DIY Festool MFT type tops

[Demps]

Hi all, I'm planning to make two assembly tables, one 36x80 fixed, and one 30x42 rolling. I'm planning mft style tops, set up for the various work holding devices available. I have a MTF/3 for accurate squaring, so, these table tops will not requires such accuracy (but if I could get it, I'd be happy camper). I've searched the net and found lots of discussion on parf drilling system, cnc contracted stuff, and couple of others. It seems making these tops was hot topic in 2016-17, but not so much since...


My plan is big box mdf, and either using my existing MTF top as a template for drilling 5/8 (rough) holes and finishing with top bearing router bit, OR using the Woodrave router guide with the 10mm shank Bosch T15020 router bit.
I'm keen to learn what others have experienced and commnents on my best way forward...

[Cooler]

I clamped a perferated peg board on my table top and used a Vix bit to pilot drill the holes.  The peg holes should be perfectly aligned and I used 4" on center.  

I then used a 3/4" bushing (from Amazon) and a screw point bit (also from Amazon).  

The screw point bit was probably an error, or I should have made smaller pilot holes.  Two of the holes are not in perfect alignment.  

I think I would just use the screw point bit and bushing again, but with a much smaller pilot hole.  It should work perfectly.  (It nearly did).  But back up the MDF with some sheet goods to minimize tear out.  

If I were to do it again I would use a conventional drill bit,  The screw point bit grabbed too aggressively. 

A 5mm Vix bit would make a large enough hole for a conventional bit to locate.  A brad point bit would be even better if it is available.

The bit had to be cleaned out after each hole as the flutes would fill with MDF scrap.

[Dodis]

There was a previous post on just this subject, DIY MFT Top

But now the images have disappeared from the post.. Luckily I had copied the post into a file for my future use, so I have a PDF of his process, but can't add attachments. Or you could contact KLaz directly for more info.


Mike

[Cooler]

I have currently 3 of these that I have made.  

I constructed the bases from 2 x 4 lumber with a combination of construction screws  and pocket screws.  I have a bottom shelf for storage.  I have peg board on the back of the tables primarily for storage but they add a substantial amount of racking strength.  

One of the tables is primarily used as an outfeed table for my table saw and it is stationary on adjustable height feet (to make it about 1/2" lower than the table saw).

The other two are mounted on locking casters and can be maneuvered easily.  I originally had peg board on the backs and ends of these tables, but the end pieces interfered with clamping pieces to the frame and to clamping the tables together.   

I used the length, width and heigh dimensions from Festool's specs.  As mentioned above I drilled on 4" centers.  At least 45 minutes to drill each top.

I used this $15.00 bushing from Amazon (includes the cost of shipping).  I mounted it in a 6" x 6" piece of plywood.  As mentioned I drilled  using a peg board for a template.  I used a marker to mark each hole I wanted drilled.  You can do the same or you can use wide masking tape to cover the holes you don't want drilled.

You can screw it down or clamp it.  I clamped the first one, but I screwed down the second two, placing the mounting screws where I intended to screw to the base so no empty holes from that.

The "Wood Owl" brand bit proved to be very durable, and I recommend it.  https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_...drill+bits

[DaveR1]

Hi all, I'm planning to make two assembly tables, one 36x80 fixed, and one 30x42 rolling. I'm planning mft style tops, set up for the various work holding devices available. I have a MTF/3 for accurate squaring, so, these table tops will not requires such accuracy (but if I could get it, I'd be happy camper). I've searched the net and found lots of discussion on parf drilling system, cnc contracted stuff, and couple of others. It seems making these tops was hot topic in 2016-17, but not so much since...


My plan is big box mdf, and either using my existing MTF top as a template for drilling 5/8 (rough) holes and finishing with top bearing router bit, OR using the Woodrave router guide with the 10mm shank Bosch T15020 router bit.
I'm keen to learn what others have experienced and commnents on my best way forward...

Out of curiosity, have you checked to see what it might cost you to have someone locally cut the top with a CNC machine? If your own time has any value, it might be worth it to farm this job out. A tool path file for that sort of thing would be easy enough to come up with and you could even add some custom details if you want.

[Juss1]

This is where I’m leaning when I decide to make mine.

https://www.toolnut.com/dominofix.html?limit=12

[Cooler]

The only issue I had with mine is that two of the holes are slightly (about 1/16") out of alignment.  It does not sound like much, but if you are putting in three bench dogs to hold a board, only two of them will be touching the board.  

It has not proven to be an issue, but I expect at some point it will.  

If it really mattered to me, I feel confident that I could do a bit better.  (I might have just one hole out of alignment.)  It is a lot of  holes to drill.  I ran down one battery doing so and half of another.  It took about an hour to drill the holes and about 15 minutes to clean up the mess afterwards.  Driving to a CNC shop would have taken longer.  

I was a slave to the published MFT dimensions (except for the distance between holes, which was 4", instead of 96 mm--3.77953".  This is the MFT specs (mine is much heavier and will carry far more weight)  There are 6 rows of 7 holes each--42 total:

• Weight. 61.73 lbs (28 kg)
  
  
• Max. workpiece width. 27" (700 mm)
  
  
• Max. workpiece thickness. 3-5/64" (78 mm)
  
  
• Table height, legs folded away. 7-3/32" (180 mm)
  
  
• Table dimensions. 45" (1 157 mm) x 30" (773 mm)
  
  
• Table height, legs unfolded. 35" (900 mm)
  
  
• Load capacity. 264.56 lbs (120 kg)
  
  
  

[Mr Eddie]

Woodpeckers offered a hole boring jig as a 'one time tool' that looked like it would work well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chmv52tIdXo

Lonnie