sicd_steve
Member
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2013
- Messages
- 163
Hey I am new here from Australia my name is Steve and I am a Festool Fan Boy and primarily I am a self employed pub designer for my real job. But I love designing and making things in wood especially after finding Festool tools. They are the best tools ever, I used to have a garage full of Blue Bosch and Makita which all sit in cupboards gathering dust.
Anyway I got to thinking I needed a bigger than standard MFT 3 style of work bench, but the Festool one is too small too low and not very sturdy for my workshop and doesn't have the space under well planned.
I know it was designed for the contractor... but anyways lets get on to what I did.
My table is very inexpensive made from 140 x 19mm pine with mitered domino-ed corners but the design has made it very strong, I have it at 970mm high ( I am 6') so I like the higher top, it measures 1200 x 900 and I have MFT 3 V profile rails all round it worked perfect as the rails come in 2m lengths and I have a alumin blade in my Kapex 120 so cutting was easy. The profile has 2 standard T slots at the back of which 5/16" Hex head bolts work perfect to attached to pine edges ( see pic), it is on lockable HD castors to move around the shop easy, I had a 1200 x 900 x 18mm MDF top CNC routed by a real friendly guy here in Australia called ARTS & CRAFTS CNC ROUTING and he specialises in one offs ( nice service ) I had 2 done with 96mm hole centres and perfect 20mm holes all perfect and square for $80 each and that's cheap the small genuine FESTOOL ones are $160 each here in OZ. So now I added a lower shelf to house a 10" and 8" sliding Bosch mitre saws and a bunch of other stuff, I also made a solid mid shelf to collect dust and allows me to add a few low profile systainers. On the end I have made a clamp rack for Festool MFT clamps and I have made an adjustable support that holds your work piece instead of relying just on the side rail clamps and this can be adjusted accordingly. I used some old EUREKA ZONE alumin profiles I had hanging around.
Now the best part is I have already 2 /1400mm TS55 rails and the mitre gauge from my CS70 saw which is the same as the MFT# one, all I did was to get some spare parts to make up the swing up TS55 rail system with a 1400mm rail not the 1000mm rail Festool has on their system. So I can cut much wider boards add. and its a beauty...well it's a bit ugly but what the heck it all works perfect.
Here a are a few basic pics I took for anyone top get ideas, love to hear any comments to better it further...bring em on!!!
Also like to thank Anthony at Ideal Tools in Australia for helping me get the bits and pieces Anthony is a Festool Reseller and can be found at www.idealtools.com.au
Anyway I got to thinking I needed a bigger than standard MFT 3 style of work bench, but the Festool one is too small too low and not very sturdy for my workshop and doesn't have the space under well planned.
I know it was designed for the contractor... but anyways lets get on to what I did.
My table is very inexpensive made from 140 x 19mm pine with mitered domino-ed corners but the design has made it very strong, I have it at 970mm high ( I am 6') so I like the higher top, it measures 1200 x 900 and I have MFT 3 V profile rails all round it worked perfect as the rails come in 2m lengths and I have a alumin blade in my Kapex 120 so cutting was easy. The profile has 2 standard T slots at the back of which 5/16" Hex head bolts work perfect to attached to pine edges ( see pic), it is on lockable HD castors to move around the shop easy, I had a 1200 x 900 x 18mm MDF top CNC routed by a real friendly guy here in Australia called ARTS & CRAFTS CNC ROUTING and he specialises in one offs ( nice service ) I had 2 done with 96mm hole centres and perfect 20mm holes all perfect and square for $80 each and that's cheap the small genuine FESTOOL ones are $160 each here in OZ. So now I added a lower shelf to house a 10" and 8" sliding Bosch mitre saws and a bunch of other stuff, I also made a solid mid shelf to collect dust and allows me to add a few low profile systainers. On the end I have made a clamp rack for Festool MFT clamps and I have made an adjustable support that holds your work piece instead of relying just on the side rail clamps and this can be adjusted accordingly. I used some old EUREKA ZONE alumin profiles I had hanging around.
Now the best part is I have already 2 /1400mm TS55 rails and the mitre gauge from my CS70 saw which is the same as the MFT# one, all I did was to get some spare parts to make up the swing up TS55 rail system with a 1400mm rail not the 1000mm rail Festool has on their system. So I can cut much wider boards add. and its a beauty...well it's a bit ugly but what the heck it all works perfect.
Here a are a few basic pics I took for anyone top get ideas, love to hear any comments to better it further...bring em on!!!
Also like to thank Anthony at Ideal Tools in Australia for helping me get the bits and pieces Anthony is a Festool Reseller and can be found at www.idealtools.com.au
