Procedure - "Cutting Exact Same Widths on the Festool MFT"
When we installed the back fence, we spent a lot of time being sure that the guide rail was perpendicular to it. Now Elena is using our large engineer's square to help establish a right angle for the moveable fence we are making. |
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Elena checks to see that the digital measuring device is firmly clamped to the fence. |
She places an oversized piece of 1/2" plywood on the table. She is making it wider that might be necessary so that it will help maintain the squareness of the fence. |
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She has pulled the digital measuring shaft to a point where it will be just short of the guide rail. She screws it to the plywood. This point doesn't have to be exact since she will zero the setup when she makes her first cut. |
She makes her cut. This will be the zero reference point for this setup |
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She presses the "set" button to zero this point. From this point on, she simply moves her plywood fence and adjusts it until she gets the right reading. She keeps pressure on the fence. As long as it is firmly against the fence, it will be square to the fence. |
She can now test her new system. She decides to cut a piece of plywood so that it will be exactly 2 1/4" wide. She moves the new fence until the readout shows 2.25. |
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With a fresh piece of plywood placed under the guide rail and against the new fence, she makes her cut. |
With the cut made she shows the new strip. |
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She uses a line gauge to check the cut piece. It is exactly 2 1/4". This is a system that should be easy to use and will provide quick and accurate cutoffs each and every time. Right now we have just used it on the shorter side of the table, but it will be as easy and accurate to use on the longer side. |
So what does this have to do with the Festool MFT Table Extension? Easy, with the digital cutoff method, the cut we want stays under the guide rail. The off cut is off to the right (red outlined area) and oftentimes off the table. The extension table lets the offcuts balance on it and not drop to the floor. It is quick to take on and off and now that it is adjusted for this position, we need not do that the next time. |
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