Matchfit Dovetail Grooves Can Use T-track Clamps and Jigs - Here Is How
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- Опубліковано 15 жов 2024
- Are you frustrated because you cannot use your T-track Clamps and Jigs in your Matchfit Dovetail Grooves. Well, actually you can! Either simply grind the connection bolt heads to be slightly more narrow or use a T-slot router bit to modify your dovetail grooves. Either way works great - now you have the best of both worlds. Matchfit Dovetail Clamps from Microjig offer tremendous opportunities for effective jigs in your workshop. Heck, you can even make Matchfit Sawstallions (too nice to be called Sawhorses) and add a top and/or panel to those to create a PopUp Workbench.
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Tools or Items Used in This Video:
T-slot 5/8" Router Bit: amzn.to/2wXGMp5
Porter Cable Angle Grinder: amzn.to/39XvgIJ
Here is a partial list of tools, etc. I either use in my workshop or
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Air Filtration (WEN): amzn.to/2YWnwoQ
Bandsaw (WEN entry level model) - amzn.to/2Zamukr
Bandsaw - Grizzly G0513X2 - amzn.to/31GfMUW
Belt Sander (WEN) - amzn.to/2z5xzbX
Bench Grinder (WEN) - amzn.to/2H7RGuz
Bench Sharpener Wet/Dry (WEN) - amzn.to/384IfIe
Bevel Gauge (t-bevel) - amzn.to/31Lvjmwl
Brad Nailer Compressor Combo: amzn.to/2Hc6SH9
Dado Blade - amzn.to/2HdkVMn
Dewalt Planer (would buy) - amzn.to/2Hdze3v
DeWalt DWD220 Corded Drill: amzn.to/35f9UDo
Dewalt Planer Helical Blade - amzn.to/31Kuv17
Benchtop Planer (I own) (WEN - Entry Level) - amzn.to/31O3ZnM
Dewalt countersink - amzn.to/31MFCXm
Drill Press (WEN): amzn.to/2L6h0lZ
Engineer square 6 x 4 - amzn.to/2Zfgnzn
Engineer square 11 3/4 x 8 - amzn.to/2Hdnyho
Festool Domino - amzn.to/33K0Dng
Forstner bits - amzn.to/2Zh1adi
Japanese pull saw - amzn.to/2KQr6qS
Kreg K5 pocket hole machine - amzn.to/2HdhBRw
Matchfit Dovetail Clamps: amzn.to/30941cJ
Matchfit Dovetail Router Bit: amzn.to/30e4ev6
Narex Scribing Knife - amzn.to/2YXurOQ
Router - Trim (Ridgid): amzn.to/2TJ3WH6
Router - Bosch Colt Plunge: amzn.to/2KXxQ6a
Router - Bosch (2.3 HP): amzn.to/2NfmkWO r
Router Templates (rounding corners) - amzn.to/2Hbb0Hc
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![Matchfit Microjig Dovetail Clamps [**Gifted/Ad] [video 499]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/uiT6F-K26Tg/mqdefault.jpg)
I tried this & it worked. What I found super interesting is if u use a 5/16 straight bit instead of the usual 1/4 for the original grove and a 5/8 T slot bit, u can use the dovetail clamp n the T slot tracks. Since I've never been that crazy about dovetail or the aluminum tracks, I just might go with my diy routed
T tracks. It seems 2 slide nicer & u can make miles of it 4 nothing.
Very cool idea - I will try that!
Great video, sir. You, and you only, answered my question about using T-track hold down clamps with the Matchfit system! Thanks!
Very welcome
This really helped me. I Just bought a starter set of matchfit thanks toyou. I was trying to figure out if there was a way to mod other accessories to work well with the dovetail tracks. Thanks for all the videos you do with matchfit/micro jig. Please keep them coming!
Yeh, but I bet your bank account doesn’t,t thank me....... oh wait, T-track is really expensive so maybe your investment into the Matchfit Dovetail Clamps is a really, really smart economical move and you can quote me to your wife as you buy 6 more!
I like what you did here. Definitely interested in this idea as I have been thinking of doing my own hack but here you are with two. I do have some concerns about possibly jeopardizing the integrity of the dovetails one the t-slot is routed in. I am sure time will tell. So that leads me back to your first option which is to grind the T's narrower. That seems better to me. Two things I think of when it comes to this narrowing technique.
1) Will the t-track clamps/accessories still work in an actual t-track after being narrowed?
2) Are you putting an angle on the "T" while narrowing it? An angle wherein it kind of matches the Matchfit clamp angles?
