My Kapex Work Station (Part 2)

[johnsonri]

After getting my Kapex a few weeks ago, I had to think long and hard about how to incorporate it and a potential fence/extension solution into my small (1 car garage) shop.

I wanted to make sure that whetever solution that I came up with, would be a 'multi-use' space. My old CMS fence and extension effectively split the work table space on either side of saw since the fence ran down the middle of the table.

I wanted my new solution to give me the capability to use the entire work space on either side of the saw. In order to have use of the entire space, I needed to have atleast a sliding fence.

I also wanted the Kapex work station to be a real part of my Festool system. The work space needed to be consistent with the rest of my shop. I wanted all the Festool clamps and other accessories/jigs to work at the K-Station.

Since I love the MFTs so much, I decided to go with the MFT 800s as the primary solution for the K-Station.

As you will see below, the K-Station is now truely part of my Festool driven shop system. Here are a few of the ways that I plan to use my new K-Station:
-- As a sanding station
-- Pocket hole joinery
-- Making signs
-- Using its built-in storage
-- MFS layout and routing
-- Using alternate fences for the Kapex
-- Clamping
-- Micro-routing on the extension
-- Using the jigsaw
-- As a rotary tool and carving station

The posts below are some of the other many uses of my Kapex work station.

Sanding

Here you can see that the sliding fence has been removed from the left side and is now setup as a sanding station. The Kapex hose becomes shared between the Kapex and the current tool. In this case the hose is quickly transferred to the sander.

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All of the clamping and layout capabilities are available in this configuration. Finishing that little piece of curly cherry is easy as pie in this configuration.

 

[johnsonri]

Pocket Hole Station

The next use of the K-Station is the pocket hole jig configuration. The left side fence is removed here, but in this configuration, the fence could be slid to the back of the table.

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Here, I have pretty good clearance on either side of the pocket hole jig. The Kapex hose can be transferred to the pocket jig here.

I used this configuration to make the joints for the sliding fences with the Kreg stops.

 

[johnsonri]

Signage

The next use of the Kapex work station is for sign making.

In the pics here, you can see some of the items that I use for making various signs. Feather boards can be connected to the sides of the MFT here to act as supports. The feather boards can be raised or lowered, as needed.

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There are also four leg stands that act as pedestal supports that can be raised or lowered, as needed, to support the work-piece.

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The pic below shows the setup and the sign-making template, almost ready to rout out some letters.

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[johnsonri]

Built-in Storage

This configuration of my K-Station shows the built-in storage that is available.

The pic here show that the MFT tops are only semi-attached. If they were completely attached, the space underneath the tables would become unreachable. If I were to drop a screw or something through one of the holes, I would be unable to get to it since there are no longer any MFT legs....a no man's land or shop Bermuda triangle.

What I get with the MFT tops in this configuration is under-table storage space.

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I love having this storage space. In my small shop, every ounce of space is very very valuable to me.

 

[johnsonri]

MFS Layout Space

The K-Station allows me to use the MFS templates for the many many tasks that have been previously demonstrated.

The MFS can also be used as a fence for the Kapex here.

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The MFT fence is also here and can be used to assist with angles during layout, etc.

There is also a woodpeckers track and hold-down clamp that can be used for various operations here.

 

[johnsonri]

Alternate Fences

One of the things that I like most about this K-Station is that I can swap out fences that work best for the particular project. If I need a long fence, I can slide that on. If I need a fence with multiple stops, as shown here, I can put that one on.

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Here you see in this configuration, I have a fence on the left side and none on the right side.

 

[johnsonri]

Clamping

The K-Station allows me to use other types of clamps as well and provides good clearance for a host of clamping configurations.

Here I have Jet clamps with benchdogs set into the MFT tops.

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The curly cherry is being clamped here and the setup is very secure. The clamps could also be rotated to connect to my main MFT table, just outside of view here. So instead of the clamp laying across the left and right sides of tghe K-Station, they would lay on the left table of the K-Station and the the main MTF. This creates a bridge between the K-Station and the main MFT (just outside of view).

You can also see one of the MFT extensions that can be attached to either side of the K-Station to extend the layout area. I have several sizes of MFT extensions that can be quickly attached to any of the MFTs.

