Woodpeckers MFT Hole Boring Jig Review

[@NWGR]

I appreciate the review. I do disagree on it being typical woodpeckers quality though; slop in a reference tool is unacceptable. Imagine if your most frequently used layout tool was a couple of degrees off; every project you make would reflect that, and the errors will compund with each workpiece. That said, there's probably a simple fix: a wrap or two of aluminum tape around the router bushing will make the holes routed smaller by a few thou, which will probably be enough to make the holes tight enough to eliminate the slop. Peter Millard did a video on this comparing a few jigs for making MFT tops. Personally, I'm in the camp of "I paid good money, I expect it to work out of the box with no issues". I don't want to have to buy a tool and then have to "fix" it in order for it to work properly. That's exacly why I decided to build my own MFT instead of buying the festool. All said and done, including the hole drilling jig used to make the top, I'm still a couple hundred under the cost of a festool mft with a much higher quality build and a feature set tailored to my own needs. The jig I went with is the parf guide mk II. Used properly, there will be zero slop and every hole will be extremely accurately positioned and drilled. Excellent presentation and editing, subscribed.

[@garagedwellersww]

Thanks for the discussion, and for subscribing - glad to have you watching! Woodpeckers has put out videos on this showing that despite the slight slop, it makes an accurate grid, but end users have had a different experience. That’s why I went to the lengths that I did to ensure that it was accurate. I have a big grid and it is dead on. The most common comment I’ve gotten is to try the parf guide. I had not heard of that when I built this, but if I need to build another I will give that a try. I agree, it looks like a great, dead on accurate jig.

[@NWGR]

@@garagedwellersww I actually would have preferred a router jig; it's a lot quicker than the parf guide, but finding a good jig in the states is challenging. Plus, the parf guide lets you drill only the holes you need, then add more later if necessary. Offset holes too. Aside from the slop in the woodpecker jig, andther small gripe I have with it is the size. I feel like an extra row of holes would be very beneficial. I'm glad your grid came out square and true, but I could definitely see you had to put in quite a bit of effort to achieve those results, and in the end, the results are what matters. Keep it up! I just watched the three part series on your workbench and it came out great. Checking out some of your other videos. 👍

[@garagedwellersww]

@@NWGR Yes, if it was bigger that would have been so helpful, and much quicker!

[@johnmunoz8845]

He only has slop because he routed the same holes twice. He had mentioned in the video that the wholes were tight and according to him the MDF swelled. Not sure if that was the reason it swelled. I've only heard MDF swelling from water absorption from both liquid water and water vapor. Never heard that it swells when you cut into it. If the wholes were too tight its probably because he wasn't consistent in routing the wholes fully the first time. It's risky to keep rerouting the wholes.

[@NWGR]

@@johnmunoz8845 The slop from the wp jig shown in this video isn't the first report of it; even on the video where woodpeckers shows off the jig there's a lot of complaints about the slop. I just think a tool like this should have tighter tolerances. Like I said though, it's an easy fix with a wrap or two of aluminum tape and some test cuts to see which works best with the dogs you'll be using. I'm still team parf guide though. That thing is amazingly accurate and drills very precise holes with no slop.

[@Timber2Toothpicks]

I think you did a great job . I watched it twice now. You hit on all the main points well.

[@garagedwellersww]

Thanks for checking out out and giving feedback!

[@butterflywoodworks2374]

Glad to see I wasn’t the only one disappointed in this jig.

[@garagedwellersww]

It has definitely gotten the most flak in terms of performance than anything else they sell.

[@carbonfe]

Have the same jig and my experience was the same and I was very disappointed. Felt like I was rushing and that was the cause of my problems. Your insights have given me new hope that I can get that sweet MFT grid done.

[@garagedwellersww]

Thanks for checking it out - hope you can get a nice grid done 👊🏻

[@georgelavelle2097]

If you want precision don't waste your money on this jig, or on the similar knockoffs. Woodpeckers makes high-quality products. I know because I own many of them. If you want accuracy buy the parf guide system. Not much more in price, and extremely accurate. I bought Woodpeckers first and was very disappointed. Hope that helps.

[@garagedwellersww]

I own lots of Woodpeckers as well, part of what drove my purchase. This worked really well for me, but the parf system looks really cool - smart idea.

[@danielgallant45]

Great video! I just received the kit from Woodpeckers and really appreciate your perspective and advice.

[@garagedwellersww]

Glad it was helpful - good luck with it!

[@philipgearhart-jj6fm]

thanks, order the 20mm jig and am glad to know how to get mft results!

[@garagedwellersww]

Very cool - let me know what you think of it!

