Medium BF/MFT Workbench Build
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MikeGE
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Here are some screenshots from the SketchUp model.
This image shows the extra 920mm pieces I added to the MDF support. I also moved them so the extrusion is between the rows of dog holes.
This image shows the 18mm MDF top in place. All but one of the drawer compartment partitions are made from 15mm plywood that will have a 12mm relief rabbet on the edges that slide into the 40x40mm extrusion. The inner partitions will have a rabbet on both sides so the partition is centered on the extrusion. The vertical slats for the inner partitions are 12mm plywood and are 50x550mm. The slats will make the slide mounting surface recessed about 1mm into the drawer openings, but this is enough space for the moving slide sections to clear the 40x40mm extrusion.
The exception will be the end partition that will use 12mm plywood with a rabbet on the inside surface only with 12mm vertical plywood slats. This combination will bring the slide mounting surface about 4mm into the drawer opening. I am not rabbeting the external side of the partitions that can be seen because I want the edge of the plywood to be completely inside the 8mm channel of the extrusion.
The drawer openings on the sides are 430mm wide and 510mm tall. Each drawer or slide will be 400mm deep to accommodate the Systainer boxes. The three drawers on the end are 883mm wide and 500mm deep. The drawers are 100mm, 150mm, and 212mm high. I haven't laid out the drawers for the sides yet, because I haven't determined which Systainers or how many smaller equipment and tool drawers I want.
Edit: The drawers are shown without the drawer faces. When finished, the drawer faces will be nearly flush with the outer surface of the extrusion.
This image shows the front without the drawers. The vertical slats in this image are from 15mm plywood and are 75x620mm. There are three slats spaced along the partition for the drawer slide attachment screws. The 15mm slats on the 15mm rabbeted plywood will bring the slide mounting surface about 2mm into the drawer opening on each side.
This image shows the extra 920mm pieces I added to the MDF support. I also moved them so the extrusion is between the rows of dog holes.
This image shows the 18mm MDF top in place. All but one of the drawer compartment partitions are made from 15mm plywood that will have a 12mm relief rabbet on the edges that slide into the 40x40mm extrusion. The inner partitions will have a rabbet on both sides so the partition is centered on the extrusion. The vertical slats for the inner partitions are 12mm plywood and are 50x550mm. The slats will make the slide mounting surface recessed about 1mm into the drawer openings, but this is enough space for the moving slide sections to clear the 40x40mm extrusion.
The exception will be the end partition that will use 12mm plywood with a rabbet on the inside surface only with 12mm vertical plywood slats. This combination will bring the slide mounting surface about 4mm into the drawer opening. I am not rabbeting the external side of the partitions that can be seen because I want the edge of the plywood to be completely inside the 8mm channel of the extrusion.
The drawer openings on the sides are 430mm wide and 510mm tall. Each drawer or slide will be 400mm deep to accommodate the Systainer boxes. The three drawers on the end are 883mm wide and 500mm deep. The drawers are 100mm, 150mm, and 212mm high. I haven't laid out the drawers for the sides yet, because I haven't determined which Systainers or how many smaller equipment and tool drawers I want.
Edit: The drawers are shown without the drawer faces. When finished, the drawer faces will be nearly flush with the outer surface of the extrusion.
This image shows the front without the drawers. The vertical slats in this image are from 15mm plywood and are 75x620mm. There are three slats spaced along the partition for the drawer slide attachment screws. The 15mm slats on the 15mm rabbeted plywood will bring the slide mounting surface about 2mm into the drawer opening on each side.
rmwarren
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Here's an option for panels. I use two sheets of 12mm (nominal 1/2") laminated together. I cut one sheet to fit the inside dimension of the opening and the other 20mm larger in both directions. Glued up the larger sheet extends 10mm over each edge of the first sheet, creating a simple rabbet on each edge.
I then use a router and pattern bit to trim the rabbet thickness down so it just fits into the slot of the extrusion. This gives me a simple and perfect fit with the face of the panel just slightly proud of the extrusion. Installing drawer slides is then simple.
This really only works for end panels, the offset would be different on each side is used for the intermediate panels.
