great job. when i first looked at the first pic i only thought you made the top piece and not the grey box part. that is how good it looks.

im definetly interested in plans  etc.
definetly like the top opening. other designs waste that space.
being able to open it with something clamped i good too

Tim, looks real cool, whats the shipping cost to the Bury, USA?

Super cool.  Go into production.  You'd sell'em

They'll just surcharge him for using the T-Loc patent....

Thanks for the comments, those who want the plans can PM me, the plans are in metric but there are directions for those who use imperial.
they are directed towards building these in series, i actually built 8 at the time. It's made using plywood, mdf, pine and beechwood. i painted mine with duplicolor light gray, it's a near perfect match with systainer gray.

Just looked at the additional pics.  I see you have pasrt of the clamping elements in the front of the  #ii size as well as a couple holes. Do those work out to hold pieces vertically?


Seth

Wow - really well thought out.

The prongs are made of hardwood, beech in my case. I wouldn't worry about them breaking, they are also reinforced at the bottom because they are covered by the hardwood blocks underneath that are used to position the box on T-loc systainers.
I hung an insane amount of weight on my prototype expecting it to fail, but it never did, while the new design is even more reinforced.

Very nice work! Very well thought out.

This would be a very nice product that if you could make it and sell it in the US I would be ordering today!

Cheers,
Steve

Nice , on first look thought you'd just added top to a systainer .

Awesome Job!

Thanks Neil, so far i only used the sys1 prototype in the field. The sys2 version i made was a last minute decision when i was cutting out parts i though why not.
And i think it was a great decision. Depending on the job i think i will take either one, but you will see that the plans are optimized for serial work, so i suggest you make at least both versions, and why not a 4 version for when i come up with a router table/jigsaw update.

I love the design, so cool, I have just purchased the plans, can't wait to build it.

I've bought the plans and they are very good and detailed, with details of jigs to help build several of them if you require.

Same as Kev! Ordered the plans. Love your creativity and hope to utilize your idea in various ways.
Pete

I got mine -- very detailed, great job!

ordered

I assume it works like it does for us in the UK!    It automatically converts it for me into pounds £7.50 or something I think it was

JMB

Paypal automatically converts. Got my plans, very detailed!!

Yes, PayPal automatically converts the transactions.  The exchange rate varies but it's about: 1 U.S. Dollar = 0.764006 Euros.  The plans cost me $11.78 USD.  Tim transmits them over the internet almost instantly.  You can then save & print them.

Tim,

If people send you the money "as a gift" without you creating an invoice, there is no paypal fee.

Also, I leave the money received in local currency- not converted to my base currency- as I can always find something to buy with it later on in the same currency. Then you don't get hit with the currency exchange rate rip-off.

Richard.

Pay Pal sent
Thank You
Sal

Theshipstore@msn.com

Just ordered my plans.  I hope to build some soon.

welcome. to the fog.
love the site too. great droup of members
where are you based.
cant wait to see the pics

Cheers Steve & Alan....... To be honest I could of listed the whole membership but thought that would be a bit odd! I did consider biging up everyone, but I didn't want to upset JMB
I'll start a new post with pics next week..

Awesome idea, ordered mine too.

Were you planning on doing the jigsaw tabletop version with a Carvex base-plate attachment like the CMS does or with generic clamping for any jigsaw?

Post pictures when you can. Sounds like a great solution for many things.

Cheers,
Steve

Greg, perhaps you have not seen previous postings of something like this on this board? There are at least 2 other people who already made something like this before. There's even a Dutch guy and member of this board, bror, who sells them on his website and eBay. FOG link.

I full heartedly agree Tim's version is the best looking yet, but with all respect to his craftsmanship, that doesn't mean he's the one and only inventor all of a sudden. He's also a copycat, elaborating on an existing idea somebody else thought up first (and even patented). And it mainly looks so good because he decided to make it look exactly like the T-loc systainer, a Festool invention. Personally, I don't see any problem with that. But please, don't try to shame people into something.

I'll be happy to make my own version whenever I need it. Perhaps I'll purchase some plans, perhaps not.

Hi Greg, i appreciate the compliments very much, though wouldn't go as far as saying people should not copy. I don't have anything against anyone copying this design or making something similar. In fact i made this based on a set of conditions it had to respect while not looking at existing designs, and the inevitable result is that there are strong resemblances with other boxes such as the patented systand. Simply because some things cannot be improved or made differently. Before releasing this i contacted the maker of the systand to see if was infringing on his patent  (really nice guy by the way) and there were no problems. I also contacted Tanos to see if they had objections, and didn't get a response.