[@the10fingeredcarpenter]

Funny thing though! You have your 32mm system rail on the table, that gives you full precision over the full length of your table. With a 20mm router bit - bam! - job done. Errors multiply by instance. Iterating over the whole table takes you about 100 jig movements. Was exercising this for a couple of times... 😉

[@projectmanager982]

For those concerned about the cost please keep in mind that Woodpeckers pays their workers a living wage here in the USA. I have many Woodpeckers tools and have no issue spending up for Made in USA.

[@garagedwellersww]

Same here, happy to spend more for products made in the USA.

[@nutsmcflurry3737]

I once asked Peter Parfitt about drilling vs routing the 20mm holes. It was of his opinion that no one has figured out how to do so with very high quality with the router. Including himself.

[@garagedwellersww]

Perhaps a drill based system is the way to go

[@jasonstewart9919]

I think with a router it needs a really high quality 20mm upcut spiral bit and you would use it with 1inch guide bushing + 1inch template holes. That way you are essentially replicating a drill + 20mm dog hole bushing. Big advantage there is that with a plunge router you would always be perfectly plum going into the surface (and use less energy). But the problem is finding a 20mm bit like that with a 1/2 inch diameter shaft (don't know a) if that exists or b) it's even feasible from a tool mechanics standpoint. I'm going to try this method with a 20mm flush straight bit but I am going to probably do a rough bore out of material with a 5/8 spade bit or so beforehand. That way the pressure on the straight bit which has very limited plunge capabilities is really reduced. I think that removing 85% of the hole material first is going to make a huge difference to heat in particular and if I can use that router bit as more like a finishing reamer then I am hopeful. I'm going to do some test holes first and measure them to see how accurate it is.

[@uhN0id]

Thanks for the video. Still on thr fence wbout the jig. It's crazy how expensive MFT tops are so i think a jig is the best investment long-term. Side question for ya: what did you insulate your garage door with? Im in a condo and would love to reduce sound of when i have the garage door closed.

[@ronh9384]

I previously made a comment about the included bushings. But I also think if WoodPeckers had included two more alignment pins and another 20mm and 3/4” alignment pin it would have helped quite a bit. And using a router bit that is precisely the size you need makes a difference as well. Also you should use a centering mandrel in the router and then tighten the bushing with the mandrel bottomed out.

[@michaelpayne8102]

I recommend picking up a 20mm reamer as well.

[@garagedwellersww]

Good tip 👊🏻

[@briangivens5876]

I've got a 1 1/2 in. Table top I would like to add dog holes to. Would you consider this jig to add the dog holes. I'm concerned about the depth.

[@rickbraden4272]

I'm glad I saw this because I was planning on the Woodpecker 3/4" dog hole kit, but not in stock now. Now I won't get their dog hole kit.

[@garagedwellersww]

I’m interested to try out the Parf Guide. Sounds like a way better system than this one.

[@Timber2Toothpicks]

Does this Woodpeckers set up work with most routers? I have a large OLD (brand new) router. Will this kit work with big old routers? Thank You! Well Done!

[@garagedwellersww]

Yep, as long as you can put a standard guide bushing in it, you should be good to go. Thanks for watching!

[@BikeisDusty]

Have you tried to use the LR32 systen to make the top? I was thinking to try that way or get a jig like you have.

[@BikeisDusty]

Great video by the way.

[@garagedwellersww]

I have not tried that, but that’s an interesting idea.

[@homer009x]

Came here for this. You have the track hanging in the back. It was the way to go. Here’s how: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZCtXoOBp7qiZ7s

[@dsdragoon]

I have used my LR32 System and the Hole Drilling Set LR 32-SYS which comes with a 20 mm router bit to make a MFT3 top. I also have a Parf Guide System Mark II. I use the Hole Drilling Set LR 32-SYS for cabinet shelf a system holes, it is pricey.

[@rickkinney1249]

place a spacer between your fence and the woodpeckers template that is thinner than the fence nice vid thanx rick

[@garagedwellersww]

Good tip - thanks for checking it out

[@agdtec]

I have the woodpecker hole boring jig and if it had 1 more roll both vertically and horizontally would make this so much better.

[@garagedwellersww]

Yes, great point. That would have been a huge bonus.

[@rickkinney1249]

place a thinner spacer between the jig and the rail maybe about 2 inches wide and as long as the jig

[@mlzboy]

I also bought this product,and still not used yet,want to know, what size of router bit need to buy?

[@garagedwellersww]

I believe it is a half inch up cut spiral bit that works best. Any straight half inch bit is ok, but they recommend spiral.

[@AlexK07010]

I didn't use it to make entire mft top with this but I did use it to attach smaller jigs to my mft. It worked good. I did do one small mod that I found on FOG. I had a friend machine a bushing adapter that goes on top of the 20mm adapter and then i used 20mm festool router bit and just plunge down instead of using regular bit and move the router in the hole

[@garagedwellersww]

Awesome idea - will definitely look into that next time I use it!

