Rail Dogs for MFT Fence

[buckeyeguy]

I bought the MFT/3 in October and LOVE it. I originally purchased it just as a quick, more compact way of using my TS55, but instead have been using it as it was intended to be used.... for everything. The more I use it, the more I have found that I'm not fond of the protractor head for the fence. It sticks off the back a little to far for my situation and to be totally honest, I just make 45 and 90 degree cuts anyway. I've seen on Youtube where some have stopped using it and started using the clamps only. I like the idea, but still needs calibrated every time you put it back on (yes it doesn't take long, but is a pain if you want to take it off multiple times per day).

The other day I was driving home from work and thought... man it would be nice to have a removable fence just like the rails with rail dogs (I don't own any rail dogs yet, just saw them on Youtube). There is no way I could be the first person to think of this so has anyone tried using a set of rail dogs with an Incra T track Plus to make a removable "calibrated" fence for their MFT? I have been using my parf dogs to calibrate my fence by placing them on the back and pulling the fence up to it, but it would be pretty sweet if I could just remove the whole fence by lifting it off with dogs already on it and just put it back on when needed again. Maximizing the cutting area would be a great benefit as well.

 

[Bohdan]

I obtained 2 Incra fences and joined them end to end to extend their length to cover the full width of the MFT.
I had to reverse most of the components to enable measurement on the LHS but this was not a problem.
The fences are mounted on dogs via 90* brackets so that they can be lifted off at will.
On the RHS of the fence, the part that goes under the rail, and out to the end of the MFT I used a piece of 6 mm ali plate also mounted on dogs as a fence.
http://www.incrementaltools.com/INCRA_Telescoping_Flip_Fence_18_to_31_p/flipfnc18-31.htm

and the Incremental Flip Shop Stop Positioner
http://www.incrementaltools.com/Incremental_Flip_Shop_Stop_Positioner_p/flipshopstop.htm

I used a length of allthread to extend the stop so that it goes under the rail.

View attachment 1

 

[buckeyeguy]

That was close to what I was thinking about. I mostly use 19mm lumber and was thinking about laying the t track flat and just using the dogs in the track.

We're your angle brackets pretty square to start?

 

[Bohdan]

My angle brackets were extruded aluminium so pretty square to start with. The hardest part of the job was drilling the holes in the brackets in exactly the right spot to ensure that the fence lined up parallel with the MFT holes. I did this by setting up a jig on my drill press.

 

[Corwin]

Here's what I did years ago:

MFT Zero-Clearnce Fence & Fenced Sled

In my setup, the Incra Incremental Track is only calibrated to the Rail once, and it can then be removed and replaced without recalibration. Even without a fence-mounting system that indexes the fence, if you were to set your fence away from the backside of the Guide Rail by an even 1", 2" or 3", you can then use a 1-2-3 block when remounting your fence -- or similar with metric reference blocks, if that's what you have.

You could also simply drill 20mm holes in your fence-mounting bracket and place dogs [that are long enough] through those holes and into the MFT's system holes to position your fence. And you don't need any special jig for your drill press to align the holes IF you already have an Incremental Track with metric racks.

What often proves more useful, is a Zero-Clearance fence, as you then are able to simply mark your cut and then locate that mark to the existing kerf in the fence. One of the nicer features of the setup I have.

 

[Peter_C]

You might find this info useful.
http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-jigs-tool-enhancements/fence-for-tool-improvement-'lock-fence-dogs'/msg443257/#msg443257

 

[buckeyeguy]

Thanks Peter this is EXACTLY what I was looking for. Looks easy to remove and put back on without having to square up again.

Do you like that setup more than the protractor head for the rail? I would assume those are Woodpecker stops?