Bench Dog 40-025 Panel Hold Down and Safety Accessory

by Bench Dog

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The Bench Dog 40-025 Panel Hold Down and Safety Accessory is the first and only combination hand guard and panel hold down for router tables and table saws. Use it for routing panels or ripping large sheets of plywood or veneer. Panel-Loc provides a solid barrier between your hands and the cutter, perfect for when you're using large diameter bits on a router table, or are handling large sheets on a table saw. The unique shape and plastic contact strip places low-friction pressure on the panel providing just the right amount of "give" to compensate for slight variances in panel thickness. Made in the USA.

Product Description

Bench Dog 40-025 Panel-Loc Panel Hold-Down / Hand Guard

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B00005RHP6
• California residents: Click here for Proposition 65 warning.
• Item model number: 40-025
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #88,572 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This thing deserves the design of the year award, May 29, 2003

By 

Bob Feeser "MillCrafters.com" (Springfield, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Bench Dog 40-025 Panel Hold Down and Safety Accessory (Tools & Home Improvement)

I had bought the Bench Dog PL400 a while ago, and unfortunately it sat in the tube it ships in. Well I broke it out, and after using it, I am sorry that I didn't do it sooner. It is great. It will fit any type of fence with the standard T slot. The attaching nuts are included and the easy to turn and fasten tightening knobs do the job well.
The great thing about this piece of equipment is that it does such a great job of holding down your workpiece. If you have a 3, to 6 inch panel or greater, it will perfectly keep it mated to the table. That is in part due to the hard rubber strip that extends below the bottom. The cast aluminum plate is substantial. I was tongue and groove routing, 88 inch long boards, and when I got to the end of the board, the PL400 had no problem keeping it true to the table, even when I let go. So I had 3 inches of an 88 inch piece of cedar being held straight, and under all of that pressure, it was still flush for the bit.
The safety advantage is second to none. Since it completely covers the router bit area, it protects you from an exposed bit. It actually covers an area a few inches away from the fence.
It is usable on your table saw, router table, or anything that has a T-slot. No T-slot, no problem, it is shipped with an included T-Slot aluminum channel, so you can convert your fence to a T-Slotted fence. If you added a wooden riser-extension to your fence, this would attach right to it. It is not predrilled, so you can custom apply it to your needs.
I highly recommend it. Easily adjustable for just the right amount of pressure. It does the job more completely and uniformly than single featherboards. It removes and installs in about 30 seconds. It doesn't shift on you when larger stock is trying to move it.
If I was cutting different size pieces all day long, I would use a featherboard, because it allows you instant access to the bit, for setup changes. If I was making runs of lots of boards, I would use the PL400, because the 20 second additional set up time, is more than worth the benefits and advantages.
I plan on keeping mine handy, and using it a lot more from now on. Hope this helps.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great product, February 15, 2004

By 

George Lutz (San Jose, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bench Dog 40-025 Panel Hold Down and Safety Accessory (Tools & Home Improvement)

I got this as a gift from my daughter last year but didn't have a slot in my router fence to use it. Finally got around to making some MDF fences with the right slots and found out this is a great product. I've always had trouble keeping the part I was routing down against the table and tight against the fence. This solves the first problem and helps with the second. It gives you a uniform depth by keeping downward pressure on the wood.It is easy to setup, takes about 5 seconds to set the proper pressure on the wood.

Two disadvantages keep me from rating it as 5 star. I tried routing some rail and stiles and found they were too thin and slipped under the guard. The second problem is when you want to adjust the router bit depth of cut, you can't see the bit so you have to slip the guard out of the way, adjust the depth, and then slip the guard back. This is fairly easy but annoying.
Even with these two disadvantages, this is the best product I've found for router applications. I especially like the fact that the bit is fully encased and dust collecion is greatly enhanced.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for cutting plywood on table saw, April 23, 2005

By 

Howard Gillis MD "Howie Gillis" (Shalimar, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bench Dog 40-025 Panel Hold Down and Safety Accessory (Tools & Home Improvement)

I had to mount the Panel-Loc to a 2x4 fence because the fence on my table saw is too tall to allow the Panel-Loc to hold down thin plywood. It works much better than a featherboard for ripping plywood. It would be 5 stars except for one problem. You cannot see the base of the fence to ensure that material is tight against the fence.