Thread: Skinny F clamps or similar

I know the following is a pretty blatant nudge to spend much more than you want to ...

but if you're thinking of going down the path of building a top similar to a Festool MFT, the Parf drilling guide seems to be the bee's knees for spacing holes to a square pattern -- UJK Parf Guide Drilling System - Lee Valley Tools

as to size, 19 mm / 3/4 in is one standard, 20 mm is another.

woodPixel has the Parf tooling. He was having a rave about it on here late last year, most impressed with it.

How thick a top are you intending on using qwertyu? I would think dogs and holdfasts would be of very limited use in anything less than 25mm. Even that's probably too thin.

Originally Posted by aldav

woodPixel has the Parf tooling. He was having a rave about it on here late last year, most impressed with it.

How thick a top are you intending on using qwertyu? I would think dogs and holdfasts would be of very limited use in anything less than 25mm. Even that's probably too thin.

I've had an MFT for a number of years.
I've had no issues with using the parf dogs -- in fact I'm sufficiently impressed that I've bought 8 of the blighters.

Originally Posted by ian

I've had an MFT for a number of years.
I've had no issues with using the parf dogs -- in fact I'm sufficiently impressed that I've bought 8 of the blighters.

I meant generic dogs and holdfasts. The fact that the OP has been looking at clamps lead me to the assumption that he was potentially looking at 16 to 18mm MDF or ply for the top. If you did get the Parf system then obviously the Parf dogs would be the way to go.

The standard MFT top in a Festool table is 19mm thick (or very very close to it), the clamps Festool and others sell are designed to be used in that thickness of top.

I believe the Festool holes are 20mm, and the UJK Parf Guide system adheres to the 20mm standard, as do the dogs from Axminster.

And one day I will get around to drilling mine and getting it all going >.> When I get some time!

EDIT: I just remembered this email from the folks at TSO Products (who make an awesome square for Festool tracks) - they have a new type of tighter fitting bench dog: https://tsoproducts.com/workholding-...eid=c0de6bc11c - no affiliation, just a happy customer of theirs

Thanks guys, I will be looking at some clamps today at some shops and also some warehouses (that import chinese goods to sell on ebay, theres a couple in my area).

I have a 16mm MDF top - I was going to get 25mm but I figured I already had 16mm I'll save some money. The base is made of scrap Douglas Fir and F5 Pine we had in shed so I was pretty lucky to be able to build a bench essentially for free (ended up just paying for castors).

The reason why I am going with 20mm holes (well it will be 20.5mm) is that I also happen to have a 20.5mm forstner bit and figured I'll save some money there too. I dont plan on using holdfasts as I'll get these clamps. In terms of dogs - I figured I could make my own, all I really want is a block of wood that is long enough to span 2 holes and screw in 2x 20mm bits of timber on the bottom. I dont plan on doing any (or much) hand tool work on this bench (ie chiseling/planing/sawing etc) so I figured I might get away with it.

I also want to get a height adjustable trolley and bolting a torsion box over it with the same holes so I can use it as a portable bench and will use clamps for that too

Just an update: Ended up getting this

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/331880264539

Went directly to their warehouse with a sample hole. The pad of the clamp is maybe 5mm too wide so I will grind it down but the rest is ok so I got a couple. If they last long enough I might get a couple more in the future.

They look great to me. Don't think you'll have any problems with them lasting and I'll be very surprised if you don't end up getting more.

Yeah, they look alright. Nothing wrong with the price (if they're not)!

Bear in mind the mantra of the experienced members of the forum: better to pay the price for quality once than pay the same price plus the initial "experimental" price. However, with some things they can be cheap enough to go against that rule, particularly if the "cheapy" can still be used elsewhere. Given that "you can never have enough or too many clamps".....