MFK 700 Modular Router: Member Feedback

[Daviddubya]

...The 700 has rod holes and thumb screws for attaching the edge guide.  Use those with the router stop for the 1010....Jerry

Interesting.  Thanks for the work-around, Jerry.  But don't you wonder why Festool did not offer a Guide Stop for the MFK700, since the rod holes and thumb screws are incorporated into the design?  Hmmm.  Maybe a future accessory?

 

[Brice Burrell]

Interesting.  Thanks for the work-around, Jerry.  But don't you wonder why Festool did not offer a Guide Stop for the MFK700, since the rod holes and thumb screws are incorporated into the design?  Hmmm.  Maybe a future accessroy?

  Dave my guess is the 700's base is not made to work with the guide rail, meaning it is too small to sit on the rail, the long part of the 700's base would extend off the guide rail and offer no support. There is no outrigger/support foot.

 

[Corwin]

Dave my guess is the 700's base is not made to work with the guide rail, meaning it is too small to sit on the rail, the long part of the 700's base would extend off the guide rail and offer no support. There is no outrigger/support foot.

What if the support foot were to come attached to the future plunge base.  And a guide attachment too.  Well, I guy can hope.    ;D

 

[Brice Burrell]

  Not to rain on the MFK 700 parade here, but is anyone else wondering why the rest of the world isn't raving about this router?? I think this will be a great tool with in a limited range of tasks. As an edge trimmer it will likely  be the best tool on the market, as an all purpose router I'm not sure. No visibility and a very little depth adjustment will limit its usefulness.

 

[Jerry Work]

Hi Brice,

I have to disagree with you a bit here.  While it is not an all purpose router, I find the 700 a most versatile unit well suited to many grooving and edge routing tasks.  But, where it really shines for me is as a dovetail cutter.  The built in threaded hole takes any US standard threaded guide bushing so it fits on many, if not most, dovetail jigs.  Light weight, good purchase and exceptionally good dust collection for a router.  But, where it simply is better than anything else I have used is for sliding dovetails. 

The simple, no modification required, guide rail adapter I described earlier allows you to set the router base either on the guide rail if you like the bit center close to the rubber edge or flat on the work piece if you don't mind the bit center further away.  If you route the female grove with the router set flat on the work piece, then you can quickly mount the 700 to the side of a MFT3 again with no modification required - just one 8mm bolt and nut - and easily, safely and quickly cut the male sliding dovetail without changing bit height for a perfect fit.  If you like the router to ride on the guide rail, a couple of 4mm strips screwed into the existing holes on the base keep it well supported on the outboard edge.  There is no tendency to tip.

I don't work on site very often, but if I did this set up would be with me everywhere.  In my studio it is in use daily.  You can do the same things with other Festool routers like the 1010 or 1400, it just requires a bit more work to build the horizontal routing jig, takes a bit more conversion time to go from guide rail routing to horizontal routing and a bit more time to change bits.  The collets are the same as for the 1010.  Power is adequate for any bit that will fit through the hole in the base.  Where the 700 is severely limited is depth of cut range is less than 20mm.  Since my standard calls for 10mm deep groves and tongues that is adequate range for those purposes and it is very fast to get it bang on since the micro adjust dial is marked in 0.1mm increments.

Jerry

  Not to rain on the MFK 700 parade here, but is anyone else wondering why the rest of the world isn't raving about this router?? I think this will be a great tool with in a limited range of tasks. As an edge trimmer it will likely be the best tool on the market, as an all purpose router I'm not sure. No visibility and a very little depth adjustment will limit its usefulness.

 

[jonny round boy]

  Not to rain on the MFK 700 parade here, but is anyone else wondering why the rest of the world isn't raving about this router??

Because the MFK700 hasn't been around for very long over here, or anywhere for that matter. I think it's been available since around Nov last year. I've had a chance to handle one, but not to use one. Based on what I saw, I'd own one already if business was better, but it's very slow (virtually stationary!) at the moment, so money is very tight.

I think that it will excel at what it is designed to do, but I don't think the market for it is as big as a plunge router. Give it a few more months, and I'm sure someone (hopefully me!!!) will be raving about it...

 

[robtonya]

I think I want one for the sliding doves too. I can't see me holding a 4 foot tall plywood on edge, and running it down the router table. I think it will be one of those unique routers that will fill in alot of voids you typically would have on setting up any other router.

 

[nickao]

"Where the 700 is severely limited is depth of cut range is less than 20mm. "

Jerry thanks for mentioning that, I missed that fact somehow. This will change my plans somewhat on the order I will purchase the routers.

