MFT users - question

[Hmerkle]

We talk about using BB (Baltic Birch) for shop appliances, etc.

So why (especially if you are making your own) would you make your MFT replacement from MDF?
Why not make it from BB?

 

[JNCarr]

Sorry for my ignorance, but what is MFT?

 

[Hmerkle]

It is the Festool Multi Function Table

Multifunction Table MFT/3

www.festoolusa.com

Or jsut the top:

Festool Perforated Top for MFT/3 Table

Festool Perforated Top for MFT/3 Table - 495543 from Festool

www.acmetools.com

 

[JNCarr]

Ah... thanks, I dont speak Festool or Apple-speak
My bet would be cost. After looking at the extruded aluminum sides (for strength), and guessing on the intended use, MDF seems to be a flat, reasonably strong, and cheaper alternative.

 

[tri4sale]

We talk about using BB (Baltic Birch) for shop appliances, etc.

So why (especially if you are making your own) would you make your MFT replacement from MDF?
Why not make it from BB?

when I was looking into making mine, some people said that the risk w/ plywood was chipping in the holes over time.

 

[KenOfCary]

The MFT gets little grooves in it when you saw across it. The BB would show these much more and also impede the saw's motion more.

 

[Robert LaPlaca]

I don’t own a MFT, but my guess is besides MDF being inexpensive as compared to BB plywood, MDF‘s one redeeming quality is it amazingly flat, BB not so much.

 

[gamiller3rd]

My guess, cost, stability over time, and splinters,

 

[Martin Roper]

The Festool MFT system considers the top as a consumable item. When used with a track saw, you're cutting into the table top and over a period of time that will eventually cause it to become unusable for some clamping or cutting operations. At that point you simply flip it over. When the other side wears out you replace it. MDF is flat, stable, cheap, and readily available.

Ron Paulk's workbench uses the Festool layout with 20mm holes spaced 96mm apart, but he builds his out of plywood in a torsion box design for rigidity and flatness. Note that the top is screwed down, not glued. It could be cut into, but you'd have to be mindful of those screws.

I used elements of the Paulk Bench, the Hooked on Wood bench, and a traditional English-style work bench. It's made out of Valchromat which is harder and heavier than MDF. My top and face is also 30mm, not 19mm. It's massively strong and very heavy. I put a couple coats of shellac on it.

I don't cut into it. It's my TS outfeed table, assembly table, and workbench. I have thought about routing a 1" wide x 1/2" deep dado into the top into which I can put a sacrificial strip of MDF to use it for track saw crosscuts. It's easier to replace a strip of MDF than make an entirely new top.

Eventually a vise will go on the end. For now I have a bunch of little clamps and dogs to hold items in place.

 

[Wiley's Woodworks]

I'm always leery of using MDF for anything because of what happens to it when it gets wet--any kind of wet from spilling my drink to water based glues and finishes. Two alternative approaches to consider:

1. Glue up the top from a quality hardwood like sugar maple or white oak, then wax the surface so glue and finishes doesn't stick.
2. If you can find a single piece large enough, use fiberboard shelving material with a melamine outer skin on both sides (so you can flip it). I can't vouch for how well the board will handle high clamp pressures; if how it handles screws is an indicator, this is a bad idea. Make sure all your insertable clamps fit snugly.

 

[Rwe2156]

It drills better than ply. Plus stability and consistency. Also when it gets grooves it's less likely the top veneer will come off.

@Wiley's Woodworks if you seal the maintain MDF it is essentially waterproof. A good sealer is a mixture of equal parts polyurethane, naphtha, and boiled linseed oil. On raw MDF just pour it on and let is soak in. When dry apply two more coats. Glue pops right off.

About once a year I go over I give it a good scraping and go over it with a sander and apply a couple refresher coats.

 

[Wiley's Woodworks]

It drills better than ply. Plus stability and consistency. Also when it gets grooves it's less likely the top veneer will come off.

@Wiley's Woodworks if you seal the maintain MDF it is essentially waterproof. A good sealer is a mixture of equal parts polyurethane, naphtha, and boiled linseed oil. On raw MDF just pour it on and let is soak in. When dry apply two more coats. Glue pops right off.

About once a year I go over I give it a good scraping and go over it with a sander and apply a couple refresher coats.

