This is just a quick post. In my last entry, How to Make Round Benchdogs – A Pictorial, I showed the process that I used to make the benchdogs for my workbench. The trickiest part of this process was installing the small bullet catches that I bought from Lee Valley. They require a 5/16ths hole, but the fit is very, very tight. They need to be pressed in, as hammering them in might damage them. In my previous post, I used a bench vise and some scrap hardboard to do this. It was awkward to say the least.
A friend at my local woodworkers club suggested that I use the quill of my drill press to press in the bullet catches. I thought this was brilliant idea. It certainly never would have occurred to me to use the drill press in this manner. At the end of my previous post, I had run out of bullet catches and was waiting for more to arrive from Lee Valley. Well, they got here and I decided to try out the drill press method.
I used one of the pieces of oak that I had cut a V-notch in to support the benchdog.
Using the drill press to install the bullet catches.
Lining it up.
Pressing it in.
Fully seated.
This works very well. It made installing the bullet catches as simple as you could wish.
I just thought I should post this quick tip, in case you try making your own.
More soon.
– Jonathan White
