MFT/3 - Pros and Cons from Different Perspectives

[WarnerConstCo.]

I have yet to use my router with a guide rail, that was another accessory that has never made it out of the package.

Too much doinking around to set all that crap up to route a straight groove, slot dado, whatever.

I do not find the fence and rail on the mft to be faster, easier or smarter.

 

[ScotF]

I really like the MFT for most everything...cutting, routing, assembly, finishing, you name it.  I need to be able to pack it up and move it for storage so for me it makes sense and fits my workflow.  It may not make sense for everyone.  A cutting table works well for sheet goods and straight line ripping lumber and agree that the MFT excels at cross-cutting.  But it can be used for so much more in a portable package.  The MFT combined with my CT are the two most used Festool tools in my shop. 

Scot

 

[Vindingo]

For me, the MFT allows for flexibility.  I do not have a tables saw or a router table, nor to I really have the space for the set up I want. The MFT has greatly increased my range of applications for the TS55 and OF1010.  I would not buy it as a work table alone, but I feel that there is value if the fence/guide rail assembly is utilized.     

Here are a couple of examples:

make-shift "crosscut sled"

Router table/shaper using router on rail

Cross cutting 8' long plywood (with extension table)

   

Don't get me wrong, I still want a Sawstop and a nice router table, but until then, a little creative thinking can take the MFT a long way. 

 

[GhostFist]

it seems to me that the only thing "special" about the mft is that it's top is machined off a cnc. As you can tell on this forum people tend to forgo the miter gauge on the fence and use the grid spacing for setting up angled and square cuts. As far as a clamping surface, I like the idea, but I can poke dog holes in anything I want for any bench configuration I want, as I said before. My advice is don't buy in to the "system" hulabaloo. The only system that means anything is YOUR system and which ever tools you purchase have to meet up to YOUR system's standards. This is not to insult those who have purchased and love their MFT's, it works for you so it's right. I'm just cautioning not to buy something just because you think you need an entire tool range from a particular manufacturer in order to gain benefit from the tools individually.

 

[skids]

it seems to me that the only thing "special" about the mft is that it's top is machined off a cnc. As you can tell on this forum people tend to forgo the miter gauge on the fence and use the grid spacing for setting up angled and square cuts. As far as a clamping surface, I like the idea, but I can poke dog holes in anything I want for any bench configuration I want, as I said before. My advice is don't buy in to the "system" hulabaloo. The only system that means anything is YOUR system and which ever tools you purchase have to meet up to YOUR system's standards. This is not to insult those who have purchased and love their MFT's, it works for you so it's right. I'm just cautioning not to buy something just because you think you need an entire tool range from a particular manufacturer in order to gain benefit from the tools individually.

Yes, solid advice, thank you..If I had to sum up how I see myself using the MFT regularly this video captures it well. Maybe it's still not worth it, something I will have to make the final decsion on. But having this capability and being able to use my Other festool components excites me a bit.

 

[GhostFist]

That video was more about the clamps than it was about the table. The clamps are considerably cheaper. One somewhat unique thing about the MFT is it's use of 20mm dog holes. Not such a big deal, they really only come into play with the clamping elements. 20mm bits are a bit harder to come by here in NA but Lee valley seem to be pushing them lately.

 

[skids]

That video was more about the clamps than it was about the table. The clamps are considerably cheaper. One somewhat unique thing about the MFT is it's use of 20mm dog holes. Not such a big deal, they really only come into play with the clamping elements. 20mm bits are a bit harder to come by here in NA but Lee valley seem to be pushing them lately.

Yes, technically it was, but to me it shows you can use that table with just a rail and a few clamps, cutting and routing. I like the flexibility of chucking a workpiece on it and lining up the rail and cutting, or routing. And the guiderail is an extra bonus I guess. I would like something that offers me the flexibility this table does, I do hate the price of it. But I see no viable alternative to it. The vika is cheap, but it's a joke compared to the MFT

 

[GhostFist]

The alternative is that you make your own

 

[jonathan-m]

Skids, I think you should have an extended and critic view and play with one before you commit to the buy, depending on your particular use there might be some serious downsides to an MFT/3, not in the least the cost.