I can whip up a sketch if anyone is interested.
RMW
I then use a router and pattern bit to trim the rabbet thickness down so it just fits into the slot of the extrusion. This gives me a simple and perfect fit with the face of the panel just slightly proud of the extrusion. Installing drawer slides is then simple.
This really only works for end panels, the offset would be different on each side is used for the intermediate panels.
I can whip up a sketch if anyone is interested.
RMW
MikeGE
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Richard, I had considered doubling up on the plywood for the partitions, but decided to use the slats instead. I even found a source for 20mm plywood that would match up with the thickness of the extrusion when doubled. Unfortunately, it was only available in full sheets larger than the normal 1250x2500mm (4x8 foot) that fit in my truck and there was a five-sheet minimum purchase.
Your suggestion makes installing rack slides easier, while my method requires me to position the slats during the build to fit the slides. Once built, I cannot change the slides unless then new slides have the same mounting hole pattern as the current slides. The slats will be glued to the partitions and tacked in place with brads while the glue cures.
The 15mm plywood center partitions are also the support for the 10mm plywood sheet below the MDF surface. I will attach the plywood sheet to the extrusion at each end with the item24 hardware and two or three countersunk screws into the edge of each partition.
Your suggestion makes installing rack slides easier, while my method requires me to position the slats during the build to fit the slides. Once built, I cannot change the slides unless then new slides have the same mounting hole pattern as the current slides. The slats will be glued to the partitions and tacked in place with brads while the glue cures.
The 15mm plywood center partitions are also the support for the 10mm plywood sheet below the MDF surface. I will attach the plywood sheet to the extrusion at each end with the item24 hardware and two or three countersunk screws into the edge of each partition.
rmwarren
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MikeGE said:
In truth I have only used this in a couple situations where there were no intermediate sections, i.e. just a single bay. Where it really shines is when you bore standard 32mm rows for shelves or drawer glides. This is only really useful in situations where the shelves might be relocated over time.
Your approach is simpler when setting up a cart like the one you are building.
RMW
MikeGE
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Here is today's update. I made a router template so I could mill the slots for the Festool clamp and M8 carriage bolt. The M8 bolt is a perfect fit in the Series 8 channel.
This project is a first for me in many areas, but today is the first time I:
Here is the finished template showing the slots to be milled and the four recessed holes for the T-track hardware. I later drilled a 6mm hole between the two large holes so I could align the two pieces of extrusion.
The finished product for the test run. These are the end pieces that support the MDF panel and I decided to cut access slots in both T-tracks. I was cautious with the router and made several slow passes to make sure I didn't clog up the cutter. On the first pair of slots, I made 1mm deep passes, checking the cutter after each pass. On the second pair of slots, I made 1.5mm passes, checking after each pass. I'm satisfied with three passes per operation and there was no aluminum buildup on the cutter.
Now that I know the process works, much to my delight, I will take more pictures of the process on the smaller sections. I have to disassemble the workbench in order to mill the access slots, but I knew I would be doing that when I assembled it.
This project is a first for me in many areas, but today is the first time I:
- Made a router template for copy rings
- Milled aluminum using a hand router
- Used my OF 1010 router
Here is the finished template showing the slots to be milled and the four recessed holes for the T-track hardware. I later drilled a 6mm hole between the two large holes so I could align the two pieces of extrusion.
The finished product for the test run. These are the end pieces that support the MDF panel and I decided to cut access slots in both T-tracks. I was cautious with the router and made several slow passes to make sure I didn't clog up the cutter. On the first pair of slots, I made 1mm deep passes, checking the cutter after each pass. On the second pair of slots, I made 1.5mm passes, checking after each pass. I'm satisfied with three passes per operation and there was no aluminum buildup on the cutter.
Now that I know the process works, much to my delight, I will take more pictures of the process on the smaller sections. I have to disassemble the workbench in order to mill the access slots, but I knew I would be doing that when I assembled it.
MikeGE
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More images of the routing process. Here is an image of the bottom of the template. I attached a strip of plywood as a guide once I had the first pair of extrusions properly aligned. The seam where the two ends of the extrusion meet can be seen adjacent to the middle screw.
