Refreshing a Guiderail Splinterguard and Dimple Marking Technique

A bit of a quickie video. I'm working on Angle Madness again and needing to cut the panels for the tapered octagonal drawer boxes. For that, I really need the splinterguard on the MFT to be dead accurate. It always has been, for years, until I needed to quickly cut something on the MFT during the Tim Burton Table build while I had the Panther blade in the TS-75. Unlike the TS-55 blades that all have the same kerf width, TS-75 blades sometimes differ.  Now, my splinterguard is about 0.5mm off.

The first part of the video, though, covers something I often do anyway with the saw: dimple marking (my own silly term :)  With the saw on the rail, it's easy to use the ATB blade to mark exactly where the cut will be. Great for verifying and occasional adjustments. For 12 panels, I want the splinterguard accurate...

Second half of the video shows how to bump the splinterguard over so you can recut it accurately. Seems easy enough, but it comes up on forums all the time. Usually people are trying to peel it off and reuse the aged adhesive. I'll show you a better way that works quickly and has no peel-off problems.

After posting this, some people asked about the turners' tape mentioned in the video. It is essentially a double-stick tape. A good one is this one from Lee Valley.  The one I used in the video is from InterTapePolymer.com, but I can't find the woodworking store that sells it now.

I used a different brand that I have handy. Many woodworking catalogs will call this type of double stick tape "turners' tape" since, I guess, turners use it (I don't turn yet!)

Review of Qwas Speed Dogs

I had a chance to use a new product called Qwas Speed Dogs from Steve Adams, the maker of Qwas dogs.  You already know I like Qwas dogs and Qwas rail dogs for use on my MFT table as they allow accurate placement of stock relative to other parts of the table thanks to the CNCed top.  Speed Dogs are a different animal (snicker...): they act like quick hold downs.

I've had them for awhile now, but didn't have a chance to do a review earlier.  These are definitely a hit.  In the video, I'll show you how they are used in a number of scenarios so you can decide for yourself if they solve a need you have in your work flow.  For me, they definitely do and they'll definitely get used in other places, too, like my Moxon vice bench you've seen before (video forthcoming on this modification).  Takes it to 11.

Sculpted Mahogany Vanity - Completing Bottom Segment

In this episode, we complete the frame for the bottom stack of drawers.  This one shows you a couple useful techniques with the Festool Domino that help when laying out Dominos mid-field on multiple boards (say, a bookcase), but it happens to be useful here.  Also show how to create a simple reference surface where one didn't exist making positioning very easy and quick.

I did this build in a way to show how the structure would sag when dry-assembled to better show the torque.  Like most demos, didn't go as planned as the structure didn't sag one bit! (Dominos:1 Paul-Marcel:0)  That doesn't mean this stack of drawers isn't going to be up against a lot of torque so we discuss how to significantly reinforce the sides.

The panel glue-up episode is next (half done already!) where we'll "pre-sculpt" the fronts and make plans for the gaudy drawer handles I'm looking forward to using...  It's getting more fun now despite that my shop now hovers at 100ºF :(

For the curious, you can get BowClamps from www.BowClamp.com.

Also, you can read Vic's blog article here.

Thanks for watching!

Quilted Maple Picture Frame - Cutting and Gluing Miters and HVLP

The third and last installment for this picture frame I made my best friend.  (Here are links to part one and part deux.)  I'm really liking the color compliment of the frame to the painting and while the lighting was tough for filming the close-ups (needed daylight!) the curl in the maple is really well highlighted.

I talk a little about a Fuji Super 4 HVLP sprayer I purchased from a fellow forum member (thanks, Corwin!).  In a nutshell, it was a joy to use.  I also used the MFT table with Qwas dogs to cut the miters and have some hints on how to eliminate blow-out as that would be horrible on these pre-colored and partially finished pieces.  Lastly, a discussion of the Miter Stitch from Bridge City Toolworks.  It should be noted that the Miter Stitch is no longer available from Bridge City, but they do occasionally come up on eBay.  That said, though, creative types could make their own; you won't be disappointed with their utility.

Roll it...

Festool MFT System Review

One of the last reviews I'll post here is of the Festool MFT system.  I say system because the benefits of the table and its attributes carries over across the various models so while my review is of the MFT-1080, you can get the same benefits from the MFT/3.

