HOLES IN MFT 1080

[bhubbard]

The holes in my MFT 1080 are a bit smaller than 20mm.  I have to pound the QWAS Dogs down and pry them up or punch from under the table.  Does anyone else have this problem and is there a solution other than reaming the hole with a grinding wheel or buying a new insert?

 

[RONWEN]

The holes in my MFT 1080 are a bit smaller than 20mm.  I have to pound the QWAS Dogs down and pry them up or punch from under the table.  Does anyone else have this problem and is there a solution other than reaming the hole with a grinding wheel or buying a new insert?

I can't speak for Steve but he is quite accommodating, I wouldn't be surprised that he would make a custom set sized for you. 

 

[erock]

I just checked my MFT800.  MFT1080 and MFT/3.  All my holes are fine.  They fit in all the tops.  I did find a couple holes in my MFT800 that where a little on the

tight side, but I did not have to pound it in or out.  I know this doesn't help you out.  But wanted to chime in.

Eric

 

[Corwin]

The hole sizes increased slightly in the tops of the MFT 1080's and 800's sometime in late 2006 or early 2007, so yes, the older tops had holes that were/are a little smaller.

 

[Brice Burrell]

I believe Qwas has some posts about enlarging the holes to make the dogs fit.  You make want to contact him for help.  Here's a link to his FOG profile page, you can send him a personal message, Qwas' profile page.

 

[rmwarren]

John at tool improvements offers undersized dogs as well. His stuff is along on eBay, great quality.

RMW

 

[Qwas]

First, let me welcome you to the FOG. It's always nice to see new people joining the forum. I hope you are having a good Memorial weekend and relaxing with family and friends.

As RonWen and Brice Burrell have commented, please do get in touch with me and I'm sure we can work this out to your satisfaction. You can PM (Private Message) me or the best would be to e-mail me, steve@qwasproducts.com

As I see it, there are 3 possible issues that could cause this problem:

• The first issue is glue or paint are in the holes and have decreased the hole size. (Temperature and humidity should have little effect on MDF and I've never noticed it to be a problem here in the humid southeast.) I would say this is not too probable since it seems to be most of the holes have the same problem and the same fit with the dogs. If this was the problem, it could be solved by sanding the holes with something like this Hole Sander (details on building it at the end of this post).
  
  
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• The second issue is the original hole size is too small. Corwin is partially right about the hole size changing in 2006/2007 to a bigger size. But going backwards from 2006, it seems every production year had a smaller hole. The answer for this problem would be to sand your holes larger with a hole sander from above, buy a replacement top, or get custom sized dogs. I would guess the table is close to 10 years old and a replacement top should be seriously considered.
  
• The third issue is the dogs you have received may be oversized. While we try to maintain good quality control, we are just people and something could have slipped through. If this has happened, I'm truly sorry for the mistake.
  

No matter which of these 3 issues are the problem, you have dogs that are not working to your satisfaction. Contact me and I will make sure you are satisfied.

[attachthumb=1]

The Hole Sander:

The hole sander is easy to make and this one is a length of 1/2" wooden dowel with a slot cut into the top of it. A piece of 120 grit sandpaper about 1-2" by 1" wide is inserted into the slot. The dowel goes into a hand drill and slightly bend the sandpaper to fit in the hole. Inspect the sanding often as it usually takes just around 15-30 seconds.

 

[bhubbard]

Thanks for all the info.  I bit the bullet and ordered a new top.  When it came (although damaged) the qwas dogs fit fine.  I will use my old top as an auxiliary work bench.  I will enlarge the holes per Steve's suggestion as needed.  Now I will order some more qwas dogs!!  Great invention!!! [big grin]

 

[Qwas]

Perhaps throw 2 hinges on that old top and use it as an extension for the MFT. Space the hinges so they will fit on the ends or the sides of the MFT. One set of hinge bolts fit in the slots on the side of the table, the other set go into the old MFT Top. Might need some spacers between the old top and hinge to get the heights to match. Add some scrap wood pieces to act as legs on the far end of the old top. The scrap legs  can be cut to fit into 20 mm holes for easy removal and storage. [smile]

Regarding the holes in the old top, you can enlarge holes as needed. You can use a marker and put a little dot next to the holes already done.