One of my favorite finishes for interior furniture is known as 3:2:1.

• 3 parts mineral spirits
• 2 parts oil-based polyurethane
• 1 part boiled linseed oil

It wipes on easily, doesn't collect dust, hardly changes the color of the wood, and gives moderate protection from water. Two drawbacks: it takes more coats (3-5) than most finishes, and each coat needs to dry ~24 hours before the next coat. Wax on top of this gives a beautiful shine. A commercial version of this is Watsco Danish Oil.

 

[petebucy4638]

We talk about using BB (Baltic Birch) for shop appliances, etc.

So why (especially if you are making your own) would you make your MFT replacement from MDF?
Why not make it from BB?

I don't have an MFT table, but my guess is that MDF is dimensionally stable, heavy, and is very flat. It is also less expensive than BB plywood. Of course, the weight of MDF is a negative factor when you are working with full sheets. Considering that most MFT tops are damaged by cutting while using them, I would tend to perceive them as a sacrificial material that probably needs to be replaced every few years. Then there is the MDF dust. I really hate MDF dust.

 

[Hmerkle]

I don't have an MFT table, but my guess is that MDF is dimensionally stable, heavy, and is very flat. It is also less expensive than BB plywood. Of course, the weight of MDF is a negative factor when you are working with full sheets. Considering that most MFT tops are damaged by cutting while using them, I would tend to perceive them as a sacrificial material that probably needs to be replaced every few years. Then there is the MDF dust. I really hate MDF dust.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions.
1. I will consider this as a sacrificial top.
2. Weight is a factor and that is what made me think of BB.
3. Thoughts of a BB top with a 3:2:1 or simply shellac finish might help maintain the surface.
4. I would likely put in a "spoil board" that is easily replaced for cutting

 

[Tarhead]

You can flip the MFT top just in case you haven't. I've just glued filler strips and wood filler in the groove.

 

[Hmerkle]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions.
1. I do consider this as a sacrificial top, and plan to use it as such but also a work surface so hopeful it is somewhat durable...
2. I thought of making a BB top with a 3:2:1 or simply shellac finish might help maintain the surface.
3. Weight is a factor and that is what made me think of BB. Like a normal MFT - I plan to easily set it up and take it down regularly...
4. I would likely put in a "spoil board" that is easily replaced for cutting

I have watched the 10-minute workshop and gotten quite a few ideas...
The portable MFT bench:

The inspiration for the "spoil board" or insert:

I also found this one:

This idea comes from a tile cutting stand that I use as a table to throw stuff on when I work and thought, boy it would be nice for it to be more than just a piece of plywood...

 

[Rwe2156]

@Hmerkle one of these days I’m going to make the Stanton bench, but I‘m thinking about making it twice the size and hinged. That way I don’t have to drill holes in my assembly table and worry about screws and stuff falling through.

Not sure if I would go the whole route with a fence and hinged track, but I do think it would be good for routing jobs and a clamping square drawers and doors.

You guys renting out the Parf guides is a great idea.

 

[Wiley's Woodworks]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions.
1. I do consider this as a sacrificial top, and plan to use it as such but also a work surface so hopeful it is somewhat durable...
2. I thought of making a BB top with a 3:2:1 or simply shellac finish might help maintain the surface.
3. Weight is a factor and that is what made me think of BB. Like a normal MFT - I plan to easily set it up and take it down regularly...
4. I would likely put in a "spoil board" that is easily replaced for cutting

I have watched the 10-minute workshop and gotten quite a few ideas...
The portable MFT bench:

The inspiration for the "spoil board" or insert:

I also found this one:

This idea comes from a tile cutting stand that I use as a table to throw stuff on when I work and thought, boy it would be nice for it to be more than just a piece of plywood...

Hank--Your idea of a spoil board on top of a permanent MDF top could solve a lot of problems and last a long time. You could drill dog holes in the MDF only and use the bench normally. The sacrificial top could be any material as long as it's flat. I'd use 1/2" thick BB or another piece of MDF that could be up to 3/4" thick. Attach the sacrificial top with wood dowels that will bang down flush. If you happen to line up a saw cut with a dowel, the saw blade just cuts right through it instead of hitting a steel screw and fouling up everything. When it's time, just make another sacrificial top; the permanent bench top is untouched.