# Bench cookies



## Ben I (May 21, 2010)

I am flooded by sale catalogs for all woodworking tools and gadgets. I am amazed by the prices for some of this junk. Case in point 'bench cookies'. 

Now I admit that they are useful when painting your work piece or for edge routing. But it occurs to me that these cookies are just fancy chewing tobacco cans. 

I have a friend that has the nasty habit of chewing. He has provided me with as many tobacco cans as I could ever use. I filled the cans with sand and covered them with non-slip kitchen cabinet liner. HEY PRESO ! free bench cookies.

ben


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## Alan M (Mar 29, 2010)

they are very handy for such jobs. 
there really isnt anything too them . a round disk of mdf and some matting is all thats needed


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## greenacres2 (Dec 23, 2011)

Leigh Valley had (maybe still has) hockey pucks (about $1 each as i recall) and foam in their catalog as a snub on the idea of paying too much for simple. I'll admit that when i got 4 bench cookies i thought they were a great thing. Then i saw the hockey puck ad and realized that i need to look at life differently!!


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## OutoftheWoodwork (Oct 4, 2012)

QUOTE=Ben in Cypress Texas;304330]I am flooded by sale catalogs for all woodworking tools and gadgets. I am amazed by the prices for some of this junk. Case in point 'bench cookies'. 

Now I admit that they are useful when painting your work piece or for edge routing. But it occurs to me that these cookies are just fancy chewing tobacco cans. 

I have a friend that has the nasty habit of chewing. He has provided me with as many tobacco cans as I could ever use. I filled the cans with sand and covered them with non-slip kitchen cabinet liner. HEY PRESO ! free bench cookies.

ben[/QUOTE]

:lol::lol:[
Great idea! My husband got me two sets last year on Black Friday (he got them cheap.) Before that, I made my own using the corners from a sign I had made, and I glued on some of that rubberized shelf lining. Wasn't thrilled with the weight, but they worked until I got my set.


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## PRDarnell (Mar 21, 2012)

Hey! If you are near a high school, YMCA ice rink, or college that has hockey teams you can get used hockey pucks for nothing or a small donation. Lee Valley sells the high-friction discs already cut and the HF sheet material by itself as well. Check out "pucks" at Lee Valley Tools. Then you can use whatever tins you have around. I've never chewed but I'm always reusing Altoids Mints tins for stuff.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

I never even heard of 'bench cookies' until I read this. For something like that I just use a few pieces of scrap wood - even if I had 'bench cookies' they'd never be found when I actually wanted to use them.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Speaking of Lee Valley, the new Hardware Catalogue arrived in the mail yesterday, O...M...G...!!! I didn't know that many choices existed!
Lee Valley Tools - Online Catalog


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## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

i just some of my milk jug knobs. if i need to secure them to the table, the table already has holes in it, so i can just use a bolt and a mending bar or little piece of t-track


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## PRDarnell (Mar 21, 2012)

*Lee Valley Tools Catalogues*

Yeah, between the Tools catalogue and the Hardware catalogue I've spent in my head all the money I've ever earn or will ever earn without buying one large piece of equipment! 

Every year for Christmas my wife gives me three to five little gizmos from LV. I actually use most of them at least once or twice a year.


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## OPG3 (Jan 9, 2011)

Actually, I rather like the "idea" of bench cookies. There are a few sets of them in my shop and as they are damaged, they will be replaced. Peachtree has something similar that is larger and are interlocking via dovetails. I mainly use these for router work and therefore appreciate the additional traction offered by that design. There is also the sheet material that helps one get improved traction, but there are two problems with it for some (not all) applications: First, there is no clearance under it for the bit's overbite and Second, those little holes can quickly fill with dust and render the fabric useless. Both methods have their places, IMHO; and it's up to us to know both systems and use what works best for our particular project at hand.
There are many ways someone could build their own bench cookies - and they could even be something really nice, but to me and the others in my shop those "storebought" models offer a very nice combination of safety, uniformity, convenience and economy. There will always be a place in my shop for these.


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## Cunning (Nov 25, 2012)

*bench cookies*

That's a great ideal don't need any if i did that's something useful!


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## N'awlins77 (Feb 25, 2011)

I've made some too, out of scrap 1x2's. Cut them in 2" lengths, sprayed them on 4 sides with spray adhesive and then wrapped with scraps of the foam rubber tool box/shelf liner I had laying around. Work great and free!! Already had a can of spray adhesive too!


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## IC31 (Nov 16, 2012)

This means that my 1x2 inch pieces of plywood covered with Wally World rubber shelf liner is - is - is now doomed as obsolete:''(!!

Home Depot has some Bench Dogs for about ten bucks/set of 4 (Model # 10-035, Internet # 202736685, Store SKU # 546805)


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