There is also an extension that connects the left side of the K-Station here to the main large MFT (just outside of view). The extensions have 8mm hex bolts that connect to the side profiles of the MFTs.

 

[johnsonri]

Micro-Routing

Sometimes, I need to do itsy-bitsy routing. I have a micro-routing jig that can connect to the K-Station for all of my small routing work.

The micro-routing table jigs sits on top of one of the MFT extensions connected to the K-Station.

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When I'm done, both the router and extension are quickly removed from the K-Station.

 

[johnsonri]

Jigsaw

The extension on the K-Station can also be used for some of my jigsaw work. The Kapex hose is shared in this configuration.

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I use the MFT extension here so that I can create good underside clearance for the jigsaw blade. The configuration here is providing partial support of the work-piece.

I can use a longer MFT extension(not shown) to bridge to the other MFT(not shown) to provide full workpiece support. The bridged MFT extension has the center routed out for underside clearance.

I no longer will have to deal with the constant question of where in the shop to use the jig saw because of the underside clearance needed.

 

[johnsonri]

Rotary tool and carving

I can use the K-Station here for carving and using the rotary tool (Dremel).

Here you can see that the rotary tool stand can be quickly attached to the K-Station MFT using a clamp.

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The rotary tool is connected to the stand. The configuration shown is setup for carving or delicate cutting operations.

Multiple hoses are used in this configuration to help with dust control. Fine dust is sometimes created, depending on the operation. I want to work out a Y connect for the CT33 here, but haven't done so yet. Currently the hoses are connected to seperate vacs.

You can also notice that the K-Station fence pulls double-duty here as a clamp. Since the fence connects to the MFT by way of long 8mm screws attached to Festool knobs, the fence has enough clearance for workpieces to fit underneath and be clamped.

 

[JJ Wavra]

I love this set up.  It seems to be so versatile and extremely efficient.  Color me envious for the two features, if I showed you a picture of my shop you would know why. 

May I ask where you got the yellow extraction piece in last picture.  I just got a power carving setup and have a ct mini for that area, its in my laundry room whereas my shop is in the garage, and I could use something like that to collect the dust.

great work

JJ

 

[johnsonri]

Thanks JJ,

I got that yellow attachement from PeachTree Woodworking. Here is the link:
http://www.ptreeusa.com/dpdustcollector.htm

They have a few 'hard-to-find' dust collection pieces.

 

[robtonya]

Amazing! That is a great idea. If it were me, I'd send these ideas to Festool just to show these possibility's. Someday, I will try a similar setup.

 

[Dave Ronyak]

Rey,

Thanks for sharing your many ideas, and excellent photo essay.
I think you and Frank Pellow are running neck-to-neck in the shop organization category.  Very nicely thought out and built tool holders on your wall.

Am I correct in assuming that you removed the leg sets from each of the MFT 800s used to create your K-Station?

Dave R.

 

[johnsonri]

Rey,

Thanks for sharing your many ideas, and excellent photo essay.
I think you and Frank Pellow are running neck-to-neck in the shop organization category.  Very nicely thought out and built tool holders on your wall.

Am I correct in assuming that you removed the leg sets from each of the MFT 800s used to create your K-Station?

Dave R.

Thanks Robert and Dave.

Dave, you are correct that the legs of the MFT 800s were chopped off. I had to make a gut check before proceeding to cut my 800s...and had a few shots of tequila afterward to calm my nerves. 

Here is a link to the cut of the legs, my original setup(before Kapex) and the Kreg fence that I used with the K-Station normally.
http://festoolownersgroup.com/index.php?topic=6103.0

Someone there , Mr. honeydokreg  , called it a waste of two tables.  ???   

What I don't quite understand is why the Kapex itself would sit on top of the Kapex MFT the way that Festool is marketing it. With the Kapex sitting on top of the Kapex MFT, you lose ALL of the functionality of the mft with its hole matrix.

 

[Dave Ronyak]

Rey,

What am I missing?  I very much like your overall setup, but don't want to cut my MFTs.  I find my pair of MFT 800s very handy due to their relative smaller weight and size, thus making them easier to move around than the MFT 1080, especially for a small person like myself.

As an alternative to cutting the corner castings of the MFT frame, couldn't the Festool legs be unbolted from the MFT 800s and shop-made bases for them and/or the Kapex be fabricated to match the elevation of the tops of the MFT 800s and the Kapex table?   

