Bora centipede worktop
- Thread starter rvieceli
- Start date
DanesRFun
Member
Well, it's two years after the start of this thread...
Here's my July 2025 updated Bora Centipede experience.
I bought the 35" height 2'x4' Bora Centipede and 20mm holed MFT top off Amazon. The stand was $129, very lightweight, but still strong and surprisingly sturdy.
But for the top, Bora makes purchasing more dicey-- in that the price for the 20mm holed-top was $75.99, while the price for the 3/4" holed-top was $13 LESS at $62.99. So that apparently invited someone to buy both, then swap the packaging, and send back the 3/4" top in the 20mm box... for the next unsuspecting poor slog... read ME... Aargh. Thanks Bora!
Sooo, the first top arrives... there's no distinguishing markings to SAY whether it's the 3/4" or the 20mm holed version... but it appears to be 3/4" holes as none of my 20mm dogs were even close to fitting. So I sent it back and requested a replacement. 2nd top arrives, and it at least does appear to be the 20mm top because I can POUND in one half of a Bessey clamp. NONE of the other dogs fit, or can be forced. Ugh. The box insert mentions humidity and swelling and hole variations... ugh. But I live in dry California! Ugh.
So I order the UJK Combined Chamfer & Reamer tool. Today... 15 days into this Bora endeavor... the reamer/chamfer arrives, I pull out my old heavy duty Dewalt hammer drill... and try to ream out the holes. But the holes are just waaay too tight. So the tool is binding up badly... and of course heating up. So with lots of time for cooling, I've gotten through three holes now... but they're basically buggered because of the binding... I'm running slow speed, and can slowly force it down, where the chamfer part works fine, but I struggle to pull back out... and I can even see a few small metal shavings coming off the tool, too. The lightweight stand is no help here, so I've got one foot across the wire bottom trying to hold it down while I try to pull up plumb against it. I found a video that suggested wax would help... so I ordered some. But at this point, I'm starting to think I'd be better off throwing out the top and just make my own from scratch. That Festool MFT/3 is looking cheaper by the minute!
If anyone has any recommendations for this woodworking noob, it would be much appreciated.
I really hate it when I try to go the more "sensible" route and just end up wasting money!
Here's my July 2025 updated Bora Centipede experience.
I bought the 35" height 2'x4' Bora Centipede and 20mm holed MFT top off Amazon. The stand was $129, very lightweight, but still strong and surprisingly sturdy.
But for the top, Bora makes purchasing more dicey-- in that the price for the 20mm holed-top was $75.99, while the price for the 3/4" holed-top was $13 LESS at $62.99. So that apparently invited someone to buy both, then swap the packaging, and send back the 3/4" top in the 20mm box... for the next unsuspecting poor slog... read ME... Aargh. Thanks Bora!
Sooo, the first top arrives... there's no distinguishing markings to SAY whether it's the 3/4" or the 20mm holed version... but it appears to be 3/4" holes as none of my 20mm dogs were even close to fitting. So I sent it back and requested a replacement. 2nd top arrives, and it at least does appear to be the 20mm top because I can POUND in one half of a Bessey clamp. NONE of the other dogs fit, or can be forced. Ugh. The box insert mentions humidity and swelling and hole variations... ugh. But I live in dry California! Ugh.
So I order the UJK Combined Chamfer & Reamer tool. Today... 15 days into this Bora endeavor... the reamer/chamfer arrives, I pull out my old heavy duty Dewalt hammer drill... and try to ream out the holes. But the holes are just waaay too tight. So the tool is binding up badly... and of course heating up. So with lots of time for cooling, I've gotten through three holes now... but they're basically buggered because of the binding... I'm running slow speed, and can slowly force it down, where the chamfer part works fine, but I struggle to pull back out... and I can even see a few small metal shavings coming off the tool, too. The lightweight stand is no help here, so I've got one foot across the wire bottom trying to hold it down while I try to pull up plumb against it. I found a video that suggested wax would help... so I ordered some. But at this point, I'm starting to think I'd be better off throwing out the top and just make my own from scratch. That Festool MFT/3 is looking cheaper by the minute!
If anyone has any recommendations for this woodworking noob, it would be much appreciated.
I really hate it when I try to go the more "sensible" route and just end up wasting money!
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Norwegian_USMC
Member
I thought about buying the Centipede work bench but I thought about using it with my track saw and having to store a piece of plywood as well as the tool itself it just didn't make sense with my small garage. So, I bought the Festool STM 1800 instead. It should last forever and the top pieces of wood are replaceable. Before this I was cutting on the ground with a 2" thick piece of foam.
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DanesRFun
Member
Smart choice!
I bought a centipede and returned it as having multiple legs was a pain on uneven surfaces, love my STM. I use the Bora top on my centipede.
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