The OF 1010 and an 8mm 4-fluted carbide end mill worked perfectly. There were three cutting passes and one cleaning pass. I applied a little paste wax to the template to make the router slide better.
Another pair of vertical support extrusions are done. In fact, I've finished all of them and broke the edges with a few passes of 320-grit sandpaper. Now I can assemble the chassis and torque the hardware to the design specification.
The OF 1010 and an 8mm 4-fluted carbide end mill worked perfectly. There were three cutting passes and one cleaning pass. I applied a little paste wax to the template to make the router slide better.
Another pair of vertical support extrusions are done. In fact, I've finished all of them and broke the edges with a few passes of 320-grit sandpaper. Now I can assemble the chassis and torque the hardware to the design specification.
MikeGE said:More images of the routing process. Here is an image of the bottom of the template. I attached a strip of plywood as a guide once I had the first pair of extrusions properly aligned. The seam where the two ends of the extrusion meet can be seen adjacent to the middle screw.
I’m surprised the OF1010 could mill the aluminum. What end mill bit did you use Freud, Whiteside, CMT? Did you use a bushing guide to follow the template?
MikeGE
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mkasdin said:
I used the CNC 8mm end mill in the Amazon.de link and the Festool 484176 13.8mm copy ring.
https://www.amazon.de/-/en/gp/product/B01FFV6SSG/
After zeroing the cutter depth in the template, I made slow passes removing 1mm for each pass on the first set of extrusions. This went very well, so I increased the removal to about 1.5mm for each pass on the rest of the extrusions. The material thickness is 5mm, so I set the cutting depth to about 5.5mm for the cleanup pass.
There were 22 slots cut, and I inspected the cutter flutes after each pass. I didn't use any lubricant, and one of the flutes had some aluminum buildup in it about midway on one of the passes. It was easy to clear with the tip of a knife. The 22nd slot looks just as crisp as the first slot.
If the OF 1010 wasn't up to the job, I had the OF 2200 on standby with a 10mm cutter from the same source.
MikeGE
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Here are the images from this week's progress. All of the 12mm and 15mm plywood for the partitions is cut and ready for the rabbets and glue-up.
I used my router table to mill the 10mm rabbet into the edges of each partition. The Jessem Clear-Cut guides worked surprisingly well in keeping the panel firmly in contact with the fence and table top during the cut. I didn't have any problem feeding the panels through the cutter. The three inner partitions have rabbets on the bottom and two sides, but not the top. The 10mm shelf will ride on the top of these panels. The side panels and end panel have rabbets on all edges because they fit in the 8mm slots on all sides. I sanded everything to 150 grit and used Titebond II and brads to hold the vertical slats to the partitions. After stacking the freshly assembled partitions on the floor, I loaded them up with about 300KG of weight overnight.
The last dry fit to make sure everything fits as designed and locate the outlet boxes for the dual receptacles. I will take the top section apart so I can remove the partitions for painting. There will be a cable access groove in the middle of the top edge of each partition so the cable can run down the center of the workbench and attach to the underside of the 10mm shelf. I will leave a short cable on the end with the receptacle so I can use an extension cord for power. I also added two more support beams on the top for the MDF panel. This workbench will be used as an assembly table and I didn't want to risk putting too much load on an unsupported section of the MDF.
Views of the receptacle boxes. The top drawer slide is well below the bottom of the box. The back of the box will not interfere with the side drawer panel.
Closeup view of the front right corner of the workbench showing the number of clamp access slots. The extrusion is loosely fitted, but will be better aligned during the final assembly.
Tonight I start the first of two coats of primer for the partitions. The color coat will be light gray.
I used my router table to mill the 10mm rabbet into the edges of each partition. The Jessem Clear-Cut guides worked surprisingly well in keeping the panel firmly in contact with the fence and table top during the cut. I didn't have any problem feeding the panels through the cutter. The three inner partitions have rabbets on the bottom and two sides, but not the top. The 10mm shelf will ride on the top of these panels. The side panels and end panel have rabbets on all edges because they fit in the 8mm slots on all sides. I sanded everything to 150 grit and used Titebond II and brads to hold the vertical slats to the partitions. After stacking the freshly assembled partitions on the floor, I loaded them up with about 300KG of weight overnight.
