Does an MFT/3 make mitre saw ownership pointless?

[Job and Knock]

...a mitre saw gets used mostly for cutting floorboards and fitting skirting and architrave.  The table can do all those things and with better accuracy arguably.  Plus it can handle panels and wider stock.

OK, then, lets's see you cut a 5.1 metre length of skirting board by running it across an MFT/3. Getting that cut right first time is pretty much critical for skirtings and architraves and cornices (crown) and TBH the MFT/3 route is just so slooooow. Anyway, let's see how well you feel after you've humped your "small" MFT/3 up 5 flights of stairs to where you are working in a building without a lift (and incidentally humped it back down to the van at the end of the afternoon - every day for a week or ten). An MFT/3 is, incidentally, no more capable of being used to safely cut down an 8 x 4ft sheet of 22mm plywood into rips than a Unisaw is (in otherwords it's not) - a TS55, a rail, some lengths of 3 x 2 CLS (softwood) and a couple of trestles are a far better option for that (we do a lot of 8 and 10ft plywood rips). There are very good reasons why a mitre saw is preferable to an MFT/3 for some things

For contractor or  production work, I'd say you wouldn't want to rely on the MFT completely.

Good job, too. If you did you'd be bust in a month!

There is a case for installers or bench joiners needing different kit to furniture makers or hobbyists. Withoiut an SCMS, rail saw and portable rip saw (deWalt DW745) I'd be lost. I can do without a lot, but those three are essential to my everyday work. Everyone is different, though

 

[RussellS]

I think anyone framing a house would demand a miter saw or SCMS to cut joists, rafters, 2x4s, blocking.  And a trim installer would use a miter saw or SCMS to trim a house.  And a flooring layer would want a miter saw or SCMS to cut boards to fit rooms.  Probably a few other examples too where the miter saw or SCMS are essential to working.  Working as in making money and being efficient on a job and being the easiest.  If you are doing it for fun only, then just use a hand powered miter saw (24 tooth) and a plane and shooting board to make all your cuts.

 

[leer]

I am not sure that question can be answered by anyone other than the OP.  Ever situation is different, and I have a pretty different setup than most, I'd guess.

I have a small basement shop with my own version of an MFT -- it is 3 foot by 7 foot CNC milled top with 20mm holes.  Its basically a super-sized MFT. It also serves as the outfeed table for my table saw.  It is also a great general purpose large workbench.  I have some portable tools like scroll saw, oscillating sander, and arbor press, which are on plywood bases with 20mm holes, and I use the tall Parf Dogs to pin them to the "MFT" when in use, and then tools are moved to a storage rack. I just don't have space for lots of dedicated tool stations.

Back to the  table saw -- it is mostly for ripping narrow stock.  All sheet goods are broken down with my TS-55.  But for plywood shelves, I'll use the track saw for cross cuts using rail dogs and bench dogs. Incredibly accurate.

For general crosscutting, my go-to saw is my radial arm saw. (My first major tool purchase, bought in 1976.) Superb accuracy.  I check alignment maybe yearly.  It never leaves its 90 degree setting.  For miters I have a CMS in my garage.  I've thought about having a Kapex at some point to replace my RAS, but the RAS has 15+ inches of crosscutting capacity.  I have been retrimming our main floor doors and baseboards, and didn't want to haul all that trim up and down to the basement, hence locating the CMS in my garage. Plus staining and poly are best applied in the garage instead of the house to minimize odor. I guess my garage is my "trim shop".

 

[sigmatango]

I've had an MFT for two years, and I have used it to do a lot of trimwork. I've muddled thru many projects, but there are some things that the MFT simply can't do. I do love the ability to make odd angle cuts, especially over 50 degrees, and I'll never find myself working without it if I can help it.. But today I finally bit the bullet, and picked up a  DWs709 for a screaming deal. $120 off. Believe me, if Festool had a comparable SCMS price wise, I would jump on it. Sadly, I can but six and a half Dewalts to one Kapex... There's no way the Kapex is six times better...