There are a couple of clamps that are t-track type clamps that are not available in the Matchfit line and although there are many ways to mimic making your own versions of those using matchfit and their little adapters, there are still some specific clamps that for now I don't think can be made. So now if I wanted to buy some specific t-track clamps and use them in the dovetails and I have to narrow them, would those same clamps then become unusable in an actual t-track?
Very well thought out thoughts about all of this. My experience is that since the amount by which you need to narrow the connectors is so slight, it does NOT affect using the modified clamps in the original T-tracks for which they were intended. No, I do not bother to try to angle my cut when I am grinding the attachments.
The clamps are a little pricey but the money saved on t-tracks more then makes up for it. Never thought of using a t-shaped router, great hack!
My hope and current opinion is running the T-slot router groove in the bottom of the dovetail grooves does not compromise the strength of the grooves. That being said, I don’t think anyone should exert their maximum force to the clams - just crank them down enough to hold and no more.
Can you please let us know if the slot holding well after years of use?
No problem - seems to holding up just fine but I don’t overdo it
Hi Paul. Another innovative solution from the Small Workshop Guy! It'd be great if you could do a demonstration of your Pop-Up Workbench to our local Monterey Bay Woodworkers club sometime in the near future. Your workbench is just the ticket for some of these guys with small shops!
Be happy to do so
Thanks for sharing this tip! btw I love your workbench, I may just have to buy your plans.
That is a famous workbench designed by Samurai Carpenter - plans and complete how to build videos are available if you joing Maker's Mob.
Another contributor accomplished this by using a 10 degree dovetail bit. With a little initial finagling, he also got festool clamps to work.
Good to know - thanks!
You just keep finding ways to use those Matchfit dovetail grooves. This time you made them work with different hardware. Good thinking Paul!
Thanks - have a jig almost ready similar to Jaw horses using the Matchfit grooves on the Sawstallions. Similar functionality to Rockwell RK9002 Jawhorse
Looking at the pix showing the 2 grooves. It appears that essentially what u did was make the groove deeper at it's widest part. Can u tell me what depth u used with the 5/8 bit. I imagine it varies depending on how much shoulder u allowed on the dovetail.
Normally the dovetail grooves are 3/8 inch deep - I would have tried to use the 5/8 bit at that same depth
Couldn't a flat bolt weaken the integrity of the sides of the slot through consistent use? I would imagine they would dig into the sides particularly if some pieces need to be held down strongly. I have an "Armor tool" dog hole, hold down clamp and some of the holes have become slightly wider over time so that some of my dogs don't fit as snugly as they did. Yes, you could argue that you have enough slots to cover any wear and tear and yes you sort of have a work around for using "normal" bolts and yes woodworkers work in their own individual way but I'm still not a fan of dovetail slots as T-Track and/or T-Slots and dog holes offer a lot more flexibility with accessories with fewer slots needed. Paul, however, I applaud your ingenuity.
You are one hard guy to win over! You were the motivation for this adventure! I shall go quietly into the night and let you use your T-tracks and/or T-slots. Darn, just when I finally convinced Microjig to send you thousands of dollars of stuff. Oh well, guess I will just keep it.
@@SmallWorkshopGuy We'll agree to disagree then but you'll never win me over on dovetail slots. To me, there only value is the ability to use Microjig's dovetail clamps and even they have limited functionality/mobility. So if Microjig did send me all their stuff I'll keep the Grripper and all its accessories, zero play guide bars, push block, tapering jig etc etc and I'd sell the dovetail clamps and bolts. I really do enjoy your videos so don't be put off by a grumpy guy from the bottom of the world.
How do you keep the plywood from splitting when you clamp something?
I have NOT had a break out yet - maybe if you are young and have really strong hands instead of arthritic old weak hands like mine you could crank the clamp to breakout point, but that much clamping power is not necessary to hold things securely.
@@SmallWorkshopGuy - correct me if I am wrong but it looks like you used 3/4 inch Baltic Birch plywood on top. Also is there a reason for the attached piece of plyboard attached to the work piece, Is that for strength and rigidity?
I don't think that's a really great idea. The Matchfit gets it's strength by providing clamping pressure along the entirety of both faces of the dovetail track. By grinding the bolts, either method shown, you create two very fine points that concentrate all of the clamping force on sharp edges near the top of the dovetail way. It will cause those edges to dig in and damage the dovetail way and it will very easily break those ways on accident very easily.
I respectively disagree. Since you are grinding to the point where you are just barely able to fit into the dovetail groove, the upward pressure is supported by the entire 3/8ths depth of the groove. In the real world, I have not had a failure yet. This would be a great failure comparison test by some woodworking mechanical engineer out there, but that ain’t me. Thanks for your input for others to consider.