My high-end dishwasher uses a spring attached to a piece of string with plastic molded ends for door tension.  I replaced the strings and pulleys for the third time last week and apparently jostled it enough to cause the water connection to start leaking.  Well, it leaked down into my shop and, more specifically, directly onto my MFT top.  I can only guess that it had been leaking for about 4 days by the time I saw it.  My MFT 1080 top, my router jig, and a couple pieces of scrap are in bad shape.  Otherwise, the mostly Al MFT is OK.  There were a couple screwdrivers on it that were surface rusted and the angle unit will need to be cleaned up a little, but I suspect apart from the top there will be no noticeable damage to the MFT.  None of the other attachments were on it at the time.  Overall, I'm lucky that's all the damage to the shop other than some ceiling drywall that will take me a few hours (no money) to fix.
I've been planning for a while to make a large MFT/cutting/assembly table type thing and just keep the MFT around as a portable device.  Even without a specific solution, my MFT is often folded in the corner and my assembly table is my cutting table.  So, I'm hesitant to spend $100 for another top.  Has anyone made their own.  I could use the current top as a template as there is a piece of MDF sitting in my rack.  Right now the top is drying out and starting to look like it might be good enough to at least use as a template (assuming I clamp/screw the potato chip down to the new top).

Here is a way to duplicate it with a plunge router and top bearing router bit...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WR194wZhN-4

Best,
Todd

If you do use a 20mm router bit, do NOT plunge with it. To plunge and use a bearing, you need to use a smaller diameter bit - 1/2" I would suggest. Tat way you c an start the router an d plunge already in the hole. If you used a 20mm bit, the hole side and placed the router in the hole and t hen started the router, you willl find yourself in orbit.

All of the advice, specialy the using a top bearing bit is good as you already have an exact pattern to work from.


I however do not and am going to make a much larger top (about 1x1.6m) so what I will do is.
1) Using the LR-32 system and a 30mm hinge bit make a hardboard template.
2) Using the 30mm copy ring and either a 20mm hinge bit or a 3/4" bit create the top.

This top is going to be part of a torsion box and will on my workbench.

        When I extended my table I made a new top.  One of the short comings of the MFT is its over all weight when the larger tables go to the field.  when I built the new top I replaced my with 12ply birch which is much lighter.   
         All that being said, if you have access to Festool's line boring set-up I believe the spacing pattern on the holes is 96mm.  So, if you plunge every third detent you'll have it.  It's been two years since I cut the top so it might be every forth but that would be easy enough to check.  I used my of 1010 and what ever the appropriate sized router bit provided by Festool.                                                               C Hughes

Nick,
   I love your hose arrangement. Where did you get the shutoffs for the smaller hose. Are they on a remote? Do you lose any efficiency with a Y and cut-offs?

It's time to get rid of that Bosch Dishwasher and get something better

Here you go then

The starting point for the top is at
http://www.meekings.net/Workbench-Plan/Workbench_Summer_2007/index.html
With the full story

or

The base being put together now I know that it all fits.

and

The base, inverted, being tested to see that it all fits.
 (Thanks to mum in-law for lending the living-room)
 
Here is the scale drawing of the base with sizes


And side and end views


Now at 69cm the bench is clearly too short. Also I need to move it out of the house in the day time when there is dusty work to do. But as this is rural Thailand it must come in at night.
so this means that this may be the way to go

the pdf is at http://www.meekings.net/Workbench-Plan/mobile%20base.pdf

The bench must be disassembled when I have to go back to work. This means I need to reduce the weight as much as I can so have large cutouts where I can, so here is the bottom of the torsion box
FWIW the cross and circle are registration aids.


Here are the dividers/torsion box centers


And the top


The work bench base



The work bench base torsion box bottom and dividers



The top and dividers



As you can see the clamping may be a little restricted in some directions.

Lastly for the moment here are the sizes


The bench is going to have 2 tool storage cabinets in the base at the moment 1 is partly finished. it will have 1 deep draw 3 very shallow draws and a pulout dust tray on top

Here are a 3 photos (with a few black and green toys )


Note there is no need for glass in the windows!! But every need for anti theft bars.


Note the overhead wood storage (to avoid power post beetle and termites)



The expanded polystyrene makes a good, cheep cutting surface

Links to all the pdf files are available {send me a PM if you want them} if any one needs the highest quality printouts of the plans. they are also on a 10 to 1 scale so any sizes I have missed can be directly checked.

The deed is done.  Took me about 2 hrs, but I'm sure I could do it in less time if I was to do it again.  I didn't have a sharp 1/2" x 1" top bearing bit, so I used a dull one to punch the hole and rough it out.  That one left a little lip, so I flipped the whole thing over and came back with a bottom bearing bit and made it flush.  The right bit in the first place and it would've gone much faster.  But, if I did it again I'd be tempted to drill the hole out with something like a 5/8" bit and still use the bottom guided bit to flush it.  I started off using my 1/2"x3/4" top bearing bit and it took a little more effort with that than the bottom guided bit.  But, that might have been because of the wavy surface on the recently soaked top.
Thanks for the help everyone.

Jay

Thanks I hope it will be.

There are going to be some other features taken from other tables. Then modified for this one. They will include in no special order.
-) Removable side and end extensions bringing the supported area up to about 1600mm x 2600mm for cutting large sheet goods.
-) The extensions will be to the same plan as the main table and will be usable as small independent assembly tables/surfaces or oufeed tables.
-) A dismountable fence on one long edge with rail cutouts and movable length stops. With raisable stops on the other long side directly opposite the cutouts set for exact 90⁰ cuts

FWIW You have a namesake on UKworkshop who is very inventive. He has some brilliant ideas for making inexpensive jigs and tools. I will be using some of them.
Here is an example of a Folding adjustable height table
http://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=19583
and I think you may need to register for image access so here are 2 pics. from that thread


and

Dave If you liked the Folding adjustable height table you should check out his other postings they are on    UKworkshop Forums  Jigs & Tips pages 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8.

If you need to save time or cash they are inspirational

AAMOF That was my posting The original poster was niki from Poland on UKworkshop