Squaring the MFT/3

[mosez]

What do you guys think of this idea?

1) Loosen the "factory stops" and all the knobs and levers securing the guide rail mount.

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2) Put in the two clamping elements`bench dogs and move up the rail against it so there is no slack. To prevent the cut line from being in the middle of holes (tear out) use the MFT fence to create a gap between the dogs and the rail.

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3) Tighten all the rail mount knobs and levers. Slide in the factory stops to mark the position for re-squaring it after knock down. The rail should now be square to the holes.

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4) Slide in the protractor, tighten the big knob that keeps it in place and mount the fence on the protractor. Tighten the knob that pulls the fence against the protractor. Loosen the knob that lets you move the fence further in on the table and the knob that is used to setup an angle. Loosen the two set screws that are used to recalibrate the angle unit.

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5) Put in the bench dogs and push the whole fence (clamped against the protractor) inwards until you have no slack between the dogs and the fence.

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6) Tighten all the knobs, so the fence cannot be moved in any direction. Slide in the auxiliary fence clamp and tighten it. Tighten the set screws. The fence is now in line with the holes that are square to the rail and should thus be square to the rail also.

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[Qwas]

It's as simple as that. That's all there is too it.

Here is a recommendation though. If your Clamping Element Stops are not loose fitting in the hole, use the back side of them instead. There is less chance for error using the rounded back side.

Since you know how fast and easy it is to align the guide rail, do you really need the factory stops?  If you like having the factory stops, maybe move them to the other side of the clamps so it's easier and faster to remove the clamps.

 

[mosez]

i only just noticed, that my cuts are not square, even though my fence is perfectly square to the back of my guide rail. i measured from the cutting edge to the back t several spots and its just not parallel!

 

[Qwas]

It's the first I've heard of the guide rail not being square.

No problem. Use the same rail procedure on the cutting edge instead of the back side of the rail.  [smile]