Festool MFT/CMS-VL + Dewalt DW745 + Shaper Origin = ?

[simonh]

I posted before on my Dewalt 745 integration into a customized Festool CMS:

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I've long wanted to make a nicer integration as the DW745 top is quite uneven, especially around the throat plate, and the mitre slots aren't great. I've done lots of work on the saw to file the mitre slot to get a smooth-running mitre gauge and made inserts to try and improve it. It's designed for site work, not a workshop. I fancy a Festool TKS80, but I don't have a room with all the attachments and begrudge the lack of a mitre slot.

The long-term idea was to create a new top out of solid phenolic and mount the DW745 innards. So, I got an Origin Gen2 just before Christmas; this was my first project. I use Fusion 360 for CAD. I have a Carbid 3d Nomad so I've done small scale CNC stuff before.

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I cut the insert out of 6mm HPL. I bought extra to make multiple inserts without needing adjustment screws.
I first created the mitre slot and the throat plate on the top surface. I tweaked the depth and offset on the throat for a nice fit of the insert. I cut the phenolic with the 16mm bit for clearing and then an 8mm bit for finishing passes. I used auto-pass with a shallow depth of cut.

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I taped the back of the piece and set the reference edge the same as I used for the top so everything would align. I then cut the slots and holes I needed for mounting and relief. This was a back-and-forth process between CAD and importing/cutting the new bits. I found the Origin was great for this workflow. I've even left the tape on the underside and saved the workspace so I can return to add anything else I may need.

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I mounted the saw and a frame made out of Bosch Rexroth. I drilled the holes in the aluminium profile using the Workstation and files saved from Fusion.

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I cut a new front panel out of 6mm HPL and used the original Dewalt metal plate mounted to it. For making parts, I just put them on my scanner (or drew around them on paper if they weren't flat) and then imported them into Fusion and created a sketch on top of them.

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I needed to cut some metal work on the old saw due to how it was affixed to the base and to the frame. But it's out of warranty, and I never envisage putting it back together.

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Job done. I've since made a zero-clearance insert and a couple of blanks.

 

[rmwarren]

Wow [eek] what a great idea! You really got my ADHD revved up.

It never occurred to me that the guts of the 745 could be removed and repurposed. I've had that saw for nearly 15 years, it's been great but, like you, I'd really like to have a better work surface. Love this idea.

At a guess, what's the time invested? Are you planning to whip up a fence?

Thanks for posting.

RMW

 

[TSO_Products]

[member=66875]simonh[/member] - you really outdid yourself on this one! - very impressive improvement on a very impressive (for the money) saw.

Keep it up!
Hans

 

[DynaGlide]

Very cool and clever idea. I'm also stuck with this saw. It has problems but it continues to get the job done, more or less. The height adjustment wheel spins under vibration so I have to clamp it in place before making a cut. There was a guy on YouTube who made a highly accurate mobile station that integrated a Dewalt jobsite saw. Great if you have the space but not much help to me.

I'm probably going to cave on buying the new Sawstop compact. It has an extra 4" of infeed over the DW745.

 

[Michael Kellough]

[member=66875]simonh[/member]

“ I posted before on my Dewalt 745 integration into a customized Festool CMS: “

How about link to that? This is very interesting.

To the US guys, can we get 1/4” HPL here?

 

[simonh]

[member=66875]simonh[/member]

“ I posted before on my Dewalt 745 integration into a customized Festool CMS: “

How about link to that? This is very interesting.

To the US guys, can we get 1/4” HPL here?

HPL is the stuff they often use in washroom cubicles and is sometimes called phenolic (Trespa is one of the big brands). I used 20mm for the main table surface and 6mm for the insert and front panel, the side and back panels are 4mm.  It's pretty hard on router bits, and you want good dust extraction and ventilation + mask.

Here's the link to my previous post:https://festoolownersgroup.com/index.php?pretty;board=festool-tools-accessories;topic=compatibility-of-mft-and-cms-edge-accessories.msg564911#msg564911

[member=8712]Richard/RMW[/member] I have an Incra LS positioner with an 80/20 fence and the Jessem cut thingies. I'll try to take a picture of that when I'm back in the shop. I started the project around the New Year, just a couple of hours per day. Now the CAD model is made, it would be a weekend project to make another (and a lot less if you have a gantry CNC).

