Hi All - I thought I'd resurrect this thread to see if the passage of time has produced any easily replicable methods for temporarily attaching/fitting some sort of a stable hold-down clamp (cam, eccentric or some other variety) to an SMS (or CS) sliding table. The thought process here is to mimic a common feature found on sliding tables of larger format saws/multi-function machines, a feature that provide a saw's user the additional safety and comfort of a mechanical means of holding a work-piece fast to the table.
The video above shows a good example of when this feature comes in handy but working with sheet goods or any other unwieldy material/work-piece are two others - basically life is easier in those moments when a clamp is available.
On larger machines, a hold-down clamp is commonly designed to slide into an extrusion or thread into a hole. However, since neither of the Festool sliding tables feature any allowances like these, a DIY solution is needed.
The ideal solution for me would be those methods that facilitate quick and easy installation but that also provide a stable platform and a clamping mechanism that is quick and easy to engage and disengage when in use. It would also be nice if the clamp used was compatible with the stock miter fence or a fence consisting of an extrusion cannibalized from another Festool tool like the MFT/3, for instance). In other words, my ideal would be a clamp that can reach up and over any of the commonly used fences or one that has a base that slots into a given fence's t-slot(s). In contrast, the method shown in the aforementioned video appears to make use of a technique only possible by using a homemade cross-cut fence.
For inspiration, feel free to perform a search-engine image search using the terms "sliding table eccentric hold-down clamp" and "sliding table cam hold-down clamp" or the like.
Oh, and since I'm a short time lurker and first time poster, let me extend my appreciation to all those that have made this forum the amazing resource that it is. Thank you!