[@ronh9384]

Nice! Can you post a link to that FOG page?

[@NickFabi]

Definitely would have gone down the Parf guide route myself. The big BUT is where you live in the world as to buy Woodpeckers in the uk is very very expensive especially after adding in import tax which I am sure is the same the other way around buy the Parf guide in the USA. If money is not an obstacle then the accuracy of the Parf guide is unparalleled (no pun intended 😂)

[@garagedwellersww]

You nailed it - I have the reverse issue. This was cheaper for me based on import costs. I’m really intrigued by the parf guide though!

[@frenchaccent540]

New sub 👍

[@garagedwellersww]

Awesome - thanks for the sub!

[@toolchuck]

Bob, all I have to say is that Festool and Woodpeckers both SUCK, all my money. 🤣 Personally, I don't rely on dog holes for cut alignments, but I think I would still want them to be more accurate than the Woodpecker jig can make. I have my share of W.P. products and they are some of my favorite tools. But they have also brought a few tools to market that aren't quite adequate IMHO, and I think this might be one of them. Thank you for the time and effort to make this informative video! All the Best, Chuck,

[@garagedwellersww]

Thanks for watching, and agreed - I love my Festool and Woodpeckers kit, but they occasionally drop the ball too. And the suck my money too!

[@coreymeche4307]

FYI for those considering purchasing. I purchased just the 20mm kit and it did not come with a foam insert box. So you might want to purchase one separately.

[@daveh9817]

I ordered the 19mm set and no foam insert case. You have to purchase the entire set to get the nice foam case apparently. I do like that handy case, and it may have influenced my order had I known.

[@ThekiBoran]

What is the diameter of the holes in the jig?

[@garagedwellersww]

Not sure what the exact template hole diameters are. However, the resultant dog holes made can either be 20 mm or 3/4”. They sell kits for both individually, as well as a kit that contains both. The index pins fit into the holes.

[@ThekiBoran]

@@garagedwellersww Do they look like they might be 30mm?

[@ThekiBoran]

@@garagedwellersww Can you measure in imperial? I'll convert to metric.

[@jeffstanley4593]

I am sorry to tell you but if the grid pattern is not 100% accurate, all you did was drill holes in a table. The MFT is for straight lines sure. But it also is meant to work diagonally. You can't cut 45 degree angles if one corner is off a little bit. You know, in a triangle five holes from the vertex in both directions should form a right triangle when both legs are at a 90 degree angle. That one millimeter you mentioned throws that out the window. You now have (maybe) 44 1/2 degree and 45 1/2 degree and a wonky picture frame. Now, even if you used some parallel guides on the track you would still have X axis movement even though the track would negate Y axis movement. I really wanted this hole boring jig for its ease of use. But it is not perfect and it makes me sad. Maybe the Parf guide system as someone else suggested would be a better option.

[@garagedwellersww]

Fortunately it worked really well for me, and my angles have all been dead on. In real life use the geometry of my tabletop has been perfect. I get what you’re saying though, and I know end user experience with this has varied. I may grab a parf guide to do a future video since it has been so recommended.

[@jeffstanley4593]

Yeah, you know precision is of utmost importance. The whole idea is to make straight lines and the same angle every time without even using a protractor. Like two holes up and three holes across will always make a certain angle. Likewise , two hole up and four across, three up and four across etc. I am in the camp of not even needing a MFT top but was fascinated by them none the less. Thanx@@garagedwellersww

[@MichaelBrown-kk6ck]

​@garagedwellersww Would love to see you do a Parf video. Check out Ron Paulk's vids on his Smart Workbench which has a 20/96 MFT top made with a Parf kit. He also uses long dogs and chamfered holes. Long dogs let him put spoil boards under things he's cutting so he can still use the dogs for guides without scratching up his workbench top.

[@MichaelBrown-kk6ck]

That's a lot of fiddling to get the precision you should get out of the box. I'm planning to get the Parf system myself as I start to equip my new garage shop. But even with the Parf system there are a few caveats to prevent loss of precision as you fill out the field. Plan your work so that placement of each hole depends on as few "ancestor" hole placements as possible to reduce the possibility of miniscule errors accumulating. This may require drilling holes in a non-obvious order. And make good use of the hole drilling guides so the holes are dead-nuts vertical. I think you're likely to get better results with a drill and drill guide than a router. In my case, I plan to to the MFT on a good quality plywood tortion box workbench top. If I was doing MDF, I'd use the water resistant variety. And I also wonder what it would cost to have someone cut the holes for me on their CNC machine. Parf guides and my time have some cost, too.

