Do you have any other ways that I can improve the way I use my DIY MFT? Leave a comment below!

@colinleigh6198

3 ай бұрын

This is the first time I've seen your KZread and very much enjoyed it, hence why I'm messaging you. I have the UJK items but for most of my cuts I now use the BENCHDOG Mk2 fence with their Quad MFT Hinge System. When manufacturing my new MFT top on a Ron Paulk style monocoque structure, (same principle as yours), I cut my MFT top 10mm oversize and then used my Makita rails set against a couple of MFT dogs to finish the 4 sides of my MFT top, therefore ensuring that the sides of the top are exactly squared and parallel, and the same distance to the MFT holes. I also made the pieces for the monocoque structure height the same width as the Makita tracksaw rails using the same setup to cut them and have a few MFT 20mm holes in those sides. This is great for adding an extension "MFT table" which is manufactured in the same manner thereby guarantees a perfect setup when adding to any of the 4 sides using the Benchdog connector dogs to locate these MFT extensions. I notice you've also been using the UJK 20mm MFT reamer with countersink to finish your MFT holes which is a great product to maintain the holes

@MasonWoodshop

3 ай бұрын

@@colinleigh6198Thanks for sharing, Colin! After a few people recommended the Benchdogs fence, I placed my order for the 1200mm MK2 w/ right-side support piece (I wanted a second flip stop so this added cost wasn't too bad as it included it). I can't wait to try it out when it gets delivered (hopefully) next week. That side add-on you detailed sounds amazing and very functional - I've been wondering what type of vise/clamping mechanism to put on the side and your solution gives me some thoughts to consider!

Great video , really appreciate a fellow Canadian woodworker! 🇨🇦 Your shop is looking amazing!Your a couple years ahead of mine and you give me great inspiration. Cheers !

@MasonWoodshop

3 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching! Happy to hear it’s given you some inspiration. 🇨🇦

Maybe you should check out the Benchdogs fence, I love mine! The UJK one is very well made but I think it mostly works best with the Domino joiner. The hose is always an issue in my shop too, I’ve resorted to using bungee cords to lift it up a bit. Lastly the Dashboard guide rail bracket is a piece of kit well worth looking into. Pricey but rock solid and worth every penny

@MasonWoodshop

3 ай бұрын

Haha, I ordered the 1200mm MK2 yesterday based on the suggestions here. My plan is to move the UJK to a smaller MFT I’m going to build exactly for the reason you mentioned (Domino). I’m glad that you validated my decision as it was costly (notably shipping).

@R-1.

3 ай бұрын

@@MasonWoodshop it’s money well spent!

@R-1.

3 ай бұрын

@@MasonWoodshop one more thing…I bought some Makita colored guide rail end caps from a company called “Tool Theory”. Those guide rail ends are sharp and my 4 yr old daughter likes to come into my workshop, I couldn’t bare the thought of her bumping into them. They also help with deflecting the hose!

@MasonWoodshop

3 ай бұрын

@@R-1.Oh wow, that's a fantastic idea, epsecially as I have a 5 year old that runs around in the garage often. They have a few accessories I think I'm going to purchase. Thanks for the suggestion!

Flipping the rail on its side to push the material through! Why didn’t I think of that,genius.

BenchDogs UK imperial and metric (dual scale) fence with multiple stops works great. Take a look at that instead of the t-track idea.

@MasonWoodshop

3 ай бұрын

Oh boy! I’ve wanted to try some Bench Dogs stuff and that fence looks absolutely perfect for what I’m looking for - thanks for sharing! Shipping to Canada is quite high, but I’ll keep an eye on this as it solves my exact problem and is not destructive to the top.

@ogwoodworks

3 ай бұрын

Also highly recommend the BenchDogs fence system. I built a very similar Paulk-style MFT and started with the UJK fence as you did. But I ended up switching to the 1.2 meter BenchDogs fence with 2 flip stops and I find it works much better. I also use their guide rail hinge which has been a total game-changer for my track saw work. Shipping from BenchDogs in the UK to Canada is quite expensive, but their products are just excellent.

