Festool STM 1800 Mobile Sawing Table Alternatives

[sancho57]

I don't think the draw for this product is the cutting table. Plenty of creative DIY and commercial, cheap solutions to handling a sheet for cutting at a comfortable height. It's the whole package of being able to lift a sheet, move the sheet, and cut the sheet on demand as needed.

When I got into working on motorcycles as a hobby there are lot of people that get and modify cheap Craftsman lifts for $100. I spent 4x that on a real beast of a unit that I can climb up on the bike when it's up in the air and it won't budge. I've done it. And I've gotten my moneys worth out of it several times over with all of the work I've done that I otherwise wouldn't have been able to.

Back to the STM 1800. The question it boils down to is does it enable you to do something you otherwise wouldn't be able to? If the answer is yes then I guess you know what to do. Personally the only thing this potentially offers is the sheet lifting. Here in the US we max out at 4x8 unless it's something special we're working on. If you have the dedicated space there are lots of creative pivoting sheet supports DIY that will lift the sheet up to your cutting table. If you don't have a dedicated space there are additionally ideas such as mentioned above. I like the functionality of this product but at $995 I can't imagine investing in it at this point in time. Maybe I'll snag one off Craigslist in 10 years at half price 

Edit: I'm strongly considering this product from Rockler and adding an MFT style top to it to keep in the garage: https://www.rockler.com/rockler-material-mate-panel-cart-and-shop-stand

Load the sheet, pivot it onto my knock down cutting area, wheel it around for processing and have a place to set the saw, clamps, parallel guides, guide rail squares, etc. The top area maxes at 36"x30" according to their literature so you could do the rips on the cutting table, move pieces over and crosscut on the MFT top. Wheel it around so the crosscut pieces are supported by the ripping station using Lee Valley etc.

One other point I left out is that the height of it is adjustable. To me it means in can roll it out to my truck, slide a sheet of ply /timber on to it and roll it into the shop and adj the height to cutting level cut the ply and slid the peices onto the MFT for cross cutting.

When I was young in my early 50s no problem picking up sheets of 4 x 8 ply, now Im mid 60s im needing some help to take the ply from the truck to the shop and set on a MFT for ripping.

Im thinking this will make my life alot easier and not ave to wait for a neighbor, one of my kids to get home from work or the wife to help muscle the ply from truck to shop one sheet at a time.

Oh I did ax Don Ware to do a video review on it. He said he doesnt have one but will ax te Fesool Rep to see if he could get one and do a functional review of it.

For those that dont know Don, He is one of the most knowledgeable people I know on Festools. go to his you tube channel and check out his videos, very thorough reviews especially on the cyclone.

Him being a both a custom high end carpenter and now working at Anderson selling festools, He knows what our needs are and puts the tools through the paces.

Im looking fwd to his video. Im sure he'll post it here i the FOG when hes done. Plus Don will answer and demo any questions that that he doesnt cover in his original demo. Again look at his cyclone reviews.

 

[rmwarren]

I look at this and think, how ahead of his time [member=8712]Richard/RMW[/member] was on this type cutting table....

[member=41086]Vondawg[/member] you prompted me to look back, the original video is 6 years old. Time flies when you are fiddling around a lot.


The updated version of that table still hangs on the wall & gets pulled out several times a year, mostly for breaking down large sheets, edgebanding, etc.

[attachimg=1]

In addition I have both a 4' by 4' centipede and one of the jaw-clamp stand dinguses. The problem in a small shop is storing all that stuff, these latter 2 items are still part of the move-them-around-constantly-leaning-in-the-corner cadre of tools that make me nuts. Gotta find a permanent home for them.

Not sure I'd every justify $1K for this version but for a pro I can definitely see the value, especially solo and on-site folks.

RMW

 

[denovo]

One other point I left out is that the height of it is adjustable. To me it means in can roll it out to my truck, slide a sheet of ply /timber on to it and roll it into the shop and adj the height to cutting level cut the ply and slid the peices onto the MFT for cross cutting.

