My goodness this one is jam packed with brilliant tips and tricks. A great culmination of references to previous videos too. I’m glad I keep putting off building my bench because with every video I learn something I want to incorporate.
Just recently came across this channel and even though I am finding myself having to rewatch and stop frequently to make sure I understand what you’re telling us, I really enjoy the channel and appreciate the straight-forward approach of your channel. You make a lot of sense and I know there are many of us that appreciate you sharing your knowledge and experience.
I thankyou for all your videos Peter. I discovered you a little while ago, and it turns out at the age of 38 I have a passion for woodwork. I'm learning all the time, so thankyou for all your knowledge sharing in your videos.
I started watching Dave Stainton and yourself at the same time, both if you have been so helpful over the years. About to move to a new house and workshop so lots of food for thought.
This was an awesome video. I am in the process of making my own version of a MFT top and have many of the same features as yours, including the Benchdogs fence. I have been struggling with making a rail hinge, therefore I am looking forward to when you create a video showing want you have come up with. Please don't wait too long to create it. I think it would be something many of your viewers would be interested in.
I’m looking forward to a video of Peter cutting a hole in the wall to accommodate the swing end of the track. He could line said hole with a beautiful custom, hand-wrought aluminium or copper or aluminum…
Years ago I car pooled with a gentleman that I now realize was a master wood worker. His projects almost always required jig work etc. now that I am doing wood work I appreciate this aspect of the hobby. I’m waiting on a wood working bench from Sweden and plan on building a MFT top to use with it, perhaps sit on top. Your work on the MFT is providing insight. Thanks
B&Q do an aluminium curtain track that has a flat base. It is called the “Good Home Thira”. It gives an alternative that may suit people for different applications.
Thanks for yet another great video! I’m always looking forward to what you’ve come up with. It was a nice surprise to watch your chat with Dave, i also enjoy his videos. I had an MFT3 a few years ago, but I sold it as I found it too wobly to use in a stationary setup. After watching this video I might consider building one based on some of your ideas. I live in Denmark where replacement Festool table tops (or similar) is not that common, so I’d love to see a video showing how to make the top without an LR32 rail of the Parf system. Thanks again for sharing 👍
Excellent content. I bought the whole Festool MFT setup years ago and found the hinge so fussy that I finally sold it, as I was getting better crosscut results with a simple TSO rail square. The DASHBOARD bracket looks like a brilliant solution. Thank you Peter.
Hi Peter. I am an avid follower of your content. This last two videos are made for me as I am planning a portable MFT type of bench as my workshop is very small and, I will probably use it outside more than in !! It is a minefield regarding extrusion and compatability, I thank you for all of your tips and tricks, I feel I can trust you, and as a complete amateur this is hugely helpful to me. Again, thank you for your content, I think a Patreon membership is needed now !!
Love this build, solves all the limitations of the standard top. The new hinge is totally worth it. I'd be tempted to cut a 10 cm deep slot in the wall to reduce the gap at the back
I made my mft top with a drill press and a 20mm Forster bit for a template, and then drilling on the top itself with a Bosch corded drill and two bench dogs for alignment. It's tedious and tiring work, but the end result is pretty nice.
One of the most thoughtful designs for a small DIY bench that can have significant modularity and yet is also efficient in function. Perhaps a difference between refined British design and American "go big" philosophy! I'm Australian btw haha.
Great vid as always Peter. I have moved to a fifth floor flat ( with a beautiful view) but I miss my workshop at my previous Bungalow.Especially selling all of my equipment. But life moves on. 👍
Wonderful build demonstrating a knowledge of the limitations of the original and a long pondered set of custom/bespoke additions. Love it. The thrifty and waste not want not side of me wonders if a spare mft now languishes in the side room awaiting a new owner? Its provenance alone would add to my inspiration!
Hello Yoel, I'm a 10 minute fan too. I used a standard off the shelf MFT top as a template to scale up to almost a full 8x4 bench top, using some dogs and a router. I still have the MFT to use as a template for each successive project. I hope I don't upset Peter by including my link for you ruclips.net/video/z7NJc5m_Ouw/видео.html
You built a very clever solution, indeed. I'm actually planning my variant of a modular MFT. I'd love adding something like your front extension. As a hobbyist I will not invest in rail hinges, although I find them very useful.
Got the black stain works a treat done my hair as well cheap as chips my wife didn't recognize me I'm drifting in and out I'm the new lodger its changed my life all over a mft table yipppeeeeee
Yes, a DIY rail hinge would be great! I'm looking at making one in the near future. The Dashboard one is the cat's pajamas as far as I can tell, but pricey. But probably worth it. But I wanna try my hand first. Nice looking bench. I love the black top. So cool. Looking to source some colored mr mdf myself. But may just stain some. Nice to see Dave in your video. I'm already subscribed to his channel. And, yes, great guy. Great ideas from him. Thanks for the video!
