My monster MFT.

[toddlaine]

Building a monster MFT after carefully researching all the store bought options and then making it to my needs and space.  SketchUp photo attached.  Plan on torsion box build with drawers incorporated into the torsion box design.  No open bays like the Paulk bench.  I hate how all my tools on my MFT bench I have now gets covered in sawdust. Then using some leftover glulam beams for the legs.  Will be wide open underneath, so I can build all cabinets on rollers and have any storage I want.  Biggest question is MFT table height.  900mm does not work for my titanium back. Between cutting down sheets on my STM-1800 and MFT for crosscuts I’m hurting at the end of the day.  Does anyone have a high Ripping cross cutting track saw station. Just bought a desk lift table and slapped my centipede top on and it’s great from 28”-47”.  This is great for an assembly table and I can move it as I build. Amazon for the win $125 and can easily lift me up and down.  265lbs capacity. Making this my build thread so hopeful for any input.  Have about 10 hours in SketchUp just making the top for my needs.  Will be attaching Benchdogs UK Hinge so it takes more space buts dead on using dog holes and no calibration really needed.  Have  it on my current MFT/3. 

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[festal]

That looks very similar to dashboard/outrigger setup.  if you do torsion box with drawers you might run into issues with using longer benchdog/clamps and opening drawers or drawers get in the way.  you can make it any height you want but if you already have stm-1800 and mft they won't match the height unless you raise them.

Do you have any pictures of your centipide with lifting table?

 

[Steve1]

Height is a personal preference.
I find 34.5" to be optimal for myself, but I am not particularly tall.

I left a spot on my bench for a pivot down (or place down) track, but up to now, have not really found that I need it.
This is normally used as my assembly and sanding area.  Sometimes planing.

 

[mino]

Small comment:

Unless you have a really, REALLY, good reason for a one-piece huge MFT table. Do split it in two/three in some logical way.

In short:
Been there, done that, had to take it apart as moving/modifying was impossible due to the size ..

 

[rmwarren]

Small comment:

Unless you have a really, REALLY, good reason for a one-piece huge MFT table. Do split it in two/three in some logical way.

In short:
Been there, done that, had to take it apart as moving/modifying was impossible due to the size ..

+1

I settled on sections 576mm by 768mm, but any increment of 96mm makes the tops modular.

Also, center the holes 48mm from the edge and when you line up multiple section the 96mm pattern continues.

FWIW, I went with tops 940mm high, I'm 6' and like a high work surface.

RMW

 

[toddlaine]

The table will be permanent. It will never need to be bigger nor smaller due to the space that it is in.  Have to go with 32 from the edge due to the placement of the bench, dog style hinges. Going to have to play with a higher height to get it right before I build the table permanently. I like having one table and not have it be able to be modular because then when I walk up to the table, I know it will always be true and right. Have a modular system now always have to check and make sure nothing has been bumped and knocked out of alignment with the small shop constraints that I have.  I am also also going to drill all of my smaller holes with the puff guide and leave them and only add holes as I need them or see fit. I hate having a table with holes that are very rarely used and always have things falling into it.

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[toddlaine]

Small comment:

Unless you have a really, REALLY, good reason for a one-piece huge MFT table. Do split it in two/three in some logical way.

In short:
Been there, done that, had to take it apart as moving/modifying was impossible due to the size ..

If I would ever move, I would just start completely over because this table really would not be useful in another space. It’s being built for the size and dimensions of my tiny shop but yes, having it able to be broken down is great but if I ever break it down, it will be probably Re-designed. Thank

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[toddlaine]

That looks very similar to dashboard/outrigger setup.  if you do torsion box with drawers you might run into issues with using longer benchdog/clamps and opening drawers or drawers get in the way.  you can make it any height you want but if you already have stm-1800 and mft they won't match the height unless you raise them.

Do you have any pictures of your centipide with lifting table?

Yes based off the dash board.  The drawers will not interfere due to depth of drawer and space between top.  I’m taking that into account.  For the STM 1800 in order to change the height and make it still adjustable. That’s all you do is change the height of the consumable stringers to whatever you need.  This table design has consumed my mind for many hours trying to take into every account that might happen. Also using others proven design, but hopefully making it better for my needs would love to buy a dashboard, but it’s so expensive and also really a portable bench. Once something Built like a tank and to have storage since it’s taking up so much floor space would love to have all of the space underneath usable. Thanks.

