Portable MFT - my version

[pe2dave]

OK, I'm not taking it anywhere, but with space at a premium, I needed something I could pack away,
and yet (on occasion) could rip down an 8x4 sheet.
First the trestles. Lightweight indeed,flatpack light!

Next the assembled (one pair) trestles

Joints are tight enough (at the moment) not to need glue, yet appear strong enough to saw on. We shall see.

MFT top from cncdesign. Really well packaged, some really neat routing too.

With the third trestle in place I can handle 2440mm. Two 1400mm rails.

An hour treating the MFT's with teak oil - soaks in like a ... sponge?
More tomorrow then I can play.
@petermillard - even I can 'port' this one ;-)

 

[lurker]

I like that a lot.
I will be nicking the design when I get round to making one.

Is oiling a good idea? Won’t the wood swell?

 

[pe2dave]

I like that a lot.
I will be nicking the design when I get round to making one.

Is oiling a good idea? Won’t the wood swell?

I don't know? I assumed so, hence the teak oil. I asked the guy at cncdesign - but he doesn't reply to fb or his contact form.
I'm a bit either way on the holes? 20mm +/- nowt. Yet that's where the moisture will gain access.
Tempted to try one in a bit of scrap - the teak oil (with turps) is like water. I'm guessing it won't make a difference,
but sods law is lurking <grin/>

 

[petermillard]

Did you get the MRMDF top, or just regular?

 

[pe2dave]

Did you get the MRMDF top, or just regular?

The ply version. Coating with teak oil.

 

[Gazzarose]

I've got a similar situation to you. I don't need a portable bench, but the packawayability (new word for the OED there!) will my ideal for my workshop come car car garage, especially with my casual amount of woodwook. I'm going to buy a set of Peter Millards plans for my 'normal' bench, but Ive also been trying to figure a way to have a temporary larger bench for dealing with sheets materials but also to use as a router flattening sled table and your design looms perfect for that. Of course, whether my skills are up to the accuracy needed to get things tight and stable and not like an MFI wardrobe.

 

[ScaredyCat]

How wibbley is it (left to right wibbleness in picture 2) would a couple more struts from left to right (with notches) help ?

Taking small notches out of the longer pieces, you could also use for clamping up boards during glue up.

 

[pe2dave]

How wibbley is it (left to right wibbleness in picture 2) would a couple more struts from left to right (with notches) help ?

Taking small notches out of the longer pieces, you could also use for clamping up boards during glue up.

Yes, sure it would - but add more weight? All I want is support for the tracksaw?
Tight joints, weight of the MFT and the sheet I'm cutting, works fine for me.
I would not use a foreplane on it
Tracksaw is quite stable.

Equally good for marking out, general 'table' type use?

 

[billw]

A good place to ask this, but I see lots of photos of tracksaw tracks placed directly on top of MFT tables and my first question is how do people avoid sawing into the table?!

 

[Droogs]

Tracksaw have a depth gauge on them. some better than others

 

[Doug B]

You don’t @billw unless you lift the piece being cut it if you place the track in the same place each time then the cut is also in the same place.

@petermillard has a video showing him letting a sacrificial piece of MDF into his MFT top under where his track sits.

 

[OldWood]

I'm sure that this has been addressed before but what actually is an MFT and what are the purpose of the perforations.

My compliments on the table design and build, and I can appreciate its use for processing sheet material, but I've never come across a wood worker using a surface with such holes in it - this may well be because I am old and just haven't caught up with you young things!!
Rob

 

[pe2dave]

Rather than just the table with holes, think of extras.
'dogs' that fit the 20mm holes (lots of variants)
Fences that attach to dogs
Clamps that use the holes to hold down material.

Combine that with a tracksaw (prime driver for MFT design?) and it's a good combination for accurate sheet work.
Peter Millard has a few youtube videos on the combined usage.