Home Made MFT work bench

[JimD]

I have some of the same Rockler plastic dogs. I drilled 3/4 holes in the legs, partially because I built that part of the bench before getting a 20mm router bit. But partially my logic was to use those little plastic dogs to support pieces oriented vertically - like a door you want to route for hinges or something. So I have a use for them but probably not in the top. Workmate dogs are 20mm, by the way. The Rockler dogs will go into a 20mm hole, of course, it is just a loose fit. But on the top of a bench that is probably OK.

[os1kne]

I really dig that "multifunction slab" idea. I don't have room for a full table set up all the time, but the slab would work great. Thanks for posting!

[vaking]

This thread made me think. Traditional workbench was always heavy and equipped with couple vises. And look at workbench designs today. Paulk's workbench, MFT, Kreg universal workbench - all are lightweight, portable and have no vises. What a quick change of heart. I believe it has to do with the change in how woodworkers operate. Old fashioned workbench was optimized for manual operations. Planing the board with the hand plane, chopping mortises, cutting hand dovetails were the typical operations in the past. Now people don't do that. If you want to plane a board - you run it thru thickness planer, dovetails are done with router jig, instead of mortises we use pocket screws (like in the coffee table recently posted here). If you try to plane a board on the paulk workbench - I believe your bench will fly all over the workshop. All the modern workbenches seem to be optimized for tools like panel saw.
What do you think? Would you trade in your traditional workbench for an MFT?

[twistsol]

... Would you trade in your traditional workbench for an MFT?

I did exactly that last fall. I sold my Sjoberg workbench and now have a Festool MFT/3 which works very well for most everything. I'm still in the process of retrofitting my ultimate tool stand so I'm not fully going away from the big heavy bench but transitioning to modular benches.

We also had a garage sale where I sold my BT3, and a number of other stationary tools and replaced them with a ShopSmith with attachments. The jury is still out on that decision. Even though I rarely use a tablesaw, that is definitely the weakest part of the ShopSmith.

[jussi]

What do you think? Would you trade in your traditional workbench for an MFT?

I think it depends on the type of tools you use. I currently have an MFT and torsion box assembly table. I currently have the legs on the MFT folded and placed it on top of a large homemade sysport that has casters. I can't do any type of hand tool work on it. As you alluded it's too light weight so when you try to plane on it the whole thing moves (even with the casters). It would be way worse if the MFT were standing on it's own legs. And of course I'm not pounding a chisel and mallet on a 1" thick mdf top. So I do most of my hand work on my assembly table. It's heavy (espically with the 6x10 legs I use to make the base) and very ridgid. Problem is it has to double as an outfeed table and therefore is much higher than I would like for both planing or chisel work. Eventually I want to build a Roubo bench. Which means I may have to ditch the assembly table to make room.

I think the type of bench a person gets ultimately depends on the type of tools he plans to use. An modern bench like an MFT is probably better for a powertool centric woodworker but probably wouldn't work well for a person who uses mostly handtools. I started as a completely powertool woodworker but have slowly found the joy of using more and more hand tools. In some situations I think it's the better tool.

[JimD]

I agree with jussi and others that suggest Paulk and MFT style workbenches are more for power tools. I think the top of my Paulk style is quite rigid, however, and I have done a little chisel work on it. But only a little because that is the most I use handtools. They are a supplement to my power tools, not my primary means of doing much of anything.

There is also an interesting article out there by a professional woodworker that has switched from traditional benches to MFTs (oversize MFTs). It is entitled something like "getting the most out of our MFT". If you google the phrase I marked in quotes you should find it. His argument is that there are things he can do with the MFT and track using tools that he could not do nearly as well with conventional tools. He still has and uses other tools but has enjoyed doing things a new and better way in some cases. He's also doing it for a living so doing it quicker is also significant.

[atgcpaul]

Would you trade in your traditional workbench for an MFT?

My workbench is also my TS outfeed table and my assembly table. I won't be going all in for a Paulk style or even a full on MFT because I appreciate the heft of my bench. When I'm planing on it or sawing/chiseling DTs, it doesn't move. I also like that the hardboard top is easily replaced (although I haven't had to in 10+ years).

The main problem with my bench is lack of clamping locations. Since it's a torsion box top, the top isn't thick enough for bench dog holes. I also wouldn't want to have dust or small parts fall into the holes and get trapped inside the box. Right now if I can't setup a clamp on the edge, I will just screw through the top of my bench to attach a hold down. I'm going to make the MFT slab and just bring it out when needed. For clamping, I'll raise the slab up off my workbench top with some spacers.

[jussi]

I have a similar setup and just bought these to use as clamps. I also want to be able to mount my festool track so I can use it as a large MFT.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...ilpage_o00_s00

My workbench is also my TS outfeed table and my assembly table. I won't be going all in for a Paulk style or even a full on MFT because I appreciate the heft of my bench. When I'm planing on it or sawing/chiseling DTs, it doesn't move. I also like that the hardboard top is easily replaced (although I haven't had to in 10+ years).

The main problem with my bench is lack of clamping locations. Since it's a torsion box top, the top isn't thick enough for bench dog holes. I also wouldn't want to have dust or small parts fall into the holes and get trapped inside the box. Right now if I can't setup a clamp on the edge, I will just screw through the top of my bench to attach a hold down. I'm going to make the MFT slab and just bring it out when needed. For clamping, I'll raise the slab up off my workbench top with some spacers.