This is the part I can't wrap my head around.  It doesn't look like it would be easy to adjust the height with a sheet on top.  Getting down on the ground to lift each foot one at a time for every sheet seems like more work then lifting the sheet onto the table.  You might as well just work with the table in the lower position. 

The other problem (for me) is my van is too low to easily slide a sheet onto the table even at it's lowest setting.  The process would be: unlock wheels, move table, lock wheels, lift sheet onto edge of table, climb into back of van, lift sheet to table height and slide onto table, unlock wheels, move table, lock wheels again, start cutting.  Repeat 20 times

I've been thinking of getting something like the Felder FAT 300 which can be easily raised and lowered.  If it's lower then my truck I wouldn't even have to lock the wheels, I can just pull the sheet onto the table.  Move the table to my cutting table, raise it up, slide the sheet onto the higher cutting table. 

The STM would be great if all your sheets are leaning against a wall.  It's getting the sheets from out of the truck and into the shop that seems like a problem to me without a helper.

 

[Martin Johnson]

Thought about 80/20 version...have a mobile worktable plan on their site...downloaded it, and WOW...$1500...The STM1800 seems like a bargain to me

 

[zapdafish]

This thing is so versatile and when stored in my 2 car garage takes up 0 space as it will go under something. I am always in short supply of large horizontal surfaces and this will do nicely when I need it. When I first saw the TS55 many years ago a big ole light bulb went off in my head. Back then it was a circular saw and straight edge or use a table saw. Same thing happened when I saw the STM, luckily i didnt see it 6 months ago but a week ago so didn't have to suffer through the wait  [big grin]. One of the few other times something like this happened is when I was introduced to object oriented programming, lol.

 

[mkasdin]

For moving large and heavy sheets of plywood, Sheetrock and MDF. Lowes and homey depot both sell panel carries. They are cheap $20-$30 and make carrying sheet goods Much less an effort. I think mine is a Stanley. I’m planning on building a large horizontal first cut, fabrication, assembly and finish table I’m thinking 10 foot long and around 4 to 5 feet wide. Spending $1000 on a table to breakdown a sheet is out of my price range. I’m still rubbing nickels to get a DF-500.  It’s been 5 years so it’s on the horizon....

 

[aaronwe]

From the standpoint of a professional woodworker,  I cut my ply at my shop with a sliding panel saw, I will use this table as a multi-use table on the field, sometimes to cut, sometimes to transport wood countertops, help with the process of scribing big panels/counters, general work table, a workbench to work on doors and drawers, sometimes as a cutting table, in short, it is worth it for me.
When I started my business in my garage I made a cutting table (torsion box) that I mounted on a swivel system to easy load sheet goods, that worked fine so if you are a weekend woodworker, it is probably not worth spending $1,000 on this table, but then again, I have seen garage shops that have a 40k CNC that gets used once a month.

 

[jcrowe1950]

Hi Folks,
  Here's another perspective on the STM 1800. Surely it is possible to create something similar oneself for possibly less money. That approach begs the question, what is your time worth? Being a Festool product, I know that I am paying a premium for the engineering that went into the design and the implementation being functional and well executed. Luckily, we are getting one of these at our store for demo purposes and hopefully I can provide a review at some point. At the end of the day, the individual or business customer decides whether a particular tool or product provides the RoI that justifies the investment. When you buy this, or any, Festool product, you know that you can take it out of the box, set it up and it should work as advertised. If it does not meet your satisfaction, returns are not a challenge. BTW, the adjustable height is a huge win for me personally, because I am a bit "vertically challenged". [scared]

 

[jeh]

Hi Folks,
  Here's another perspective on the STM 1800. Surely it is possible to create something similar oneself for possibly less money. That approach begs the question, what is your time worth? Being a Festool product, I know that I am paying a premium for the engineering that went into the design and the implementation being functional and well executed. Luckily, we are getting one of these at our store for demo purposes and hopefully I can provide a review at some point. At the end of the day, the individual or business customer decides whether a particular tool or product provides the RoI that justifies the investment. When you buy this, or any, Festool product, you know that you can take it out of the box, set it up and it should work as advertised. If it does not meet your satisfaction, returns are not a challenge. BTW, the adjustable height is a huge win for me personally, because I am a bit "vertically challenged". [scared]

Overpriced? Yes
Time saver? Yes
Can I make something similar? Yes

If you answer yes to #3 then work up a bill of materials to see how much time it will cost to get something that is equal to or better than the STM.