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[mino]

If I would ever move, I would just start completely over because this table really would not be useful in another space. It’s being built for the size and dimensions of my tiny shop but yes, having it able to be broken down is great but if I ever break it down, it will be probably Re-designed. Thank

When I had to destroy mine, it had nothing to do with moving to a different place.

After using if for some time, I found the chosen arrangement impractical. Then spent 2 years hesitating - a mistake, but understandable given the investment. Eventually went ahead fixing the problems and re-arranged *within* a given space. Even though it meant destroying something that would have lasted a couple decades. After all, what good is a work tool that just brings you inconvenience in your hobby.

Had it been modular, like an actual MFT, I would have just re-arranged the pieces around, saved 2 years of torture and a lot of wasted material.

Was just too arrogant and optimistic when making it, thinking I know how to make and use a work table. Right ? Ehm. Not really so. My experience, so not directly transferrable.

The moral I got for you and all the hobby folk out there:
Never underestimate the value of flexibility. Especially if you are not a production shop with a known stable workflow.

EDIT:
To not just write, here is a quick view of an option for thinking about.

Shows two screwed-together tables at 1248 x 768 mm + extensions that can side-mount at any place along the tables.

Not thought-through, just some input for thinking. GL!

 

[toddlaine]

If I would ever move, I would just start completely over because this table really would not be useful in another space. It’s being built for the size and dimensions of my tiny shop but yes, having it able to be broken down is great but if I ever break it down, it will be probably Re-designed. Thank

When I had to destroy mine, it had nothing to do with moving to a different place.

After using if for some time, I found the chosen arrangement impractical. Then spent 2 years hesitating - a mistake, but understandable given the investment. Eventually went ahead fixing the problems and re-arranged *within* a given space. Even though it meant destroying something that would have lasted a couple decades. After all, what good is a work tool that just brings you inconvenience in your hobby.

Had it been modular, like an actual MFT, I would have just re-arranged the pieces around, saved 2 years of torture and a lot of wasted material.

Was just too arrogant and optimistic when making it, thinking I know how to make and use a work table. Right ? Ehm. Not really so. My experience, so not directly transferrable.

The moral I got for you and all the hobby folk out there:
Never underestimate the value of flexibility. Especially if you are not a production shop with a known stable workflow.

Understand fully.  I will not build this till I have a few more months in the shop. It will be modular in the fact that I can add to it using dog holes on all four sides plus leaving the options of T-tracks, but I have to face it. I want one place where I can put a 4 x 8 sheet and cut it without dragging anything else else out and really that footprint is the best to do that. It will have the ability to attach modularly any of my other tables that I will be building example router, sys 50, vice.

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[toddlaine]

Just slapped the centipede top on going to build a true MFT 20 mm dog hole top for it. The display shows in millimeters so great for my choice of measurement just to compensate for tabletop easily lifts me while sitting on it with ease has a max capacity of 265 pounds .

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[smorgasbord]

I've not personally seen an affordable desk rising mechanism that is suitable for use in a woodworking shop. The issue isn't lifting capacity, it's side to side stability. You also have some interference issues with the holes and the tabletop support mechanism - even if you miss the holes, sticking a track clamp upside down through them may be problematic, as Peter Milard shows in his MicroFit review video where he had to add a support under his top to keep it flat:=454s

BTW, do you really have your tablesaw set up that close to the back wall?

 

[toddlaine]

Just got the table saw it is sitting there that is an assembly table. Yes saw many videos of lift table stability. I have no issues leaning on the table or moving it side to side. It is far more stable than a factory. MFT‘s folding legs, which I stopped using days after I bought my MFT. Also a whole lot more stable than a centipede. I would admit had many doubts on the table. That’s why I bought it at such a cheap price figured it was worth the gamble if not, could use it in my office. But me sitting on it and lifting it with me on it and shaking side to side, it is very stable. no issues on any of the dog holes in the table, but that is set up for a centipede. My final table top will be 96 mm spacing with 20 mm dog holes. It will be a torsion box so therefore the desk support will not come into play whatsoever.