This is a playlist video broken up into 3 parts.  Part 1 talks about the table in general including the important facets.  Part 2 talks about my modifications to the table (all of which were documented here; check the MFT label); it shows you how to use Qwas dogs to quickly calibrate your table with exceptional precision.  Part 3 talks about using the table top mostly without the attached guide-rail relying uniquely on the Qwas dogs and Qwas rail dogs.  If you are looking at possibly going without a table saw (by choice or requirement), you should give this video a look as these ideas can be used to replicate most repetitive cuts you'd do on the table saw.

I just mentioned that you can set this table square repeatedly with great precision; you can also set a number of common rise-run angles with equal repeatability and precision.  Here's a link to the thread on the FOG about this video in case you want to read the feedback.  Here, specifically, is a link to a reply about a CNC shop in Hollywood that uses these dogs on massive "MFT" tables.  While I loved the Qwas system that I describe in these videos, those guys really take it to the limits.

Offcut Fence For MFT-1080 (wohoo!) Part Deux

In "Part Un", I blogged about a trivial but cool addition to my MFT-1080 that allows me to quickly get repeatable measured cuts on the off-cut side of the guide.  Thing is, this grand addition partly assumed you did the modification I did to add 4 1/2" of crosscut capacity to the MFT-1080.  Not everybody did that.  Shame on both of you. :)  Voilà, here, I'll show you how to create that handy detachable fence for use with the original MFT fence.

The idea of this modification is to replace the fence clamps with a block that locks into the MFT hole grid.  Here's a picture of the finished block with two 3/4" dowels in the block.  Note that the MFT holes are actually 20mm holes, but the 3/4" dowels forced to the outside edge of the MFT holes holds it very well.  The idea will be to put two #10 screws through the block laterally to grab a square nut in the back track of the fence shown behind the block (these screws grab the fence the same way the calibration block of Part Un did).  This will be clearer later.

I drilled the block by lining it up with two MFT holes under the block and the block itself being parallel to a row of holes.  Placement of the block isn't rocket science, but here's how you get the correct distance from that row of holes:

On your existing MFT fence, measure from the front of the fence to the front of the dog holes immediately behind it.  If you look carefully, I drew a pencil line at the front of those dogs.  Mine's about 52mm.

Measure the width of the extra fence you have; mine's about 35mm.  Mine is a Festool replacement from the EKAT system; read Part Un for details.  Note that it doesn't have to be a Festool fence; anything you can attach from behind will work although I had this and it uses the flag stop :)


Subtract the width of the fence from the distance in step 1. (17mm for me)

Subtract an extra 3mm (1/8"). (14mm for me)

The resulting measurement is the distance you want your block to be from that parallel row of holes.  Mark the face you have facing those holes; it will face the fence.

Use the MFT holes as a drill guide for your 3/4" Forstner bit; in this picture I show it from above.

Afterwards, push in two pieces of 3/4" dowel and glue in place.  This should be a snug it to the MFT top.

Lastly, drill holes through the block laterally for #10 screws and screw the fence in place.  Calibrate it in a similar way to the way I did it in Part Un except that you will place the block to the right of the fence, calibrate once, tighten the screws, then have a fence you can easily attach.

So the question is: why subtract the 1/8" fudge factor?  Well, it is for fudge... you don't want that fence to touch the stock in the horrible case that the fence isn't exactly coplanar and moves the stock skew to the real main fence.  By setting it back, the flag stop still engages the wood and you are good to go.

Offcut Fence For MFT-1080 (wohoo!)

The limits of me keeping busy in the shop lately consist of some pretty trivial projects for my neighbor... eh, rather do that than something long and complicated when it's so hot. How hot is it? Well the picture is of a fairly robust plastic container I left in the car...

Today I had to cross-cut a 28" wide piece of plywood into two 18"-wide shelves.  If you've been reading, I recently did a trivial modification to my MFT-1080 to gain 4 1/2" more cross-cut capacity (a hair over 28").  So cross-cutting the ply isn't difficult.  In that other posting, you'll see that I added a tape measure to the MFT fence so I can pretty much drop the flag and cut.  But that means the piece to the left of the saw is the correct size.

My problem is that the ply is 96" long.  I could cut it the traditional way, but need to open the garage door (meaning 18" is under the guide and to the left while the other 80" sticks out to the right and into the driveway).  Hell's heat is on the other side of the garage door; it stays shut.  So, I thought this problem is something I want solved and is more interesting than my real project anyway :)

If you recall, I purchased a couple other replacement parts when I did the cross-cut modification.  Two additional fence rail clamps and another fence.