Nickao

 

[Michael Kellough]

The more I use it, the more I like this 700 router.  I will be adding pics showing all this to the tutorial section on my web site www.jerrywork.com later today or early next week.

Jerry

I can't find these pics, did you get a chance to upload them?

 

[Jerry Work]

Sadly not yet, Michael.  The best made plans and all that........  I will get to it but customers come first.

Jerry

The more I use it, the more I like this 700 router.  I will be adding pics showing all this to the tutorial section on my web site www.jerrywork.com later today or early next week.

Jerry

I can't find these pics, did you get a chance to upload them?

 

[Scrit]

It seems that the MFK 700 is a direct descendant of a NAINA router, the OFK 700, which has been around for a while.

The MFK700 is actually a direct descendent of the Holz-Her 2360 laminate trimmer, even down to the 0 and 1.5 degree bases, although Festool have made some changes (including a different motor). I've been using a 2360 professionally for nearly ten years now and it is without doubt an excellent machine for the task.

To the poster who asked about the different bases, it's normal to trim veneer and solid wood lippings at 90 degrees (i.e. with a 0 degree base). If you trim laminate edges at right angles by machine you end up with a beautifully sharpened knife, so laminate countertops, etc are normally edges at between 91.5 and 95 degrees. This corresponds to the angle you'd get when hand filing and is a trade-off between (lack of) sharpness and the smallest possible dark brown edge line you get with normal phenolic laminates such as Formica and Wilsonart. Sorry if that's restating the obvious

Not to rain on the MFK 700 parade here, but is anyone else wondering why the rest of the world isn't raving about this router??

Probably because it really isn't a router?

Scrit

 

[CharlesWilson]

The MFK700 is actually a direct descendent of the Holz-Her 2360 laminate trimmer

That's interesting. They will be one of the exhibitors at the New England Expo on May 2, 3. I will check them out.

Looks like most of the products on their website are a little bigger than a hand-held laminate trimmer.

Do they still provide parts/service for it?

Charles

 

[Dave Ronyak]

... I find the 700 a most versatile unit well suited to many grooving and edge routing tasks.  But, where it really shines for me is as a dovetail cutter.  The built in threaded hole takes any US standard threaded guide bushing so it fits on many, if not most, dovetail jigs.  Light weight, good purchase and exceptionally good dust collection for a router.  But, where it simply is better than anything else I have used is for sliding dovetails. 

... If you route the female grove with the router set flat on the work piece, then you can quickly mount the 700 to the side of a MFT3 again with no modification required - just one 8mm bolt and nut - and easily, safely and quickly cut the male sliding dovetail without changing bit height for a perfect fit.  If you like the router to ride on the guide rail, a couple of 4mm strips screwed into the existing holes on the base keep it well supported on the outboard edge.  There is no tendency to tip.

IJerry

Jerry, Irecently had an opportunity to see the MFK 700 router in action for edge trimming of wooden edge banding and plastic laminate countertops, but not any other applications.  I am very interested in creating a quick, repeatable setup for cutting the male portion of sliding dovetails on wood components.  I currently have an OF 1400 and many of the accessories offered for it, and other routers of similar or larger amperage, including a table mounted unit with a JoinTech fence machine  (similar to Inca for those who aren't familiar with JoinTech).  I'm very interested in acquiring or creating something that can be quickly setup to cut sliding dovetails with my MFT 1080 or MFT 800, not an MFT/3.  I also don't fully understand what your setup is for an MFT/3 to enable quick mounting of the MFK 700 in a horizontal spindle axis orientation for use with the MFT/3.  Is your setup a custom one you created, or does it use off-the-shelf components from Festool?

Thanks in advance for your response.

Dave R.

 

[Scrit]

The MFK700 is actually a direct descendent of the Holz-Her 2360 laminate trimmer

That's interesting. They will be one of the exhibitors at the New England Expo on May 2, 3. I will check them out.

Looks like most of the products on their website are a little bigger than a hand-held laminate trimmer.

Do they still provide parts/service for it?