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[toddlaine]

Well after a day of cutting at 900mm on my factory MFT.  I raised it to 965mm and it just feels right.  Have more panels to cut tomorrow for our pantry so will see how it feels. 

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[Crazyraceguy]

Mine is somewhat compromised for a couple of reasons.
First, I don't cut on it, at least not much. The 2nd to last column of holes, on the right side, makes the edge of the table exactly even with the edge of the rail, aligned with dogs. So, I can do some simple cut offs, but I don't use it often.
The main reason for its height (36", 915mm) is that it is primarily for assembly, plus it has to match the other bench. That is the one I use for cutting. It can cross-cut up to 36" between the dogs and has a measured stop system, up to around 80".
The limitation I find with table height is related to depth. The higher it is, the less you can reach across it, but too low and it annoys your back. Of course, some of that has to do with the volume of cuts too. Bending too low once or twice is not a problem, but it does get old after a while.

 

[WastedP]

I built giant modular MFT tables for garage door production.  The largest sheets of MDF I could get were 5'x12', so the basic table was two of those bolted together with an MDF plate on the underside and a recess for the bolt heads on the top.  That accommodates most small doors, generally ten feet wide by eight or nine feet high.  The support frame underneath is just a frame made of LVL and 2x's that plugs into cheap folding metal saw horses.  I believe I used six saw horses per table.  A table could be unbolted and disassembled in about fifteen minutes, then loaded into a cantilever lumber rack for storage.  Two tables could be put together to build a twenty foot wide by twelve foot high table.  There were very few occasions over the years where doors had to be built that exceeded those dimensions.

Here's a video about clamping, but it the modular MFTs are front and center:=GSinMT

I do know of two shops that turned their 4x8 torsion box work benches into adjustable height benches by mounting them to electric hydraulic lifts, like motorcycle lifts.

 

[HighlandMarine]

That looks very similar to dashboard/outrigger setup.  if you do torsion box with drawers you might run into issues with using longer benchdog/clamps and opening drawers or drawers get in the way.  you can make it any height you want but if you already have stm-1800 and mft they won't match the height unless you raise them.

Do you have any pictures of your centipide with lifting table?

Yes based off the dash board.  The drawers will not interfere due to depth of drawer and space between top.  I’m taking that into account.  For the STM 1800 in order to change the height and make it still adjustable. That’s all you do is change the height of the consumable stringers to whatever you need.  This table design has consumed my mind for many hours trying to take into every account that might happen. Also using others proven design, but hopefully making it better for my needs would love to buy a dashboard, but it’s so expensive and also really a portable bench. Once something Built like a tank and to have storage since it’s taking up so much floor space would love to have all of the space underneath usable. Thanks.

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I had my apprehensions when ordering the Dashboard at first given the price point, but the more I researched and read about its development, I ordered the full accessories bundle with it prior to delivery. Over a year later and it’s one of my favorite purchases and couldn’t imagine working without it.

 

[Michael Kellough]

That looks very similar to dashboard/outrigger setup.  if you do torsion box with drawers you might run into issues with using longer benchdog/clamps and opening drawers or drawers get in the way.  you can make it any height you want but if you already have stm-1800 and mft they won't match the height unless you raise them.

Do you have any pictures of your centipide with lifting table?

Yes based off the dash board.  The drawers will not interfere due to depth of drawer and space between top.  I’m taking that into account.  For the STM 1800 in order to change the height and make it still adjustable. That’s all you do is change the height of the consumable stringers to whatever you need.  This table design has consumed my mind for many hours trying to take into every account that might happen. Also using others proven design, but hopefully making it better for my needs would love to buy a dashboard, but it’s so expensive and also really a portable bench. Once something Built like a tank and to have storage since it’s taking up so much floor space would love to have all of the space underneath usable. Thanks.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I had my apprehensions when ordering the Dashboard at first given the price point, but the more I researched and read about its development, I ordered the full accessories bundle with it prior to delivery. Over a year later and it’s one of my favorite purchases and couldn’t imagine working without it.

If I didn’t have all the stuff I already have I’d be all over the Dashboard kit. Very well thought out and produced system.