottom should work good.

[Peter Parfitt]

I wanted to try something different than my Incra fence and since TSO doesn't have anything equivalent I figured I'd try the Benchdogs fence ... plus I wanted their fence dogs.

I received it today and was surprised to see it's not the larger 8020 aluminum but the smaller stuff like my Ender 3 Pro 3D printer.  At first, I thought it might be cheap, but it doesn't seem to flex easily and I'm considering the lighter weight might be nice!?

The threaded rod on the star knob for fence dogs could be slightly longer as they're probably halfway in the nut when it's tight which means loosening them anything more than needed will cause the nut to fall off. 

Other than that, my only complaint so far is the fence dogs are too tight for my Parf drilled table.  The fence dogs measure 19.98mm versus my TSO dogs which are 19.95mm and fit perfectly.  While the fence has no movement, you literally need to remove the fence from the dogs and then twist each dog individually with your best hulk grip to get them out. 

It's really such a shame how much this little difference could make these perfect. Do you think I can recover 0.03mm if I sand the anodizing off the bottoms?  Do you have any other recommendations other than wearing out the holes in my table?

The whole point of the Parf family of products is that they all work together as they should. If one buys kit from other manufacturers you cannot expect perfection.

Peter

[Bugsysiegals]

I wanted to try something different than my Incra fence and since TSO doesn't have anything equivalent I figured I'd try the Benchdogs fence ... plus I wanted their fence dogs.

I received it today and was surprised to see it's not the larger 8020 aluminum but the smaller stuff like my Ender 3 Pro 3D printer.  At first, I thought it might be cheap, but it doesn't seem to flex easily and I'm considering the lighter weight might be nice!?

The threaded rod on the star knob for fence dogs could be slightly longer as they're probably halfway in the nut when it's tight which means loosening them anything more than needed will cause the nut to fall off. 

Other than that, my only complaint so far is the fence dogs are too tight for my Parf drilled table.  The fence dogs measure 19.98mm versus my TSO dogs which are 19.95mm and fit perfectly.  While the fence has no movement, you literally need to remove the fence from the dogs and then twist each dog individually with your best hulk grip to get them out. 

It's really such a shame how much this little difference could make these perfect. Do you think I can recover 0.03mm if I sand the anodizing off the bottoms?  Do you have any other recommendations other than wearing out the holes in my table?

The whole point of the Parf family of products is that they all work together as they should. If one buys kit from other manufacturers you cannot expect perfection.

Peter

Hi Peter, thanks for your reply!

I have your Parf Super Dogs and UJK Parf Anchor Dogs which both measure 19.95mm and fit perfectly.  Thankfully TSO dogs are also 19.95mm but unfortunately, neither of you has the "fence" dogs so I'm in this dilemma of a brand that is just a hair too tight. 

That said, I'd considered buying your UJK Parf system fence and applying a metal-backed adhesive rule to it but there's not much room for it and currently no ability to have multiple flag stops which can lift out of the way.  The multiple flag stop issue could be easily solved but I'm not sure about the rule unless the fence was slightly wider with offset holes...

[Peter Parfitt]

Hi @Bugsysiegals

I use the well established UJK Fence and Length Stops both on the tracksaw cutting station and my mitre station. In fact I move them from one to the other when needed for cutting larger stock. The Benchdogs version looks similar but Axminster's design came out first. The Axminster part number is 107068. They can be seen in use in many of my videos.

Peter

[Bugsysiegals]

Hi @Bugsysiegals

I use the well established UJK Fence and Length Stops both on the tracksaw cutting station and my mitre station. In fact I move them from one to the other when needed for cutting larger stock. The Benchdogs version looks similar but Axminster's design came out first. The Axminster part number is 107068. They can be seen in use in many of my videos.

Peter

Hi,

I’d looked at the UJK fence but preferred a solid section going under the guide rail than a single bench dog and the flag stops don’t seem to hover over the rule in a way which makes the measurement very clear?

[Ralph Mignano]

Hi @Bugsysiegals

I use the well established UJK Fence and Length Stops both on the tracksaw cutting station and my mitre station. In fact I move them from one to the other when needed for cutting larger stock. The Benchdogs version looks similar but Axminster's design came out first. The Axminster part number is 107068. They can be seen in use in many of my videos.

Peter

I believe you maybe mistaken there with your timings Peter. Benchdogs dogs fence system have been out for about 4 year unlike Axminsters version which is about 2 years. Just thought I’d clear that up for you.

[Peter Parfitt]

I was thinking back to my trials with the prototype.

Peter