It took me a long time to decide between an MFT/3 and a Walko. In the end I went for the MFT/3 because of the guide rail. But after owning one for almost a year now as I do more and more small on-site jobs nowadays I'm getting more and more frustrated with the MFT/3's portability and inaccuracy. Even though it's advertised as a portable workbench, it's quite a pain in the  and cumbersome to take with you on the job. So ironically I find myself looking more and more at a Walko again
You should also know that making miter cuts with this thing is absolutely not precise, there's too much play in the miter gauge to have accurate miter cuts. In general getting your protractor squared up again if you make adjustments is a real pain.
If you use it as delivered out of the box, the only thing it's excellent at is clamping & straight cross cuts. Portability, size and stability are a compromise.

So my advice? Absolutely get one if you're going to use it solely in the workshop, but be sure to also get the support braces or fold up the legs and put it on a custom base, because it's pretty wobbly otherwise. Definitely get some bench, rail, whatever dogs. They're far quicker & accurate to work with than the standard protractor. You'll most likely need to make some adjustments and buy some extra's to get the performance you want, but if you do, depending on what you want it to do for you, it truly might be great.

And like others have said, for people in the states it's mostly a very expensive table with holes in the top. Since you guys don't get all the accessories, like the vaccuum clamp (which I also have) or all the MFT/3-VL inserts, the only thing it's got going over there is that it's got a CNC'd top and you can attach a rail to it to make cuts. Not sure if that's worth all the money for just that. It's less expensive to just buy the MFT/3 extrusions & rail attachment parts to add them to a custom table.

So in conclusion, I don't want you to take this as a negative rant about the MFT/3. It's not a bad table at all. It can be quite good after you put some work & accessories into it. But it's really not the precision setup that some claim it to be, out of the box, and that grinds my gears! Of couse not everyone has the same expectations and way of working and some might genuinely be very happy about how it performs. But still, you deserve to hear about some other experiences besides all the positive ones, before you spend that amount of hard earned money on anything.

I'll keep mine and keep adding to it, because I'm already too heavily invested in it now, but I'm torn if I'd do it again if I had a do-over.

 

[skids]

Skids, I think you should have an extended and critic view and play with one before you commit to the buy, depending on your particular use there might be some serious downsides to an MFT/3, not in the least the cost.

It took me a long time to decide between an MFT/3 and a Walko. In the end I went for the MFT/3 because of the guide rail. But after owning one for almost a year now as I do more and more small on-site jobs nowadays I'm getting more and more frustrated with the MFT/3's portability and inaccuracy. Even though it's advertised as a portable workbench, it's quite a pain in the  and cumbersome to take with you on the job. So ironically I find myself looking more and more at a Walko again
You should also know that making miter cuts with this thing is absolutely not precise, there's too much play in the miter gauge to have accurate miter cuts. In general getting your protractor squared up again if you make adjustments is a real pain.
If you use it as delivered out of the box, the only thing it's excellent at is clamping & straight cross cuts. Portability, size and stability are a compromise.

So my advice? Absolutely get one if you're going to use it solely in the workshop, but be sure to also get the support braces or fold up the legs and put it on a custom base, because it's pretty wobbly otherwise. Definitely get some bench, rail, whatever dogs. They're far quicker & accurate to work with than the standard protractor. You'll most likely need to make some adjustments and buy some extra's to get the performance you want, but if you do, depending on what you want it to do for you, it truly might be great.

And like others have said, for people in the states it's mostly a very expensive table with holes in the top. Since you guys don't get all the accessories, like the vaccuum clamp (which I also have) or all the MFT/3-VL inserts, the only thing it's got going over there is that it's got a CNC'd top and you can attach a rail to it to make cuts. Not sure if that's worth all the money for just that. It's less expensive to just buy the MFT/3 extrusions & rail attachment parts to add them to a custom table.

So in conclusion, I don't want you to take this as a negative rant about the MFT/3. It's not a bad table at all. It can be quite good after you put some work & accessories into it. But it's really not the precision setup that some claim it to be, out of the box, and that grinds my gears! Of couse not everyone has the same expectations and way of working and some might genuinely be very happy about how it performs. But still, you deserve to hear about some other experiences besides all the positive ones, before you spend that amount of hard earned money on anything.

I'll keep mine and keep adding to it, because I'm already too heavily invested in it now, but I'm torn if I'd do it again if I had a do-over.