 

[simonh]

Here's the fence system. I use an Incra LS positioner mounted on the side of the table with some custom brackets and the precision plate which allows it to be detached and used ontop of the table or router.  I made a custom aluminium bracket to attach the 80/20 fence to the positioner. The 80/20 fence had a rod through the middle connected to a cam at the back that moves a 'grabber' to hook the back of the table and lock the back of the fence from moving.

Using the fence system and new table top, I can reliably cut 1mm strips on the left side of the blade using the positioner.

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[simonh]

And here's my tenoning jig that slides on the fence. You can use the LS Positioner to easily set up the width. Also good for splines when set at a 45-degree angle.

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[Crazyraceguy]

[member=66875]simonh[/member]

“ I posted before on my Dewalt 745 integration into a customized Festool CMS: “

How about link to that? This is very interesting.

To the US guys, can we get 1/4” HPL here?

Yes, believe it or not, you can get that stuff as thick as 3/4". This material is very dense, it's almost like working with metal, with one nasty side effect, it can split, like wood.
You absolutely cannot drive a screw into it, but you can drill and tap threads into it. You have to be very careful of your tap-drill size, usually larger than it would be for metal.
You can cut it with pretty much anything that you would use on wood, but it is rough on edges.
"Joinery" is your friend, when trying to build things with it. Dados, grooves, etc work better than trying to glue it together. It can be glued, with epoxy type glues, but you are better off with the glue combined with some actual joinery. Butt-joints are weak.
I have literally built entire cabinets, doors, drawers, shelves, etc. with it, but it's no fun.
Some of the hospitals around here like it in operating rooms, because it is non-porous, impervious to water/cleaners, etc

 

[rst]

Phenolics are usually available through industrial/commercial plastics suppliers and is pretty expensive.  Be careful with machining as the dust is very nasty stuff.  I use it to make custom router bases and my table saw sled .

 

[Michael Kellough]

I know about Garolite and other phenolics but isn’t the op using a version that has integral decorative outer layers?

 

[WastedP]

Yes, believe it or not, you can get that stuff as thick as 3/4". This material is very dense, it's almost like working with metal, with one nasty side effect, it can split, like wood.
You absolutely cannot drive a screw into it, but you can drill and tap threads into it. You have to be very careful of your tap-drill size, usually larger than it would be for metal.

I am building an 8' Shaper Origin workstation out of a sheet of 3/4" phenolic.  My plan is to join the top and apron together with 2x2x0.25 aluminum angle let into the material and tapped into it.  I'm guessing tapping is just as good, if not better than inserts.  I've never tapped phenolic (or Paperstone, or Richlite) in the past, but I have pre-drilled massively oversized holed and driven self-drilling screws and... it worked, but it wasn't great.

So, [member=58857]Crazyraceguy[/member] , or anyone else with phenolic experience, any pointers on drilling and tapping?  Also, in this application, do you think multiple smaller angle brackets (four or five brackets 8" long) would be adequate vs. running aluminum angle the full length?  And what about letting in T-track for vertical clamping?  I've put T-track in a phenolic router table top before, but it wasn't holding a load.  I can epoxy it in place, but I don't know if that's preferable to mechanical fasteners.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

You can drill and tap it just fine. The inserts are not needed, unless its something you take apart often.
I have put hundreds of 1/4"-20 or 5/16"-18 threads directly into it.
If you are careful about working out the size of the hole, you can drive 5mm "Euro screws" into it too.
I don't know that a single piece of angle would be better than smaller sections, either should be fine.

 

[schmidtw]

[member=66875]simonh[/member] I just pulled my DW745 out of storage and was trying to figure out what to do with it.  I'm also fortunate that I have a shaper origin as well ... and have a LS Positioner coming for a router table setup, so your posts have inspired me to explore adapting your design to match up with my Paulk Smart Bench (similar to MFT).

What advice do you have about things you'd either do again or do differently?

Thank you for sharing this!