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I’m in the final stages of a new build, and wanted to ask about waste board design. While I know the standard is T-nuts, I’m not sure I want to go that route. I’ve seen some people use a three-quarter inch thick waste board and then use T track. I’m thinking something like Incra’s T-track, which I believe is only a half inch tall. I guess I could always screw the T-track down to the main board too, and use pieces of MDF in between. Not sure about the frequency of spacing, and don’t want to break the bank on T-track either.
The last option would be three-quarter inch diameter holes, and some cam clamps. I have some that are made completely out of wood, so if a bit happens to hit one I would not destroy anything. I just don’t know if three-quarter inches is enough thickness to secure the dogs. While I can have the CNC cut the holes through both top and bottom board, I’m not so sure when it came time to replace if they would line up perfectly. With that said I think just cutting holes through the top board only would be the way to go.
Lastly, not sure if I’m better off making the waste board the full dimensions of the base board or making it a little bit smaller so that when I surface I don’t have a pocket.
Very cool! I think I watched a video about this a long time ago but had forgotten about it. I can see it really useful for small pieces especially. I’m curious though… As your sacrificial waste board gets cut up I assume that your surface area for hold down decreases too. With that said maybe it would be better to glue your work to something like 1/4" MDF or similar, and keep the actual waste board pristine. What’s your method?
I am still leaning towards cutting holes for dogs in the top, which I think would work quite well for larger pieces. My tabletop is actually made up of 3/8 of an inch thick pieces of particleboard. I did this as it was nearly impossible to find a flat piece of plywood, and a sheet of MDF was way too heavy to manage. I think it’s close to a hundred pounds. The three eights inch stays nice and flat, assuming your base or substrate is flat. Right now I was planning a total of three of those or 1-1/8" thickness. Thick enough so it will not deflect under load. I was in planning to use something like gator foam or even mat board under my pieces and keep the top pristine.
I’ve read a lot of posts/comments about people having issues with screwing pieces into the top and than the top warping or deflecting as clamps get tightened down. Using sideways force only seems to be the better option. My cam clamps are all wood too, so no worry about destroying a bit.
