Jerry's Squaring Arms for MFT/3

[Ted Owen]

I've just received two MFT/3's but can't use them until Father's Day, so I'm completely new to their use. But I have read Jerry Work's wonderful manuals for the MFT. So I was about to start making the squaring arm fixture he describes. Just in time I realized his plan utilizes the t-slots on the rails, which no longer exist on the MFT/3 and are replaced by v-slots.

Has anyone built a squaring arm fixture to fit the MFT/3? One that's adjustable like Jerry's? Suppose I could just use the dog holes, assuming they're square.

Thanks.

Best, Ted

 

[Qwas]

I don't have the MFT/3, just the old MFT 1080. The holes are square to each other and the sides of the MDF top.

You might want to check out my manual about the holes. Here is the link.

 

[Dave Rudy]

Jerry,

How DO you use your squaring arms on the MFT/3?

 

[dltflt]

Do you need the squaring arms with the MFT 3?  Doesn't the new angle / positioner unit  accomplish the same thing?

 

[Per Swenson]

The Mft3 is square out of the Box.

The mdf top is square to the sides.

The fence attaches to the sides using the V-groove and the basis system.

The stops in the rail for the fence are factory set.

As I said here there is no more messin around.

Cool as heck for some one with minimum patience, like myself. ;D

Per

 

[Woodenfish]

Ted, I did not trust the factory settings without verification of some sort especially something so large that has travelled so far. When I set-up my MFT/3, the first thing I did was check all of the hardware securing the legs and the table board for proper torque. There is no specified torque per se, so I used discretion.

After snugging up a few loose bolts I went on with alignment of the fence. I used the clamping elements to square the miter fence to the table holes. After squaring the fence to the holes I made sure the gauge pointed dead-on at zero, tightened up all of the miter gauge hardware then installed the miter fence pinch brace.

Unlike Per's experience, my rail height adjuster stops were not accurately placed. The manual gives you some goofy something and 2/3 of an inch location on one side. With the miter fence set, I measured off the side with the more coherent specification and adjusted it as needed. I used a known good framing square to set the saw rail 90 degrees to the fence. My two saw rail height adjuster clamps did not snug down very well at all either. A little turn of the screws and they were much better.

With the saw rail now square to the fence and the height adjusters secured, I moved that little stop in the side rail up against it and locked it down. After carefully rechecking all hardware for tightness and again the miter fence and rail to be perfectly square, I sawed my 3mm deep relief groove into the table.

You can watch this video for more info on MFT/3 set-up too.     

 

[Per Swenson]

Wooden is absolutely correct.

I was lucky. Call it hubris or silly faith,

I cut my top straight out of the box.

in hindsight not such a good idea.

On the other side of the equation we have been moving the table all over the place and it still sets up square.

Chalk that up to exuberance maybe, but never assume anything is square.

Per

 

[Ted Owen]

OK, thanks, everyone. I'll confirm everything is square and expect it probably is.

But I think you still need the squaring arms in order to clamp into a square, as Jerry suggests. That seems one of the most useful functions for the table, one I wouldn't have thouight of on my own. Wouldn't want to clamp a frame-and-panel into the miter fence.

Some have referred to a manual for the table. You mean the few-page assembly pamphlet? Or is there an additional usage manual that I've perhaps missed?

Best, Ted

 

[Woodenfish]

Ted, I see no reason to complicate a simple task such as forming a squaring jig to set-up the MFT/3. Perhaps the older MFT design needed some coaxing here and there where the new one does not. Other than the enclosed owner's manual from Festool I've never seen anything more except for what was shown in the above mentioned video.

 

[Jerry Work]

Hi all,

I think this thread has gone a bit away from the original question.  The purpose of the squaring arms is to create a known square corner into which one can clamp glue ups to make sure the components come out square.  The purpose is not to square up the guide rail holding components.  In use, the components to be squared are placed into the know square corner and clamps are placed OVER the squaring arms and over the unsupported side of the assembly both ways.  As the clamps are tightened the assembly is drawn tightly into the known square corner.  On the MFT, one arm (the fixed one) is fastened into the top "T" track where the clamping action will pull  it against the side of the MFT top.  The other arm (the adjustable one) sits on top of the table and is held in a hole at one end and by an 8mm bolt in the "T" track at the other.  The end held by the bolt can be moved to become perfectly square with the fixed arm.

I have not had time to do much investigation as to how best to accomplish this known square corner on the MFT3 yet, but will post when I do.  The holes do appear to be quite square so it looks like you may be able to get consistent results by affixing three of the 1/2" threaded rod connectors (the ones that are 20mm across the flats) to each arm.  Position them so they fit snugly into three holes, thread on the 1/2" bolt and washers and you should have a very close to square clamping corner. 

If you confirm that two sides on your MFT3 are square one to another, then the "V" track on the MFT3 is lower than the "T" track is on the MFT exposing more of the edge of the table top.  There may be enough exposed that you can simply place two scrap pieces along those edges and use that as your squaring fence. 

I have not done either yet, so can't verify that one or the other works.

Jerry

 

[Ted Owen]

Ted, I see no reason to complicate a simple task such as forming a squaring jig to set-up the MFT/3. 

Sorry, Woodenfish, I am so new to this Festool way of working that I didn't explain correctly. It's not for MFT setup but for glue-ups. Jerry uses his squaring arms to clamp pieces--such as frame and panel, but it can be anything--while glue sets. He inserts the arms, one in the dog holes and the other in the upper t-slot of an extrusion, and aligns the pieces of the glue-up against the square arms, then f-clamps a few pieces down onto the table. Then as he applies and tightens Bessey or Jorgenson clamps in the normal way, the f-clamps permit tightening of the glue joints but keep the assembly flat. And I presume he then gives final tighten to the f-clamps. This procedure results in flatter, more square glue-ups.

So I can make two arms for dog hole rows that run 90 degrees to each other. I am just a little concerned about putting that kind of clamping pressure against the side walls of those dog holes and was hoping someone had already developed a design that uses at least one extrusion.

Best, Ted

 

[Ted Owen]

Sorry, Jerry, I see we apparently were typing simultaneously.

Best, Ted

 

[greg mann]

Ted,

If you use your Besseys to clamp the glue up directly to the squaring arms you are not really putting any force on the holes. They just locate the arm and the Besseys should pull the glue up tight to the arm.

 

[Ted Owen]

I made up a set for the holes, as discussed above. According to my 20" engineer's square, which I trust, it's as square as I can measure.

Best, Ted

 

[mhch]

The fences I made as described inhttp://festoolownersgroup.com/index.php?topic=3523.0
rely on the MFT hole pattern for squareness, between rail and fence, or between two
perpendicular fences.

An early version appears in "Qwas' thread on guide rail alignment"http://festoolownersgroup.com/index.php?topic=2757.0.
along with a measurement using the 5-cut method to illustrate what squareness can be obtained this way, using
the MFT hole pattern or MFT top sides. This seems to be pretty good, very repeatable, and quite easy to achieve.