3 in 1 bench cookies | the perfect woodworking beginner project

To be honest, I should have made these bench cookies way earlier.

Now that I’ve used them to test them out, I immediately see the potential in these bench cookies for my woodworking workshop.
That is why I would like to encourage you to make these bench cookies for yourself.

They are easy to make and therefore the perfect project for woodworking beginners.

The bench cookies are designed in such a way that you can use these bench cookies in 3 different ways:

• As anti-slip when you need to sand wood,
• as spacers when painting
• and as support when you need to saw wood.

Great, isn’t it?

Moreover, these DIY bench cookies have the advantage that you can make them as good as free.

What is stopping you from starting this project today?

Read the step-by-step guide and within a short time, you will have your own homemade bench cookies.

Disclosure: At zero cost to you, I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post. I earn from qualifying purchases as an Amazon associate. Products featured are selected based on quality, performance, and reputation, regardless of affiliate relationships.

What is a bench cookie used for?

Bench Cookies are simple, but versatile thin discs with a non-slip coating on both surfaces.
Bench cookies can be used on a workbench to keep projects from slipping during planing, sanding, cutting, and more.
Also, You can use Bench cookies to raise your workpiece, creating space for milling or cutting work.
Due to the soft anti-slip layer, bench cookies are also extremely suitable to protect your workpiece and prevent it from being scratched.

Every DIYer or woodworker should have bench cookies in their woodworking workshop, and in this blog, you can discover how you can easily make them yourself.

Watch the video here & learn how to make bench cookies

Here you can watch the video and see how to make these bench cookies.
After watching the video, you can continue reading the step-by-step guide to making these bench cookies yourself. 

Can I Use the 3 in 1 Bench Cookies for the Router Jig Project?

Yes, the 3 in 1 Bench Cookies can be used for last week’s router jig extension. These versatile tools provide a stable and non-slip surface to hold workpieces securely in place during routing tasks. Whether you need support or elevation, the Bench Cookies are perfect for enhancing your router jig project.

How do you make a bench cookie?

Bench cookies are super easy and quick to make.
All you need for this is a material that can ensure the anti-slip, glue to fix everything together.
If you want to connect the bench cookies, you also need a bolt and T-nuts.
All links to the materials can be found in the material list above.

The base of the bench cookie is made of wood. To keep costs low, you can even use a piece of scrap wood for this.

Below, I will show you step by step how to make bench cookies yourself for your woodworking workshop.

Step 1 | Making the bench cookies

To start, determine how many bench cookies you need for your woodworking workshop. Will you need a lot of elevated bench cookies, or is it enough for a few bench cookies to support your materials?
I figured I’ll need elevated bench cookies quite often.
That’s why I made enough to be able to make 4 composite copies.
I have enough material left to make extra bench cookies when I find that the ones I made now wouldn’t be enough for the projects I’m working on.

With a 50 mm hole saw on my drill press, I made 8 discs.

To finish the slices and to give them all the same look and diameter I placed the discs on a threaded rod. With a washer and nut on each side, I was able to press these firmly together and make sure they were not loose on the threaded rod.

By clamping the threaded rod in the drill press I could make it turn around and touch it up with sandpaper.

I used 80 grit sandpaper followed by 120, 180, and 240. That gave me the smooth result I wanted.

After removing the discs from the threaded rod, I could now cut the pieces of anti-slip material to size. For this, I used a drawer mat that you can find in Ikea. Search for the name Variera, and you will undoubtedly find it.

I cut the pieces slightly larger than the disks. This made gluing a little easier.

To glue the anti-slip layer on the discs I used contact cement.
When using contact cement, it is important to apply glue to both parts, spread well to a thin layer and wait until the glue no longer sticks when you touch it with your fingers.

The glue will, as the name implies, work by coming into contact with each other.

When you have attached both parts together, press firmly, and you will have a solid connection.

Attach anti-slip material to both surfaces of the discs as shown in the picture below.

After pressing the glue for a while and allowing it to dry, I removed most of the residue of the anti-slip with scissors.

Then I placed a chamfer bit in my router with which I beveled the edges of the surfaces at an angle of 45 degrees.

Each disc was provided with a T-nut on one side.
That gives me the opportunity to confirm a bolt for the other functions that I discuss further in this blog.
Because the T-nut should not protrude above the surface, I made a shallow opening with a Forstner bit of 24 mm.

Once the shallow hole was drilled I could use my vise to press a T-nut into the discs.
You can see the status in the picture below.

The bench cookies are now ready for normal use in your woodworking workshop.

Place them under your workpiece for better grip and to prevent it from slipping during sanding, milling, etc.

You can also use these bench cookies with a soft surface if you want to prevent scratches on your workpiece.

But these bench cookies can do even more than this. Read on to get the most out of these bench cookies.

Step 2 | The center bolt

The bench cookies are provided with a T-nut to which a threaded rod can be attached. This allows you to give the bench cookies extra functions.

I will discuss the first additional function in this chapter.
First, I’ll show you how I adjusted this threaded rod.

Actually, this threaded rod is just a 60 mm M8 bolt from which I cut the head. 60 mm was the ideal length to slide 2 small rings over, but more on that later.

By putting the threaded rod in my cordless drill and turning it against a grinding stone, I was able to make a point on the threaded rod.

The advantage of this point is that, when mounted in a bench cookie, I can use it as a support for workpieces I want to paint or in oils.

By making a point on the threaded rod, the contact point with the workpiece is minimal, and I can therefore place freshly painted workpieces on this without damaging the paint.

Step 3 | small rings to make raised bench cookies

A third feature is that the bench cookies can be linked together to create an elevated bench cookie.
This comes in handy if, for example, you want to cut a sheet of plywood with a jigsaw on a circular saw.
The workpiece is sufficiently lifted by the connected bench cookies so that the knife or saw blade with which you cut does not touch the workbench.

Because only the connection with the threaded rod was not strong enough, I searched for a solution.

I found this by making smaller discs and sliding them over the threaded rod. This way I can clamp the two bench cookies against each other and I got a solid whole.

The last thing I want is for my setup with these bench cookies to fail while I’m cutting.

After making these discs, and sanding them, I could place them over the threaded rod and tighten the two bench cookies in opposite directions. 

Now I can use these raised bench cookies to break down sheets of plywood with my jigsaw or circular saw, like I show in the picture below.