Almost no parts any longer. Holz-Her is/was the trading name of Wilhelm Reich who had two main divisions, power tools and static machinery (Festo once had at least three: electric/pneumatic power tools, industrial pneumatic fittings and static machinery). The static machinery division of Holz-Her is best known in the EU for wall saws, edge banders and CNC machines and is still going. The power tools division, which had manufactured drills for Bosch in the 1970s and 1980s (many of them also available in Holz-Her's distinctive orange or black/orange livery), also made tools for other firms in much the same way that Kress make power tools for others (such as Porter-Cable). I guess that when Bosch moved manufacturing over to Scintilla in Switzerland in the mid to late 1980s the power tools division lost a major chunk of their work. They were successful finding takers for their belt sanders though - that's why the Festool BS75 and BS105 belt sanders look so like the Holz-Her designs - when Reich folded the power tools division a few years back I'm told that Festool bought the factory. Collaboration between German tool and power tools firms is nothing new - the Festool OF1000 router is also packaged (albeit with a different base) as the Mafell OF50e, whilst the OF2000 router was/is made by Mafell..........  You also have to wonder how much if any of Holz-Her's innovative Mosquito plunge saw design is in the Festool plunge saws

Scrit

 

[Jerry Work]

Hi Dave,

I did get time yesterday to put two new tutorials on my web site.  One is on the use of the OF-FS router saddle jig (aka plexiglas template) for cutting male SDs and the other on how to mount the Domino machine onto the sled of the 32mm shelf hole drilling system.  jerrywork.com > tutorials.  I will try to get the 700 tutorial up today if I can.

Now to answer your questions.  The beauty of the 700 is that NO MODIFICATIONS of any kind are required to mount the 700 as a horizontal router onto the side of the MFT3.  There is an as yet undocumented 8mm hole in the flat base of the 700 just below the height locking knob.  Place an 8 x 20mm bolt through that hole with the head sticking out the under side of the base and place a washer and nut on the threaded part of the bolt sticking through the top side of the base.  Slide the head of that 8mm bolt into the "T" track on the side of the MFT3.  The bolt forms a pivot point.  As you rotate the router up you raise the amount of the bit that sticks up above the surface of the MFT3.  That is how you set bit height.  Use the micro adjustment knob on the base of the 700 to set how far the bit projects out laterally from the base.  That will determine the distance from the edge of your work piece to the bottom of the cut with the work piece flat on the top of the MFT3.  Tighten the nut on the 8mm bolt and the unit is secure at your desired cut depth and height.  There is enough space between the top of the MFT3 and the "V" grove in the top of the side extrusion for any bit up to the max size the 700 can handle.

For male SDs you can use this set up just like this, or you can bolt a couple of scrap pieces either side of the router to form extra infeed and outfeed support faces.  Since the router base and these extra support faces (ie: fences) both register to the same side of the MFT3 they are automatically in the same plane.  In the tutorial I will show the shapes I use for those extra support faces which allow them to provide additional router height adjustment support and which make it easy to micro adjust bit height as well.

With a simple shop built guide rail stop made for the 700 (Festool does not now supply one) that allows the base of the 700 to ride directly on the surface of the work piece instead of on the guide rail - the tutorial shows how to do this - you can set the DT bit depth once, cut the female grove and then without changing anything mount that same base on the MFT3 and cut the male SD for a perfect fit.  Faster to do than to describe.

This is but one reason I am so high on the 700 router.  It is as though they designed it just for the way I work.  Hope this helps.

Jerry

... I find the 700 a most versatile unit well suited to many grooving and edge routing tasks.  But, where it really shines for me is as a dovetail cutter.  The built in threaded hole takes any US standard threaded guide bushing so it fits on many, if not most, dovetail jigs.  Light weight, good purchase and exceptionally good dust collection for a router.  But, where it simply is better than anything else I have used is for sliding dovetails. 

... If you route the female grove with the router set flat on the work piece, then you can quickly mount the 700 to the side of a MFT3 again with no modification required - just one 8mm bolt and nut - and easily, safely and quickly cut the male sliding dovetail without changing bit height for a perfect fit.  If you like the router to ride on the guide rail, a couple of 4mm strips screwed into the existing holes on the base keep it well supported on the outboard edge.  There is no tendency to tip.

IJerry

Jerry, Irecently had an opportunity to see the MFK 700 router in action for edge trimming of wooden edge banding and plastic laminate countertops, but not any other applications.  I am very interested in creating a quick, repeatable setup for cutting the male portion of sliding dovetails on wood components.  I currently have an OF 1400 and many of the accessories offered for it, and other routers of similar or larger amperage, including a table mounted unit with a JoinTech fence machine  (similar to Inca for those who aren't familiar with JoinTech).  I'm very interested in acquiring or creating something that can be quickly setup to cut sliding dovetails with my MFT 1080 or MFT 800, not an MFT/3.   I also don't fully understand what your setup is for an MFT/3 to enable quick mounting of the MFK 700 in a horizontal spindle axis orientation for use with the MFT/3.  Is your setup a custom one you created, or does it use off-the-shelf components from Festool?

