Simple MFT/3 Fence Squaring Procedure

[Grasshopper]

All, I realize there are many posts on the subject of squaring your MFT/3 Fence.

Here is what I came up with that takes no time at all.

Seems to do a good job for me. 

I just line up 4 Qwas dogs, layout my Woodpecker 1281 square to the fence and guide rail, and place the Guide Rail connector (482107) between the square and the Qwas.  From there, I snug up the fence and rail against my square (pressing into the Dogs), and I am all set.  The gap filled by the Woodpecker square and guide rail connector turned out to be perfect.

The whole process takes around 30 seconds.

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Thoughts/Feedback?

 

[nclemmons]

Repeatable, accurate, simple, and fast!

Great tip!

neil

 

[#Tee]

i ditched the miter gauge and butt up with fence against 2 dogs and drop the rail. takes 5 secs.

 

[promark747]

Thoughts/Feedback?

Not sure why you need the square or the guide rail connector; they seem to be unnecessary complications and could add some theoretical (albeit minute) error.  Why not just use two dogs spaced further apart and directly touching the fence, and another two spaced along the guide rail?

 

[Grasshopper]

I chose the square (and rail connector) against the dogs vs. just the fence and dogs due to the location of the dog holes on the MFT. 

If you wanted to line up the fence using just dogs on the top row of holes, the fence would hang off in the back.  If you wanted to line up the fence to the 2nd row, it's pretty low and wastes valuable MFT real estate.

Thoughts/Feedback?

Not sure why you need the square or the guide rail connector; they seem to be unnecessary complications and could add some theoretical (albeit minute) error.  Why not just use two dogs spaced further apart and directly touching the fence, and another two spaced along the guide rail?

 

[Tinker]

I just set my fence to a couple of RMW's Rip Dogs and check the rail for square against dogs locked into the 90º holes using a couple more RipDogs.  I check with a twelve inch speed square and lock everything down and off and running

Once lined up to the MFT holes, checking with speed square really becomes unnecessary, but I check anyhow.
Tinker

 

[NHSP759]

Thanks for the quick and easy tip Grasshopper!

 

[sancho57]

Ill have to try it. Looks easy enough. I usually just do it the old fashion way. But that looks like it will be a time saver

 

[tbellemare]

I just set the guide rail where I want it and drop it to the table. Then, turn the miter head so the fence is parallel to the guide rail, slide it close and adjust it to be parallel.

Tom

 

[sancho57]

Tom,

Thats pretty much how I do it to. What I called the old fashion way. To tell ya the truth I can set mine up that way in about a minute or 2 without Rushing.

 

[Tinker]

I just set the guide rail where I want it and drop it to the table. Then, turn the miter head so the fence is parallel to the guide rail, slide it close and adjust it to be parallel.

Tom

Tom,
I am a little dense here.  If you are setting the fence parallel  with the rail, you would be ripping.  I never tried that method, but it might be real quick.  The cuts wood all be equal in width doing it the way you explain.  I will try that when i don't have more than one or two cuts and don't want to take time to set up dogs and/or parallel guides.

In this thread, we are, i think, talking about making square cuts. (who am I to complain about off topic  [unsure]) In your suggestion, did you use wrong wording and instead of parallel, did you mean perpendicular.
Tinker

 

[tbellemare]

Tinker:

Once I have the fence parallel, I can spin it to perpendicular (or any angle) using the miter head.

Tom

 

[Tinker]

Now i get it.
It was raining earlier and my head was foggy
Thanks
Tinker