You could cut a large notch out of the old doorway behind the bench, then you could get the bench closer to the wall with space for the hinge overhang at the back.
Well done Peter you got there and it really was worth the wait, just an excellent result, love the front extension idea and will certainly incorporate it in mine. Your point is well made about the rear overhang as I had decided early on I needed to be able get 360 access around my work flow and had the room, so using the Festool front and rear hinge suited me better. I love the taper lock idea as well. Well done mate👍
Totally random thought.. What about cutting a recess into the wall to consume some of the hinge overhang? Enabling the bench to be pushed closer to the wall. If I remember from a while ago, that section of wall you framed and clad.
wow. MFT tops are much more affordable in Britin. the only ones i can find outside of festool are about 80 pounds, but i have the parf system to make my own.
Awesome build and insights, Peter! I'd love to see a cheaper alternative for making MFT style holes. The Parf guide system is awesome, but a lot of money for an occasional bench top replacement every couple years.
As Always Peter , top shelf content , MFT looks awesome and you hit the nail on the head “ it’s suits your needs “ over down here in Oz , the Festool MFT 3 is selling for $1525 , and on top of that you need the plunge saw at another cost of about $1100 give or take some change , total about $2625 , for the serious woodworker it’s a small investment, for a hack like myself it’s just a dream
Everybody works in slightly or greatly different ways. What Peter has made of a pretty limiting space is excellent and people will be able to take bits most or all of it. To newcomers to this channel or to woodworking, I can’t recommend Peter’s channel enough, especially for panel work. My tip for the top is designed for least cost. I’ve already got an MFT style top which is over 10 years old. It needs replacing very soon and has lasted so long (turned over once about 5 years) because I refuse to use it as a sacrificial top - when I cut on it, I use scraps of 6mm underneath. So, I will be using my existing MFT as a template for the new one. Place old on top of new; drill, say 15mm holes, through the existing holes through the new; then a sharp template router bit to copy the holes; finish off with a small chamfer bit. If you don’t have an existing MFT to copy, then I would very carefully make a small template, say 6 holes by 3 holes. Then use that as the template on your full sized sheet by using dogs to anchor 2 or preferably 3 template holes and then drill/rout the rest. As I say, I’ve had mine 10 years or so and there are still many holes that I have never used. The lesson from that for me is that I don’t to have all the holes in the centre of the top.
Brilliant as always. I was very surprised to hear how inexpensive a replacement MFT top is in the UK. Here in the US they're far more expensive. The best price I've found is $150+shipping. The Kreg ACS replacement top is $149.99 so the same but with ¾in/19mm holes. I went ahead and bought the Parf guide. It was the only affordable option and it's paid for and I can rent it out if I want to make some cash off of it
Q: late to this, in Ireland mfts don't seem to be easily bought. Thoughts or ideas on a super budget mft style take top to allow repeatable cuts with a track on a hinge. Have basic router and track saw, drill. Don't think I need a full perfect mft just like the idea of the dogs and the track on a rail.
I’d love to see you interview DashBoard creator Rob Schumacher. I just purchased and set up their system in my garage shop and it is brilliantly designed, engineered and manufactured. His video tutorials are marketing genius, but maybe you could get him to step outside that character. Maybe not though. Cheers!
Hi Peter, amazing Build and amazing video as usual, so much information and so much to take in 😁 will have to watch 3 or 4 times to grasp it all. Good to see Dave Stanton dropping in, I follow him and watch his videos occasionally. Unfortunately your video came out just as the Woman's Curling team were starting their Semi Final battle so had one eye on that and one eye on your video 😁 Great MFT Bench and might incorporate some of the features in the new long bench I'm currently building 😁. Have a great Weekend.
Awesome video mate bit late watching as work has been mental with the storm. Really like the style your going with for the shop. When I move to a new space later this year I'll definitely be building a 10 min workshop mft Pete
I'm really looking forward to the bench dogs rail hinge they're making. Which I'm sure you'll eventually review. Still waiting on a review for the repeat stop attachment for the rail square too
Well Peter, I am surely waiting for a DIY hinge solution! I got myself an MFT top with an epoxy toplayer, and I would like to add a hinged rail to it. I know mr. Bisch Basch Bosch made something, but I can't figure out how he made it...
Hey Peter I used peg board to make my mft top. I cut a small piece that I drilled to fit on my router base and added 4 bolts to mesh with a bigger piece. I then used the bigger piece as a template for indexing the router and drilling the holes. The two issues I ran into doing that are: pegboard is spaced 1" apart so I had to forger about getting 96mm spacing, the 20mm router bit I used ended up creating holes that were too loose to use with dogs and retain any sort of precision. Other than that the process worked perfectly. I'll be making another with the process and am hoping to find a bit that creates a tighter hole. I've read that some people have had success using a 25/32" spiral bit since that works out to 19.84mm
Great content as always. I’m getting excited about a new workshop plan and an MFT solution might have to feature. I made a black MDF topped workbench and found Osmo to be a really decent finish although it did need a few coats! Nothing sticks to it and it looks good too!
