Simple 20mm bench dogs with no collar/rim but custom length - where?

[kitui]

Hello, I purchased tons of bench dogs (Veritas and TSO) and love them all. However I have an idea in mind that require 20mm solid bars/rods with hole both sides and no collar/rim. Any idea where I can get something like that. Of course the holes need to be square and the body of the rod needs to be straight as well. I tried some whistle knobs and they were not square and messed up the entire first run of the project. If I cannot find rods with holes, I would be happy with just with solid rod/bar 20 mm diameter and 40mm and 60mm long. I just need a couple of both size. I tried wrench sockets and some brands works well but they are either too short or too long. Any idea where to find them? They might be available under a technical name that I do not know. Thanks

 

[nclemmons]

Check out Qwas Rail Dogs.  Bob Marino stocks them -

http://www.bobmarinosbesttools.com/product.asp?pn=QDGSRL

They are 20mm with a 1/4-20 thread in one end.  You could cut to the length you need.

Would that work for your application?

You can buy 20mm steel stock from Online Metals.  But this is probably more than you need.

https://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?pid=22017&step=4&showunits=inches&id=1613&top_cat=197

A cheaper alternative is 20mm aluminum stock -

http://www.orangealuminum.com/bar-stock/round-rod.html

 

[Bohdan]

A cheaper alternative is 20mm aluminum stock -

http://www.orangealuminum.com/bar-stock/round-rod.html

20 mm ali bar is what I purchased to use but found that it still required a shave down in size to fit the holes comfortably.

I make "headless" dogs with an 8 mm thread thru the full length. They bolt onto things like the Incra fence or jigs so that they just plug into the MFT and can be lifted off. The dogs are 20 mm long so a clamp knob can be fitted from underneath if required.

 

[kitui]

Hi, thanks for all suggestions. I looked into the Qwas dogs but I do not think it is realistic spending so much money and then still have to figure out how to cut them short. Great idea but still too much to finish it up. I need at least several pairs of different height. Orange aluminum is a possibility but 36" seems a lot. I will get to this if I cannot find anything else.
I like what Bohdan is suggesting (which is what I need but with different size like 40mm and 50mm). However I was hoping to find something similar without any cutting process on my side. I can cut wood but cutting metal seems too adventurous for me. Bodhan, do you have any left over pieces? I can also have them without a hole. Where do you toss them?  :-[
In few words: I am trying to align a jig (that has 20mm holes) with the mft holes on the work surface (not sure it is clear)...I am basically stacking them and need to keep them aligned with the "headless" dogs

Thanks a lot for your help!!

 

[Birdhunter]

How about a machine shop?  Skilled machinist could turn something like that easily.

 

[nclemmons]

The 20mm from Orange Aluminum is around $50 with shipping.  You have suggested you need 'several pair' so likely that is your cheapest path if you want a custom set of cut to length dogs.  50mm x 2 = 4-5 inches by the time you deal with kerf.  So 36" is about 6-7 pair.

If you are only using these for jig alignment, I'd suggest you stick with the knobs you were considering and just epoxy them into a 20mm hole in your jig board that could be bored with a 20mm bit from your MFT top.  You can easily inset them and use the existing screw hole or epoxy them in place..  They should align to be square to the hole.

If you want to go the other route, you can cut aluminum with your festool saws.  You can also cut it with a hacksaw and sand the ends to be square with a disc sander if you have one.  If you want to cut with your track saw, Either bore a 20mm hole or cut a dado that is 20mm wide in a piece of wood and put the saw on the rail and it will cut the aluminum if you have the aluminum blade.  I've cut aluminum with my track saw and with the Kapex with the stock blade with no issues in small quantities.

Your cheapest and most expedient path is probably the knobs you have already considered and epoxy them or use the existing screws into holes as suggested above..

Your second path would be to order and cut the aluminum rod yourself. 

Or if you want to order the rod and have it shipped to me, I can cut them and then ship to you.  PM me if interested. 

 

[Bohdan]

I like what Bohdan is suggesting (which is what I need but with different size like 40mm and 50mm). However I was hoping to find something similar without any cutting process on my side. I can cut wood but cutting metal seems too adventurous for me. Bodhan, do you have any left over pieces? 

Plenty of left over length but I think that with the postage from Australia it would be expensive compared to buying it in the US. You still need to cut them to length, shave them to the right size, drill and tap the bolt hole so I think that you would probably be able to find a metal working hobbyist to make them for you for a lot less effort and money.

You could also use something like TSO's tall bench dog and bury the excess head into a hole in your jig.

 

[Dane]

A couple years ago Woodpeckers did a run of plastic dogs with holes in them.  I have a few pairs, might call them and see if they have some still kicking around.  They often have things that they don't put up on the website.

Depending on you're appetite for international Ebay transactions, these guys are selling 20mm dogs in some manner of plastic with a hole already in them:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Polyamide-...-MFT3-Tables/263556601579?hash=item3d5d3296eb:g:zT8AAOSwXXVarnBa

Could also just have what you want printed up at Shapeways.

 

[kitui]

Thanks for the suggestions. I will be gone for a bit in business trip and I will look into the different options you suggested.  I just want to clarify that I looked into Qwas dogs and it would be too expensive because I need several. The option of the knobs was perfectly cheap ($1.98) and looked that they might work, however they were not Mfg straight but slightly diagonal so they could not align the 2 holes properly. I learnt the hard way. I actually posted the finding as a reply to somebody who suggested the knobs on FOG. 
Sorry for Australia being too far...not sure I have that trip scheduled for this year. Thanks anyway.