Building a MFT

[Derek Cohen]

While I have a Roubo-style workbench and prefer hand tools ...



... and have a Hammer K3 slider to take care of rip- and crosscutting ...



... it has dawned on me that that a MFT (multifunction table) would provide more than just another option for sawing - it could provide an ideal small assembly bench as well as a bench for holding small parts for routing and sanding. The balance was tipped when I recently acquired a (new) Festool AT 65EB track saw ... 20 years old but used once or twice at most.

I build a small workbench in solid timber: 1200 x 600mm pine frame and merbau top. Although I have a Domino, the construction was mortice-and-tenon. Since the top was not a standard MFT, it was necessary that I drill the 20mm holes. These were to be 96mm apart, as with the Festool MFT.

There are basically two methods to make one's own: the UFK Parf guide (drill), and the Trend template (router). The cheaper Trend template is $300 in Australia. Fortunately, I was offered the opportunity to make a template by a friend with a CNC. This went one better than the Trend, by doubling it in size. The template has 30mm holes and is used with a guide bush and 20mm router bit to create the 20mm holes.



The bench top was prepared by ensuring all sides were square, and then the template was squared to the front and right side ...



My old Elu router is at least 25 years old. It used a 30mm Trend guide bush fitted into a custom made adapter ..



The router bit is a Trend 20mm ...



I was also very pleased to see how well the dust collection worked. The Elu did not come with dust collection - this was not important 25 years ago! - and I adapted the fitting from a Dewalt to fit it.





Once all the holes were routed ...



... the template needed to be moved to complete the bench top. This was facilitated by two dogs which my friend had thoughtfully made for this purpose ...



The dogs are fitted into the existing holes to align the pattern ...



The remaining holes were drilled.

It only then occurred to me to check the bench top for flat - I should have done this earlier, although the top was flat when I first put it together. There was a 0.5mm gap at the centre, and I decided to plane it flat ...



The top was then sanded(80 grit) ...



... all is flat ...



The holes received a fine chamfer ...

[Derek Cohen]

... and the right side was bevelled at 20 degrees.



The reason for this is that the bench will also act as a outfeed for the jointer/thicknesser-planer and sliding tablesaw ...



Finally, the top received a coat of flat poly to protect it during glue-ups ..





Thanks for watching. I will return once a fence is built, and show the various work-holding methods.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Bob Betker]

Derek: It looks awesome. Your "utility" table looks nicer than most people's primary work bench.

[Derek Cohen]

Thanks Bob

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jim Becker]

That worked out very nicely, Derek!! I'm a big fan of "the grid" and have them on my benches. Having an accurate grid allows confidence that when using dogs designed for the MFT (20mm in this case) can make for a better chance of things being square when the deeds are done.

BTW, I'm very interested in the little reamer/countersink that TSO sells, not just for making these grids, but also for maintaining them. The little thing cleans any glue that has meandered into the holes and takes care of that little chamfer at the top of the holes. The cleaning benefit is obvious, but keeping the chamfers clean and consistent is also a good thing.

[Derek Cohen]

A question for all about where to position a flip fence and sacrificial strip for the saw kerf:

The length of the MFT is 1200mm. How far from the right side would the saw kerf end up? And why?

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jim Becker]

Derek, without trying to dig mine out, I believe the saw kerf for the typical 90º cut is about 150-250 mm from the right edge, give or take. At least on my "old" MFT 1080.

[Derek Cohen]

Thanks Jim. I have found a PDF of the instructions on the web. They read:

Facing the front of the table, the measurement is 8 3/4’’ from the side face of the profile frame at the right side of the table. Facing the rear, the stop is approximately 7 2/3’’ from the side face at the left side of the table.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Derek Cohen]

Jim, you have a slider and a MFT. Where do you find the use for the MFT (alongside the slider)?

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jim Becker]

Derek, historically, I have not used the MFT much "in the shop", but it got use for various home improvement projects over the years "in the house". With the new shop and alot more space, I will likely either keep it setup somewhere in there, at least as a work surface, or I may dedicate it to the, um...garage...so I have a work surface and cut station up there for convenience. I have not decided. For me, the key to the MFT has been portability as in my old shop, there was no space to keep it set up.

[Derek Cohen]

Thanks Jim. It appears that you viewed the MFT as an alternative to a tablesaw or slider. I see it primarily as an assembly table/work holding surface for machine tools, and distinct from my hand tool work bench and slider. Of course, I have no experience of it as yet, and so time will tell.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jim Becker]

For those times when I use my MFT, it's both as a "saw table" and as assemble/workspace, depending on the project. That's what's nice about it...very versatile. There are some folks who use multiples of them ganged together for larger worksurfaces. For cutting, it really is nice for crosscutting long panels, such as shelving when the slider isn't available like in the house for sure. I actually tried to use it as a partial table saw replacement in the temporary gara-shop last year, but I missed a table saw too much and got lucky scarfing a pre-owned PCS from another SMC member to use for while. Ripping and small parts cutting was much better with the table saw, despite the fact I don't particularly like cabinet saws compared to the slider. (That's subjective of course...)

One other thing....ALL my current work surfaces the 96mm grid of 20mm dog holes in some fashion and that includes my main bench. If you look back at the thread about that, I did put in accommodations for my holdfasts which require .75" holes, but that's separate from the regular grid. I will continue to embrace the grid on any new work surfaces in the new shop, too, where it's practical to do so.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Mine does not fit the mold in any way other than that I do all of the same tasks on it in a janky way with decent results. The annual highlight is just around the corner when it becomes a ping pong table and provides entertainment for the holidays.

[Patrick Johnson]

Derek,

Your MFT looks very functional, and beautiful as well. Nice work!

Patrick

[Derek Cohen]

Thanks Patrick.

I posted other follow up articles in the General Woodworking and Power Tools forum. These are also on my website. Scroll down this Index page: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Powered...ery/index.html

The MFT has now reached this form:







Regards from Perth

Derek