New Woodpecker Track Clamp Bench Tops

[Tony from Pandora]

Woodpecker is offering 3 sizes of Track Clamp Bench tops... including one to fit Festool's MFT.  Seems like Festool's top on steroids.

It seems very busy... almost too much clamping area, not enough flat surface.  It is a full inch thick.  They offer it to fit their router table bases, or just the tops alone.

Part of me is very intrigued by the potential, but as is common with WP... it's quite pricey!

What do you guys think?
https://www.woodpeck.com/track-clamp-bench-tops.html

 

[rvieceli]

Got an email from Woodpeckers this morning about the new bench top. Looks like it might be what I have been looking for.
https://www.woodpeck.com/track-clamp-bench-tops.html

CNC tops with track clamp grooves and 20mm holes on 96 mm centers. One inch Ply with black micro dot laminate on both sides.

3 sizes offered. direct replacement for MFT/3 and 23.5 x 31.5 and 23.3 x 47.5 You can put the loose tops on one of their router stands or fabricate your own.

supposed to ship 5/31/2023

Ron

 

[reijos]

What do you guys think?
https://www.woodpeck.com/track-clamp-bench-tops.html

Peter Millard did a similar build with one of his MFT tops (using the matchfit dovetail slots in between each set of holes) and ended up not loving it. Said the need to slide in from the side was much less useful than just dropping into a hole

Edit: still no idea how to successfully link a YouTube video but if you search Peter Millard dovetail clamphis build is the top result

 

[Cheese]

Edit: still no idea how to successfully link a YouTube video but if you search Peter Millard dovetail clamphis build is the top result

Is this the video?
=2

 

[ChuckM]

A quick question about this film still for those of you who use this kind of assembly top:
[attachimg=1]

What operation would you attempt to do when clamping the two mating pieces flat on the table like that?

The clamping pressure is down, so it isn't about clamping the miter joint together, and the pieces are too narrow for using a router on either.

 

[Packard]

From my experience, everything that Milescraft produces, feels cheap but works perfectly.

The only application for that bench top that I can think of for my shop would be assembling face frames.  And my Milescraft does that perfectly, and quickly for about $40.00 (including the clamp).

So I will not be buying that bench top.

 

[eschumac]

Is it just me? The look of this table hurts my head. I get the utility, but for some reason the grid and holes makes me uncomfortable. Puts me on edge. Weird.

 

[squall_line]

What operation would you attempt to do when clamping the two mating pieces flat on the table like that?

The operation is called: "demonstrate the range of abilities of the product in a single picture".  I see ratchet-style, twist-handle, and dog-style clamps all demonstrated in that image.

The image is not actually demonstrating any sort of practical use for the product, inasmuch as it would be inadequate to hold the mitered corner together for glue-up.

Is it just me? The look of this table hurts my head. I get the utility, but for some reason the grid and holes makes me uncomfortable. Puts me on edge. Weird.

It's likely a version of trypophobia.  It's a very busy image, after all.

 

[ChuckM]

What operation would you attempt to do when clamping the two mating pieces flat on the table like that?

Snip.

The image is not actually demonstrating any sort of practical use for the product, inasmuch as it would be inadequate to hold the mitered corner together for glue-up.

Got it. Just wondering if it was some useful assembly process that I might have missed.

 

[ChuckM]

Is it just me? The look of this table hurts my head. I get the utility, but for some reason the grid and holes makes me uncomfortable. Puts me on edge. Weird.

The reason that it looks "busy" (because of the holes) is that both sides of the table can be used. I wonder if the top would sag overtime because of that.

 

[jeffinsgf]

Just to be clear, it cannot be turned over like a standard MDF MFT top. Being 1" thick, the bottom side is rabbeted to fit within the MFT frame. Also, it would make the core too thin to cut track slots in both sides. It is definitely single sided.

Since it is a new product, there's no history to prove it won't sag, but what we've seen in several weeks of testing, is that it seems to hold up much better than MDF. Almost no deflection with heavy, centrally-focused loads.

I'll agree it is a little busy looking, but once you use the slots for track clamps and don't need both hands to set a clamp, you'll get over it.

 

[squall_line]

Just to be clear, it cannot be turned over like a standard MDF MFT top. Being 1" thick, the bottom side is rabbeted to fit within the MFT frame. Also, it would make the core too thin to cut track slots in both sides. It is definitely single sided.

Thank you for clarifying.  The picture of the side profile showed pretty clearly (to me, at least) that it was only channeled on the top.

Since it is a new product, there's no history to prove it won't sag, but what we've seen in several weeks of testing, is that it seems to hold up much better than MDF. Almost no deflection with heavy, centrally-focused loads.

It's one-inch thick Baltic Birch, is it not?  I would hope it would be stiffer than MDF, for sure.

 

[eschumac]

It's likely a version of trypophobia.  It's a very busy image, after all.

You, Sir, win the internet today. This is exactly it for me. I knew about this, but it didn't occur to me. The funny thing is a find the MFT table soothing. I could not work on this table. My brain makes me laugh all the time

 

[rvieceli]

[member=7266]jeffinsgf[/member] since the non MFT versions don’t need to be rabbetted does that mean you could flip them and then lose the tack channels?

Thanks

Ron

 

[rmhinden]

What do you guys think?
https://www.woodpeck.com/track-clamp-bench-tops.html

It does look interesting.  One thing, in the video they showed it being used as to make cuts with a guide rail.  I bet it would not be too hard to make a replaceable insert that goes into one of the slots instead of cutting into the air (so to speak).

Bob

 

[jeffinsgf]

[member=7266]jeffinsgf[/member] since the non MFT versions don’t need to be rabbetted does that mean you could flip them and then lose the tack channels?

Thanks

Ron

It does, indeed.

 

[Cheese]

This may finally push me into purchasing a MFT.  [tongue] It would be easy to use as a cutting table by aligning the saw cut with the clamping track. Until now I've always used the foam sheet on the bench approach. This has a lot of merit despite the fact that's it's tough on my eyes.  [smile]

 

[ChuckM]

Snip. It is definitely single sided. Snip.

My bad. My brain had the wrong image.

 

[Packard]

T-slots milled directly into wood fail over time.  That is why commercial slatwall (for retail environments) are offered in two versions.  The cheaper one has the T-slots milled directly into the composite wood (MDR?  MDO?).

The more durable (and more expensive) version has an aluminum extrusion inserted into the oversized T-slots.

How well do you think these T-slots will do with clamping pressures?  I would have to wait a year or two to see how they stand up.

 

[reijos]

Edit: still no idea how to successfully link a YouTube video but if you search Peter Millard dovetail clamphis build is the top result

Is this the video?
=2

This was the one I was trying to link, thank you