Parf guide system...undecided?

UKworkshop.co.uk

Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

lastminute

Established Member
Joined
26 Apr 2009
Messages
559
Reaction score
3
Location
West Yorkshire
I have the original Parf Guide system (still in its packaging) intending to make my own MFT style worktop, never got round to trying it....however, having watched various demos online of the Trend MFT Multi-Functional Table Routing Jig I was impressed with its accuracy and simplicity!
I'm now considering buying it ..... there seems to be far less faffing about with it, plus it utilises the Router making it quick and easy.

Any thoughts and comments welcome.

Gerry
 
How many tops do you plan on making with it and are they likely to either be a standard size or could be?

I ask because I bought a top from eBay. At the time there were several on offer and it was as cheap as I could buy a sheet of MDF. I know it is a hobby and time is not charged to the job but making a top using the part system looks like a couple of hours or more work, not including actually going to get the sheet material. You would need to make several to bring the per usage cost of the jig down to something reasonable.

I don't know the accuracy of a CNC machine, but it is going to be very accurate. There is so little room for error for hole placement on these tops, I would be nervous about maintaining sufficient accuracy doing it manually.
 
I went with a router jig from CNC design, they were cheaper than the trend and worked well, took me about an hour to do an 8x4 sheet, if you go down the router and jig route make sure you Hoover out the chips from the hole and then re rout them or your guide bush won't reference correctly
 
I have no complaints with the original parf guide set and have made a couple of tops plus exttras. Having bought a CNC cut top at one time, I agree that's the best value but the parf set lets me make tops in MRMDF, valchromat, and presumably birch ply, whatever I want / can get / have spare. Also to make thicker tops and oddball sizes like my assembly / outfeed / generalpupose table. It's not value for everyone but it works well and a darn sight quieter in use than routing those holes ...
 
I bought the original parf guide system and, although I have only made one worktop, i must have also used the guide system to make matching holes in approx 10 jigs that I attach to the worktop ranging from a simple set of stops for clamping against through to a thin rip jig for my tracksaw. I found the original parf guide system straight forward to use and it took no more than three hours to drill out the worktop.

As for accuracy, I have clamped an extruded aluminium section to some parf guides and use a track saw held to a couple of tall parf guides to make cross cuts against the fence with spot-on 90 degree cuts consistently.
 
lastminute":2z0j2zho said:
I have the original Parf Guide system (still in its packaging) intending to make my own MFT style worktop, never got round to trying it....however, having watched various demos online of the Trend MFT Multi-Functional Table Routing Jig I was impressed with its accuracy and simplicity!
I'm now considering buying it ..... there seems to be far less faffing about with it, plus it utilises the Router making it quick and easy. Any thoughts and comments welcome. Gerry

The Parf guide is easy to use and very accurate so why buy another system?
 
You can make your own sizes when you want and how you want. Made a little customised one lately. Works well the Parf
 
Back
Top