Thanks in advance for your response.

Dave R.

 

[CharlesWilson]

The beauty of the 700 is that NO MODIFICATIONS of any kind are required to mount the 700 as a horizontal router onto the side of the MFT3.

Yes, Jerry, you keep saying that, but fail to mention what modifications are required with MFT 'classic'. I know that the MFT3 surface sticks up higher than the 'classic'.  I have already made a little 'adjustment' to the top surface of one the sides of my MFT to accommodate using my OF1400 in the horizontal configuration (as per your MFS manual) with the 20mm dovetail bit.  Will I be removing more aluminum when I use the MFK700 in the horizontal mode?

Charles

 

[Dave Ronyak]

Thanks, Jerry, for your usual thorough and clearly written reply explaining how to connect the MFK 700 to the side rail of an MFT/3 to cut the male tenon of a sliding dovetail.

Can you describe how this can be done on an older generation MFT.  I think I and many others want to know how to best adapt the MFK 700 for production of the male tenon of a sliding dovetail with old generation MFT 1080 and MFT 800, or to understand why that is not possible.  If a thin sheet needs to be placed on top of an older MFT to enable matching of the height or to provide sufficient bit clearance when mounting an MFK 700 to the side facing channel in the side rail, that may actually be an advantage since the that auxiliary top can include a slick, low friction surface and won't be quickly abraded by sliding workpieces across it as can occur with an MFT top.  (I found this out unintentionally when moving some large workpieces I recently made and had to move about when routing, assembling and sanding them.  Before I realized what was happening I had created several gouges in the top of my MFT 1080 which I had previously protected from saw kerfs through use of a thin sheet of plywood.)

Dave R.

 

[Warrior]

Using Jerry's method of horizontal mounting of the MFK700 you will most likely be able to mount to a surface more appropriate for the task. (e.g. your router table or another laminate surface) I am very excited about this router and its versatility.

Eiji

Thanks, Jerry, for your usual thorough and clearly written reply explaining how to connect the MFK 700 to the side rail of an MFT/3 to cut the male tenon of a sliding dovetail.

Can you describe how this can be done on an older generation MFT.  I think I and many others want to know how to best adapt the MFK 700 for production of the male tenon of a sliding dovetail with old generation MFT 1080 and MFT 800, or to understand why that is not possible.  If a thin sheet needs to be placed on top of an older MFT to enable matching of the height or to provide sufficient bit clearance when mounting an MFK 700 to the side facing channel in the side rail, that may actually be an advantage since the that auxiliary top can include a slick, low friction surface and won't be quickly abraded by sliding workpieces across it as can occur with an MFT top.  (I found this out unintentionally when moving some large workpieces I recently made and had to move about when routing, assembling and sanding them.  Before I realized what was happening I had created several gouges in the top of my MFT 1080 which I had previously protected from saw kerfs through use of a thin sheet of plywood.)

Dave R.

 

[Jerry Work]

As soon as I get a moment I will see what, if anything, needs to be changed for the 700 to fit onto the side of the previous version MFT.  I think the "T" slot is in the same place so about the only thing that might be needed is to cut a relief slot into the top of the extrusion to clear the bit.  I will post that info when I can confirm.

Jerry

The beauty of the 700 is that NO MODIFICATIONS of any kind are required to mount the 700 as a horizontal router onto the side of the MFT3.

Yes, Jerry, you keep saying that, but fail to mention what modifications are required with MFT 'classic'. I know that the MFT3 surface sticks up higher than the 'classic'.  I have already made a little 'adjustment' to the top surface of one the sides of my MFT to accommodate using my OF1400 in the horizontal configuration (as per your MFS manual) with the 20mm dovetail bit.  Will I be removing more aluminum when I use the MFK700 in the horizontal mode?

Charles

 

[Kapitaldream]

The MFK 700 main purpose is as a trim router for laminate counter top, however there seems to be no provision to trim the backspash to the wall such as the Porter Cable trim router kit with its offset base. Will Festool come out with an offset base? There is more to countertops then just making them, they have to be installed and I have yet to see a square corner in a kitchen. My last countertop install saw the walls close to an inch out of square over about six feet. With out that attachment I would think twice about buying this router for its intended purpose. How many other guys use the PC trim router to fit the backsplash?
Steve