MFT and Rail Square - my thoughts

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My solution for using a track saw to crosscut full sheets in the worksop was by making plywood locating holders, fitted to either side of my setting out bench, it gives me the full 1220 cutting width I need and the rail just lifts off, no dogs, hinges or clips required.

I've got an MFT as well, but that comes with me to site. ;)
 
My solution for using a track saw to crosscut full sheets in the worksop was by making plywood locating holders, fitted to either side of my setting out bench, it gives me the full 1220 cutting width I need and the rail just lifts off, no dogs, hinges or clips required.

I've got an MFT as well, but that comes with me to site. ;)
Picture please. I can’t visualise what you mean
 
Ron Paulk (utube) shows a mft box to take full sheets, which splits in 2 (two 2x8s inold money) They stack in his van, he works on site in the US. Worth a look if you haven't seen.
 
Ron Paulk (utube) shows a mft box to take full sheets, which splits in 2 (two 2x8s inold money) They stack in his van, he works on site in the US. Worth a look if you haven't seen.
I considered 2 parts but decided 1 part would be easier to get the dog holes perfect and not struggling to get tables fully aligned on uneven gound etc.... mine will be taken to jobs that are big enough to warrant taking it.
Now ive got the jig, i can knock up others if needed.....
itd be quick and easy to make a simple fence using the dog holes through the fence to guarantee placement and @petermillards ply hinge setup would be an invaluable addition.....
 
Ron Paulk (utube) shows a mft box to take full sheets, which splits in 2 (two 2x8s inold money) They stack in his van, he works on site in the US. Worth a look if you haven't seen.
I like a lot of Ron Paulk's stuff. For some reason I just can't see it working well for me for site work.

I also really like tim willmots stuff, it's so optimised, I love it.
Link

I think if I eventually felt I needed an MFT on site it would be Tim's stuff I would be looking at, even though I don't really have any festool stuff or systainers.

Peters mobile bench is also really cool, but just not big enough for me.

I've also done a bit more thinking about MFT stuff and I think I might do a follow up post as I have a lot of extra thoughts to share/discuss, I will probably just tag it onto the back of this thread

Martin
 
Sounds intriguing, got any pictures?
Picture please. I can’t visualise what you mean
In no particular order:

track 4.jpgtrack 3.jpgtrack 2.jpgtrack 1.jpg

Its basically 2 plywood boards with an under mounted piece and the rail holder mounted to each, which are fixed to my bench, the rails a bit short but in this instance, the Walnut veneered mdf was actually 1400 wide.
 
Oh that's clever, I like that. I assume the plywood pieces locate in the dog holes to ensure the rail is always set square?
 
So looking at the benchdogs square, with measuring thingy, its about 240 quid inc vat?
Do you know how accurate it is over 2.4m?
Have you looked at the mft clamps on ebay? Theres bessey ones and the festool lever types. Im thinking the lever types would deform the holes over time if you used much pressure.... and maybe the bessey ones would too?
 
To be fair jacob, if you were, let's say 40, and had a fair few years of site work ahead before you could retire, would you consider a tracksaw?
Also, which tool, in your worklife, was the biggest development?

There's no agenda here, I'm interested in seeing if your time of work_life affects your view and also looking to give you a comparison...... so lets say a jigsaw was a new development during your time, it'd prove to be pivotal really..... same as a mitre saw.
Sure, you can cut square with a handsaw but not as quickly and with such a perfect cut as a mitre saw......
 
So looking at the benchdogs square, with measuring thingy, its about 240 quid inc vat?
Do you know how accurate it is over 2.4m?
Have you looked at the mft clamps on ebay? Theres bessey ones and the festool lever types. Im thinking the lever types would deform the holes over time if you used much pressure.... and maybe the bessey ones would too?
Can't remember how much I paid, probably about that but I bought a few other bits also, there is a discount code from Peter too I think.

Accuracy wise I don't know but I can test it if you like. It came with a report, which I will attach. I imagine the report is fairly meaningless though because any inaccuracy is likely to come from the way it attaches to the rail and stuff like that rather than the manufacturing tolerance of the square and it's holes.

Martin
IMG_20230329_213424.jpg
IMG_20230329_213447.jpg
 
So looking at the benchdogs square, with measuring thingy, its about 240 quid inc vat?
Do you know how accurate it is over 2.4m?
Have you looked at the mft clamps on ebay? Theres bessey ones and the festool lever types. Im thinking the lever types would deform the holes over time if you used much pressure.... and maybe the bessey ones would too?
I haven't looked at the clamps on eBay no. I'll take a look now.
 
To be fair jacob, if you were, let's say 40, and had a fair few years of site work ahead before you could retire, would you consider a tracksaw?
Yes of course - they a good idea, especially on site.
What I thought was a bit comical was the complexity, expense and amount of gear needed with all these "turbo-torsion-box" solutions!
Also, which tool, in your worklife, was the biggest development?
Combi machine with long sliding table
There's no agenda here, I'm interested in seeing if your time of work_life affects your view and also looking to give you a comparison...... so lets say a jigsaw was a new development during your time, it'd prove to be pivotal really..... same as a mitre saw.
Sure, you can cut square with a handsaw but not as quickly and with such a perfect cut as a mitre saw......
Never had a mitre saw.
I've only got one "bench dog" - it's hardwood about 30mm square and 150 long in a tight hole in my bench top. Knock it up from below and vice versa. If it gets a bit battered I can just plane a bit off the end.
 
Never had a mitre saw
For knocking up studwork, skirtings, cutting mouldings ( or any timber lengths ) a mitre saw quickly pays for itself. I bought my first for about 400 quid 22 / 23 years ago, just a 216mm dewalt with little legs that fitted onto rails that slid into the base..... it lasted around 14 years and when i replaced it, it was just brushes that failed, but i bought a new one with zero play. It had earned its money many times over and by the time i bought my second, they had dropped to about 250 quid for the same size!

I can see that the tracksaw will pay for itself and will do a neater job than my circular saw and straight edge. The rail clamps are great.... to be fair, it is a good system for site carpenters and the hobby guys.

The mft thing, well we'll see. I havent used one. I can see the advantages of say the hinged rail and being able to quickly get square cuts using the dogs etc.
The rail squares? Theres a lot of choices, ranging from 20 quid up.
If, in practice, a rail square is within a mm over 2.4, its worth the 240 quid in the long run..... but itd have to be that accurate or better. Of course at that length a parallel guide is the right tool, but how far do you go?

For me, the torsion box is worth doing. I often cut sheet material on site and if the benches aren't properly level and supporting the sheet adequately, it often results in the saw binding. I usually catch it before it gets close to kickback ( i can feel it bind ) , but the flat top will eliminate that and give me the bonus of cutting squarely fast using the dogs and fence on anything probably 200mm less than a full sheet size...
 
I like a lot of Ron Paulk's stuff. For some reason I just can't see it working well for me for site work.
Same, way too big for working in people’s houses in London

I also really like tim willmots stuff, it's so optimised, I love it.
Link

I think if I eventually felt I needed an MFT on site it would be Tim's stuff I would be looking at, even though I don't really have any festool stuff or systainers.
Make sure all your work is on the ground floor! Like Daleks, all these trolley/cart based solutions fall apart when it comes to a set of stairs.

Peters mobile bench is also really cool, but just not big enough for me.
If only there was a way to somehow add to the dimensions to make it bigger… 😂
 

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