Looking for some advise for making an MFT

[Max Neu]

I just  ordered some Qwas Dogs,now I am getting ready to have the table top made.I only want to use the table to use the festool clamps for sanding,routing etc.,I have no plans for using the track system.Even though I am just using it to clamp things down with,I will still have the holes drilled 96mm on center.My questions are;
What would be the best material to use,standard MDF,super refined MDF,or Plywood?
What thickness should I use to make the DOGS work best?
I am having a friend cut this out on a CNC,so should I have the holes cut to exactly 20mm?Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[ccarrolladams]

I just  ordered some Qwas Dogs,now I am getting ready to have the table top made.I only want to use the table to use the festool clamps for sanding,routing etc.,I have no plans for using the track system.Even though I am just using it to clamp things down with,I will still have the holes drilled 96mm on center.My questions are;
What would be the best material to use,standard MDF,super refined MDF,or Plywood?
What thickness should I use to make the DOGS work best?
I am having a friend cut this out on a CNC,so should I have the holes cut to exactly 20mm?Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated.

[welcome] to The FOG, Max,

My custom cabinet shop keeps two CNC nested routers working 2 shifts each. For over 50 years I have preferred plywood over MDF for sacrificial cutting tables because it is so much easier on the tips of saw blades.

Festool uses custom made HDF for the MFT tops.

We use a whole lot of plywood in my shop. Unfortunately occasionally a sheet in a lift (the wholesale shipping unit for sheet material) will have cosmetic flaws such that I will not sell it to a client. Those are put aside to be turned into sacrificial surfaces when we get the chance.

Long ago I wrote a CNC program create "MFT-Style" tops. The holes are on 96mm centers, but they are bored, not simply drilled. This approach is similar to how I would make a similar part from metal on a CNC machining center. The result is super clean and round holes of the correct size.

At the end of a shift, when there is some spare CNC router time, we use that set-aside plywood to make work tops.

The whole idea of MFT-Style surfaces is that they be flat and sturdy. Although we do use other thickness of plywood, for our MFT-Style tops I only use nominal 3/4" of 18mm or 19mm thickness depending on brand, Most of the plywood we use is cabinet grade pre-finished. My experience is that it is best to use the back non-pre-finished side as the sacrificial surface.

 

[mouppe]

I would use 3/4" thick material or even 1". If the material is thicker, however, you may not be able to use the Festool clamps and quick clamps without grinding off the nub on the long shaft, separating the clamp into two parts, and inserting one part from underneath and the other from the top).

 

[Michael Kellough]

I would use 3/4" thick material or even 1". If the material is thicker, however, you may not be able to use the Festool clamps and quick clamps without grinding off the nub on the long shaft, separating the clamp into two parts, and inserting one part from underneath and the other from the top).

Instead of messing with the clamps just chamfer the holes on the underside. A piloted 45* chamfer bit would be simple.

I'd stick with 3/4 MDF. I like MDO but flatness is the priority.

 

[leakyroof]

If you're just making a clamping table that does not need to be portable or lightweight, then MDF should work fine.
Shane Holland or others can give a true measurement of the holes from a stock Festool MFT top. Qwas Dogs/ Steve Adams can also aid you in what hole size to bore/drill in your new top to work best with his products and any of the Festool Clamping System. I'm away from my MFT, so I can't add any more to your question on actual diameter of the stock holes versus his dog/pin OD.
I like Plywood or MDO over MDF any day, but that's cause I cut a lot of MDF in the 90's and hated the dust.. [embarassed]  [smile]

 

[Max Neu]

Thanks for all the help everyone!I have decided to use 3/4" material based on everyone's suggestions.Now I just need to decide how snug I should have the Dogs.I am going to give the CNC operator the Dogs so he can test the fit before he bores all the holes.I would like a nice fit,but I am concerned about them getting too snug with seasonal changes with the humidity,even though my shop is heated and cooled.  Would MDF be more stable than Plywood in that regard?

 

[ShawnRussell]

I can not see the MDF moving on you unless your shop is reaching 80+% humidity or your table top is exposed to direct moisture.

 

[tallgrass]

Ccarrolladams.......where in Hollywood are you. I have some coated plywood I would love to have turned into M&t tops. What would you charge to run so. Tops? Please pm me if you would not mind doing it. Thank you.

 

[ccarrolladams]

Ccarrolladams.......where in Hollywood are you. I have some coated plywood I would love to have turned into M&t tops. What would you charge to run so. Tops? Please pm me if you would not mind doing it. Thank you.

Hi Tallgrass,

Thanks for your interest in over-sized MFT tops.

Sorry to disappoint. My business is building custom cabinets on a large scale. As I have indicated both of my conventional horizontal CNC nested routers are in use virtually all of two shifts 5-6 days a week. I have a more compact vertical CNC router, but it cannot make parts even as large as a standard MFT top.

We can only make our own full sheet tops when we can use a few minutes of downtime. Of course we never know until that happens when the spare time comes available. Unfortunately there is no practical way for me to store your sheet material until spare time on a machine came available.

My business is not being a job shop. I am simply not set up to handle pricing a single operation such as turning customer material into a MFT-Style top.

To remove confusion, I live adjacent to Hollywood and my corporate headquarters is also located in that neighborhood. My cabinet plant is actually in an industrial zone of Burbank, just southeast of the airport.

Again, my apologies that I cannot make a top for you at this time.

 

[tallgrass]

No apologies necessary. I completely understand.  I run my own cnc machines and would not wish being a job shop on anyone. I live out in Malibu and am in Burbank often for work, and the thought of chatting in person with another Festool junkie would be an enjoyable diversion. 

Congratulations on keeping machines running full time. That is no mean feat.

Question on your vertical cnc, is it a  vacuum table? Is it truly vertical or at a steep angle? I have often wondered about small part retention.

Thank you for your response.