MFT Combos???

Tinker

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I currently have one of each MFT 1080 and 600.  I am considering rearranging my shop to give a little more workability.
I know two of any sized of the old style can be alligned together; or two or more of the new MFT/3's can be bolted together.  no problems either way.

Can an 1080 (or 600) be bolted together and be perfectly alligned without modifications to the frames.  I know the legs won't match, but i can work that out with cabinets for a base, or a platform for the 1080/600 MFT's  if i make a cabinet to mount both new and old tables in allignment, would there need to be a step in the cabinet tops.

I don't have the MFT/3 yet, but i can see with the MFT/3 protractor mounting on the frame instead of mounting in the table holes as with the 1080 & 600, thereshould be a lot more stable setup.  Also, when the protractor and fence are not needed, they can be removed and later reset without losing a lot of time in resetting.
TIA
Tinker
 
Tinker, I hope I understand you question correctly. The MFT 800/1080 cannot be joined to an MFT/3. Not only are the heights of the legs different, but the distance from the T-slot used for MFT connecting to the top of the table is different. So, the tops would be at different heights even if the legs were out of the equation.
 
Tinker,

As Shane said, things don't line up. But you could attach (with a little inventing) the various MFTs to bases or cabinets to align the heights and then attach the cabinets together as opposed to directly connecting the MFTs.

Seth
 
Thanks, guys.  Both answers were what I expected.
Just needed to be sure.

I understand the old fence/w stops do not work with the new system.
I'm drawing up plans for cabinets under both tables.  I not only have scant floor space, but less wall space.
I will be putting much cabinet space under the MFT tables and putting the MFT 1080/600 on wheels.
The MFT/3 will be my basic work table except for hand planing. 
I already have some very rough cabs under the 1080 but want better looking.
I have actually found that the 1080 is quite stable with cabinets mounted for weight so i can do some hand planing.
With the stabilizing bars on the MFT/3 and some cabs mounted on the legs frames, i should have stability for some hand planing.

I just need to work out best use of floor space and wall space.  My winter project in between sno storms.
Actually, i started my sno dance too early this season.  An October sno was disasterous.  [scared]
Tinker
 
Tinker said:
Actually, i started my sno dance too early this season.  An October sno was disasterous.  [scared]

Sounds like another (good(?)) story.
 
You could always build your base cabinets so that they can be attached together. 

I have a similar situation, with one MFT/3 and two 1080s.  I am going to build a cabinet for each that can be moved individually, or connected when I need a large stable assembly surface.  The hardware on the MFT/3 is far superior for my needs, so only it will be the only table outfitted with the rail and fence. 

I am also going to build a base for my contractor's table saw that is the same height.  that way I can use the 1080s as infeed or outfeed if I need it. 
 
My shop space is about 20 X 9 feet with very little headroom.
I have a shortage of wall space (lumber racks and heat ducts take up way too much space)
I am working out how to make use of my 1080 and 600 to fit in with the MFT/3 to be used as you are doing.
I now need to check every time i use the 1080 for cutting as it does not take too much to put it just a thin hair out of square.
I am leaning towards setting the 600 and the /3 in tandem down center of floor.  Those will both be mounted on cabs with drawers/shelves opening on both sides for access.
The 1080 i will place close to my BS and set up movable rollers so it can be used as out feed for that.
I might set that bench on rollers so it can be moved.  Tool drawers or just pile systainers under that.

I'm at drawing board stage right now.
Tinker
 
Tim Raleigh said:
Tinker said:
Actually, i started my sno dance too early this season.  An October sno was disasterous.  [scared]

Sounds like another (good(?)) story.

Tim, now that you mention it, I do have a story generated from that surprise (200 year storm).  It is real sad.
right now, my bacon is about to burn so i must leave, but I will be back.  Be sure to have a crying towel ready when i do return.
Tinker  [crying]
 
Well Tim, I'm baaaaack.
You have forced me into telling another story, so you must suffer the consequences.  I hope you are siting down and have good supply of crying towels on hand.  Close on hand.

When we first heard of a strong Nor'easter coming up from the Gulf that could bring a sizable quantity of very wet and heavy snow, we New Englanders just sort of sighed and figured we might have a couple of days of inconvenience. I subscribe to a private weather service who is more often dead on the money than he has been wrong.  This man had predicted the possibility of very extreme conditions atleast a week and a half before the media services had even thought there would be a little wind coming along, let alone any precipitation.  no matter, i felt i was prepared.  we had survived to "huricane" of late August. Here in our house, my wife & i had done quite well with only being out of power and phone for 8 hours shy of 7 full days.  we could do it again if need be.  I had spent a period of my youth living with no electricity, running water or indoor plumbing.  when we first moved into our home here in Connecticut, we heated our entire house with wood for over 20 years until THE BOSS LADY decided to hire a heating contractor o put in a central air heating system.  That was a sad day for me when i came home to find a crew of furnace and sheetmetal guys tearing up my cellar.  I loved heating witth wood which was sort of a by product to my landscaping business.  I was sad, but really, this is not the sad part of my story.You can relax for now.