[@garagedwellersww]

I considered having someone CNC it, but since my stable is bigger than a standard 4' wide sheet, it was going to be pricey and questionable. I have heard great things about the Parf guide - I'm thinking of grabbing one to make a comparison video.

[@gXXrGoNe]

Thanks for putting this review together. Honestly with the level of effort your putting to make this guide works makes this a bad buy. It's suppose to be a guide/jig to replicate an MFT. The components are being machined and a CNC. The quality control on this is atrocious. And you're paying top dollar! Having someone make it on there own CNC but with Plexiglas would still be more affordable. Even if the price comes out to be the same you won't have to deal with lack of accuracy and work arounds. This is not at the usual Woodpecker quality! If you're using 20mm holes just purchase the Parf guide. I really wish they make them in Standard sizing but it is what it is.

[@garagedwellersww]

Thanks for watching! A number have folks have commented on the parf guide. I had not heard of it, but I’m really interested to try it down the road.

[@itachi975x]

That’s the whole purpose of the mft precision and that’s what woodpeckers is known for that to me isn’t woodpeckers quality

[@garagedwellersww]

Totally get that perspective. The materials and machining is definitely Woodpercker's normal quality (every hole is the same size, dogs are all machined/knurled well, and to spec, etc.). But the wobble part is where each buyer has to decide if it is worth it to them. Thanks for checking it out and leaving feedback!

[@jerryeykholt8218]

Good result. I have the jig, and it has worked well for me - with practice, and by applying a straight edge, clamping, and some other steps. This jig works well with pre-drilling (with 5/8 “ bit) if you have thicker tops (> 3/4” or 18 mm). I bought it used. Also good to keep router orientation the same for all holes (a slightly eccentric bit and rotating the router will make a bigger hole). Needs to be a flat table, too. This jig would also improve immensely if the plate was much larger (7 x 9 or 10 x 13 holes). That’d probably kill the cost curve, though - and the parf guide option is good, too.

[@garagedwellersww]

Great idea about pre-drilling! Will definitely use that for future tops.

[@itachi975x]

I bought it and I’m very disappointed not the quality of the jig itself but the holes it makes are bigger I own some ujk dogs and fit very loose and another brand and the same idk maybe mine is defective

[@tjveach]

Looks like Woodpeck is no longer selling it....I have one and have not used it. It would seem that the parf system for a little more, is very proven and very much liked...some food for thought....The price is not bad at all for Woodpeck, its well worth it. I do not hink it should have any play....for the quality of Woodpeck products I am shocked that it is not tight.

[@garagedwellersww]

It still shows up on the website when I search for it. I’ve had a number of comments about the parf guide - I am definitely interested in giving that a go if/when I need to make another top.

[@communicationiskey-]

I was shocked during your closing argument for blaming the user for being too picky, or maybe your did not mean it that way and should choose your wording more carefully. YES, Woodpeckers tools are very expensive and YES, buyers should expect the best and not have to trinket as one does with a $20 tools. I own Woodpecker tools and realized over time 5% on their tools sold are not up to par and I understand as no company can be perfect. Although car manufacturers have recalls and fixes, maybe Woodpecker should do the same. But do not blame buyers for being too picky, when one buys a Rolls-Royce, one expects to receive Rolls-Royce quality. Respectfully of course

[@garagedwellersww]

Fair point. I made this video awhile ago, so I’d have to re-watch my comments. I think it’s more the vitriol that it elicits - even in the comments of this video folks have used the word scam. For me, I was perfectly happy with it, and it did exactly what I wanted. But I understand other end users have not had that experience, and even Woodpeckers has put multiple videos out to address customer concerns about this one. I’m thinking of grabbing the parf guide to compare in a future video since so many recommended it.

[@frenchaccent540]

I appreciate your constructive response. Good channel and great topics 👍

[@garyconway439]

This must be one of the worst ways to make a worktop. I don’t know why anyone would go down this path.

[@garagedwellersww]

This jig in particular, or having an MFT style top in general?

[@kennelson7591]

The parf jig is far better and more accurate

[@garagedwellersww]

That’s what a number of people commented. Considering picking it up to do a comparison

[@rsitch1]

With such poor workmanship , I would send it back for a full refund. Why pay for something that does not work and it’s a scam! How much money did these people pay? Bob

[@garagedwellersww]

If you’re asking how much money did they pay me, the answer is none. I bought this myself. I think saying it is a scam is a bit over the top. It wound up working really well for me - I have a giant MFT type top now with what has proven to be perfect geometry. Just took a little bit of tinkering.

[@Mr.Crowley696]

Maybe double back tape good piece of 1/4" plywood to the jig plate instead of moving the straight edge edge.

[@garagedwellersww]

Cool idea!