Dash-Board Hinge

[Birdhunter]

I just replaced the stock drop down MFT rail hinge with one from Dash-Board.

I'm pleased.

It's like going from a Yugo econo-car to a BMW!

The quality of the unit is outstanding. The finish on the parts is flawless as is the fitment. The parts snick together smoothly. The unit arrived well packaged.

I watched the assembly video a couple of times before beginning the assembly and again while I was putting the parts together. The video explains how to do the assembly as well as why the parts need to go together in a particular sequence. Doing the assembly exactly as instructed is critical to the unit working as intended. Don't wing it!

I deviated from the rail alignment procedure as I own a Woodpecker framing square (really big and really accurate) and I wanted the rail to line up with the MFT cut marks..

[woodbutcherbower]

It's like going from a Yugo econo-car to a BMW!

What - you mean it will quickly develop a catastrophic fault which will cost a $zillion to fix? 

[Birdhunter]

I’ve owned 7 BMWs and never had a problem that warranty didn’t! cover.

New owned a Yugo. Heard they came with a spare.,,,,, car.

[rst]

The Yugo came instead of a spare tire in the trunk of the lod Caddies.

[woodbutcherbower]

Never owned a Yugo. Heard they came with a spare.,,,,, car.

Not quite @Birdhunter - but the premium model in the range did come with an engine. Even with that version, you could double the value of the car by filling the tank with gas. This premium model also came with a heated rear window to keep your hands warm whilst you were pushing it. It was always easy to spot a liar back then, because they’d tell you that their Yugo was parked at the top of a hill. The technical specification sheet listed the 0-60 time as ‘eventually’. A new wing mirror for a Yugo? Go for it - it’s a great swap. And to make your Yugo look more ‘sporty’ ? Wear Converse All-Stars whilst driving it. And the name for the Yugo with the optional sunroof? A dumpster.

It really was terrible - but not as terrible as the Communist-era Trabant made in East Germany before the wall came down. There’s an extraordinary video on YouTube of Doug DeMuro doing a review and test drive. Well worth checking out. Enjoy the new hinge gadget.

[Birdhunter]

Clever commentary on the Yugo. There used to be a song about driving a Yugo.

Many years ago, I was driving a Mercedes (rented) on the autobahn flat out and roared up behind a Trabant pulling a small house trailer. The Trabant was belching huge clouds of black smoke making about 15 mph. Fortunately, the Mercedes had great brakes.

[Crazyraceguy]

As it is, my set-up is too big for a hinge, but I am definitely interested in the Dashboard unit, for the inevitable down-sizing when I retire. My space at home will never fit anything as large as I use now.

[Birdhunter]

I saw a small work bench on the Dask-Board site.

[dashboardpws]

I saw a small work bench on the Dask-Board site.

Thanks for noticing. That's our ShortCut™ bench.

https://dashboardpws.com/products/dash-board-shortcut

[redline9k]

looking at hinge options for my new stationary custom MFT in a basement shop.

I am currently building the table, so all options are available.  The back of the table will be as close to a wall as i can get it wo interfering w the hinge.

It seems like the best two options are the Dashboard and the Benchdogs Quad Hinge.  The QH is interesting that it uses the MFT 20mm holes to attach and i dont need to add a piece of track to the back just for the hinge (against the wall, ill never access it otherwise), but the Dashboard looks very well made.

anyone have experience with both?  Im not in a super hurry, so its ok if they're on backorder.  I cant imagine ill complain with either, but gotta decide somehow!

[@bazaba]

I have recently acquired the dashboard hinge and it is thick and quality. I am glad there were assembly videos for it. I have some other things by the company and they are well thought out and all built like a tank which reminds me of when I got my Jessem miter excel as they can be used as warclubs if needed.

[Mark Katz]

It seems like the best two options are the Dashboard and the Benchdogs Quad Hinge.  The QH is interesting that it uses the MFT 20mm holes to attach and i dont need to add a piece of track to the back just for the hinge (against the wall, ill never access it otherwise), but the Dashboard looks very well made.

I don't have experience with the Quad Hinge but I do have and like the Dashboard hinge on an old MFT 1080. I do have room at the back of the MFT but not much, so I remove the hinge when not using it and replace it when I need it; setup is simple enough for that.

But recently I had to crosscut a piece that was so wide that it covered the MFT top completely and even overhang it a bit. I needed to jury rig a fence at the back of the MFT because I couldn't use the last row of holes for fence mounting.  If you are often cutting wide boards (mine was 27"), the Quad Hinge may prevent you from doing so by using up some of the real estate from the top.

[HowardH]

The Dash-board hinges have been completely redesigned since I purchased the original version.  I have long version of the bench on order (hope to see in early December) with the accessories. The new hinges appear to be much improved although I thought the originals were just fine.