I have a sno plowing biz that keeps food on the table thru the winter.  During the final day before THE storm (you have to go back to 1804 to find a sno of more than an inch or so in October >>> in Connecticut.) I started receiving phone calls from some of my hardier customers to "Do not plow us for this storm.  It will only be a little bit and will melt."  In the meantime, my son and i were busy preparing our trucks for a severe storm, expecting maybe 8" that could be a problem for everybody since many trees were still heavy with leaves and sap.  My guru had sent his final report of the day ahead with a map showing that we were right smackdab in the middle of an expected 10" to 16" with local amounts to as much as 20 inches to be expected.  I won't bother going into the horrors of listening to trees snapping and falling in the woods around our house, but we had 10's on the grund when i walked out to my truck at 5AM in the morning.  My birch trees were horizontal and i could barly see my truck.  all there was was a huge mound of snow to be seen.  I cleared the front windshield and the hood and went back into the house to call my son.  i had decided we should wait til daylite before going out to plow. We knew there would be many problems ahead with trees all over the roads and wires along with poles creating need for many detours.

i spent some of my waiting for daylite time firing up the old woodstove, drawing containers of water for toilet use over next week and clearing a narrow path to my wood supply.  I had enough dry seasoned oak to keep the stove going for maybe 4 days.  Once daylite arrived, the sno plowing adventure began.  We had never plowed driveways in October, but we were destined to spend between 8 and 10 hours plowing for this one.  Oh, yyou don't need to reach for the cryin' towels yet.  the next few days were actually fun >>> for me.  I loved the cooking on the stovetop, collecting sno to keep the fridge cool so we did not lose one ounce of food.  A challenge, but fun >>> for me. 

The Boss was getting a bit edgy tho. She was admonishing me that I should get a generator, a commodity that was all but gone from any such stores that sold such articles.  i was enjoying the challenge and so had not spent a whole lot of energy searching around for any old electricity making equipment that might have been lying around somebody's yard awaiting to be put to use.  Besides, there were so many generators blasting away around us that we could not hear ourselves.  I especially was thankful i could not hear BOSS LADY yelling for me to find a generator.  finally I was beginning to run out of fire wood after about four days.  My wife told my son that i was about to go out into the woods and start cutting branches into fire wood.  The wood was not seasoned after only four days of lying on the ground.  not great for cooking and heating, but what did I care, i would be warm cutting it  [cool].

At about sundown, my son showed up with about a wheelbarrow load of seasoned and split wood just the right size for my wood stove.  The wood, having been stored uncovered outside, was a little wet on the surface.  Not a big problem.  An hour or two under the stove before loading to the fire, and it was fine.  By the time i brought the first pieces into my woodbox I reallized  :'( :'( :'( the wood, so carefully split small enough for the woodstove  [scared] [scared] [eek] [eek] [eek] [eek] :'(  was all WALNUT  [eek] [eek] [eek]  :'( :'(  I don't know about you, but I needed more than a towel.  i needed a whole bucket.

I would not go so far as to say I was upset with my son, but he is very lucky he will be around long enough that his son will one day be able to give him such a hard time.  ::)

Anyhow, we all survived.  I have never seen such devastation from any Connecticut storm of any kind as we saw this October.  Many were very upset.  for me, and even my dear wife, the challenge was fun >>> part of the time.  My big problem was not the no running water, no electricity and other problems, but i could not spend any of my out of work time playing with my toys down in my woodshop  (maybe you did not cry over my horror of burning walnut in my stove.  Maybe you did not cry about our storm related problems, for which i did not cry, BUT please tell me you cried with me when i could not play with my toys. ::)
Tinker
 
Tinker said:
I had enough dry seasoned oak to keep the stove going for maybe 4 days. 

I started to cry here  [big grin] I know all oak is not good oak but really, you had to burn oak?

Tinker said:
...the wood, so carefully split small enough for the woodstove  was all WALNUT 

Hopefully this wasn't your private stash he burned?

Tinker said:
BUT please tell me you cried with me when i could not play with my toys. ::)

Yes, definitely understand the feeling. While we have not had a significant power outage in some time (we are lucky) the last one was long enough to fully sympathize.

Great story as always and you've painted a vivid picture.
Thanks
Tim
 
When i split wood for the stove, i always split it into squares.  that way, if i come across an interesting grain, i can run it thru the bandsaw and stash it away for a year or so and then rip on the BS for appropriate projects.  Some of those oak pieces had tiger grain, but some sort of borer got into them so i had to warm the house with them instead.  as for the walnut my son split for me, he did it the old fashioned way, into wedge shaped pieces.    [eek]

Tinker
 
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