DIY MFT hole sizes

[MountainCraftworks]

Hello all.  I am looking at some options to build an MFT style hole pattern into an outfeed table for tablesaw.

I have been looking at all of the options such as PARF Guide / Woodpeckers / etc. 

My question is for anyone that has used the Festool 20mm boring bit.  I have been reading that some dogs fit looser than others.

Wondering what is the best dog to use with the Festool boring bit.  I see TSO makes a Close Tolerance dog better suited to CNC made tops.  How close to 20mm are the holes produced by the Festool bit?

Looking at using CNC to make a template, and boring with the Festool bit.

 

[Klemm]

[member=67170]MountainCraftworks[/member]  - if you email me your shipping address and phone contact we will send you a sample set of TSO's regular 19.8mm dog and the CF-Dog at no charge so you can try the 20mm Festool Bit and see which gets you a better fit on your finished 20mm hole -  and  report your findings for all to share here on the FOG.

On the subject of using a CNC Router machined panel with the 20mm hole pattern as a template, I have seen one such template in use in a small commercail woodshop and reported gets good results.

Hope this helps.
Hans
info@tsoproducts.com

 

[bertv]

For general use any 'ordinary' dog will do — some people get all worked up because there might be like a 1/10 of a mm (for people in North Korea: that is around 1/254th of an inch) slop when using specific dogs that are somehwat less tight, but in the course of woodworking being about wood working that is nothing to worry about: you press a rail against two dogs and they 'shift' a tenth? That is like worrying about whether to cut in the middle of your pencil lines or to the waste side or whatever.

I own like five 'brands' of dogs and what I worry about is mixing them, which is a weird problem in itself.

(Sorry about using 'like' a lot — I have been infected by Potus45.)

 

[Dick Mahany]

I can only speak from the auxiliary DIY MFT top that I made using the Festool 20mm hinge boring bit.  My OEM Festool MFT3 top seems to measure 19.90-19.92 mm (as measured with a Harbor Freight digital caliper)  and my Parf dogs fit very well with a 19.88 mm dia.  The DIY MFT top routed with the Festool bit seem to average ~20.02-20.04mm as best as I can determine.  The dogs still work very well, albeit noticeably a looser fit.  I can't speak to other dogs as my only experience is with the Parf dogs.
[attachimg=1]

 

[rst]

I've use the Festool bit to make hundreds of holes and all my dogs fit firmly.  My biggest project is a 64" x 102" cutting/assembly table and multiple portable tops.

 

[tomp]

For those concerned about the relative fit to the holes with various tops and/or dogs, see Steve Adams' (Qwas) YouTube video where he explains why this isn't a problem as long as the dogs are installed consistently. I have a set of his Rail Dogs that are noticeable looser in the holes of my top than the Parf Dogs, but I used the procedure given in his installation manual and got a cut that measured exactly square to my reference. As was stated though, you should use matching dogs in the holes and not mix brands.