Cms-ge set

[contendernut]

I’m looking at the cms as a router table using the 1400. It is pricey. My other option is Jessem mast r excel table and there ta fence with a pc 7518 if I could find one or the big Milwaukee.

Both about the same price minus router. I have the 1400 but not the other. I know for router table, the Jessem is going to be better but I keep looking at the CMS. 15 years ago, I moved and gave up the complete wood shop.  I’ve started woodworking again but only have festool for the most part. I don’t have a shop and won’t for the next year or so, meaning everything I do is either in driveway or on site. I have a real non woodworking job but we moved out of our house to remodel it ourself.

I’m 99 percent sure I’m going with the Jessem but thought I’d see if there are any real pros of the cms. I do have a large shop built table with a DeWalt plunge router in it but it’s in a storage shed and it’s to large to move around.

 

[AlexThePalex]

The only advantage of the CMS is its portability and the fact that you can fold it up and stow away with a small footprint. Beyond that, the Jessem seems like a lot more router table and if you have the space for it it will be a lot more comfortable and fun to work with.

 

[Hawkeye0001]

Unless you plan on using it as a mobile solution or need to stow it away a lot there is really not that much to gain from the CMS. And if you happened to have a GE or happen to find one for decent money (sometimes you can find them for 'normal' pre-2019 prices...) I'd recommend to make your own inlay + fence system anyway because the Festool CMS-OF is not a particularly great design and has a lot of inherent drawbacks (fence design, position of the router, etc). There's plenty cool ways to make that router inlay yourself for under $100.

Same goes for the CMS-TS 55, good enough for site work here and there but a PITA to set up and not nearly as accurate as Festool made it look.

So in short I don't think it's worth spending thousands of dollar on that system unless you have other uses for it or can swap the attachment parts between it and e.g. the CS-50 or MFT.

 

[Stone Message]

I think the two replies above are very fair but having had several router tables I think that it is worth bearing in mind....

I have the OF1400 permanently set up in my CMS-OF but there are advantages and disadvantages:

Advantages:

  - The dust collection is excellent and better than any other table I have used.
  - There is no need for a collett extension and cutter changes are really easy.
  - When not in use it can be very easily moved to one side or even folded away if space is limited.
  - It really is well made and I like the standard 900 mm height.

Disadvantages:

  - The fence is not very good at all but can be set up accurately with care.
  - It is not the cheapest of tables.

If it were me I would still go for the CMS-OF.

Peter

 

[Joebuck]

I recently acquired the CMS-GE and installed my OF-1400 as its dedicated router. I’ve only done two projects with it so far, but I did find it a real pleasure to use. Unlike Peter, I’ve never had a router table prior to this, so I can’t compare my experiences with other types of systems. Before buying the CMS, I was heavily leaning towards the Jessem system. In my research, I found the Jessem system to be quite a bit less expensive even after adding in all the bells and whistles. Feature wise between the two, I’m sure many on this forum will say the Jessem system out classes the Festool and they may very well be right. But for me it came down to portability. I don’t have a dedicated shop. My tools must be able to store with a small footprint. I don’t travel my tools to different job sites, but that option is likely to come up in the future. For this reason, I spent the extra money and stayed within the Festool product line and I’m glad I did.

The sliding miter sled is excellent. The dust collection is excellent. The build quality is excellent. It’s light enough that moving the unit from storage to work area is not really a chore. The fence is frustrating. However, I’ve recently purchased the Woodpeckers micro adjust and the Festool crown stop, and will be making this modification to the CMS in the coming weeks.

Good luck with your decision and ultimate purchase. Please let us know which way you ultimately go.

 

[jcrowe1950]

I recently acquired the CMS-GE and installed my OF-1400 as its dedicated router. I’ve only done two projects with it so far, but I did find it a real pleasure to use. Unlike Peter, I’ve never had a router table prior to this, so I can’t compare my experiences with other types of systems. Before buying the CMS, I was heavily leaning towards the Jessem system. In my research, I found the Jessem system to be quite a bit less expensive even after adding in all the bells and whistles. Feature wise between the two, I’m sure many on this forum will say the Jessem system out classes the Festool and they may very well be right. But for me it came down to portability. I don’t have a dedicated shop. My tools must be able to store with a small footprint. I don’t travel my tools to different job sites, but that option is likely to come up in the future. For this reason, I spent the extra money and stayed within the Festool product line and I’m glad I did.

