This is an evolving document.
Greetings, all. Now that I've had my MFS400 for a while, here are some observations.
- Print [url=http://www.festoolusa.com/Web_files/MFS_Jerry_Work.pdf]Jerry Work's guide
- to using the MFS and read it. Repeatedly.
- Read Brice Burrell's excellent thread. Again, repeatedly.
- Before I bought it, I questioned the usefulness of the MFS 400. Seemed as if the maximum capacity was pretty small. I was wrong--I use it very frequently. It's true that the smallest opening either MFS can be set to is the same, namely, 0 by 0. So you might argue that the MFS700 is more versatile. I think that at smaller settings the longer pieces that make up the MFS700 would often result in a more clumsy template. This is particularly true when cutting circles, since the entire template assembly is pivoted around the center.
- There is a BIG time savings in using the MFS to construct a template. I've frequently discovered that I could use a template while in the middle of the project that needed it. I would then have to break down various setups for that project, or at least move a lot of stuff around, to arrange to build the template. Now, with the MFS as my template-making kit, I do a lot less reconfiguring of the shop. This is a time savings even for a single use of the template.
- Being finicky costs you almost nothing when using the MFS. If I want to make a template dimension 0.5mm more or less, it is the work of seconds to do so--no remaking or cobbling required.
- To those with limited space: Rather than keep a lot of purpose-built templates around, I now keep "recipes" of settings for various purposes.
- Guide Rail Connectors fit perfectly in the clamp slots of the extrusion. They can be used to connect MFS extrusions together end-to-end. Disadvantages compared to the joiners described below: The connectors are very heavy, and take up enough of the slot that they may interfere with clamping. Advantage: You probably already have them.
- You can get a set of 4 MFS "joiners" (493 235, a spare part, ~25USD), which allow you to connect two sections end-to-end. I believe that the intended use is two of these to connect two sections, but you can get away with a single joiner if you're careful. For the MFS 400, these parts allow the construction of a single beam 1200mm long, or two 600mm long. Jerry Work uses these joiners as markers in the groove next to the index marks.
Christian O. said:
- An extremely accurate way to set up for a Festool guide rail: Using an MFS section(s), a self-made stop that slides on the section and protrudes below it to hook against the work, set the section to the width of the piece you wish to cut. From this point on, the MFS beam is a story stick--you'll just hook it against the work's edge and mark at the end of the beam Tap single edge razor blades into the work against the end of the MFS section. Remove the MFS, place the guide rail's rubber against the blades, secure the rail, remove the blades, and cut. Thank you, Jerry Work and John Lucas.
- I really like my OF1010, but: It was necessary to adjust the shortest depth stop on my OF1010 router to its minimum in order to rout through 18mm plywood using the MFS. The MFS sections themselves are 16mm thick, so the first 16mm of plunge travel is just to get the bit to the zero point on the surface of the work. Since longer 1/2"-shank cutters are widely available, the OF1400 would be a better choice to make full use of the MFS.
- The FS-Rapid clamps can be attached to an MFS section. The clamps may need to be adjusted slightly. The much more common FS 120 and 300 clamps, and the Quick Clamps work fine.
- 1/4 inch square nuts are a good fit in the clamp slots; 1/4 hex nuts will also work. 5/16 nuts will not fit.
- The FS-KS angle attachment can be attached to an MFS section, but it mounts to the top surface of the MFS section and will probably get in the way of the router. An adapter that attached the FS-KS to the side of the MFS section would be useful.
- When you buy an MFS set, be sure you have a 30mm copying ring (aka template guide) for your router. While you can use other sizes of ring for rectangles and such, the 30 is required to use the included circle cutting piece. I use the 30mm ring and 12mm bit by default. Keeps the math easy.
- No matter what kit you buy to start using the MFS, you will end up buying additional pieces as the product's usefulness becomes apparent. They're certainly on my wish list.
A Picture Is Worth 1K Words, So...
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MFS Parts Dimensions
Extrusion: 80mm wide by 16mm thick. Nominal lengths are actual lengths, that is, a 700 is 700mm long.An Example: Slotting Narrow Stock
I made some pressure beams, used with threaded rod to clamp big work to the MFT table. The beams are 37x37x650. There are 8mm slots in two places on each beam for the threaded rod. Since the stock is narrow, in the past I'd have cut the slots with a table-mounted routerThe MFS kit includes two pieces that look like heavy angle iron. I set my rectangle to cut the slot, and attached the two angles underneath the MFS, one on each side of the work, centering it. At that point the template was free to slide along the work, but couldn't wiggle. A single clamp in an MFS slot locked the setup in place. I could not cut deeply enough from one side, so I routed each slot from both sides of the work, repositioning the template. The template was accurate enough for the "mortises" to line up and make a neat slot.
The primary purpose of the routing slide is to support the router when hollowing out the center of large rectangles, for instance, a shallow tray. This is done in a series of overlapping cuts as you move the slide from one end of the rectangle to the other. The MFS with slide will accurately control the depth of cut, but it does not seem to be intended to precisely control the x,y movement of the router--other than constraining it within the rectangle. There is no way to lock the OF1010 at a particular place in the slot, nor is there a pointer or markings to tell you where you are on the slide.
Both the OF1010 and OF1400 routers work with the routing slide, despite what you may have read elsewhere. The OF1010 requires the 30mm copying ring. The ring is a loose fit in the slot. The ring protrudes below the slide; at the end of the slot, the ring will hit the extrusion, protecting it from the bit. I don't know if the OF1400 needs a ring. Anyone know?
The slide is a heavy steel channel. There's a lever clamp that attaches to the outside vertical surface of an MFS extrusion. Tabs in the slide go into slots on the top of the extrusion to keep things at right angles. The slide is clamped only at one end, but in normal use you shouldn't be applying forces that would deflect it. An index pointer centered on the slide's slot lays over the graduations on the extrusion.
The maximum distance the router can be moved within the slot is approximately 625mm (a bit more than 24"). The longest cut you could make is somewhat less, affected by your bit and also the extrusions.
Thanks to the index pointer and clamp, it should be possible to do a series of parallel slots, although the loose fit of the ring in the slot would need to be compensated for. More accurate results could be achieved with a guide rail.
Circle Cutting
[attachthumb=5]Both the MFS 400 and MFS 700 kits contain two parts used to assemble a circle cutting jig.
The Pivot slides and locks into a joiner slot. The length of the extrusion centers the pivot relative to the center of the circle routing insert. The 8mm pivot pin fits snugly into a 5/16" hole drilled in the center of the workpiece.
The Circle Routing Insert is intended to slide in a narrow MFS rectangle to adjust the radius of the circle. A locking screw locks it in place. The hole in the center of the insert is sized for the required (but not included) 30mm copy ring.
The scale, used with the graduations on the rails, is used to set the radius. There are markings on either side of the scale's zero point. The markings nearest the pivot indicate the inside of the cut; those on the other side indicate the outside cut. For example, if you're using an 8mm diameter bit and you're cutting a circular panel, you would use the 4th mark on the right of the zero (going toward the pivot) to set your radius. If on the other hand you were cutting a hole with the same bit, you'd use the 4th mark on the left of the zero, since that indicates the outer radius of the cut.
A good line drawing and the usual terse instructions are included in the little booklet that comes with the kit. It's easy and quick to cut accurate circles this way, but experiment on scrap first.
Eventually, you'll have extrusions of every size anyway.