Personally i'm not a buy plans kind of guy, i always think i can do better. but recently i bought Matthias Wandels tilting router lift plans and built it, partly because it was something complex and it made no sense going through the hassle of trying to copy it while you could buy the plans for a very reasonable price. But also because i respect what he does and i felt happy to support him. It's somewhat similar with the MFTB, i think anybody could make his own and it would inevitably resemble mine. But designing and figuring out details like the locking systems is rather complex and time consuming. So unless your time is worth less than a dollar an hour, then your better off just getting the plans. Which makes it worthwhile for me to spend time and effort in making them, and coming up with other things (which i have already more about that tomorrow!)

I bought the plans because he has designed what i would have eventually come up with minus the tinkering, which i do not have the time to do with other big designs on the go. I appreciate his work and putting the plans forth to the community, and for his hard work, he deserves compensation IMO and a well deserved tip of the hat from a fellow carpenter across the waters. of course i'm modifying the plans to better suit my needs but all the leg work is done. I build other peoples designs for a living, they get paid, no difference here.

great job tim.
i am not sure i have seen some of the other stuff on your site you should post some of it. some great tables there.

Tim,

Thank you for your understanding.   

Peter - Moderator

thank you, threres a page on my site where i explain how i built it, other than that i may clean up the sketchup model of it and share that. I always end up doing changes in the field, so the model with which i made my plans needs to be updated first.

you don't absolutely need a 30mm spade bit, i used one because my copy ring was 30mm, any dimension metric or imperial above 20mm will do as long as you have a matching copy ring!

looking good.
i must get back to building these

I'm the guy TimTool referred to in his post #70 above, and that's my stack in his picture.  I've just joined, and this is my first post, so be gentle.  Just let me finish this last sip of green Kool Aid . . .

I use Tim's MFTB often, and am pleased with how it turned out.  Tim's plans made everything much easier that it would have been starting from scratch.  I simplified it a bit by not providing for the old Systainer corner catches.  I used plywood for the panels and pine for the corners as he recommends.  The latch came from McMaster-Carr, found under Draw Latches, I think.  No Festool paint, just some poly something for a finish.  I didn't use any of the templates, except for the foot positioner, because I was in too big a hurry to get it done.  His measurements were spot-on. The trickiest part was positioning the feet/cleats.  I'd recommend maybe using double-sided tape until you get them perfect, and only then fastening them permanently.  I urge you to take the time to get them perfect--after all, it's for Festool stuff!

I made a platform to hold my lathe tools while I'm actually turning. It rests on top of the MFTB, with an easy-friction-fit cleat for the center slot.  When I'm not at the lathe, the platform lifts off and hangs on the wall.  The Midi attaches to a cyclone trash can, and is just right for my Clean-Turn (pipe) gouge and sanding mess.



I usually leave the MFTB on the top of my beginner's stack: Midi, Sys 2 with Metabo 3-inch RO sander, and my ETS 150/3 (what a dream tool! Maybe more on that later). I keep a pair of quick clamps set on top for quick access and to keep the Midi hose out of the way.  It's a convenient height for a lot of jobs, and in spite of its size, is very handy for lots of jobs.  With all the holes and those amazing quick clamps, I can hold a lot of work at a convenient height and position.



I'm an amateur, and work generally in my shop.  The box is handy for a lot of small jobs away from the shop, such as honey-dos in the house or tossed in the trunk for trip emergencies.  My Sys 2 size holds a small drill (no CXS yet, alas, but I'm hoping!), small level, clamps, tape, etc.

I've enjoyed the FOG posts for some time, and always look forward to reading the new posts.  Thanks to you all, especially the administrators.

Keep up the good work, TimTool! More, please!

Holding my breath, I'll hit "Post."

Tim -

Welcome to FOG.  Really nice job on the MF-TB box.  I'd love to see a couple of more shots of the hinges, interior, etc.

Looking forward to seeing more from you.

neil

Timtool,

I continue to use my MFTB constantly, and am always amazed at what a good size it is and how versatile it is.  I found the center slot a little narrow for my knuckles.  I cut a broad radius on one side, and now it's a dream to grab and lift. I hope I didn't do too much violence to your great design.

Crox G

Somehow I missed this thread the first time around.

I have now received (and happily paid for) a set of plans.  The plans are excellent and will build at least one MF-TB soon.

I think that I will also built the jigsaw table variation (even though I won't be able to talk about it or show any pictures here  ).