The sliding miter sled is excellent. The dust collection is excellent. The build quality is excellent. It’s light enough that moving the unit from storage to work area is not really a chore. The fence is frustrating. However, I’ve recently purchased the Woodpeckers micro adjust and the Festool crown stop, and will be making this modification to the CMS in the coming weeks.

Good luck with your decision and ultimate purchase. Please let us know which way you ultimately go.

  OK, I want to weigh in on this one....I have a Jessem router table setup with the phenolic top and the Rout-R-Lift. It is a nice system with the addition of the box around the router itself. There are a few observations I'd make. I had two home-built router tables in the past. Adjusting for bit height was a hit or miss thing requiring multiple test passes to dial things in. Having a router lift is much superior and with the use of setup blocks one can get much closer on the first cut. The low-end Jessem fence is just OK. Adjustment is a fairly primitive approximation and without the addition of a micro-adjuster, it is not much better in some senses than a home-made fence. Even with a box around the router attached to a 1100CFM Jet dust extractor, dust extraction on the Jessem setup is not optimal. Also, the Rout-R-Lift supports 2 1/2 inch motors, a Bosch 1617 in my case, which gives one something like a 2 1/4 HP motor. Higher end lifts will support larger router motors but one thing to consider is that Porter Cable has exited the router business so no new 3 1/4 variable speed Porter Cable motors. One addition to the Jessem fence that I like is the clear-cut guides which hold down the work and direct it against the fence. One other advantage of the Jessem lifts is that they support sizing rings, one of which allows use of the Porter Cable template bushings....this makes template routing for some jigs possible with a bushing....this is not supported at all with the Festool table. (unless some enterprising person with a 3D printer can make some)

    My experiences with the Festool CMS-OF are mostly with the VL model that attaches to an MFT. I find the fence is at least as good as the Jessem one, but a little finicky to set up. The adjustability of the lift works with the existing plunge mechanism on the Festool supported routers and is very smooth with little or no backlash. Mounting and unmounting the routers in the Festool is very simple. Bit changing is possible from above but care is required. The dust extraction on the Festool offering is hands down the best I've ever personally experienced. Now one possible problem....in the US, the OF2200 is not supported in this router table. One other nice feature is that if you do pin routing on a router table, the Festool setup avoids the dangerous situation of getting your work on the wrong side of the bit by providing a "guide finger" that rides on the bearing and directs the work to the proper side of the bearing. This is a huge feature IME. The sliding table with adjustable protractor is also huge. It replaces a coping sled or other fixtures in a fairly elegant manner. I have used this feature and it is quite good. Final caveat.....if you are using the OF1400, your bit diameter will be limited and you will most likely not be doing raised panels on it. If you reside in a country that uses 230V current, the OF2200 will cover that base. The GE model has an extension table, but the really neat thing is that since the CMS-OF has a height of 900mm and the extrusions for attaching other Festool work surfaces, you can use the MW1000 table, one or more MFTs and/or the Kapex "extensions" as infeed and outfeed support. As always, YMMV and OALA.

 

[FestitaMakool]

I’m with [member=39505]jcrowe1950[/member] on his last chapter here. I have minor experience with a simple table before CMS OF though. I did seriously look into Jessem and UJK, but decided I would go for CMS OF and the VL kit. I’m very glad I did, the freehand routing accessory described by jcrowe feels and acts secure. (The plexiglas “cave” over the router bit is huge for me, and when connected to the dust extractor it’s almost dustless. And you keep a clear line of sight.

I have GE tables as well, but I definitely like using the wider VL table. With support from a MFT/3 it opens up for very wide panel support as well, you can even use a regular fence on the MFT/3 (The fence for Festool Precisio CS 70 should fit) Although it’s possible to use a cutting fence from the MFT/3 or similar too.

I do believe (I’m getting there later myself) that you may work around a raised panel router bit with the OF 1400 - I think [member=11196]Peter Parfitt[/member] did just that.

Edit: Have a look at Dennis’ table on his channel; Hooked On Wood to se the benefits of a large table - where a VL table can be stowed away, on the contrary to Dennis’ very very nice workbench.  [smile]=share