Shop made MFT

[Doug B]

Don’t know if this is of any interest but a while ago I made myself a MFT for using on site with my track saw.
I started by making a template on a friends miller

Setting the 30mm holes at 96mm centres

After which he turned me up some aluminium dogs starting with the long ones

Cutting them down on the bandsaw

The finished 19mm x 30mm dogs

I clamped the template on an offcut of MDF, using a 19mm cutter & 30mm guide Bush I cut holes in to the MDF with my router, I then moved the template along using the dogs to reference the template & continued cutting holes

On site the top is simply mounted on a couple of trestles though I fixed a couple of bearers to the underside for rigidity

For 90 & 45 degree cuts I find the top extremely accurate as well as being a very convenient work surface.

 

[Steve Maskery]

You could have saved yourself all that bother and just used my template...

 

[porker]

Interesting to see. I have a Bridgeport mill (looks same as the one in your pic) but unfortunately it is packed into my garage and not been set up for 4 years. I wondered about making a template like you did. Did you use a standard milling cutter into ply?
In the end I bought a template and got an excellent result on my second attempt. First attempt was with a worn out cheap router and the cutter wasn't running central to the guide bush which resulted in an offset error accumulating. I then knocked up an aluminium centralising tool on my lathe for the second attempt with a new router which ensured the guide was concentric and that was perfect.

I used the top on some trestles but as I work in the room I am renovating I find I keep accumulating tools on the top as the main work bench so I built it into a Paulk type box so I can keep tools underneath and the top clear.

 

[sammy.se]

Oooh, you have a template? Do you have a link to more details?

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[sammy.se]

Don’t know if this is of any interest but a while ago I made myself a MFT for using on site with my track saw.
I started by making a template on a friends miller

View attachment 4

Setting the 30mm holes at 96mm centres

View attachment 9

After which he turned me up some aluminium dogs starting with the long ones



Cutting them down on the bandsaw

View attachment 2

The finished 19mm x 30mm dogs



I clamped the template on an offcut of MDF, using a 19mm cutter & 30mm guide Bush I cut holes in to the MDF with my router, I then moved the template along using the dogs to reference the template & continued cutting holes

View attachment 5

On site the top is simply mounted on a couple of trestles though I fixed a couple of bearers to the underside for rigidity



For 90 & 45 degree cuts I find the top extremely accurate as well as being a very convenient work surface.

View attachment 3

This was a fun read.
There's something satisfying about seeing those crisp aluminium dogs. And the accuracy looks ace!

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[porker]

Oooh, you have a template? Do you have a link to more details?

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

RS Pro MFT type template

 

[CHJ]

For 90 & 45 degree cuts I find the top extremely accurate as well as being a very convenient work surface.

Total satisfaction then, good to see the most effective tools available for the job being employed.

 

[Doug B]

You could have saved yourself all that bother and just used my template...

I didn’t know you had one Steve also it handy having my own template as I can destroy these tops quite quickly :shock:

 

[Doug B]

Did you use a standard milling cutter into ply?
.

Yep just a standard cutter, the template is MDF

 

[johnbest981]

I'm very new to MFT tabletops, (and this forum in general) but also a metal machinist by trade so this was a very interesting and inspiring read!

The results looks perfect!

Top job!