@MasonWoodshop

3 ай бұрын

@@ogwoodworksthanks for the testimonial! I do think it’s exactly what I’m looking for and I’m glad you mentioned the multiple stops idea. This is an improvement I think I might make sooner than later, plus the existing UJK fences can be used as stops for much of my other needs.

@arco-design

3 ай бұрын

I use the Dashboard fence which works great, minus the scale. That said, I do have a bunch of their stuff like their large precision triangle/MFT square and a bunch of their dogs and the stuff is very high quality. I think they have a sale running now, but yah the shipping to here in Canada is a tad on the high side if you aren't buying a ton of stuff.

@MasonWoodshop

3 ай бұрын

I keep forgetting about Dashboard. I’ll have to check out the sale! Thanks for the reminder.

I really would like to get a better way to handle my dust hose as well. It looks like the table is working out well for you.

@MasonWoodshop

17 күн бұрын

It’s been great!!! I’ve moved it back to the position in my 2023 shop tour but I’ve also been moving it out onto the driveway a lot the past couple of months. Really handy with the casters on it.

Nice video and tour of your mft. I’ve done a similar build for a second table top/crosscut station. I built a rack which I can store the top in a vertical position when not in use. The mft top mounts on top of a foldable set of saw horses. The parf guide system is awesome as you mentioned. I also installed dog holes in my main off feed and assembly table as well.

@MasonWoodshop

3 ай бұрын

Great to hear from other DIY MFT builders. Thanks for sharing!

First of all,I love your bench and your philosophy behind it.But have you thought about storing your sustainers under the bench using pull out trays and draw slides.That way you'll have more wall space.

@MasonWoodshop

3 ай бұрын

Thanks for the suggestion! I do think about it from time to time with two reasons why I don’t follow-through: I still want to get my scrap sheet good under there and secondly, the way I built the bottom of this bench is horribly inefficient for Systainers (lots of 650-700mm gaps, which isn’t wide enough to go 2-wide with Systainers and is too much to justify the wasted space of going 1-wide. I may think on this a bit more as I could rotate the Systainers, though.

Thanks for the great overview. I’d be really interested in a video detailing when you use MFT vs Sawstop jobsite and why. I am setting up a shop and considering omitting a table saw altogether.

@MasonWoodshop

Ай бұрын

Thanks for watching! I really don’t use the table saw much at all. When I do use it, it’s either for ripping long material or narrow material. Not something I can quite get rid of, but it’s often collecting dust, haha

@cherbhy3

Ай бұрын

@@MasonWoodshop thanks that’s helpful! Seems like one could get by with a good bandsaw + outfeed in those situations.

@MasonWoodshop

Ай бұрын

Yeah!!! A bandsaw with a good outfeed setup would be more versatile.

@nutsmcflurry3737

24 күн бұрын

⁠@@cherbhy3I’m planning on omitting a table saw also. I’ll be building cabinets from sheet goods, so I plan on get by with a track saw, router, sander and dust extraction all from Festool. While I would like a domino, it will have to wait. To replace it so I can still use dominos, the loose tenon jig from 10minuteworkshop will suffice.

Before I built my large shop, I worked out of a 1 car garage shop for 30+ years. It forces you to think out of the box to fit all of your tools and still have enough space to build things. I built a similar tracksaw table and got around the hose problem by mounting a couple of small pulleys to the wall and ceiling. Just thread the 550 cord thru the pulleys and tie off to the hose. Pull up vacuum hose as needed.

@MasonWoodshop

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing that idea! I’ve moved things around a bit since this video but I still think that pully + paracord solution you mention could work really well for me.

I've been following your videos for ideas on a new outfeed mft. My shop tour is on my shorts listing on my channel. The best solution I've found so far for managing my dust extractor hose is the rockler 2" hose spring clamps. They are cheap which is nice, but I'm also tall and I can reach my floor joists easily.

