Homemade MFT

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guyr

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Hi guys,

Planning to make a homemade style MFT for my track saw with a bought CNC'd mdf top and trestles / bench cookies. As this is not to be positioned on a Festool MFT 3 / bench, i wondered if i should go bigger than the standard 1000 x 700. Is seems quite small. I'll need it for cutting and assembling alcove cabinets, kitchen cabinets and the like.

What are people's home made MFT set ups? I also cant decide on a fence. The main benefit seems to be the flagstop.

Cheers
 
This is my assembly/clamping/cutting/power tool bench. It's basically 3 MFT style tops joined together. Infinite clamping options, it's brilliant.

The top is Paulk style (google it), normally made to go on trestles but mine is fixed.

bench.jpg
 

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nice! I'm in a 2 x 3 m shed, but could certainly build a similar base. Interested if you can buy the CnC'd sides?
 
ScaredyCat":1l15eqoc said:
Have you thought about somehting like this?

https://benchworks.be/en/user-made-projects/user-made-projects-january-2017/

Folds up neatly too.
.

+1 For the Mobile Multifunction Workbench. I modified Timothy's design to accomodate the CNC top many of us have bought from ebay. Having the extra width enabled me to fit some small drawers to house dogs, clamps and - for a long while - a selection of dominos. Bit like it's owner these days, the legs are a bit on the wobbly side now - my fault for using cheap hinges and poor quality timber. It has served me well and after years of breaking down sheets of plywood on it, I flipped the CNC top over last year and had a good as new surface to work on.
 
Here's my 6 ' x 3'. Splits into two for easy storage. Used Parf guide and drilled the 3mm holes all over so can easily add more dog holes if needed. Used 4 x 1 par for the trestles.
 

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That's why the benchworks design is really good. It folds away nicely and only really takes up its main carcase footprint. You can also build multiple add on tables to extend the surface when you need it bigger, these fold away too. Mine goes through a standard house doorway with room to spare. You could easily store the main cart and a couple of extra tables in one of those one man sentry box type sheds.
 
This is my full size 2440mm x 1220mm MFT top....

CNC MFT TOP (2) (640x480).jpg


i had it made a couple of years back by a mate of mine with a CNC business.

He also offers a smaller version but can make you pretty much any size you like up to the size of mine...!

It's bang-on square with the use of Dogs as a fence.
 

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guyr":8vf374oj said:
nice! I'm in a 2 x 3 m shed, but could certainly build a similar base. Interested if you can buy the CnC'd sides?
If you want to go the torsion box route, which Ron Paulk’s design is, the web panels (sides, ends and middle panels that connect top to bottom) are super easy to make. Use a large hole-saw to get the rounded ends - or a jigsaw and some sanding if you want to go really big - and your plunge saw for the straight cuts to connect the rounded ends. Finish off with a hand saw to avoid running your plunge saw blade out the back of the rounded cuts.

Be warned though that if you’re using 18mm Medite for your top and 18mm ply for the web, it can end up being really heavy! I’ve a couple of standard MFT size units with 18mm Medite top and bottom, joined by an 18mm Baltic birch ply web. They’re not what you’d call easily portable! :wink:
 
Pedropete":188fcscb said:
If you want to go the torsion box route, which Ron Paulk’s design is, the web panels (sides, ends and middle panels that connect top to bottom) are super easy to make. Use a large hole-saw to get the rounded ends - or a jigsaw and some sanding if you want to go really big - and your plunge saw for the straight cuts to connect the rounded ends. Finish off with a hand saw to avoid running your plunge saw blade out the back of the rounded cuts.

Be warned though that if you’re using 18mm Medite for your top and 18mm ply for the web, it can end up being really heavy! I’ve a couple of standard MFT size units with 18mm Medite top and bottom, joined by an 18mm Baltic birch ply web. They’re not what you’d call easily portable! :wink:

Yes, it's heavy stuff so that's why I made my 6' x 3' in 2 sections which bolt together. The Paulk torsion box webs were made with a "one hole" template and guide bush and spiral bit in the router to cut the rest. 12mm webs and 9mm base are screwed and glued and the 18mm MRMDF tops are just screwed so can be replaced. I wouldn't be able to carry it around as one piece.

The lighter weight on trestles also has its downside as it's not suitable for heavy push/pull work, I use my heavy bench against the wall with vice and dog holes for that.
 
GrahamF":10xw9xll said:
Yes, it's heavy stuff so that's why I made my 6' x 3' in 2 sections which bolt together. The Paulk torsion box webs were made with a "one hole" template and guide bush and spiral bit in the router to cut the rest. 12mm webs and 9mm base are screwed and glued and the 18mm MRMDF tops are just screwed so can be replaced. I wouldn't be able to carry it around as one piece.

Speaking of templates, once I’ve built a shed to free up workshop space I’ll need some for batching the webs for some more boxes. Plan is to swap my isometric and spare 90deg tops onto those, ending up with three units that live on frames against the workshop wall but where i can pull a box out when I need to take one with me. As yet undecided whether I want to use 12mm for the webs in the hope it’ll make them more portable. I get lots of good quality 18mm offcuts though so that’s probably how it’ll go.
 
guyr":s6a40fur said:
Thanks - do you have any pics?

NB: I'm nowhere near as skillful as Timothy!

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I made a second frame (did a better job of the second one than I did the first) which I could connect to the t-track on either of the long sides or the 'closed' short end to extend the working surface when need be. I'm not as close to Stan Laurel size as I used to be and it's not something I attempted often but the bench could hold my weight when I needed access to the roof space. Thinking about it, that might be why the cheapo hing snapped.
 

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Pedropete":1fd4xxbs said:
Doug71":1fd4xxbs said:
I keep one of these in my van for cutting on site, couldn't make it for less and works really well

https://www.cncdesign.co.uk/portable-wo ... ywood.html

They do one in spruce ply for £95
Looks good. How stable is it when assembled?

It's very solid and stable, only problem I have had is that the parts fit together too well, it's fine if left in my workshop or van but if left somewhere damp things can tighten up a bit making it a bit harder to assemble/disassemble.
 
Here's my one I've been using for years. Mainly on kitchen fits etc. Very solid unlike the real mft lol.

https://youtu.be/BnWQxbt4Dcw

Last year I built a bigger one on castors for the workshop 1m X 2m but Ive not finished that one yet, still hasn't got an MDF top yet.
 
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