Where can I get custom CNC MFT top in S. New Jersey?
- Thread starter rmwarren
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ccarrolladams
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Hi Richard,
Two terms not usually associated are "small shop" and "CNC router"! However, the price of CNC nested routers with a 4x8' capacity has been reduced in recent years.
My shop is in Burbank, CA which is far from you. We have a pair of 5x12' CNC nested routers each with 18 tool positions. Each has the necessary tooling to make perfect 20mm holes in the same tool holder position. We use these machines to make our MFT-style sacrificial surfaces with 20mm hole on 96mm centers. We can afford to do so only because as appropriate sheet material comes available it is stored convenient to those machines. Then should we have a surplus 10 minutes or so not booked for a customer, we place the sheet material on the CNC machine, call up the part number of the MFT-style (which in my shop is #9620) and let the machine do its thing without any supervision.
However, for a customer those machines are billed at USA$300 per hour plus materials with a 0.25 hour minimum. Each machine is booked fully on two shifts 6 days a week, with the schedule set 2 or more days in advance. Unless of course spare time becomes available.
Festool uses a custom manufactured material for the MFT tops which is similar to HDF, not easy to buy in small quantity in most places. We actually prefer to make our own sacrificial surfaces from cabinet-grade 19mm thick maple plywood. When any of those sheets as a flawed pre-finish we put those aside for sacrificial surfaces with the pre-finish away from the work.
Two terms not usually associated are "small shop" and "CNC router"! However, the price of CNC nested routers with a 4x8' capacity has been reduced in recent years.
My shop is in Burbank, CA which is far from you. We have a pair of 5x12' CNC nested routers each with 18 tool positions. Each has the necessary tooling to make perfect 20mm holes in the same tool holder position. We use these machines to make our MFT-style sacrificial surfaces with 20mm hole on 96mm centers. We can afford to do so only because as appropriate sheet material comes available it is stored convenient to those machines. Then should we have a surplus 10 minutes or so not booked for a customer, we place the sheet material on the CNC machine, call up the part number of the MFT-style (which in my shop is #9620) and let the machine do its thing without any supervision.
However, for a customer those machines are billed at USA$300 per hour plus materials with a 0.25 hour minimum. Each machine is booked fully on two shifts 6 days a week, with the schedule set 2 or more days in advance. Unless of course spare time becomes available.
Festool uses a custom manufactured material for the MFT tops which is similar to HDF, not easy to buy in small quantity in most places. We actually prefer to make our own sacrificial surfaces from cabinet-grade 19mm thick maple plywood. When any of those sheets as a flawed pre-finish we put those aside for sacrificial surfaces with the pre-finish away from the work.
oil trader
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ccarroll - What do you charge for an MFT surface?
Richard, it is not too difficult to make your own. I posted a 13 part video series demonstrating the making of my bench on Youtube. Part 5 shows milling the bench dog holes. The same technique can be used on any size top or material you choose.
JerrySats said:
Wow, didn't realize that. I'm wondering if Hurricane Sandy did too much damage to his shop? Last I talked with him , he was unable to get my fretboard inlay done due to it passing right overhead.
When I asked him (years ago) how he got into the guitar CNC business he told me "when I sold my (software) company, I told myself I'd only do fun stuff". I guess he decided spinal implants were more fun!
On the good side, this further justifies my soon-to-be purchase of a small CNC machine....
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