The last dry fit to make sure everything fits as designed and locate the outlet boxes for the dual receptacles. I will take the top section apart so I can remove the partitions for painting. There will be a cable access groove in the middle of the top edge of each partition so the cable can run down the center of the workbench and attach to the underside of the 10mm shelf. I will leave a short cable on the end with the receptacle so I can use an extension cord for power. I also added two more support beams on the top for the MDF panel. This workbench will be used as an assembly table and I didn't want to risk putting too much load on an unsupported section of the MDF.
Views of the receptacle boxes. The top drawer slide is well below the bottom of the box. The back of the box will not interfere with the side drawer panel.
Closeup view of the front right corner of the workbench showing the number of clamp access slots. The extrusion is loosely fitted, but will be better aligned during the final assembly.
Tonight I start the first of two coats of primer for the partitions. The color coat will be light gray.
RightAngleDesign
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Fantastic!
MikeGE
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This is a quick update for 9 November 2020. The partitions are painted, some drawer slides installed, and final assembly is underway.
The first coat of light gray paint. There are two coats of primer on all surfaces. All external surfaces, those that can be clearly seen, have two coats of light gray paint, with sanding between the primer and first coat. All internal surfaces have one coat of gray.
I changed my mind on the end drawers. Originally, I had a 100mm, 150mm, and 212mm full-width drawer on the end. After inventorying the tools I know I will be putting in these drawers, I changed the design to three 100mm drawers and a 150mm drawer on the bottom. I didn't have enough 500mm full-extension slides, so I ordered more today. I pre-drilled the holes for mounting the slides when they come in this week.
With the partitions installed, next comes the electrical distribution. There are three duplex outlets and a junction box in the first open bay if another outlet is needed. This is on today's menu, but I forgot to put the junction box and Wago connectors on the table.
The electrical distribution is installed and tested. When the catch shelf is installed, I'll dress up the cable between partitions and attach it to the bottom of the shelf.
The catch shelf and MDF supports are installed.
The 19mm black Valchromat MDF panel is in place, but not attached. Each Systainer bay has the lower drawer slides installed. I'll install the rest as I decide what will go in each bay. Some of the bays will have small tool and supply drawers at the top, just below the catch shelf.
The first coat of light gray paint. There are two coats of primer on all surfaces. All external surfaces, those that can be clearly seen, have two coats of light gray paint, with sanding between the primer and first coat. All internal surfaces have one coat of gray.
I changed my mind on the end drawers. Originally, I had a 100mm, 150mm, and 212mm full-width drawer on the end. After inventorying the tools I know I will be putting in these drawers, I changed the design to three 100mm drawers and a 150mm drawer on the bottom. I didn't have enough 500mm full-extension slides, so I ordered more today. I pre-drilled the holes for mounting the slides when they come in this week.
With the partitions installed, next comes the electrical distribution. There are three duplex outlets and a junction box in the first open bay if another outlet is needed. This is on today's menu, but I forgot to put the junction box and Wago connectors on the table.
The electrical distribution is installed and tested. When the catch shelf is installed, I'll dress up the cable between partitions and attach it to the bottom of the shelf.
The catch shelf and MDF supports are installed.
The 19mm black Valchromat MDF panel is in place, but not attached. Each Systainer bay has the lower drawer slides installed. I'll install the rest as I decide what will go in each bay. Some of the bays will have small tool and supply drawers at the top, just below the catch shelf.
MikeGE
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Update for 10 November. Dog holes drilled and chamfered in MDF top. The UJK Parf Guide System Mk2 made this very easy, but time consuming. I had all of the 3mm pilot holes drilled in just under an hour, but it took just over two hours to drill the 20mm holes, chamfer the holes on both surfaces, and lightly sand the top surface.
