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A Vise-Assist from a Bench Dog

Clamping a long board in a face vise for edge-planing or other operations can be difficult because one end of the board is unsupported. Some woodworkers use a freestanding or bench-mounted jack to support the extended end, but there’s an easier way if your bench includes dog holes.

I simply raise a bench dog near the unsupported end of the board and then clamp against the board and the dog as shown, using a thick spacer block between them to prevent board twist. If your inner vise jaw is flush to the edge of the bench, the spacer need only extend between the board and the dog. If your inner vise jaw stands off from the bench edge, make an L-shaped spacer that also fills the offset. To prevent the extended end of the board from slipping, it can help to glue sandpaper to the contact face of the spacer. 

—Alejandro Balbis, Longueuil, Québec
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