New MFT rail hinge and fence - Mk 2

[derekcohen]

A while back I decided to dip my toes in the MFT water, and built a table and rail hinge. The hinge was made from cutting boards, which likely sounds suspect, but worked very well ...

However, my OCD got the better of me, and I decided to build one in aluminium, inspired by both Benchdogs and Dashboard. I have dimensions for anyone who wants to copy it.

I had also built a fence from 8020, along with shopmade clamps ..

This turned out to be too high for the saw's motor to ride over. Back to the drawing board on this one.

The hinge rail first. It needs to be mentioned that everything was built over 2 weekends. The aluminium was purchased on eBay as 2 x 100 x 300mm (by 6mm thick) sheets, and 2 x 100 x 300mm (by 3mm thick) sheets. These were cut to side with a bandsaw (bimetal blade) - woodworking tools are fine with aluminium. Slotting was done with a router and straight bit. Holes were drilled on a drill press, and threaded tapped by hand. Just work carefully, and you will be rewarded with a great system.

Here is the bench ...

The rest for the rail (I am not sure if there is another name) ...

The rail has a height cutting capacity of a little over 50mm. The saw used is a Festool AT65E. The pin is UHMW, and slightly tapered, which allows the rail groove to fit without slop ...

The dimensions here: 115mm high x 100mm wide. The rest at the top is 145mm wide. All built from 6mm thick plate. The 90mm long slot is sized for an 8mm bolt.

The base is made from 3mm plate and is 195mm wide and 75mm high. The two guides are 10mm wide and 35mm in from each side ...

The hinge

Close up ...

From this angle you can see the stop against which the mechanism can be returned, if moved ...

Rather than a bar to clamp the rail from this end, I used the Benchdogs system. This is secured with stainless steel wheels on the underside. Why not use a bar? I found it more accurate to drill two holes, rather than two holes AND then drill the bar accurately ...

Here is a detailed picture ...

The top plate is 150mm wide x 100mm deep. The 100 x 75mm hinge is stainless steel and has nil movement. The riser is 100mm wide x 140mm high. The slot is 90mm long. All is built from 6mm plate and parts are joined with tapped holes and 5mm machine screws.

All the parts were sanded with a block with 180 grit to create a brushed appearance, and then finished with clear lacquer spray.

The Fence

The fence is made from 6020 extrusion, in the same design as the Benchdogs fence. The cut out was completed on the bandsaw ...

I ordered the Benchdogs Flagstop (flip stop), which can be seen here ...

The fence has a scale along its 900mm length ...

To add this to the aluminium extrusion, the centre section was routed to a depth of 1mm with a width of 1/2", and a Kreg tape attached ...

The rear of the fence reveal the Benchdogs "Fence Dogs", which replaced the shopmade versions previously used ...

So all is now complete, and I can get on with the next furniture build.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[RogerS]

Now that is very elegant, Derek :eusa-clap:

Are you taking orders ? :eusa-whistle:

 

[TrimTheKing]

Ooooh very nice.

 

[Weekend_Woodworker]

Derek, that does look very smart. Can I ask what the aim of building the parts as opposed to buying them was? Is the aim to save money over an off the shelf system, or does it do some thing that an off the shelf system doesn’t do, or did you just fancy making one yourself? I think all are perfectly good reasons for doing it.

If I could find space in my garage then I would be very tempted to have a go myself.

Thanks for sharing.

Mark

 

[derekcohen]

Hi Mark

Two reasons to build it yourself:

Firstly, it is just too expensive to import to Australia. By the time one adds shipping costs and import duty to a product paid for with a tanked Aussie Dollar, the relative cost is about 6 or 7 times that which you might pay in the UK. Allied to this is that there are no local Sellers, and even the slightly cheaper Festool version is unavailable (a Festool MFT costs $1650 locally).

Secondly, I enjoy building anything and everything. I am also a compulsive modifier Nothing is sacred. My wife is constantly rolling her eyes So, if I cannot find what I want or cannot justify the expense, I just build it myself. The challenge lies with finding a design.

Right now I would like to add a spring to assist raising the pin end, but not sure how to design this. Any thoughts?

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[RogerS]

....

Right now I would like to add a spring to assist raising the pin end, but not sure how to design this. Any thoughts?

Regards from Perth

Derek

Gas strut ?

 

[MY63]

Well done Derek, I would love to make one of these thanks for sharing. For the pin end would it not be better to have a mechanism like a set of teeth to raise and lower the pin. A simpler solution might be a couple of rubber strips fixed to the front and rear of the pin plate, the pin plate may need to be extended at the bottom to maintain contact with the rubber when it is at its full height.
Hope this makes sense

 

[derekcohen]

I wonder if I can use magnets? :idea:

Once connected, it will not easily disconnect.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[RogerS]

I wonder if I can use magnets? :idea:

Once connected, it will not easily disconnect.

Regards from Perth

Derek

The only comment I'd make regarding that is what the axis of movement is between the two items in question.

I had the idea of using magnets (5kg pull) to hold two 'wings' of a worktop, surrounding a sink, to a larger piece at the back. The actual joint was vertical between the two which meant that there was a sliding action in play and the magnets not strong enough to resist the slide.

Hope that makes sense.

 

[Weekend_Woodworker]

Hi Derek,

That makes lots of sense to me. I still hesitate at the price of some of the things at UK prices, particularly as I only mess around with wood for fun, rather than to earn a living from it.

A very crude method could be to drill a hole in the plates either side of the hinge and put a spring between them. It might take a bit of trial and error to find a spring of the right strength to balance it suitably. Alternatively could you add a weight to the end of the rail beyond the hinge to balance it better. I don’t know how much rail you have overhanging at the back, or possibly attach the weight to the hinge plate. However if the weight was too big it might hinder the opening.

Best wishes,

Mark

 

[derekcohen]

Added information for completion of fixture ...

The MFT hinge I have build runs smoothly and is very solid. However, there was one element that bugged me, and it took me a while to recognise how to sort this out. This was that the rail would not lean back, as seen in the professionally made versions. My hinge/rail would lift, but then fall back on the table side.

It finally dawned on me that the rail needed to be held up by gravity. That is, the weight of the rail. And to do this, the rail needed to tip over the vertical point. Dumb of me not to see this earlier on!

So .. I made a spacer block out of a scrap of Oak. The was drilled to fit the existing hinge, and a bevel was cut at 15 degrees at the rear ....

This was then stained black, oiled and fitted ...

Working perfectly!

Inciodentally, this is just an 800mm long (Makita) rail. I was considering getting the Festool 1080, but am not seeing a reason.

Regards from Perth

Derek