ADKMedic said:
Hello everyone!
I'm in the midst of planning a new workbench in my basement. LOW COST is the key. [I've spent more than enough on tools this year!!!] [big grin]
I was thinking about making the top of my bench out of MDF and drilling my own holes (using pegboard as an initial template for spacing) so that I can use some of the Festool clamps. My question is what is the size of the holes in the MFT/3 worktop?
Thanks!
Andy
The MFT/3 holes are 20mm dia on 96mm centers.
One of the best ways to drill these holes is using a plunge router. Clearly most of us recommend Festool routers.
There is a 20mm Euro-hinge boring bit with an 8mm shank (cat # 491 072) listed as an accessory for the OF1010. What makes this bit special is that the shank is short, since the OF1010 does not have the plunge travel of the OF1400 or OF2200. I own and use this bit, but not for drilling through holes. It is designed to mortise for certain brands of hinges used in the LR-32 system.
Using a larger plunge router, several Fosner drill bits with 1/2" shanks will fit. However, they are designed for use at fairly low rotation speed. Routers all, at the slowest speed, turn too fast for ordinary drill bits.
The Festool 20mm straight/mortising bit (cat # 490 971) has a longer 8mm shank. It works very well for drilling accurate 20mm through-holes in MDF and plywood. To reduce tear-out I recommend doing your drilling on a sacrificial surface. I used that bit from early 2006 until the summer of 2010 to make my own work tables. A whole lot of my friends still use that bit, or similar 1/2" bits made by non-Festool firms to drill work tables.
I only stopped doing it that way when my first 5x12' CNC nested router was installed in my new shop. Those turn faster than even the OF2200 at high speed, so I only use drills and bits specifically designed for use on CNC machines.
The Festool MFT/3 is marvelous. But with respect, many of us need much larger work tables. Probably we would not buy enough to justify making them commercially. Yes, it is faster on the CNC machine, but in the old days, with my OF1400 attached to a guide stop so it would work with a guide rail, I could make a 4x8' drilled surface in a couple of hours. I would do that when I had a slack day.