I put the fence rail clamps on the back rail just like I did for the cross-cut modification, except these two are to the right of the cut line.  In this photo, you see the flag stop on the second fence to the right of the cross-cut guide rail.  The wood just shows that the fences are aligned perfectly for me (if you've changed your MFT top, you might need to shim the fence rail clamps).  When the clamps are loosened, the fence simply pushes into it from the front.  A quick turn and you're done.  I don't plan on leaving the fence there as it sticks out over my disappearing miter saw stand.  Wanting to remove it poses a couple problems.

First problem is that I really want a tape measure on it so I can quickly set the flag stop and cut accurately on the off-cut side of the saw.  This is easy, add a Starrett self-adhesive metric/imperial tape measure to the fence just like I did to the main MFT fence (except this one reads left-to-right).  Since there is a gap between the actual saw kerf and this fence, I put my tape on starting at the 7/8" mark so the "1" of the 1" mark would be clear.

Second problem is that I don't want to calibrate this thing every time I attach it.  To remedy this, I attached a piece of scrap walnut to the back of the fence with two #10 screws with the nut in the back T-track (visible in the previous picture).  To calibrate, I put one of the MFT calibration blocks I made for the cross-cut modification against the fence, dropped the flag stop at 142mm (the length of this block) and abutted it to the dropped blade of the TS-75.  Now the fence is in the correct location.

While holding the fence in place, I pushed the piece of walnut until it abutted to the MFT top then tightened the screws.  Now, I can clip the fence into the fence rail clamps and slide it to the left until it abuts to the MFT top, tighten and get to cutting.  A quick 10 second calibrated setup.

Here's a shot of it in use.  Flag stop at 18", plywood pushed under guide rail until it hits, make the repeatable cut.

Lastly, I stood both shelves on their edge to see the repeatability.  In technical circles, this is called dead-nuts on.  Thing is, to me dead-nuts isn't a positive thing...

Now, back to that plastic container... it's what I used to store my tea in.  I go through a lot. It was in my car to remind me to buy more on the way home.  Thankfully, between my two aunts and a visiting cousin, I've been stocked up for a long time.  Voilà what my tea shelf looks like now! wahoo!  Red Rose rocks, and it's only available in Canada.  Pitty.

For the curious, that's 984 bags, which at the rate I drink it will get me through Tuesday... (thanks Jocelyn, Marc, and Cecile!)

MFT-1080, 'merican Sized

My MFT-1080 was always a lean-over affair, and that gets old.  Eventually, the MFT/3 was released.  It comes in 2-3 inches higher.  Perfect work height.

Well, I don't have an MFT/3 and couldn't in any way justify replacing the 1080 with one.  So I built a table that sits underneath the MFT-1080 bringing it up to the same height as the MFT/3.  This will be useful if the CMS ever makes it out here as it is designed to attach to the MFT/3 or stand beside it.

Voilà my table. Sorry, messy.  The table is just 4 legs, a table set down 3" from the top of the legs and a vanity panel in the back mostly used to give the table more rigidity.  There are stretchers front to back on the legs

The table sits on the top of the legs.  There are glue-blocks behind where the MFT legs sit that are beveled so the table falls into place easily, but the final location has no play.  Note that I took the legs off.  They are trivial to re-attach.  It gives me more clearance on the table (super handy for tools).  Besides, I don't take it out often.

My bench to the left and the miter saw stand to the right are all at the same height, which makes working with long stock much easier especially when cross-cutting on the MFT.  The gap between the bench and the MFT is partly due to the MFT's fence being in a position that would cover a door to a hidden clamp compartment.  At first this annoyed me, but it is super handy to have the trash can by the bench especially when using the jigsaw to rough-cut boards over the gap; chips fall into the trash.

Now, I like to use the benches for planing.  The front of the MFT is coplanar to the front of the table so I get extra support when I clamp a panel to the side for trimming.  Thing is, even the MFT-1080 on its own is wiggly when planing, even without hitting the mechanical resonance!

For that reason, I scribed a shim that I attached to the wall behind the vanity panel then screwed a board into that shim. This effectively clamps the table to the wall.  Thing is, the MFT table still moved a bit sitting on the now anchored table.

