Incra track and MFT.

Jesus Aleman

Member
Joined
Nov 12, 2008
Messages
206
I'm thinking of 'enhancing' my MFT3 by adding an incra track and shop stop to the festool fence.  Has anyone come up with a slick way of attaching the track to the fence?
 
I use the incra track   (EDIT NOTE sorry for the super-sized images)
jfc_tracks_zoom.jpg


and
T track +

buildit_panel_acc1_zoom.jpg


on my production rip/Crosscut table.  

I would need you to tell me more of what you want to do with the track

I am guessing that you are thinking stops along the fence if that is the case then what you may want is the flipfence rail assy http://www.incra.com/product_miter_accessories_flipfence.htm  
miter_acc_flipfence.jpg
 with the stop.

Craig
 
I attempted this idea some time back with the older 1080 MFT and found that it was easier to simply mount the Incra Track to the table rather than the MFT's fence.  See this thread where Bill documented his attempt.  Something like this may work with your MFT/3.

Personally, I like the Incra Track for use with the Guide Rail system -- either on the MFT or as part of a jig like I have made prior to Festool's parallel guide setup.  You can find some old photos in my gallery. 
 
This doesn't answer your initial question about mounting the Incra to your fence but might still be useful. I have machined some basic cylinders, threaded and unthreaded, for some guys who mounted similiar tracks to their MFT's.

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They act as a sleeve to bring the 20mm hole down to .250" and  allow a bolt/stud to extend through the bottom of the table where a appropriate knob can be attached.

I don't have a Incra track but I assume that there is a channel on the bottom that accepts a bolt head.

Let me know if I can help you out.

John

 
Yeah, if you want to attach the Incra Track to your table rather than the MFT/3's fence, you might look at something like the dogs discussed in this thread -- they might be more like what you want.  Not certain that these specific dogs will work for you, just that a dog like this is what you would need.

There are several options for attaching the Incra Tracks.  Take note that the 'standard' Track with the Shop Stop has T-tracks both in the bottom and on the back side for mounting.  They also have through holes (although they don't match up with the MFT's 96mm spacing) for screwing/bolting from the top  The taller 'flip' fence Track with the Flip Stops only have a T-track in the back side which is higher than the T-track on the back of the 'standard' Track.

I find that the 'standard' Track works well for my applications.  Would prefer the flip aspect of the other stops/fence, but they don't work for all of my setups.  For a MFT fence, I first lay a 2-1/2" to 3" strip of 3/4" MDF that spans across the width of my MFT.  I've attached it to the table by drilling 20mm holes to match the MFT and using through bolts.  I've also worked on other methods for this attachment, but this works.  I then mount the Incra Track on top of this MDF base, setting the left side Track back 2" from the Guide Rail with a 1-2-3 block for clearance so I don't scrape my hand against the Track while running a tool down the rail.  I use Incra's mounting bracket for this so the Track is easily added/removed.  I also mount a Track on the right side of the Guide Rail.  Then I add MDF sub-fences to the face of the Tracks where the edges facing the Guide Rail are beveled such that they entrap a separate piece that fits between the two -- this is just like what you might see on miter saw and drill press fence setups.  A length of MDF sized and beveled to fit between the left and right sub-fences can be cut as needed for the thickness material you're cutting.  I cut these fillers 3/4" taller than the material thickness to account for my use of a 3/4" backer board that is placed between table and material.  Sounds like a lot of rigmarole, but there are a couple of advantages to this setup;  the fence backs up your material under the Guide Rail giving a zero clearance fence, and you can have a backer board with a fence of its own mounted parallel with the Guide Rail for those cuts (either rip or crosscut) that are narrower than the Rail.  Again, check out my gallery photo that shows an Incra miter gauge in the foreground -- just ignore that miter gauge.

Sorry for the long post, but hopefully this will give you a few ideas.

 
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