MFT table warped.

[Tinker]

In the thread (referrenced by Harvey in an earlier post) about Sealing MFT Top there was talk about sealing might cause warping somehow.  I have 3 MFT's, 1080/800/MFT 3, all of which i have sealed.  The oldest, the 1080, i have had for 8 or 9 years with no problems.

I seal with wipe on poly two or three coats and then wax a couple of coats.  I then buff with my RO 150. By the time i got my /3 table, I think i no longer did 3 coats of poly and i did not power buff the wax.  I guess i must be getting lazy. ???

I did not seal with moisture in mind.  I use the tables for assembly and even tho i put down wax paper under the glue joints, i still manage to get some spillage and ooze.  With my sealing treatment, i have no problems with glueing wood to table.  Once in a while, i have to use a sanding cylinder in a few of the holes to clean away glue that managed to find its way. So far, even tho i have only sealed the top, but not bottoms, I have had no warpage.  No sagging either.
Tinker

 

[tiralie]

The only problem is that it's slightly too long to fit comfortably in the frame as the MDF obviously expanded with all the moisture it absorbed.

If you can wait a little longer it may return to the original length...depends on wet it was I suppose.
Tim

 

[Stone Message]

Peter this is what to do...

Take the MDF top off your MFT frame. Turn it over and put it back in the frame. Keep the whole thing in the house (if your house is dry!) and after a week or so give the MDF a good coat of Osmo PolyX on both sides. That will form a reasonable seal and should allow you to put the thing back in the shed.

My original top was bowed when I bought it and that is why I have never bought from that supplier again - they knew it was bad when they sent it but I sorted it out as described above.

Peter

 

[Peter Hamilton-Scott]

...good coat of Osmo PolyX on both sides. That will form a reasonable seal and should allow you to put the thing back in the shed.

Peter

It didn't look like it was going to shrink back to its original length so I took 1cm off to get it to fit again. I'll have a look for some of the Osmo PolyX you mentioned. I presume it would be wise to coat the inside of all 77 holes as well as well as the edges?

Slightly off topic: By Harry, you have to admit that Festool produced an outstanding machine with the TS55! I'd forgotten how superior it is. I needed to cut two identical pieces of MDF after I fixed the table insert. I'm an average woodworker and the TS55 cut the pieces with such precision that I can barely feel the join between them. As a result it makes me feel a better woodworker for having access to such wonderful power tools.

 

[Stone Message]

It didn't look like it was going to shrink back to its original length so I took 1cm off to get it to fit again. I'll have a look for some of the Osmo PolyX you mentioned. I presume it would be wise to coat the inside of all 77 holes as well as well as the edges?

Slightly off topic: By Harry, you have to admit that Festool produced an outstanding machine with the TS55! I'd forgotten how superior it is. I needed to cut two identical pieces of MDF after I fixed the table insert. I'm an average woodworker and the TS55 cut the pieces with such precision that I can barely feel the join between them. As a result it makes me feel a better woodworker for having access to such wonderful power tools.

Hi Peter,

You can do the holes but it is the large surface area of the faces which will be more important.

Yes, the TS55 is a marvellous bit of kit. I bought the TS55 and my MFT3 to replace my radial arm saw which was on the way out. I saved several hundreds of UK Pounds in the process. I look back on my pre-Festool days as being the 'dark ages' of my woodwork.

Have a look at Paul Marcel's videos and mine (of course) and you will get a good insight into other Festool goodies.

Happy Christmas.

Peter

 

[Peter Hamilton-Scott]

Many thanks for the advice. Happy Christmas to you and yours as well.

I like the reference to the pre-Festool period as the "dark age". I still have a few Dewa*t tools and when the money situation is right I'll certainly phase them all out.

 

[Welshdog]

maybe keep the eventual replacement top inside and just install it when you use it? if the mdf hasn't expanded like a sponge from water and is only bent, applying that beam underneath might work well. i wonder if there's a Trespa or Richlite top available anywhere? that might solve the moisture exposure issue.

Wow a Richlite insert would be fantastic.  Seems like a business opportunity for someone!

 

[green fever]

get that mft out now the weather has changed and sort out that 8x6 shed , if the mft top requires a future replacement how about medite? good luck , the new best quality felt for the shed £35. mft top £80  , would be interesting if anyone in the uk has used medite as a direct replacement for an mft ?

 

[sessler2013]

From experience MDF is easy to manipulate in any direction with a little heat. My idea would be to bolt the four corners of the MDF panel to a flat surface with the convex side facing inward, then tighten the bolts till all corners of the panel are flush; take a heat gun or iron and heat the MDF (without burning it) until the panel takes the shape of the flat surface. Might be crazy enough to work [tongue]

Ive done something like that before but not with a panel as large as an MFT top

 

[honeydoman]

Just buy another top and don't leave it in shed. Once Mdf goes it goes. Very difficult to fix

Plus all the time trying this or trying that it's just easier to buy a new one

You can also buy just Mdf and cut it yourself  then drill all the holes. And save yourself. What ?  Nothing

Don't so the shed ever again !!!!! 

Festools belong in your house. !! 

 

[jmbfestool]

I would of simply turned it round then the fixings would of pulled it back down in the corners
or
if you didnt want to turn it round I would of spanned it across to timbers stick some weight in the middle and made it so it bent the other way slightly and again the fixings would of pulled it back down. It would be straight again.

Other option buy plastic sheet to replace MDF top no need to worry about warping due to moisture

 

[Alan m]

get that mft out now the weather has changed and sort out that 8x6 shed , if the mft top requires a future replacement how about medite? good luck , the new best quality felt for the shed £35. mft top £80  , would be interesting if anyone in the uk has used medite as a direct replacement for an mft ?

medite is only a brand name. we have medite in ireland too. i find it less dense than the mdf that my local shop sells. i would rather get some hdf if i was building an mft top

 

[Iwood75]

I can report that the Medite oversized "MFT" I had cnc holes drilled into is holding up great. Still perfectly flat through 4 seasons – in my unheated, very humid barn shop. MEDITE  [thumbs up]