LR 32 questions

Wooden Skye

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I have been looking at different threads about making an MFT top for an assembly table.  I have a few questions about the LR32. The top will be 22" x 32". So here are my questions and a crude diagram.

1)  do you always need to use the end stops (16 or 32 up and out)?
2)  does any one know what the spacing is between each hole on the Holey rail?
3)  with the base plate and OF 1400 on the rail, does this create 96 mm spacing if you used rail dogs and inserted in first row of holes drilled?
4)  to achieve the first row of holes, would setting guide rods to 96mm do the trick?
5)  in the attached drawing, if I started at A and bored the holes going in the direction of the arrow, when it go to the opposite edge, do I need to rotate the rail and repeat process in question 4 or do I also need to rotate the work piece?

I will clamp the rail and use the 20 mm hinge boring bit.  I know this is shop furniture and maybe I am suffering from paralysis by analysis, but this is a good test for first use in my opinion.

Sorry for the long winded post.

Bryan

 

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Wooden Skye said:
I have been looking at different threads about making an MFT top for an assembly table.  I have a few questions about the LR32. The top will be 22" x 32". So here are my questions and a crude diagram.
Apologies for my partial answers  off the top of my head
1)  do you always need to use the end stops (16 or 32 up and out)?NO  they are used for door to sidewall spacing only.  The guide rail is still clamped to your work.
2)  does any one know what the spacing is between each hole on the Holey rail?32mm
3)  with the base plate and OF 1400 on the rail, does this create 96 mm spacing if you used rail dogs and inserted in first row of holes drilled? Never tried to attach rail dogs... If the guide rail is clamped to the workpiece you would skip two holes and index to the fourth giving you 96mm c-c.  The guide bars will only be useful for the first row of holes close to the edge
4)  to achieve the first row of holes, would setting guide rods to 96mm do the trick? the guide rods set the spacing in from the edge of the material.  I need to see if the guides go to 96mm
5)  in the attached drawing, if I started at A and bored the holes going in the direction of the arrow, when it go to the opposite edge, do I need to rotate the rail and repeat process in question 4 or do I also need to rotate the work piece?My quick answer is I don't see why

I will clamp the rail and use the 20 mm hinge boring bit.  I know this is shop furniture and maybe I am suffering from paralysis by analysis, but this is a good test for first use in my opinion.

Sorry for the long winded post.

Bryan

This might help...

 
Wood..
I've been thinking about what you might want to do to make your top, so I made a mock up and took some pictures.  The only sketchy part is hooking the guide stops into the holes to get exact spacing.  Hope they help.  Unless you want a custom size top it might be more cost efficient to buy a replacement MFT top for $165.

EDIT #1: Once the "vertical" distance is set and the guide rail is clamped to the workpiece the guide stops are removed.
EDIT #2:  If you used the Parallel Guides with the LR32 guide rail you would not need a spacer block to lock in the lateral distance.

[attachimg=1]

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[attachimg=6]

 

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I can't help but see the solution as finding a good CNC shop, or any CNC shop/friend to cut these for you. If absolute precision is required it seems like the right tool for the job. Going down this road could allow for oversized MFT tops and other custom additions.
 
duburban said:
I can't help but see the solution as finding a good CNC shop, or any CNC shop/friend to cut these for you. If absolute precision is required it seems like the right tool for the job. Going down this road could allow for oversized MFT tops and other custom additions.

No doubt.
I just wanted to "mess with" my LR32
 
cool, looks like if your mind was in the right spot throughout the process you could get decent results.
 
Lamnothim

Thank you for the effort, that is very helpful. 

Duburban

I have tried to find a shop to cnc a top, but no luck or price I am willing to pay.  This doesn't need to be perfect or accurate, it is an assembly table.  I may use a combo of holes and t track.

In the end I bought the lr32 set I might as well learn to use it. 
 
duburban said:
cool, looks like if your mind was in the right spot throughout the process you could get decent results.