That looks so good that I'm beginning to suffer from MFT envy! I've always liked dark coloured worktops on a bench, but I'm too tight-fisted to fork out for valcromat. I use MR MDF and stain it with a couple of coats of Liberon ebony spirit stain, followed by 2 or 3 coats of danish oil on both sides. Then I machine the dog holes with a jig from RS CNC. This seemed the most economical method because it uses a router, 30mm guide bush and 1/2 inch cutter which I already had (although I did splurge on a Whiteside upcut spiral bit later on). Final process is to chamfer the dog holes with the UJK hand cutter, and paint the edge with lime green paint before cutting a chamfer around that. I know that sounds a bit sad, but it does look good! If anybody follows this method, use a trend 30mm guide bush - initially I tried a Dewalt guide bush in my favourite DW622 and the result was sloppier than a bowl of soup - using the trend bush gives a perfect piston fit.
This is great to hear. I need to investigate to see if you’ve gotten back around to this. Across the pond, the Makita guide rails are the much more financially sane choice!
Hi Peter, great video. I am in the process of building my own workbench at the moment and am in need of a custom size work top. Therefore I would highly appreciate a video on how to make an mft style top without having a Festool LR32 system.
Hello Chwarg, I'm a 10 minute fan too. I used a standard off the shelf MFT top as a template to scale up to almost a full 8x4 bench top, using some dogs and a router. I still have the MFT to use as a template for each successive project. I hope I don't upset Peter by including my link for you ruclips.net/video/z7NJc5m_Ouw/видео.html
Great video Peter, I enjoyed it very much. A little too late for me, as I have just built my more basic version with a pre-made top. However, the idea of a future video on creating a top more cheaply than using the available proprietary tools, would I think be very useful. The reason, would not be to create a full MFT, since as you say these are very competitively priced, but to have a methodology to create small add-on panels, or panels for specific purposes.
Peter, have you considered swapping the brackets around i.e. put the smaller 'front support' at the rear so you can push back closer to the wall, and the larger hinge bracket with overhang at the front of the bench?? Clearly the lifted up rail might be in the way much of the time, but will be easy to remove and avoid the occasional falling rail hazard you've encountered before 😉 Perhaps worth testing for a day or two??
I hadn’t considered that Mark, for exactly the reasons you say - the rail would just be in the way all the time when it’s flipped up. And the dashboard hinge is much stiffer than the Festool one in that regard - holds its position very well. 👍👍
Peters videos are the only ones you can turn the volume down and you know what's going own by peters very own DIY sign language... Very good video I'm gonna try and do this mft once my evolution track comes
@@10MinuteWorkshop I got extrusion from China for my CNC, never dawned on me to use it with the mft top ... Peter you need to write that book... I'm serious you have great knowledge
Just a thought Peter. Have you thought about chopping a small wedge shaped cut-out in your back wall to accommodate the swing/overhang of the MFT hinge?
Just think about it? Of course you’ve thought about it. This will be my last… So many of us deal with work spaces that are just too small. Much of the quality content on RUclips comes from makers with obscene amounts of space. So many people gravitate toward your incredible content, Peter, because of the way you stay mindful of price but, more importantly, space constraints. I will keep watching even if you don’t try the hole solution… but it would be so great to see your thought process here.
