How do I find someone to CNC dog holes in either MFT3 or 4'x8'? I'm in the Dallas area. In a perfect world I would try someone with a top or two and get more done if all is good. Guidance on cost and questions to ask would helpful too. I would supply the file, MDF, and router bit.
The Parf Guide System has failed me in my little project. It could be operator error, or not. The holes are square in some places and not in others. This is proven by 4 cut attempts and a Benchdog 450mm square. By doing both carpentry and woodworking I need a wider and longer MFT. The systems of Festool, Benchdog, and Dashboard linking tables look great but they are out of my budget.
My setup is a pair of sawhorses. A pair of torsion boxes 8' long and about 3" x 4" are set on top of the sawhorses. One, two, or three MFT tops are placed across the torsion boxes in a portrait configuration or two in landscape. On one length of one of the torsion boxes the 1-3 tops are fixed in place with 2 each Smart Connect chamfered dogs from TSO on each top into whatever dog holes I want on the torsion box. I managed to bore 20mm dog holes on 96mm centers down the length of one torsion box with Parf.
I attached three tops to this torsion box, used the other torsion as support and sure enough those tops were aligned as proven by a length of 4545 extrusion and chamfered dogs. Assuming the rest of the grids on the 3 tops were square via Parf I thought I had arrived and only needed to perform a 4 cut test. That's when the rails kinda fell off. The 4 cut was on an MFT sized top and it wasn't square. Eventually I checked on the dog holes. They are the problem.
I had bored a lot of offset holes because I'm using Stanton dogs to attach the guide rail. It took some time to check for square on each place a fence/guide rail could be placed. Each place to setup the fence dog and offset Stanton guide rail dog has to have a corresponding square place on the other side of the tops(s). This pretty much stinks.
I had consulted with Roger Kugler who had put out a woodworking podcast. He advised going straight to a CNC. I wanted to prove the concept with Parf for myself first and perhaps see if anyone wanted to buy such a setup. The materials are not big $. I go to Central Hardwoods in Dallas. They suggested I use a water resistant high density MDF. I got some of the 4'x8' Arreis Ultra Naf 3/4" for $57 first, $63 weeks later. Using a fire grade door, Medite, for an MDF didn't make sense to them plus it costs almost double the Arreis.
Here is Ron Paulk now going with CNC top.
4anthony had a thread started a thread about Parf. At the time I didn't pay adequate attention. I'm curious if he got square cuts.
The image of the 3 tops colors are different because one is unwaxed. The following imaging show correct (I think) use of Parf. The Benchdog square is one of the best tools I have. The top with the 'chaotic' pattern is me uber carefully redoing Parf to try determining if I goofed up the process on an already trashed top. A vid showing a feeler gauge indicating .15mm of slop wasn't in the correct format.
.
The Parf Guide System has failed me in my little project. It could be operator error, or not. The holes are square in some places and not in others. This is proven by 4 cut attempts and a Benchdog 450mm square. By doing both carpentry and woodworking I need a wider and longer MFT. The systems of Festool, Benchdog, and Dashboard linking tables look great but they are out of my budget.
My setup is a pair of sawhorses. A pair of torsion boxes 8' long and about 3" x 4" are set on top of the sawhorses. One, two, or three MFT tops are placed across the torsion boxes in a portrait configuration or two in landscape. On one length of one of the torsion boxes the 1-3 tops are fixed in place with 2 each Smart Connect chamfered dogs from TSO on each top into whatever dog holes I want on the torsion box. I managed to bore 20mm dog holes on 96mm centers down the length of one torsion box with Parf.
I attached three tops to this torsion box, used the other torsion as support and sure enough those tops were aligned as proven by a length of 4545 extrusion and chamfered dogs. Assuming the rest of the grids on the 3 tops were square via Parf I thought I had arrived and only needed to perform a 4 cut test. That's when the rails kinda fell off. The 4 cut was on an MFT sized top and it wasn't square. Eventually I checked on the dog holes. They are the problem.
I had bored a lot of offset holes because I'm using Stanton dogs to attach the guide rail. It took some time to check for square on each place a fence/guide rail could be placed. Each place to setup the fence dog and offset Stanton guide rail dog has to have a corresponding square place on the other side of the tops(s). This pretty much stinks.
I had consulted with Roger Kugler who had put out a woodworking podcast. He advised going straight to a CNC. I wanted to prove the concept with Parf for myself first and perhaps see if anyone wanted to buy such a setup. The materials are not big $. I go to Central Hardwoods in Dallas. They suggested I use a water resistant high density MDF. I got some of the 4'x8' Arreis Ultra Naf 3/4" for $57 first, $63 weeks later. Using a fire grade door, Medite, for an MDF didn't make sense to them plus it costs almost double the Arreis.
Here is Ron Paulk now going with CNC top.
4anthony had a thread started a thread about Parf. At the time I didn't pay adequate attention. I'm curious if he got square cuts.
The image of the 3 tops colors are different because one is unwaxed. The following imaging show correct (I think) use of Parf. The Benchdog square is one of the best tools I have. The top with the 'chaotic' pattern is me uber carefully redoing Parf to try determining if I goofed up the process on an already trashed top. A vid showing a feeler gauge indicating .15mm of slop wasn't in the correct format.
.