@MasonWoodshop

3 ай бұрын

Nice shop!! I think those could work for me.

Great video! You just saved me money on the Orange camber clamps that I’ve been thinking about over the last year. Check out Benchdogs rail, I believe it have markings on it. But you might be like me…not wanting to change the heavy duty support bars. Maybe move the dust collection stuff under the table and extend a little. I’m clumsy and I would trip over that hose. This way you can have a boom(even though you don’t want one) but maybe on that same boom utilize the upright and have some vertical storage. My planet to create a carriage for my track saw to dock in between cuts. Too many times I’m moving wood after cutting it and the dang saw is in the way.

@MasonWoodshop

3 ай бұрын

Great advice and based on another comment, I think the Bench Dogs fence is going to make its way into my shop sometime this year. Thats a great idea about the hose going underneath (even through the torsion box), as I think the hose will be long enough.

Love the videos. Love seeing the toys I am interested in. I dare you to price check epoxy floors and consider it. Maybe even laminate you just put down without glue. Just curious because the floor could make your shop more comfortable.

@MasonWoodshop

3 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching and commenting! Epoxy is definitely something I’d like to do and I priced it out last year when we had our porch done. Price wasn’t too bad and it would help a lot with how slick it can get in the humid summer. Main issue for me is where to put everything while it’s getting done. Haha!

As a make do solution, until you get round to make a thinner table, you could remove the end, lower sections of the torsion box "mouths" and fit drawers in place, for tools etc ... maybe ?

@MasonWoodshop

3 ай бұрын

That’s a very interesting idea! I really don’t need access underneath everywhere, so a couple of small drawers could be a great addition. Thanks for the idea!

Nice setup. Regarding your extractor hose…I took a couple screen door springs, hooked them together and hooked them above my table. Attached a Velcro sling and run my hose and cord through that. It stretches nicely, keeps my hose out of the way and costs maybe $7 or $8. I would attach a pic but don’t know how…🤔

@MasonWoodshop

3 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching! That solution sounds great and could work with the way my rafters are setup. Thanks for the tip!

Since you are using your MFT table as your primary cutting station, why not turn your table around 180 degrees? This way you won't need to move your hose around as much, while making a cut. You could also put your dust extractor under the table, but I think with the chip separator it would be too tall to fit. I'm not sure on the height of that, since I only have the extractor.

@MasonWoodshop

3 ай бұрын

Turning the table around makes a ton of sense and I’m not sure why I didn’t think of that before! I’m going to play around with that positioning tomorrow to see how it suits my workflow. Great suggestion!

I started out with imperial (3/4”) dogs, but I am having a tough time finding all of the good quality type dog accessories like you use. Does anyone have recommendations on places I should look or am I better off to just bite the bullet and reset to the 20mm world now?

@MasonWoodshop

2 ай бұрын

My first workbench about 8 years ago used 3/4” holes and the best place to get accessories at that time was Lee Valley. Taking a look now and the quantity of 3/4” at Lee Valley has dropped a bit, although some retailers like Benchdogs do sell imperial 3/4” versions of some of their dogs. It does however seem like the MFT style top popularized by Festool has created a whole ecosystem of 20mm accessories.

Re measurement, why don’t you just adhere an adhesive tape measure right on the table?

@MasonWoodshop

3 ай бұрын

Ha!!! That’s an amazing idea that I hadn’t considered. I could even put it on the backside of the fence so the height of the tape would interfere with the workpiece at all. This is a great suggestion, thank you!

Looks like you need a surface to put items from your cut list while the big table is in use. When I build my Paulk style tables, I want to install t-tracks above and below the cutouts in the sides of the table. Just another way to attach accessories or jigs.

@MasonWoodshop

24 күн бұрын

Yes! Thats exactly why I ended up building a smaller version of the MFT which has been great in my shop.