Dear Peter - what a nice video again. I had a laugh on the OCD remark - because you made it seconds after I wondered whether the front and rear T tracks would be aligned :-). I do use a UJK Parf Mk II Guide System to make the holes in my table tops - that makes it easy to make those in a perfectly 90 degrees aligned grid. Not cheap, but a pleasure to work with. And the remark on the protruding rear hinge on the table for the guide rail... that has been the reason for me not to use a guide rail on a hinge any more. And your remark on the make of the Festool hinge at the end of your video - I cannot agree more. But - it serves its purpose for me. Instead I do have a separate replacable table top now, which I use for cutting in many locations - so it is a bit of a trench warfare scenery that one really. But I might change that in the future - your replace-able cut inlay does appeal me - and when thouching on the topic of OCD... well you will understand. K reg Wino
Thanks Wino! Yes, it's tricky, matching up two different extrusions; If I matched the front t-track to the middle slot in the Ikea curtain track, then it's quite low, nut match the top clot in the curtain track and it's quite high - too high to be able to drop the front rail support down completely out of the way. 🤷♂️ It's a compromise. 👍
Referring back to when you soundproofed the wall behind your bench…. Is there any sense to perhaps taking advantage of the cavity and building a niche into the wall for the hinge/rail overhang to recess into? A bit ott of course for a few inches of space but… 😀
As I work backwards through your replies to comments, it’s clear that I’m not to only one to rally behind this idea, Peter. At the risk of becoming annoying…
As always Peter, great video! Like your creative solutions for your space and how much you get done in there. Love the collab too! I’m currently remodeling my house so the finer woodworking has been put on hold and it’s mainly rough construction. I’m planning to wait till the Benchdogs rail hinge comes out and then build a proper MFT with that. It’s probably good given their “track” record (pun intended) 😂. I think I’ve seen somewhere they’re working on it. Have been mighty impressed by the BD rail square mk2! The import duties etc make the Dashboard a bit hefty price. Looks amazingly engineered though! Hopefully it will be out when I get back to woodworking and need to build some stuff for the new house :)
Used synthetic motor oil? I had MDF sitting under my Mini Lathe and used some 0W 20 Mobile 1 as cutting fluid. the MDF did not swell. Not sure of long term effect. I have had 4 test spots on my current MFT/3 MDF top for about a month. So far so good
![Extrusion Confusion - A Guide To MFT Hardware [video 486]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/za5B-XrSuH0/mqdefault.jpg)
![Extrusion Confusion - A Guide To MFT Hardware [video 486]](/img/tr.png)
![Pocket-money Rail Hinge [video 497]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/sHj5G6t1qvY/mqdefault.jpg)
![Backyard, DIY MFT on a Budget [video 490]](/img/1.gif)
My goodness this one is jam packed with brilliant tips and tricks. A great culmination of references to previous videos too. I’m glad I keep putting off building my bench because with every video I learn something I want to incorporate.
Thanks! 👍
Ed, I feel exactly the same. I delayed doing mine because I want all the bits that can help me doing a better/easier job.
@@10MinuteWorkshop Found the way to give multiple likes 👍👍👍👍👍 and a few 👏👏
Love seeing Dave!
Looking forward to you making a rail hinge, inspiring stuff as always,thank you for sharing
Just recently came across this channel and even though I am finding myself having to rewatch and stop frequently to make sure I understand what you’re telling us, I really enjoy the channel and appreciate the straight-forward approach of your channel. You make a lot of sense and I know there are many of us that appreciate you sharing your knowledge and experience.
I thankyou for all your videos Peter. I discovered you a little while ago, and it turns out at the age of 38 I have a passion for woodwork. I'm learning all the time, so thankyou for all your knowledge sharing in your videos.
Thank you! 🙌👍
taking my hat off to this bench and to your plentiful of great hacks that make it truly yours
I'll surely use a few of your ideas in the near future
Great to see you talking with Dave. Nice when makers get together for a chat.
Thanks! It was good to have a chat with him! 👍
Loved seeing two of my favourite woodworking RUclipsrs, thanks for inviting Dave Stanton onto your channel.
Wow really enjoying your video and then comes along Dave Stanton. I really enjoy watching the both of you. Keep up the great work
Haha, thanks! 👍🙌
I absolutely love this channel!!! You are very considerate of time and still manage to explain everything perfectly!
Thank you! 👍
Peter's videos are the best out there!
Thank you! 🙌👍
I started watching Dave Stainton and yourself at the same time, both if you have been so helpful over the years. About to move to a new house and workshop so lots of food for thought.
Such great ideas Peter. Time. And hindsight have allowed you to develope an amazing and flexible worktop
Thanks Kevin! 👍
This was an awesome video. I am in the process of making my own version of a MFT top and have many of the same features as yours, including the Benchdogs fence. I have been struggling with making a rail hinge, therefore I am looking forward to when you create a video showing want you have come up with. Please don't wait too long to create it. I think it would be something many of your viewers would be interested in.
I certainly am.
I'm really enjoying this MFT series, and I'm learning a ton!
Excellent as always. Must find a way to mount that Benchdog fence to the back of my MFT, or take another look at the Dashboard fence.
I've watched your channel as well as Dave Stanton's for years, voraciously. Top blokes, both of you.
Thank you! Dave’s a smart guy, great channel! 👍👍
I always enjoy you videos… amazing craftsmanship..
now THIS is the sort of video which makes Peter literally the best DIYer content creator on youtube!!!!!
Thank you! 🙌👍
Well done Peter. Love the extension shelf!
Thanks Ken! 👍
I’m looking forward to a video of Peter cutting a hole in the wall to accommodate the swing end of the track. He could line said hole with a beautiful custom, hand-wrought aluminium or copper or aluminum…
Years ago I car pooled with a gentleman that I now realize was a master wood worker. His projects almost always required jig work etc. now that I am doing wood work I appreciate this aspect of the hobby.
I’m waiting on a wood working bench from Sweden and plan on building a MFT top to use with it, perhaps sit on top. Your work on the MFT is providing insight. Thanks
B&Q do an aluminium curtain track that has a flat base. It is called the “Good Home Thira”. It gives an alternative that may suit people for different applications.
Thank you so much for your interesting videos. This has inspired me to make my own 'low cost' MFT with a purchased top and IKEA rails.
