MFT thin rip stop

[anthonyz]

Didn't know if other would have an interest in this, but I am working on a new item for doing repetitive thin strip cuts on the MFT. It's a stop which drops into the MFT holes and swings out of the way to make the cut. I hope to have the first run available in a couple of weeks. Feedback welcome.

Available through woodrave.com

 

[Alan m]

that's a good idea/
I like the concept.

I can think of a few improvements though.
one problem is that it is only accurate when the bar is 90 degrees to the face . on repetitive cuts you could loose focus and drift a bit
how about some way to use a stop on the rotation so that it is always at 90

 

[Wooden Skye]

Anthony, that is a great concept.  With the shims being so small and the chance of loosing them, are they going to be available for purchase separately, or increasing number provided and adjusting price accordingly?

 

[anthonyz]

Anthony, that is a great concept.  With the shims being so small and the chance of loosing them, are they going to be available for purchase separately, or increasing number provided and adjusting price accordingly?

The shims will be available separately along with the 2mm magnets. But I will include 2 with each order. I am waiting on the shim material which should be magnetic, so it will stick to the magnet so it shouldn't get lost easily. The current shims shown are Stainless so they don't stick to the magnets. These are some things I am waiting for before I make them available.

 

[anthonyz]

that's a good idea/
I like the concept.

I can think of a few improvements though.
one problem is that it is only accurate when the bar is 90 degrees to the face . on repetitive cuts you could loose focus and drift a bit
how about some way to use a stop on the rotation so that it is always at 90

Alan, I haven't had an issue using it yet with drift when setting the material, but if I can come up with a mod I will keep that in mind.

Thank you.

 

[Daver]

This is brilliant. I look forward to following your progress- and thank you for sharing your video, Anthony.

Dave

 

[Birdhunter]

If you had two MFT hole plugs and a rectangular bar linking the two plugs, you could have the setting rod go through the linking bar at 90 degrees. Thus, the setting rod would always be at right angles to the MFT guide. the user would not have to worry about knocking the setting bar out of alignment.

Also, instead of using the little magnetic discs, a couple of companies that sell reference blocks.

I use a similar technique on a table saw. It's great for replicating a thin slice for which you may not even know the thickness.

 

[lawhoo]

A simple, elegant solution, especially referencing off the blade itself.  Thanks.

 

[Cheese]

Like [member=15289]Birdhunter[/member], I'd use 2 MFT hole plugs, but just to make sure that the wood to be cut is parallel to the guide rail, I'd place the hole plugs at each end of the wood.

I wouldn't worry about a linking bar because if you're careful when moving the wood into position, the flat smooth edge of the wood, when it contacts the smooth surface of the rod will kind of automatically place the rod perpendicular to the edge because the hole plug is free to rotate in the MFT hole. A larger diameter on the end of the rod would help ensure proper perpendicularity to the wood edge.

I think when cutting anything over about 12" in length, I'd definitely use 2 MFT hole plugs.  [2cents]

 

[gsdvorak]

I really like the one-hole plug approach to this.  My suggestion to keep it perpendicular to the wood- add a flat bar on the reference end (maybe 1-2" long) so it has a T shape.  As long as the bar is flat against the wood, it should always be perpendicular.

Thank you for posting and definitely interested in your progress on this.

Regards,
Gerald

 

[wkearney99]

Gotta think some kind of larger shim, with some sort of 'flag', would be a lot easier to use and avoid losing.  Those tiny ones are just asking for getting dropped through the MFT and then rolling off somewhere unseen.  At least make it squared off to avoid rolling.

Still, clever idea, look forward to seeing it come to market.  Any idea on target price?

 

[Tinker]

I agree with @ wkearney99.  Round things just seem to sprout wings or legs.
Tinker

 

[anthonyz]

Thanks for all the input. The projected price under the current design would be about $55. Since the shim will be magnetized,  We found it can be dropped into the top of the thumb screw and will magnetize in and will prevent loss. Still staying with the rod design, so the stop can be flipped out of the way with ease. It takes less time to rotate to a 90 degrees of the work piece than it does to have a larger surface on the end and trying to remove it when pushed against the material since it binds. Our early prototype was designed with that in mind and found the simpler designed actually functioned better with very good results.

Gotta think some kind of larger shim, with some sort of 'flag', would be a lot easier to use and avoid losing.  Those tiny ones are just asking for getting dropped through the MFT and then rolling off somewhere unseen.  At least make it squared off to avoid rolling.

Still, clever idea, look forward to seeing it come to market.  Any idea on target price?