The Valchromat is brittle, and almost every hole had breakout on the bottom from the 20mm cutter. I didn't notice this with normal MDF. The cutter made nice crisp edges on the entry surface, so no complaints. The UJK chamfer tool dressed up the edges. It would be nice if the tool could be used with a variable speed drill instead of by hand.
After finishing the holes, I checked the accuracy in ten places around the surface with four dogs and my TSO MTR-18 Triangle. As best as I can tell, everything is square.
If anyone has used Valchromat before, I am open to suggestions on how to treat the surface. While I had the MDF flipped over cleaning the breakout, I tried a light coat of furniture wax in one corner, but the results were splotchy and I could not even it out. The surface was very smooth, but looks horrible. I have some offcuts for experimenting.
The 500mm slides came in this morning, so I installed the missing pair. When I have time this week, I'll start on the drawers, as well as the sliding shelves for the Systainers.
Upcoming tasks include milling the top for the sacrificial HDPE strip, cutting the strips, chamfering the edge of the table, and attaching the Dash-Board Guide Rail kit and the FS 1400/2 Guide Rail.
The Valchromat is brittle, and almost every hole had breakout on the bottom from the 20mm cutter. I didn't notice this with normal MDF. The cutter made nice crisp edges on the entry surface, so no complaints. The UJK chamfer tool dressed up the edges. It would be nice if the tool could be used with a variable speed drill instead of by hand.
After finishing the holes, I checked the accuracy in ten places around the surface with four dogs and my TSO MTR-18 Triangle. As best as I can tell, everything is square.
If anyone has used Valchromat before, I am open to suggestions on how to treat the surface. While I had the MDF flipped over cleaning the breakout, I tried a light coat of furniture wax in one corner, but the results were splotchy and I could not even it out. The surface was very smooth, but looks horrible. I have some offcuts for experimenting.
The 500mm slides came in this morning, so I installed the missing pair. When I have time this week, I'll start on the drawers, as well as the sliding shelves for the Systainers.
Upcoming tasks include milling the top for the sacrificial HDPE strip, cutting the strips, chamfering the edge of the table, and attaching the Dash-Board Guide Rail kit and the FS 1400/2 Guide Rail.
Imemiter
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Gorgeous table so far. Thanks for bringing us along on the journey!
I saw an outfeed/assembly bench someone had made out of "Topan," which looks similar to your top. He'd finished it in BLO and three coats of Shellac. Had a nice jet black matte look. Cool product.
I saw an outfeed/assembly bench someone had made out of "Topan," which looks similar to your top. He'd finished it in BLO and three coats of Shellac. Had a nice jet black matte look. Cool product.
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Awesome, very nice!!!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Roachmill
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Wow, it's looking great! I can't help on the blowout - short of drilling holes through from both sides.
Having chamfered a few, much smaller, tops by hand with the UJK chamfering tool... I now do that with a carefully set cordless router. It's not that much faster, but it saves the wrists!
Having chamfered a few, much smaller, tops by hand with the UJK chamfering tool... I now do that with a carefully set cordless router. It's not that much faster, but it saves the wrists!
MikeGE
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I made a slight correction to the table surface last night while I was marking the holes for the screws and T-nuts. While the dog hole grid is accurate, the baseline I used for the first ten holes was off by about 0.5mm from the first to the tenth hole...or the width of my pencil mark that I used for the line. This meant the overall difference was about 1mm over the 20 holes along the long side of the table. As a result, the 10x20 grid of holes was very slightly skewed on the Valchromat board.
I fixed this by trimming the four edges of the board to give a 2mm offset from the outer edge of the aluminum extrusion using the dog holes as the reference. If I do this again, I will use a marking knife to establish the baseline for the first row of pilot holes.
There are eight M6x25mm screws, with 18mm flat washers, holding the top to the frame. After centering the freshly-trimmed board on the frame and clamping it in place, I marked the location for each screw 20mm in from the edge of the aluminum. This is the center of the channel. I used a 2mm drill to make a pilot hole in the Valchromat and an 18mm Forstner cutter for the screws and washers. Then I finished with a 6.5mm drill for the through hole for the screw. I made a dimple in the bottom of the channel with the 6.5mm drill so I could identify the location for each of the T-nuts.