Thanks for yet another great video! I’m always looking forward to what you’ve come up with.
It was a nice surprise to watch your chat with Dave, i also enjoy his videos.
I had an MFT3 a few years ago, but I sold it as I found it too wobly to use in a stationary setup. After watching this video I might consider building one based on some of your ideas. I live in Denmark where replacement Festool table tops (or similar) is not that common, so I’d love to see a video showing how to make the top without an LR32 rail of the Parf system.
Thanks again for sharing 👍
Excellent content. I bought the whole Festool MFT setup years ago and found the hinge so fussy that I finally sold it, as I was getting better crosscut results with a simple TSO rail square. The DASHBOARD bracket looks like a brilliant solution. Thank you Peter.
Looking forward to the DIY hinge!!!
IKEA hacks , love these!
I’m so glad I found your channel! I’ve been watching for an hour already 😅
Thanks, and welcome! 🙌
So many great ideas condensed in this video. 👍 Thank you very much.
I love your MFT!
Thank you! 👍
Been binge watching your videos. Love what you do.
Thank you! 🙌👍
Peter excellent design and execution and great to see Dave Stanton on the show I enjoy his channel as well.
Thank you! 👍
Hi Peter. I am an avid follower of your content. This last two videos are made for me as I am planning a portable MFT type of bench as my workshop is very small and, I will probably use it outside more than in !! It is a minefield regarding extrusion and compatability, I thank you for all of your tips and tricks, I feel I can trust you, and as a complete amateur this is hugely helpful to me. Again, thank you for your content, I think a Patreon membership is needed now !!
Thanks Paul! And you'd be very welcome should you choose that route! 🙌 👍
Great video! Looking forward to see it in use in future projects
Love this build, solves all the limitations of the standard top. The new hinge is totally worth it. I'd be tempted to cut a 10 cm deep slot in the wall to reduce the gap at the back
Thanks! Any cut in the wall will muck up the soundproofing I put in there. 🤷♂️ 👍
Awesome build Peter! The bench extension on the t-track is brilliant. Thanks again for top notch content.
Thanks! 👍
I made my mft top with a drill press and a 20mm Forster bit for a template, and then drilling on the top itself with a Bosch corded drill and two bench dogs for alignment. It's tedious and tiring work, but the end result is pretty nice.
One of the most thoughtful designs for a small DIY bench that can have significant modularity and yet is also efficient in function. Perhaps a difference between refined British design and American "go big" philosophy! I'm Australian btw haha.
Would love a video on constructing a cheaper MFT. Keep up the great videos.
Coming soon!
Great vid as always Peter. I have moved to a fifth floor flat ( with a beautiful view) but I miss my workshop at my previous Bungalow.Especially selling all of my equipment. But life moves on. 👍
Wonderful build demonstrating a knowledge of the limitations of the original and a long pondered set of custom/bespoke additions. Love it. The thrifty and waste not want not side of me wonders if a spare mft now languishes in the side room awaiting a new owner? Its provenance alone would add to my inspiration!
Thanks! I’m thinking a ‘pimp my MFT’ series! 😂😂
Looks very nice Peter and I agree the price is irrelevant when custom building, it's as you want it
I would LOVE a low cost DIY MFT top build 😊
Keep up the great work! 👍😉
Hello Yoel, I'm a 10 minute fan too. I used a standard off the shelf MFT top as a template to scale up to almost a full 8x4 bench top, using some dogs and a router. I still have the MFT to use as a template for each successive project. I hope I don't upset Peter by including my link for you ruclips.net/video/z7NJc5m_Ouw/видео.html
@@AMBuilds Hi, I can't really do that because I can't get MFT tops in my country, so it's all jigs for me.
You built a very clever solution, indeed. I'm actually planning my variant of a modular MFT. I'd love adding something like your front extension. As a hobbyist I will not invest in rail hinges, although I find them very useful.
Good work there. If I ever get to build a bigger shop that has room for a dedicated wordwork bench I might well look at that.
Got the black stain works a treat done my hair as well cheap as chips my wife didn't recognize me I'm drifting in and out I'm the new lodger its changed my life all over a mft table yipppeeeeee
@@kevinohara8671 🤣
Hello Peter , have a nice day 😎🙋♂️
Yes, a DIY rail hinge would be great! I'm looking at making one in the near future. The Dashboard one is the cat's pajamas as far as I can tell, but pricey. But probably worth it. But I wanna try my hand first.
Nice looking bench. I love the black top. So cool. Looking to source some colored mr mdf myself. But may just stain some.
Nice to see Dave in your video. I'm already subscribed to his channel. And, yes, great guy. Great ideas from him.
Thanks for the video!
Thank you! My previous bench tops were just stained tbh, and they worked out pretty well. 👍👍
Definitely interested in a video of any alternative mft top.Top notch videos .