Actually, I'm not so sure.  Hooking the guide rail stop pin into the center tangent spot of a drilled hole is sketchy at best.
Remember you have to take the stops off and re-hook them each time you drill another row of holes.  You are dependent on the lateral rail stop to keep it square. 

The parallel guides would do this far better than a spacer block with the LR32 stop. Regardless, the pin placement determines row to row spacing and I didn't think it would be all that accurate.

This will translate to cross cut rail placement and calibration using dogs.
 
Wooden Skye said:
Lamnothim
This doesn't need to be perfect or accurate, it is an assembly table.  I may use a combo of holes and t track.

In the end I bought the lr32 set I might as well learn to use it.

If that's the case....  you are banked!
 
A little more...

Since you don't care about the side edge to hole spacing you don't need a spacer block in addition to the 16/32 side stop.  To improve on the front to back row spacing a square might be helpful.  You still need to place both pins in the hole correctly and repeat it row to row.

Anytime I can practice with the LR32 it's a good thing because it tends to confuse me.  I've had to Bondo misplaced door cups flip the door and re-drill because I forgot to change the stop setting.  Thankfully it was a painted cabinet.  I also been meaning to flip my MFT top anyway.

"erock" has a great seven part Youtube series on using the LR32 to build a cabinet.  I reference it often.


 
I solved the spacing problem by having dogs made with the diameter of the edge pins so the spacing was exact.
 
rst said:
I solved the spacing problem by having dogs made with the diameter of the edge pins so the spacing was exact.

[attachimg=1]
cool

 

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Hey guys,

Not sure I can help with your problem as I have haven’t had chance to attempt this project myself yet, buts it’s on the books of the to do list. I have gather some information as best I can so and I can pass that along. When I was looking at making my own MFT table top or deciding to buy one I come across the MFTC ( multifunction tool cart) Made by Timothy Wilmonts his website is here http://www.benchworks.be/tipstricks.html. I bought the plans from him and they go into detail how he made the top using the LR-32 system with rail dogs to make the top. He Is a FOG member on here by name of Timtool, you can try searching more details under his name or just message him.  Timothy has a combo pack of plans for next to nothing compared to the cost of LR-32 system .

FYi Erocks video series on the LR-32 system had me on the fence about buying it, Timothy application of making the table top signed the deal so I finally bought it.

I use that video serious all the time also for reference

Cheers
 
Wooden Skye said:
I have been looking at different threads about making an MFT top for an assembly table.  I have a few questions about the LR32. The top will be 22" x 32". So here are my questions and a crude diagram.

1)  do you always need to use the end stops (16 or 32 up and out)?

If you want the holes to be at a certain distance from the edge and have no other way to accomplish that; yes.

Wooden Skye said:
2)  does any one know what the spacing is between each hole on the Holey rail?

32 mm, hence the term LR-32; it comes from the German "lochreihe 32", with 32 being mm and 'lochreihe' translating to "row of holes"

Wooden Skye said:
3)  with the base plate and OF 1400 on the rail, does this create 96 mm spacing if you used rail dogs and inserted in first row of holes drilled?

If you skip every second and third hole on the rail, you can get 96mm spacing, yes.

Wooden Skye said:
4)  to achieve the first row of holes, would setting guide rods to 96mm do the trick?

Yes.

Wooden Skye said:
5)  in the attached drawing, if I started at A and bored the holes going in the direction of the arrow, when it go to the opposite edge, do I need to rotate the rail and repeat process in question 4 or do I also need to rotate the work piece?

Don't rotate anything, just move the rail.

Wooden Skye said:
I will clamp the rail and use the 20 mm hinge boring bit.  I know this is shop furniture and maybe I am suffering from paralysis by analysis, but this is a good test for first use in my opinion.

Sorry for the long winded post.

Bryan

If you want to make a MFT top yourself, why don't you just copy one? You could drill holes about 3/4" wide at the approximate locations, then stick a Festool 491027 in and copy the hole.
 
Use peg board and a sharpie to mark your grid holes drill one hole for each line and index off it with the pins.
 
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