Polishing an MFT Top. Bad Idea?

[sgryd]

Hi all.
I'm in the work of building a router table out of one of my MFT/3. There will be an Incra Sidewinder router lift and the LS positioner system. Four routing I'd prefer a shinier surface. But I fear that the holes might swell If I oil or wax the surface so my Qwas dogs won't fit anymore.

Has anyone tried to polish an MFT?

//Michael

 

[Timtool]

My homemade mft top is finished with linseed oil, oil finishes do not really tend to swell the material and it's actually hard to get oil on the hole insides. On mine this had no effect on the fit. All in all i prefer a finished top because it looks deep and shiny and seems to wear less.

 

[RONWEN]

I have soaked sanding sealer onto the tops of my MFT/3's especially in and around the holes (3 coats).  It made a smoother work surface and if anything improved the fit of my Qwas dogs.  I suppose some coating that was thicker in viscosity might have an unintended buildup in the holes.  The sanding sealer that I used had about the same low viscosity as water.

 

[davee]

I have used Shellac on my tables - some runs into the holes, but they aren't adversely affected fit wise.  It might be little tight upon initial insertion but not too much so. 

 

[andy5405]

I just got back from "the office" and wondered why it would be a bad idea to buy an MFT in Poland. [eek]

 

[peter halle]

I just got back from "the office" and wondered why it would be a bad idea to buy an MFT in Poland. [eek]

Andy posted this just before I renamed the thread.  [poke]

Peter

 

[score0matic]

Why dont you make a second top that is set up as a router table? 

This allows you to convert the MFT back and forth as needed.  Allows you to make your router table top out of a slicker material,  with out ruining the original top you have.

I use the LS 17 on a Portable setup and it works well.  I have all the accessories for the LS in a SYS 3 Including the wonderfence and 90deg sled.

 

[sgryd]

Haha, thank you for the correction. I live in Sweden, so Poland is not that far away =)

Charimon, I want the MFT function (the holes). I'm building a permanent work bench out of two MFT/3 on a welded steel base. I'm going to align the tables in three axes, i.e. level and aligned rows of holes. After alignment I can rely on the tables being square so I can use the surface for glueing big square things using the Qwas dogs. I'll try to post a sketch of what I'm building. You'll probably have some valuable input. I'll make a new thread for the purpuse.

Thanks
//Michael

 

[sgryd]

I sanded the top down to P400 (320 in the US scale I believe). Oiled with wax oil two times and going for the third tomorrow. The top glows and the friction is taken down a bunch. Qwas dogs fits just like before.

Thank you.
//Michael

 

[Bekker van Niekerk]

I put a sheet of phenolic ( Here is South Africa they call it "Tufnol") on top. Drill 12.5mm  holes from the back and ream the holes in the phenolic with a bearing guided router bit to the standard size 20mm of the MDF table. Works lek a bomb.
Bekker van Niekerk

 

[sancho57]

Why not make one like Guido did that can clamp to your MFT/ work bench?

http://www.holzwerken.net/video/index.cfm?id=6&eventfilter=1&display2=5#1

It will save you space on your MFT as it is removable.

This is what Im going to do. That is make mines removable rather then permanently mounted in a MFT.