I do realize this is out of reach for some people and the idea of a $1000 cutting table is absurd, but it is what it is and at least they offered a solution to a problem.

 

[blaszcsj]

I have a sliding tablesaw and still ordered this because all my sheetgoods are stored vertically and working by myself to man handle these is a pain and back strain. This will be a godsend for building cabinets.  The tip up feature is great and it can double for a mobile work bench. I’m going to build an MFT top for this and probably put my MFT in storage.

Also to make this would exceed 1k and I have zero time to make it with two kiddos. Need to focus on building furniture not tools

 

[FvT]

Hello,
First of all excuse me for my bad English/American etc. im from the Netherlands that’s why. I’m an engineer and I redesigned the stm 1800 saw table. I have to say festool has done a very good job and if you ask me it’s worth its money. They used quite expensive materials such as precision square tube, wheels, indexing plunjers and parts witch I cannot find on the internet to buy. Sow a lot of custom pars and it takes quite some labor to make it.

My prototype is not yet ready but there is a begin. 

Please see pictures
[attachimg=1]

 

[mkasdin]

Hello,
First of all excuse me for my bad English/American etc. im from the Netherlands that’s why. I’m an engineer and I redesigned the stm 1800 saw table. I have to say festool has done a very good job and if you ask me it’s worth its money. They used quite expensive materials such as precision square tube, wheels, indexing plunjers and parts witch I cannot find on the internet to buy. Sow a lot of custom pars and it takes quite some labor to make it.

My prototype is not yet ready but there is a begin. 

Please see pictures
[attachimg=1]

try McMaster Carr they are located in Santa FE Springs, CA hey have everything. They are on the internet

 

[zapdafish]

i didnt buy it for a cutting table  [big grin]  although when its not so cold I can see myself using it as such.  the adjustable height, the adjustable width, it being collapsible has been worth 1k in a 2 car garage. same reasoning that led me to pay a premium for a jointer/planar combo machine.

 

[jarbroen]

What pushed me over the edge to buy the STM(besides cutting a kitchen's worth of plywood) was the Festool and Shaper videos they were using it.  Not just for cutting, but for an assembly/work table.  The Sedge video demonstration really shows how useful the STM is.  If you think of it as just a cutting table it's super expensive.  However, if you really make use of all the features it can be a huge improvement to workflow and efficiency.

 

[simonh]

I get 2.8m x 2.07m sheets of Egger board delivered when I'm making wardrobes and things for around the house.  It's a big enough hassle getting this delivered and off the truck (they're used to commercial premises with a forklift). So, having the STM1800 on the drive is really useful to load it onto, rip it down to rough size and move it inside.

 

[Ebuwan]

Hey All,

About to start cutting down a LOT of plywood.

So looks like this table is no longer available anywhere? Grrrrr

Anyone know when it would be available again?

thanks!

Ev

 

[AlexThePalex]

Anyone know when it would be available again?

Not before our governments come to their senses again and allow society to live.

 

[DynaGlide]

Here's what worked for me when doing my last big plywood project:

Lee Valley supports mounted on tracktubes:

Delivery guy and I carry the sheets in and drop them on:

I rip them on the cutting station and crosscut on the MFT's:

Only thing I'd do different next time is put some wood sticks between each plywood sheet so I can cut them without moving the stack off. The other pain is the sheet I needed to cut was always in the middle or on the bottom of the stack. So I'd slide them over and off to the MFT's to re-arrange them.

 

[Rick Herrick]

Only thing I'd do different next time is put some wood sticks between each plywood sheet so I can cut them without moving the stack off.

Thats an absolutely brilliant idea.  My last big project was similar to your layout here.  Seems so simple, thanks for the pointer.

 

[DynaGlide]

[member=72312]Rick Herrick[/member] I have a bunch of square dowels I picked up from the big box store that I use for faux painting racks that I spread out over all my benches to set pieces flat for drying.