Protecting the MFT ?

[permont]

Hi list,
A couple of weeks ago I asked for opionions re what to buy for a beginner to set up a workshop. Well, I ended up with a TS55 saw, a couple of rulers, the 1010 router, the Rotex 125, the CT22 vacuum cleaner and and a MFT 

Also, of course with a lot less dollars (or crowns actually for me). 

Anyway, pardon my ignorance, but what, if any, protection to you use when sawing with the TS55 with a workpiece clamped to the MFS ?

I dare not trust my setup of the saw, at least not in the beginning...

TIA / Per

 

[permont]

Realized I put this question in the wrong "folder" ... Cannot see any way to move it to a more relevant one ... / Per

 

[Dave Rudy]

Per,

congrats on the new tools.  There have been several threads discussing protection for MFT top, from shellacking or sealing the surface to using a thin sheet for the blade kerf.

Since you can turn the MFT top over for a second clean surface and it is relatively inexpensive to replace (or make your own), many just cut allowing a shallow kerf in the mft itself.  Some (me included) just put a +/- 3mm sheet under the length of the guide rail and wide enough to keep your work stable and level.  When you cut through the workpiece, you should end up with about a 1mm kerf in the sheet and no mark on the mft surface.

I'm sure others here have different suggestions.

HTH

Dave

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Realized I put this question in the wrong "folder" ... Cannot see any way to move it to a more relevant one ... / Per

Which folder do you want to put it in?

 

[MarkF]

Per,
I tried to keep my MFT top pristine at first by using a sheet of styrene foam on it but then decided that it was a workbench, not a piece of fine furniture.  I do 99% of my crosscutting directly on it but use sawhorses for ripping sheetgoods.  Every month or so I fill the kerf from crosscutting with wood putty and sand it level after drying over night.  If you ever saw all the way through the top (like I did ), place masking tape underneath the cut and pack it full with wood putty from the top.
It has a few new beauty marks now that I've gotten my Domino.  If you try to cut a mortise into the edge of thin stock and forget to reset the thickness setting it will leave a unique design in the top edge of your table.  :-[
Mark

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Per,
Like Mark, I wanted to keep my MFT top in perfect condition at first, but I soon gave up on the idea.  It's got grooves cut into it from all directions now, some stain spilled on it, and other unidentifiable marks.  It's meant to be worked on and used.  Let is be a work surface, and when one side gets worn out flip it over.  I have not yet needed to replace the top and I have been using it for about three years now.

Make sure when you are cutting with the TS55 you only just barely go into the MFT.  It's one thing to mark up the MDF surface, and quite another to cut the aluminum rails, as I did once when sawing thin material.

Matthew

 

[Dan Clark]

Per,

Festool tools and accessories are great.  But after a while, you start thinking of them as means to an end.  They still feel good in your hands, but they work for a living.  They get beaten up.  My C12 is pretty scungie now.  My MFT has lots of "war wounds".  I've sanded down a couple of water bubbles (dumb me) in the MFT.  My CT filters need to be cleaned occasionally. 

Think of them as proverbial "notches" in your gunbelt.  They've given a little of themselves to build the things you want.  Keep fixin' them and keep going.  When they "expire", give 'em a decent burial, buy a new one, and keep moving ahead.

In some cases, I use sacrificial pink foam insullation.  It works great.  For cross-cuts, I keep cutting across the same gouge in the MFT top.  Every now and then, I'll screw up and mess up the MFT top some more.  The fact that it's grungie, but still flat and works well makes me feel good.  (OK, so I'm weird.  ;D )

Dan.

 

[Loren Hedahl]

I have always used Bondo, but wood putty should work about the same.

With Bondo, you can go a bit strong on the catalyst and it will set up in a couple of minutes.  It also goes through a semi-set, plastic stage where you can scrape the excess flush with a putty knife or scraper and a you are ready to go.  Also, depending on what color of catalyst you choose, you can end up with some interesting and colorful artwork on your MFT.

 

[permont]

Thanks for the replies and thoughts, I got my MFT today by delivery  ;D

Also, I thought I had put the posting in "What Have You Built Lately" as that was on top of the page, but I didn't look thoroughly.

I'll use and "abuse" the MFT the same way I do with my other benches etc. But will also keep some thin insulation material nearby, I will have a lot when I start with the new summer house.

Cheers / Per

 

[Programmergeek]

Just cut in the same spot every time when you use the guide.  I set a stop where my guid should be so when I take it off and on it cuts in the same place I have gotten use to having a 1/4 grove in that spot. 

And avoid water on it.  I to have had to samd out water bubbles.

 

[Dan Clark]

Above all, don't get water on it!    I have one sacrosanct rule now - I NEVER put any water container on my MFT, no matter how tightly it's sealed!

Dan.

 

[cparson]

I was the same way at first, but it's definitely easier now that I've started thinking more along the lines of Mark, Matthew and Dan.  I think it's easier once the sticker shock wears off too  ;D

Still, I don't think I'll never forget putting that first notch through the top of the MFT...  I think it even tells you to in the setup instructions.  Felt like I was destroying the thing.

Probably didn't help that the TS55+MFT was not only my first festool, but my first anything-tool.

-chris

 

[Ned]

Per,
...and when one side gets worn out flip it over. ...

And turn it end for end, giving 4 uses before you replace it.

Ned

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Ned,
Good point!  As I said, even after three years I haven't had to flip it, so I guess I haven't even used 25% of the MFT's capacity!
Matthew

 

[clev1066]

I always recommend coating the heck out of the mdf top with Johnson's Paste Wax. I've been using it on my old mft1080 and now on my mft3. It allows glue ups to not stick as well as repelling liquids. I even go as far as to accidentally set my beer on the mft when the work is done. I also full the kerf every once in a while with Durham's Rock-hard Putty. I haven't filled the mft3 yet, but the mft1080 got to be a little deep and wide.