The 30x60 extrusion for the fence arrived this morning. When I ordered the extrusion, I had not decided where I was going to put the guide rail, so I ordered a 2-meter section and will use the excess on another fence project. After cutting the extrusion to length, I trimmed the end of the 30x60mm fence so it fits under the FS 1400/2 guide rail. There is 11mm of extrusion remaining on the trimmed section, and I didn't want to cut it lower and risk breaking it off. The thinnest plywood I cut is 12mm, so this easily fits under the guide rail when the height is set.
I used a Trend CSB/AP30584 tungsten carbide tipped blade to cut the aluminum extrusion. The 84-tooth blade is 305mm in diameter with a 30mm arbor hole. This blade fits my Minimax SC2 Classic table saw and Dewalt DWS780 miter saw. The extrusion was very easy to cut on both saws. Breaking the edges and cleaning up the corner took more time than making both cuts with the saws.
The extruded drawer pulls also arrived this morning, and these were an after-thought of my design. The drawer pulls are 40mm deep and must be slightly recessed from the front edge of the frame in order for me to be able to clamp boards to the sides. I have to move the drawer slides back 15mm to allow for the clearance after I attach the drawer fronts. This will be an easy task since some of the holes in the slide aligns with existing holes in the partition after I move them.
I fixed this by trimming the four edges of the board to give a 2mm offset from the outer edge of the aluminum extrusion using the dog holes as the reference. If I do this again, I will use a marking knife to establish the baseline for the first row of pilot holes.
There are eight M6x25mm screws, with 18mm flat washers, holding the top to the frame. After centering the freshly-trimmed board on the frame and clamping it in place, I marked the location for each screw 20mm in from the edge of the aluminum. This is the center of the channel. I used a 2mm drill to make a pilot hole in the Valchromat and an 18mm Forstner cutter for the screws and washers. Then I finished with a 6.5mm drill for the through hole for the screw. I made a dimple in the bottom of the channel with the 6.5mm drill so I could identify the location for each of the T-nuts.
The 30x60 extrusion for the fence arrived this morning. When I ordered the extrusion, I had not decided where I was going to put the guide rail, so I ordered a 2-meter section and will use the excess on another fence project. After cutting the extrusion to length, I trimmed the end of the 30x60mm fence so it fits under the FS 1400/2 guide rail. There is 11mm of extrusion remaining on the trimmed section, and I didn't want to cut it lower and risk breaking it off. The thinnest plywood I cut is 12mm, so this easily fits under the guide rail when the height is set.
I used a Trend CSB/AP30584 tungsten carbide tipped blade to cut the aluminum extrusion. The 84-tooth blade is 305mm in diameter with a 30mm arbor hole. This blade fits my Minimax SC2 Classic table saw and Dewalt DWS780 miter saw. The extrusion was very easy to cut on both saws. Breaking the edges and cleaning up the corner took more time than making both cuts with the saws.
The extruded drawer pulls also arrived this morning, and these were an after-thought of my design. The drawer pulls are 40mm deep and must be slightly recessed from the front edge of the frame in order for me to be able to clamp boards to the sides. I have to move the drawer slides back 15mm to allow for the clearance after I attach the drawer fronts. This will be an easy task since some of the holes in the slide aligns with existing holes in the partition after I move them.
GigaWatt
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Mike, this is a fantastic build! As a retired engineer, I realize all of the research and planning you put into this project. I did a similar build with 80-20 for my cnc router.
I'm designing a similar MFT and will also use the DashBoard Guide Rail Bracket Set. I have a question, if you could possible do some measuring for me. How much of the Festool Rail does the hinge side of the bracket and the opposite support bracket use. I'm plan on sizing the width of my table to take advantage of the 42" (FS 1080/2) rail.
I'm designing a similar MFT and will also use the DashBoard Guide Rail Bracket Set. I have a question, if you could possible do some measuring for me. How much of the Festool Rail does the hinge side of the bracket and the opposite support bracket use. I'm plan on sizing the width of my table to take advantage of the 42" (FS 1080/2) rail.