You could cut a large notch out of the old doorway behind the bench, then you could get the bench closer to the wall with space for the hinge overhang at the back.
I could; and I would also kiss goodbye to all the soundproofing I put in there, if I did that... 🤷♂️
Well done Peter you got there and it really was worth the wait, just an excellent result, love the front extension idea and will certainly incorporate it in mine. Your point is well made about the rear overhang as I had decided early on I needed to be able get 360 access around my work flow and had the room, so using the Festool front and rear hinge suited me better. I love the taper lock idea as well. Well done mate👍
Thanks! 👍
Waiting avidly for the DIY rail hinge solution!
I’m super interested in this. I want an MFT table but I also like the more substantial bench you’ve made.
Looks great. We'll worth the effort and investment. 🤘
Thanks! 👍
Osmo is a nice finishing wardwax oil finish.
Totally random thought.. What about cutting a recess into the wall to consume some of the hinge overhang? Enabling the bench to be pushed closer to the wall.
If I remember from a while ago, that section of wall you framed and clad.
Thanks! That wall’s full of soundproofing - not a great idea to cut it open unfortunately! 👍
wow. MFT tops are much more affordable in Britin. the only ones i can find outside of festool are about 80 pounds, but i have the parf system to make my own.
Awesome build and insights, Peter! I'd love to see a cheaper alternative for making MFT style holes. The Parf guide system is awesome, but a lot of money for an occasional bench top replacement every couple years.
I’d love to see a cheaper diy mft top video! I’m currently making one!
Thanks Peter, you have given me the excuse to pop into IKEA for some meatballs with chips and gravy.
Like we need an excuse for a visit to Ikea! 😱 😂 👍
Excellent work there. A solution to the hinge issue is to just chisel a brick out the wall behind surely?
Thanks! Wall's full of soundproofing - you *really* don't want to be cutting into that! 👍
Cut! Cut! Cut,
Benchdogs annouced a weekago they are working on a hinge system, be interesting to see what they come up with.
Yes, looks fantastic, but very much aimed at MFT top or MFT slab users. 👍
Peter, do you think that Benchdogs hinge might work on a version of your portable bench?
Hi Peter, many thanks for yet another great video, I would also love to see your ideas for a diy mft top and hinge system.
Thanks, and noted! 👍
I will second that notion Peter! I also need a DIY rail hinge solution! Great video buddy keep up the good work!
when you buy a commodity mft top you can use that as a template to make more. i made a couple of extra smaller ones i use for other bits.
As Always Peter , top shelf content , MFT looks awesome and you hit the nail on the head “ it’s suits your needs “ over down here in Oz , the Festool MFT 3 is selling for $1525 , and on top of that you need the plunge saw at another cost of about $1100 give or take some change , total about $2625 , for the serious woodworker it’s a small investment, for a hack like myself it’s just a dream
The Bosch saw is better value in Australia, one of the few products that is almost cheaper here than EU/UK or US.
Thank you
Great video - thanks for sharing and love it.
Everybody works in slightly or greatly different ways. What Peter has made of a pretty limiting space is excellent and people will be able to take bits most or all of it. To newcomers to this channel or to woodworking, I can’t recommend Peter’s channel enough, especially for panel work.
My tip for the top is designed for least cost. I’ve already got an MFT style top which is over 10 years old. It needs replacing very soon and has lasted so long (turned over once about 5 years) because I refuse to use it as a sacrificial top - when I cut on it, I use scraps of 6mm underneath. So, I will be using my existing MFT as a template for the new one. Place old on top of new; drill, say 15mm holes, through the existing holes through the new; then a sharp template router bit to copy the holes; finish off with a small chamfer bit.
If you don’t have an existing MFT to copy, then I would very carefully make a small template, say 6 holes by 3 holes. Then use that as the template on your full sized sheet by using dogs to anchor 2 or preferably 3 template holes and then drill/rout the rest.
As I say, I’ve had mine 10 years or so and there are still many holes that I have never used. The lesson from that for me is that I don’t to have all the holes in the centre of the top.
Brilliant as always. I was very surprised to hear how inexpensive a replacement MFT top is in the UK. Here in the US they're far more expensive. The best price I've found is $150+shipping. The Kreg ACS replacement top is $149.99 so the same but with ¾in/19mm holes. I went ahead and bought the Parf guide. It was the only affordable option and it's paid for and I can rent it out if I want to make some cash off of it
Thanks! It amazes me how expensive replacement MFT tops are elsewhere! At that sort of money the Parf system makes a lot of sense!
Yeah, here in Canada a replacement top is like $230 CAD. Exactly why I bought the Parf Mk2. Def pay more for time it takes though.
Q: late to this, in Ireland mfts don't seem to be easily bought. Thoughts or ideas on a super budget mft style take top to allow repeatable cuts with a track on a hinge. Have basic router and track saw, drill. Don't think I need a full perfect mft just like the idea of the dogs and the track on a rail.