Well, I scribed another shim to go behind the MFT and made a similar clamp, but this time with star nuts to make clamping and unclamping the table completely trivial.  The shim also filled a gap behind the table and my "straight" wall; perfect for Sharpies.

Calibrate your MFT fence scale with a Qwas dog

Qwas dogs rock.  Some of my other blog postings show uses for calibrating the position and square of the main MFT fence.  Qwas himself (some call him Steve) has some YouTube videos to show them being used for squared cuts in the field of the MFT, etc.

Awhile ago, I ordered a Starrett adhesive tape (metric/imperial) from Lee-Valley and put it on my MFT fence.  Naturally, this needs to be easily calibrated to the cut line. What I did is this:

Put a Qwas dog in a hole 100-150mm away from the cut line (you want something reasonably long to register against).

Put a stick of MDF against the dog; cut with the already squared guide rail.

Measure it; since I use a metric/imperial tape on the fence, I measured it in millimeters since I could easily eyeball down to a third of a millimeter.  Write it down on the block.

Now that the alignment block is ready, calibrating the fence is trivial: drop the flag stop and put it on the measurement of the block (142mm in my case), push the MDF against the dog and the fence... slide the fence over until the flag stop abuts the MDF.  Now go build a walnut keeper box with handcut dovetails to store this precious alignment tool.

Adding 4 1/2" to your MFT's Cross-cut Capacity

Now, I wrote this and photographed this using my MFT-1080.  I believe the same process will net you more space on your MFT/3, but you'll need to read this and see if your rail fence clamp will allow it.  Please post your results in the comments...

The Festool MFT-1080 table is genius, but it also has a hair over 24" cross-cut capacity.  For whatever reason, my recent projects have all had big panels or drawer front panels that easily exceeded this limit.  Granted, Qwas dogs and rail dogs will get the job done a different way, but it isn't the same.  It just isn't.

I honestly never use the miter gauge on the table.  A bit awkward and usually I do those cuts on the table saw or, if the panel is big, I draw the line and put the guide on it.  If it's 45°, 30°, or 60°... I use the Qwas dogs.

First up, a photo of the end result.  The mark of the old fence position is clearly visible and the frontmost edge is 4 1/2" ahead of the current location.  When I removed the angle unit, I bought another fence rail clamp and put my original and this second clamp in the T-slot channel in the back of the table.  The fence slips in.  Tighten.  Marvel at the newly found space.

This fence rail clamp doesn't seem to be a replacement part you can order with a single clever 6-digit number.  Instead, you have to order all the individual parts.  If you visit Festool's EKAT system, you can find the exploded part under your MFT table and see exactly what to order, quantity, and price.

Naturally, you want to ensure the fence is square to the guide rail.  Now, I align my guide rail using Qwas dogs and a spacer.  I also had a spacer for aligning the fence with the miter unit to the dog holes.  Now I created another to align this miter-less fence to the holes.
I squeeze the fence to the alignment bar (a 30mm wide bar of MDF) and tighten the clamps.  It holds surprisingly well even when I banged a huge panel against it a few times to see if I could misalign the fence.  The one minor complaint I have is that tightening both clamps up slightly lifted the front of the fence.  I may tinker with a spacing washer in the rail fence clamps to avoid this.
I left the alignment bar there, dropped the flag stop and made a cut to eventually scoot the fence over so the flag stop's position on my metric/imperial tape was dead on.
Tonight, I was crosscutting a large panel that will become the stock for drawer fronts of a built-in I'm making.  It was 27.5" wide and cleanly fit on the table.  Voilà, my new crosscut capacity.

While I was ordering all these parts, I ordered 2 more (3 total) fence rail clamps and a second fence.  I want to tinker to see what other uses I can get out of it.  Here you can see how the second fence can span the table and be locked into place on the edges.  Granted, there isn't enough play to allow setting any angle you want.

Lastly, while you are ordering spare parts, order feather keys, washers, and cheese head screws to place things in your top and side T-channels.  I have one set with the short cheese-head screw that you use to set a stop for the front guide-rail position. I have it positioned in the side track so I can put a spare fence rail clamp bumped up to it and use the angle unit in mid-field.  I may never use it, but it is already aligned.

The cheese-head screws are available in a couple other lengths (dig around in the spare parts :)  I bought several other lengths along with feather keys and washers as they lock into the side so much better than a random hex nut and will provide excellent attachment for jigs and fixtures.