multiple purposes Outfeed / assembly workbench - are tracks really worth it?

[Bruno Jean]

Hi,

Planning to build a workbench that will serve multiple purposes:

-Assembly table as the top will be a torsion box (mdf and plywood for the webbing)

-Outfeed table for sliding table saw, supporting off cut only

-Drawers for organization/storage

I already mix many plans I saw online to end up with the idea of this table. However, I am wondering how useful to include tracks on the top. I will be able to use bar clamps as the drawers part will be offset by 2 inches from the top edge on all four edges. I already have a lot of bar clamps so I do need to invest in new clamps.

Looking at tracks, I see people using a lot of dedicated clamps and other nice stuff that are really expensive and not compatible among different track brands.

So I am wondering how useful are those expensive track tools/jigs.

Thanks for your feedback,

[ChrisA Edwards]

I needed storage as well as an assembly or general worktop, so I built this. I made it the same height as my SawStop, so I could use it for indeed support.

At the time of build, I was not aware of torsion boxes or bench dog holes. I really like the clamps and stops that the bench dogs provide. So I just got a sheet of MDF and this just lays on top of my mobile bench.

If I was to build my bench again, I would do a torsion top with the bench dogs on top.

This might give you some ideas.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPy5fkNf_98

Not having a slider and only having 32" rip capacity, I often use my track saw on the bench dog top with my Festool track saw.

https://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/i452/cedwards874/Woodworking/Bench%20Dog%20Top/BenchDogTop_zps8j8dasne.jpg



https://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/i452/cedwards874/Woodworking/Bench%20Dog%20Top/BDTInUse2_zps7hlqmrlb.jpg

[Andrew Seemann]

I don't have tracks on my assembly table/outfeed table, and I can't say I have ever missed them. If anything, they would probably irritate me and get in the way. I do have a Scandinavian work bench right next to it, so I don't need the clamping abilities on it. The top is a torsion box of of 3/4 particle board (the laminate adheres to it the best) top and bottom with a frame of douglas fir (I had it handy). The bottom has 3 coats of shellac to offset the laminate for moisture resistance.

I do have some rows of dog holes lag bolted to it, mostly because I ended up with them due to a boo-boo while making my Scandi bench.

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[Mick Simon]

I also opted for the MFT style similar to like ChrisA's but without the drawers. It's more versatile than tracks and can easily be replaced when necessary.

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[Jay Kepley]

Here's what I intend to build (or something similar). It's very ingenious. Except for the area for the router (which could be excluded), there is lots of room for storage and drawers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAbZB8aUdA8&t=663s

[Jim Becker]

I'm also a fan of using a grid of "dog" holes and personally use the 96mm grid of 20mm holes similar to the Festool MFT for my new auxiliary bench and plan on a new primary bench with the same setup. There are any number of different "dog" and clamp types available that grip in the holes and provide a very flexible setup for assembly...much more flexible than tee-tracks. I have tee-tracks on my CNC machine and while they certainly perform admirably for clamping things down, they only exist where they are and that means all that space between them has to use other methods for clamping. A regular grid of holes solves that nicely.

[glenn bradley]

I too found dogs and slots more beneficial. I am attracted to the t-track tables and look at them now and again. It has just never translated into a very usable system for me. This will vary with the work you do but, for me . . . meh.

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[Bruno Jean]

Thanks for all the feedbacks,

I do not plan to drill a sheer number of holes in my torsion box :). I also do not have the tools to do so precisely (CNC).

So I will pass on the track as the majority seems to prefer holes to tracks and tracks seem more adequate to router/drill press and other kind of tables

[Jim Becker]

Glenn, those slots are an interesting idea for using "standard" clamps...thanks for showing those photos.

[ChrisA Edwards]

You do not need a CNC to drill the bench dog holes. I did mine with the Parf Guide System ($200) https://tsoproducts.com/accessories/ujk-technology-parf-guide-system-mark-ii/

Now I can make as many tops as I like.

https://cdn.axminster.co.uk/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/1800x/040ec09b1e35df139433887a97daa66f/1/0/104779_xl.jpg



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-SzRbVPob0&t=633s

[andy bessette]

Don't over complicate it.

[Bruno Jean]

Looks like a nice product to create such holes in a top. Clever use of geometric rules and simple. Not cheap and wonder whether a local CNC shop can do the top for less.

What I do not like in the video is the term "perfect". The rulers made by this company has to be made within a certain tolerance. To built the top you will have to lay it on a somewhat non flat surface, your drill bits will have some runout in the guide. All those compounding deviations to a paper design will have an influence on the final result for both a CNC machine and this tool.

I would have appreciate if the guy in the video just said what precision he has achieved using any precision measurement tool he likes.

But I do not plan to drill holes in my torsion box :).

[Jim Becker]

Bruno, Peter is pretty particular about accuracy and his Parf setup is about as close as you can get to accurate outside of CNC cutting because you are indexing directly to previous work. The dogs fit VERY snugly into the previously bored 20mm holes, too. Runout is minimal because the tooling is captive. Perfect? Of course not. But darn close. I've done this both ways and while I prefer my CNC for multiple reasons, I have a lot of respect for Peter's product design.

On local CNC shops, it's based on time...time to create the files and time to cut. Costs are typically in the $75-100 an hour range but are certainly variable with the market.

[Bruno Jean]

Jim,

Do not miss interpret, I find the tool pretty interesting. My issue is that I do not know what is Peter definition of "perfect". Some like everything in the 2 thousand precision, some like in the 1/32 precision and all of them will honestly and rightly declare perfection. So, just wondering which type of precision you can get with this tool. I guess not as precise as a CNC one, but maybe good enough depending on your desire for precision. On the CNC I know some people are selling the files online for MFT type table top.

I think we can go back to the topic :).

[Carl Beckett]

The last two sets of round dog holes I drilled in a workbench, I marked with a pencil and drilled with a forstner bit in a hand drill.

They hold things down just fine.

I see the concept of creating a precision grid to help square/layout. A different work method.

I would not opt for tracks. I find they fill with dust more, and the work piece edges are sometimes snagging them or a tool or fastener falls into them, etc. I do have tracks on the router table for feather board mounting.