 

[ScotF]

I use my MFT for angled cuts and it works perfectly fine. I make furniture and sometimes the parts or too big and heavy to properly clamp on the Kapex, even with extensions. So, the MFT is a good alternative. Certainly not as fast, but it works. YMMV.

 

[sancho57]

Yea you can use it for angle cuts, but for things like picture frames it might be over kill

 

[Harry1561]

No tradesman would use an MFT over a mitre saw. Probably the most used tool in the kit

 

[Holmz]

For people that do not use a miter saw, then the MFT conceptually replaces a mitres saw.

For people that really use a miter saw, then the MFT will not replace a miter saw.

So for me it obviates the need for having a miter saw a the simple stuff can be done.

 

[peter halle]

A miter saw has ease of precision for trim carpenters and others who need to cut quicker than a hand saw in a miter box when the width of material is less than approximately 12" and / or the material - like crown is being installed in a combined plane - like crown molding.

The MFT has a purpose when material can be laid flat to be cut and especially when the width of the material is wider than approximately 12" and less than 25".  Additionally, because of the table surface the MFT can assist in cutting angles beyond what a miters can do when the material can be laid flat.

Peter

 

[Gabriel]

MFT3 is never precise without an hour of adjustments. I've struggled for many years and a couple of months ago bought the Kapex (always precise).

 

[grbmds]

MFT3 is never precise without an hour of adjustments. I've struggled for many years and a couple of months ago bought the Kapex (always precise).

I agree the Kapex is a great saw after having used it in a couple of Festool classes, but, for someone like me who doesn't really do a high volume of crosscuts and/or angled cuts, it just can't be justified. Check out the video(s) from Festool about squaring the MFT fence/rail and have a good square handy. It takes a couple of minutes and, after that, I get the squarest cuts I've ever gotten. The squaring process isn't complicated or long and has become a part of my process in making final crosscuts.

 

[Scorpion]

My .02 is this - table saw, track saw, miter saw...all have things they can do well and things they cannot.  If you are into efficiencies, you'll want all three.  If you re budget-minded, you'll need one or two of the three. 

If I had only one - table saw

If I could only have two - Track saw + table saw

...then miter saw

The miter saw is too limited compared to the trac saw and table saw when you considering the pros and cons of all three.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ben_r_]

A TS55/75 w/ MFT does not replace a mitre saw.

Even when you are cutting engineered flooring a mitre saw with a well-used blade (get the Bosch GCM12SD) cuts more cleanly than a TS with a new blade. Granted you should buy a Forrest Chopmaster on that mitre saw and apply some zero clearance items. The cut will be superior, and easier to accomplish. Period.

I second this claim.

 

[RDMuller]

No.

 

[bonesbr549]

All have their place in the world.  If you are a carpenter or work on a jobsite my opinion will not matter to you.  For me, I love my kapex for cutting boards down to size and molding and other tasks.  To get good precision the TS is still the best.  However, I use my MFT3, when working with larger panels and routing and dado's and grooves.  Great for that.  My TS55 is awesome for busting down ply to manageble pieces.  The TS is still king in my world to get the small pieces ripped and precision miters. 

Just like I love my 1400 router for most purposes, it does not suplant my big PC 7518 in the router table.   

Thats my 2cents worth, but that and a buck fifty will get you a cup of coffee.  Cheers.

 

[Job and Knock]

I think anyone framing a house would demand a miter saw or SCMS to cut joists, rafters, 2x4s, blocking.

Where have you been? In the last two or three years I've been framing-out entire floors in commercial builds/refurbs using a speed square and a cordless rip saw (up to 7 x 2s) - really. No cords to drag around, no big heavy mitre saw, either. I'm not alone in working this way - seems like I've "infected" a few other guys who now carry round their cordless rip saws instead of hand saws - most of the time. For second fix, though, an SCMS is pretty much a must as you say