To secure the MFT 800s a workbench/base cabinet, bolts could be inserted into the bottom channels of the side rails of the MFTs which extend through the top of the base cabinet, thus preserving availability of the side channels of the side rails of the MFT for other clamping and fixturing setups.

As another alternative to cutting the MFT corner castings and removing the legs of the MFTs, couldn't the same overall setup (excepting storage under the MFT tops inside their frames) be achieved by fabricating a base cabinet for the Kapex that could be joined to the MFTs with the table tops all at the same elevation?  If you start with a pair of MFTs setup like that shown below,

and  position/attach a module or base cabinet which supports the Kapex, wouldn't such a setup achieve much the same results as yours?  The biggest problem I foresee is accurately matching the planes and elevations of the tops of this alternative and portable modular Kapex setup.  Deeper, stiffer shop-made connectors should enable adequate matching of the elevations.  To preserve front edge clamping function, these larger connectors could to provided with metal T-tracks.

Dave R.

 

[johnsonri]

Rey,

What am I missing?  I very much like your overall setup, but don't want to cut my MFTs. 

Dave, absolutely, it is not mandatory to cut your MFT legs. I cut mine because it just didn't fit the overall setup of my shop. You could easily raise or lower your Kapex to match the height of your tables(with legs).

For me, I was not only matching the height of the Kapex, I was matching the height of my main MFT 1080 tables (not in any of the shots). I wanted the Kapex station (MFT 800s) to be on the same plane as everything thing else in the shop. This lets me bridge from the MFT800s to other areas, like the MFT1080s. I can lay a long piece on the MFT 800 and the peice would be supported by one of the MFT 1080s.

So for me, the decision was, adjust the height of the MFT 800s, or adjust the height of everything else in the shop. So, I modded the 800s. For sure, if I were only working to match the height of the Kapex base, I would have simple raised the Kapex to match the 800s.

Cutting the legs of the 800s gave me insight into a few other things though. For example, the MFT 800s without legs could be connected to the 1080 as folding, or drop-down, extensions.

Dave, your MFT setup is great!!! I see that you are bridging the two tables with the MFS. That is almost exactly what I do, with either the MFS, or the folding extension. But the tables that I bridge are the MFS 800 on the left hand side of the Kapex and the MFS 1080 just out of view of my pics (facing the Kapex).

As for matching the planes to get the same elevation, yes it was an exercise in precision. The new leg supports of the MFT 800s had to be cut to exact specification to get the right elevation. I believe that they are 2 33/64th". The MFT and TS55 knocked that out, no sweat.

Imagine how light the MFT 800s are without the legs...there is a noticable difference...not that I travel with mine. I am a stationary shop. So, no concerns about portability for me. I never ever plan to sell any of my Festool stuff, so no worries for me in cutting the tables either.

If I am on the market selling my Festool stuff, then we have a HUGE HUGE problem.....even worse than if the Steelers were to lose the Superbowl!!!  ;D

 

[Dave Ronyak]

Thanks for your detailed reply, Rey.  Banish the thought of the Steelers losing; eve if they do, it was another great season.  I am originally from rural Washington county, PA though I now live in Akron, OH.

Dave R.

 

[mwildt]

Pocket Hole Station

The next use of the K-Station is the pocket hole jig configuration. The left side fence is removed here, but in this configuration, the fence could be slid to the back of the table.

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Here, I have pretty good clearance on either side of the pocket hole jig. The Kapex hose can be transferred to the pocket jig here.

I used this configuration to make the joints for the sliding fences with the Kreg stops.

Very nice setup. I too have the pocket hole jig, but I haven't found a good solution on how to connect the hose to the pocket jig. Any chance you could explain what you found working best ?

Thanks
Michael

 

[mwhafner]

Very nice setup. I too have the pocket hole jig, but I haven't found a good solution on how to connect the hose to the pocket jig. Any chance you could explain what you found working best ?

Thanks
Michael

Which jig do you use?

The Kreg Master Kit comes with a dust shroud that fits the Festool D27 hose pretty well.  There is also an optional accessory adapter for the K4 Jig.  I use the Master Kit, and it is fairly effective.