On Tue, 16 Jan 2007 10:36:54 -0600, "Dukester"
wrote:

I'm thinking of building this beast as a workbench:

http://www.shopnotes.com/images/issu...nch-medium.jpg

If you're too shy to go to the page, it's a workbench with 2 full 3/4" MDF
layers and 2 "semi" MDF layers for the top (MDF on the ends and edges), and
a hardwood banding around the edges of the MDF. Looks to be very stable and
heavy.

My question is: will the MDF do alright for using benchdogs, or will the MDF
wear out quickly? I'm thinking of the round Veritas dogs for easy
installation.

I don't know if it would work or not with dogs, but my personal
inclination would be to route a dado along the top and lay in some
solid wood where the dog holes are being drilled. Doesn't necessarily
have to be a hardwood, if you're trying to do it on the cheap- some 1x
pine boards would go a long way towards preserving a decent hole for
the dogs.

The thing I'm thinking of here, and your results may vary, is that
with my square dog holes and homemade dogs, there is just a little
play in there, so that they tilt a couple of degrees when the clamping
pressure is applied. From what I've done with mdf in the past, that
seems like a recipe for crushed and crumbling edges.