I’d love to see you interview DashBoard creator Rob Schumacher. I just purchased and set up their system in my garage shop and it is brilliantly designed, engineered and manufactured. His video tutorials are marketing genius, but maybe you could get him to step outside that character. Maybe not though. Cheers!
Hi Peter, amazing Build and amazing video as usual, so much information and so much to take in 😁 will have to watch 3 or 4 times to grasp it all. Good to see Dave Stanton dropping in, I follow him and watch his videos occasionally. Unfortunately your video came out just as the Woman's Curling team were starting their Semi Final battle so had one eye on that and one eye on your video 😁 Great MFT Bench and might incorporate some of the features in the new long bench I'm currently building 😁. Have a great Weekend.
Thanks Colin! 👍👍
Look great! Definitely better than a standard MFT.
Awesome video mate bit late watching as work has been mental with the storm. Really like the style your going with for the shop. When I move to a new space later this year I'll definitely be building a 10 min workshop mft Pete
Cheers Dan! 🙌👍👍
The DIY rail hinge would be of grat interest! Especially if there is no welding involved...
I'm really looking forward to the bench dogs rail hinge they're making.
Which I'm sure you'll eventually review. Still waiting on a review for the repeat stop attachment for the rail square too
Yes, the bench dogs hinge looks great. Very specific usage though - MFT top/slab users on eg trestles - but great option to have. 👍
@@10MinuteWorkshop I'm just thinking for myself being on Bosch platform and don't want to buy more rails.
Well Peter, I am surely waiting for a DIY hinge solution! I got myself an MFT top with an epoxy toplayer, and I would like to add a hinged rail to it. I know mr. Bisch Basch Bosch made something, but I can't figure out how he made it...
Hey Peter I used peg board to make my mft top. I cut a small piece that I drilled to fit on my router base and added 4 bolts to mesh with a bigger piece. I then used the bigger piece as a template for indexing the router and drilling the holes. The two issues I ran into doing that are: pegboard is spaced 1" apart so I had to forger about getting 96mm spacing, the 20mm router bit I used ended up creating holes that were too loose to use with dogs and retain any sort of precision. Other than that the process worked perfectly. I'll be making another with the process and am hoping to find a bit that creates a tighter hole. I've read that some people have had success using a 25/32" spiral bit since that works out to 19.84mm
Thanks! I'll be doing a 20mm router bit roundup before too long - there's quite a variation in size! 👍
@@10MinuteWorkshop Looking forward to that!
Great content as always. I’m getting excited about a new workshop plan and an MFT solution might have to feature. I made a black MDF topped workbench and found Osmo to be a really decent finish although it did need a few coats! Nothing sticks to it and it looks good too!
Sounds great! Thanks!
That looks so good that I'm beginning to suffer from MFT envy!
I've always liked dark coloured worktops on a bench, but I'm too tight-fisted to fork out for valcromat. I use MR MDF and stain it with a couple of coats of Liberon ebony spirit stain, followed by 2 or 3 coats of danish oil on both sides. Then I machine the dog holes with a jig from RS CNC. This seemed the most economical method because it uses a router, 30mm guide bush and 1/2 inch cutter which I already had (although I did splurge on a Whiteside upcut spiral bit later on). Final process is to chamfer the dog holes with the UJK hand cutter, and paint the edge with lime green paint before cutting a chamfer around that. I know that sounds a bit sad, but it does look good!
If anybody follows this method, use a trend 30mm guide bush - initially I tried a Dewalt guide bush in my favourite DW622 and the result was sloppier than a bowl of soup - using the trend bush gives a perfect piston fit.
Thanks David! I used wood dye on my previous benches and it looked fine! 👍
I would sure love if you could come up with a way to turn a Makita track into an LR32 track. Perhaps a way with a shop made router guide/pin?!?!
It’s on my list! 👍
This is great to hear. I need to investigate to see if you’ve gotten back around to this. Across the pond, the Makita guide rails are the much more financially sane choice!
Hi Peter, great video. I am in the process of building my own workbench at the moment and am in need of a custom size work top. Therefore I would highly appreciate a video on how to make an mft style top without having a Festool LR32 system.
See what I can do! 👍
Hello Chwarg, I'm a 10 minute fan too. I used a standard off the shelf MFT top as a template to scale up to almost a full 8x4 bench top, using some dogs and a router. I still have the MFT to use as a template for each successive project. I hope I don't upset Peter by including my link for you ruclips.net/video/z7NJc5m_Ouw/видео.html
If you look at Peter's LR32 MFT video, there is a comment from Tobias Ruland who mentions that he did it with lego bricks. He has a video with it
Thanks Peter...