Thanks! This is a solid perspective..It will be used mainly in a home shop, dragged around on occasion if I need it. Probably mostly into my driveway, or garage when I need to do some outdoor projects, and on the occasional job. It's nice to hear all the benefits and drawbacks of this very expensive table..But in the end I think I need it in my shop for some of the things I plan on getting into. I have been a hobbyist, although I don't like that term for me, more of a DIYr for the past 15 years. I have dabbled with just about every kind of project there is, from putting in steel beams and removing Lallies, to putting in crown molding..In the past few years I have done alot more trim work and grown to like it alot more. I  guess I like work that doesn't hide behind walls. I dont' really spend lots of money on anything else in my life (aside from my kids) as a hobby, if you will. So I guess this Festool addiction qualifies as my hobby. When I say it out loud it sounds pathetic..But it is what it is..

I want to get into building some boxes, bookcase, and some built ins, these tools will help. And the way I look at if I find I am not using them for some reason, I sell the table or whatever piece I don't use. Based on how much I use all the Festool stuff I have now, although I don't think this will happen. But I have alot better chance of recouping some cash with Festool than say a Porter Cable, or Ridgid tool.

It's great to hear from folks that own the tools I am considering, and their perspectives on how useful they are in relation to what they cost. It's a tremendous help when making a decision.

 

[oldie]

To Jonathan-m.

Thanks for your post.
Think a very balanced, well thought out post - and, potentially helpful to quite a few people.

I've only just read this thread and, it seems quite accidentally, came across a gem.
At times like this, I do wish FOG had categories for each tool.
So often there are cracking posts, buried in something that (unless you read everything) could so easily be overlooked.

Richard.

 

[Julian Tracy]

Yep - thread should be re-titled to reflect all of the viewpoints from members regarding the MFT; has been a good thread and will not be seen by most who are thinking of buying it.

JT

 

[skids]

Agreed, i think we veared off topic on this one-in a good way. I will see if I can retitle it later when I get back to my pc on tapatalk now. If not I can ask Peter help out since I know they like titles to reflect the topic here on FOG.

 

[Bikeboy80]

I have had my MFT/3 for just under three months now. After initially setting it all up to see how it went together it sat in my truck for about a month with no use, I just didn't have work that needed it. I started really thinking it was a bad decision to purchase it. [unsure] Then I had a crown moulding job, it was a great spot to put my miter saw and was even better to have clamping options to cope the crown with my ras. After that job I had a few more jobs that involved moulding and it was really nice to have a stable spot to work on site. Last week I finally  [eek] set up the rail and back stop on it to break down some sheetgoods and it was a pleasure to use. Granted I also had a set of horses set up to get the sheets to sizes that would fit on the MFT. Once there is was nice to be able to use stops, bench dogs and clamp blocks to make repeatable cuts. I finally feel like I'm discovering the many uses of it.

Is it something that I will pull out at every site? Probably not. It does have setup time and still seems a bit heavy. But I have to admit it is a nice general surface to work on and clamp to on site, much better then the drywall bench I was using before. [tongue]

 

[skids]

Just set mine up..It's breathtakingly awesome.

Still on the fence about the fence. It's really neato, but a little set up.

 

[sancho57]

got 2 of them, love them, today Im hanging doors, who needs a door bench when ya got a MFT? It does it all for me.
and my TS  55 w/ a guide rail cuts a awesome bevel  and cuts the the length to size to.

 

[JeromeM]

The alternative is that you make your own

as I have. Mine is movable but not in any way portable. At the moment it is maybe 200kg, stable and great for the grid holes. With a Ron Paulk inspired detachable cross cutting fence I fell I have 90% of the benefit without the wobbly unstable drawback of the MFT. As i dont need portability mine is designed to be a workshop only model and is better than the MFT in the regard OD stability.

 

[skids]

The alternative is that you make your own

as I have. Mine is movable but not in any way portable. At the moment it is maybe 200kg, stable and great for the grid holes. With a Ron Paulk inspired detachable cross cutting fence I fell I have 90% of the benefit without the wobbly unstable drawback of the MFT. As i dont need portability mine is designed to be a workshop only model and is better than the MFT in the regard OD stability.

The wobble in the MFT disappears into thin air once you get the support braces. I will get those soon, not that the wobble has bothered me much. It's not THAT bad.

I will say, I am happy with this table so far and glad I didn't try to build something on my own. I could NEVER have got the dog holes as precise as a CNC'd board. It's incredible to line up angles and see the dog holes just line up. Lovin the MFT so far.