Idea for MFT hole drilling template

[sprior]

It's just the way I think, but ever since I got my MFT I've been brainstorming how it could be replicated with close to the same accuracy.  It seems to me that users have put the accuracy of the holes to good use so I'd want anything created to keep that (so qwas and Parf dogs would still be useful).  I think that using a 20mm boring bit in a router would be more accurate than a drill bit.  So I got a 5mm drill bit and a  20mm forstner bit and using drill blocks to keep the bit perpendicular I copied a 3 x 3 hole section of the MFT top to 1/4" masonite.  It came out pretty close and I can insert multiple qwas dogs through the template holes into the MFT - they go it but get a bit tight in some holes.  On the drill you see the guide I made to keep the forstner bit straight - eyeballing it with the drill was not enough, you could see a qwas dog would go in at an angle into the masonite if it was off.

What I'm thinking is that if I enlarge specific holes (the ones circles in yellow) to fit a router guide collar then I could use the top left corner of the template against the corner of a new piece of MDF and starting from two holes referenced against the corner I could use the template to walk the holes and build a MFT top of any size with high precision.

Even better would be to get this template CNC drilled out of some stable material.  Anyone want to make some for sale?

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[jandreas]

It's just the way I think, but ever since I got my MFT I've been brainstorming how it could be replicated with close to the same accuracy.

A template router bit with a topside bearing, like the Whiteside 3004?  cost is about $20...

 

[sprior]

Won't work - those are not plunge bits.

 

[Timtool]

I don't think the intention was to plunge that bit, because you could cut into your template as long as the bearing was above it.
With copy bits you usually drill a hole first, so you can plunge your cutter through it before turning it on.

 

[sprior]

Tonight I used the template in the photo to try making a "mini MFT" which was 3 holes by 4 holes.  I drilled two of the 20mm holes in my template to 1 inch in diameter so I could fit my biggest Porter Cable style template guide into those holes, then used the Festool 20mm boring bit with adapter sleeve in my Porter Cable router (don't have a Festool router yet) to use the template to make the 12 holes.

What I found was that the Qwas dogs obviously had more play in the holes I drilled than the ones in the MFT - enough that with two Qwas dogs in place connecting my new piece with my real MFT you could wiggle the new piece more than you'd expect.  That tells me that there is no way a small template like I designed could work because you'd have lots of error by the time you got across an entire MFT worth of holes if you used two holes at a time as the reference.

It looks like sgryd has had success here: http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-jigs-tool-enhancements/make-a-perfect-%27mft%27-with-qwas-raildogs/ so I think if you don't have a CNC then his is the only workable accurate method.

 

[Guilliaume woodworks]

Giving it a lot of thought & came to conclusion that the easiest way to make new mft top is on a Cnc. Tolerances are so precise that there's no room for error. Especially if your using qwas dogs. I got a price of $150 for a 4x8 sheet guarantied to match mft hole pattern . What's your time worth?        In your post it says "it came out pretty close.  & close to same accuracy".  I'm not trying to offed you in any way, but being "close" isn't  gonna work. I know people are going to disagree with me & I'm not saying its impossible to make your own. For me the accuracy of the mft is vital to my success in professional woodworking and I wouldn't be comfortable using top not made by a Cnc.

 

[Roseland]

I've made two tops and, as jandreas suggests, used a copy router bit.  I clamped my existing MFT top (the template) to the sheet of MDF and marked roughly where the holes were to be.  I then removed the template and drilled 13mm holes in the MDF; they don't have to be accurately centred as you've got 1/8" room either side.

I then clamped the template back on, and using a 1/2" copy bit routed the holes to size.  My new tops are for benches that are bigger than the MFT, so I stepped the template across using 20mm dowels to locate the template to already-routed holes.

I can't detect any error using this technique.

Have fun!

Andrew

 

[HaKLc]

Giving it a lot of thought & came to conclusion that the easiest way to make new mft top is on a Cnc. Tolerances are so precise that there's no room for error. Especially if your using qwas dogs. I got a price of $150 for a 4x8 sheet guarantied to match mft hole pattern . What's your time worth?        In your post it says "it came out pretty close.  & close to same accuracy".   I'm not trying to offed you in any way, but being "close" isn't  gonna work. I know people are going to disagree with me & I'm not saying its impossible to make your own. For me the accuracy of the mft is vital to my success in professional woodworking and I wouldn't be comfortable using top not made by a Cnc.

CNC is the "easiest" way to make MFT top. Is it the cheapest one ? For me it is, because I can do that myself. I work as a CNC operator for 15 years now.
Not everybody has a chance to make/buy mft top on a Cnc, but if you have templates, it's much easier to make at least to tops at once.

By the way... And I also think you've got a fair price for your sheet.