Great video Peter, I enjoyed it very much. A little too late for me, as I have just built my more basic version with a pre-made top. However, the idea of a future video on creating a top more cheaply than using the available proprietary tools, would I think be very useful. The reason, would not be to create a full MFT, since as you say these are very competitively priced, but to have a methodology to create small add-on panels, or panels for specific purposes.
Finalmente uma bancada de trabalho nova 😁
😆 👍
Brilliant Peter👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍😎😎😎
Cheers Alan! 👍
Peter, have you considered swapping the brackets around i.e. put the smaller 'front support' at the rear so you can push back closer to the wall, and the larger hinge bracket with overhang at the front of the bench?? Clearly the lifted up rail might be in the way much of the time, but will be easy to remove and avoid the occasional falling rail hazard you've encountered before 😉 Perhaps worth testing for a day or two??
I hadn’t considered that Mark, for exactly the reasons you say - the rail would just be in the way all the time when it’s flipped up. And the dashboard hinge is much stiffer than the Festool one in that regard - holds its position very well. 👍👍
Thanks for this mind opening video. Since you build it 3 month ago, how is IKEA curtain rail working?
Thanks! IKEA curtain track is working out just fine. 👍👍
Thank you.
Peters videos are the only ones you can turn the volume down and you know what's going own by peters very own DIY sign language... Very good video I'm gonna try and do this mft once my evolution track comes
Haha! You want to shut me up - you'll need a straight-jacket! 😂
@@10MinuteWorkshop I got extrusion from China for my CNC, never dawned on me to use it with the mft top ... Peter you need to write that book... I'm serious you have great knowledge
Just a thought Peter. Have you thought about chopping a small wedge shaped cut-out in your back wall to accommodate the swing/overhang of the MFT hinge?
That wall’s full of soundproofing - not a great idea to cut it open unfortunately!
Just think about it? Of course you’ve thought about it. This will be my last… So many of us deal with work spaces that are just too small. Much of the quality content on RUclips comes from makers with obscene amounts of space. So many people gravitate toward your incredible content, Peter, because of the way you stay mindful of price but, more importantly, space constraints. I will keep watching even if you don’t try the hole solution… but it would be so great to see your thought process here.
Great video
Dear Peter - what a nice video again. I had a laugh on the OCD remark - because you made it seconds after I wondered whether the front and rear T tracks would be aligned :-).
I do use a UJK Parf Mk II Guide System to make the holes in my table tops - that makes it easy to make those in a perfectly 90 degrees aligned grid. Not cheap, but a pleasure to work with.
And the remark on the protruding rear hinge on the table for the guide rail... that has been the reason for me not to use a guide rail on a hinge any more. And your remark on the make of the Festool hinge at the end of your video - I cannot agree more. But - it serves its purpose for me. Instead I do have a separate replacable table top now, which I use for cutting in many locations - so it is a bit of a trench warfare scenery that one really. But I might change that in the future - your replace-able cut inlay does appeal me - and when thouching on the topic of OCD... well you will understand.
K reg Wino
Thanks Wino! Yes, it's tricky, matching up two different extrusions; If I matched the front t-track to the middle slot in the Ikea curtain track, then it's quite low, nut match the top clot in the curtain track and it's quite high - too high to be able to drop the front rail support down completely out of the way. 🤷♂️ It's a compromise. 👍
Love your work 👍
Scott Brown should be watching this bombardment of ideas!!! talk about drinking from a fire hose!!!
Did you make a video on how you fittedtge hinged track rail in detail ?
Referring back to when you soundproofed the wall behind your bench…. Is there any sense to perhaps taking advantage of the cavity and building a niche into the wall for the hinge/rail overhang to recess into? A bit ott of course for a few inches of space but… 😀
Thanks Frank! Unfortunately any puncture in the wall mucks up the soundproofing!
As I work backwards through your replies to comments, it’s clear that I’m not to only one to rally behind this idea, Peter. At the risk of becoming annoying…
As always Peter, great video! Like your creative solutions for your space and how much you get done in there. Love the collab too!
I’m currently remodeling my house so the finer woodworking has been put on hold and it’s mainly rough construction.
I’m planning to wait till the Benchdogs rail hinge comes out and then build a proper MFT with that. It’s probably good given their “track” record (pun intended) 😂. I think I’ve seen somewhere they’re working on it. Have been mighty impressed by the BD rail square mk2!
The import duties etc make the Dashboard a bit hefty price. Looks amazingly engineered though!
Hopefully it will be out when I get back to woodworking and need to build some stuff for the new house :)
Thanks! Yes, the benchdogs solution looks very good, very much aimed at MFT top or MFT slab users working off trestles though. 👍👍
@@10MinuteWorkshop exactly! 😄👌🏼
Yes please. a video for a diy mft top
Used synthetic motor oil? I had MDF sitting under my Mini Lathe and used some 0W 20 Mobile 1 as cutting fluid. the MDF did not swell.
Not sure of long term effect. I have had 4 test spots on my current MFT/3 MDF top for about a month. So far so good