MFT/3 Table worth it?

[OXCanada]

Happy New year everyone.

I am happy to say that I have entered into the festool world. I got the domino/vac combo last year and love it. Now I am getting TS 55.

My question is should I do the combo and get the MFT?  I build a lot of plywood cabinets/book cases so repetitive cross cutting larger panels is a big part of what I do. Is the cross cutting accurate?

Also the table is a major expense on top of the saw. I guess my main question is it worth the investment?  I just don't have any experience with it. 

Any feedback or experience anyone has would be great.

 

[SoonerFan]

The MFT/3 is expensive for sure.  It is also very versatile and very accurate.  For repeatable accurate cross cut I use my MFT every time.  I purchased mine with a TS55 to get the discount and have been very happy with that decision.

 

[rst]

I love my MFTs,  I recently bought another in the basic version.  Now I have one at work and one at home.  They will make perfect cuts if adjusted properly.

 

[peter halle]

As it comes set up in the box it is great for doing crosscuts up to about base cabinet depths.  If you want to do bigger then you can set it up the opposite way and use the rail that comes with your saw to go larger.

Peter

 

[jlcichocki]

I resisted for more than 6 months mainly because of price.  Not a single regret now that I have one, in fact now have two.  They work very well together and I think they make the tools that much better - everything connects seamlessly.

 

[Birdhunter]

I have two MFTs tied together.

On the positive side, the MFT is wonderfully paired with the TS55. The hole pattern with Qwas dogs and a big square enable accurate cutting and assembly.

On the negative side, the MFT is somewhat wobbly. The braces help. I need a vise so had to build an extension to the MFT. My MFT top has sagged a little over the two years I've owned it.

My bottom line is that the MFT is, with the vise extension, is far superior to any other bench I've owned or seen.

 

[Coliban]

...
My bottom line is that the MFT is, with the vise extension, is far superior to any other bench I've owned or seen.

Hello Birdhunter,

do you have a photo about the MFT with the vise?

regards

 

[Birdhunter]

Hopefully this picture will come through.

 

[Birdhunter]

Please note the steel legs under the extension. They not only support the extension, but give an incredible stability to the MFT. I can hand plane and hand saw on the MFT/Extension without any wobble at all. The legs are 1/4" steel and I bought them from Amazon. Heavy! I had to drill a couple of new holes in the legs to get a perfect height. I bought the extrusion from the Festool site and cut it in half. Each half was placed at the front and the rear of the extension. A Festool MFT connector was used to connect the extension to the MFT.

Getting the extension flush with the top of the mFT was fussy work, but it came out well.

I have no need to move the MFTs so the extension setup fits my needs.

I wish Festool would come out with an option like the extension.

 

[grbmds]

To me, the worth of the MFT with fence, depends on what kind of woodwork or carpentry work you do most. My main use of the MFT in woodworking is crosscutting, mitering corners, clamping for assembly, and sometimes routing with the OF1400 with the guide rail. For me, just the ability to crosscut as perfectly square as possible makes it worth it. I've never owned a table saw or miter saw which could do that, especially with the widths I can cut on the table. (I wish I had 2 MFT's for the extra width and length capability.) I just used it to make final crosscuts to length again on 2 projects. Amazing how square the cuts are. I also use it with my Domino because there are so many ways you can clamp a board down to hold it in place when cutting Domino slots. Ripping is a task I do not find it useful for and now have a jobsite table saw for that purpose as a result.

[member=15289]Birdhunter[/member] Birdhunter - Great MFT workbench with vise! I bet that is really a big help in the shop.

 

[Woodwork Wizard]

I have the same opinion as every reply so far - the MFT/3 is brilliant for cross cuts and routing dados and rebates in cabinet and bookcase sides. My MFT set-up has remained spot on accurate since its initial set-up and I've made many 1000s of cuts and dados on mine with a TS-55R saw and an OF1010 router. An MFT/3, saw and router along with an extractor and parallel guides with a 3m rail and 8'x4' sheets are quickly and precisely converted in to cabinets. It is a fantastic and incredibly versatile combination for a small workshop/one man outfit. Add to this the clamping possibilities (and perhaps a Domino joiner) and it all makes quite a comprehensive cabinet building workshop.

I also use 2 MFT/3s, but set up longways with a 1400 rail allowing for cuts just over 900mm but as much as 1080mm if required. It never leaves my workshop but can be moved around the workshop as it is on a heavy duty cart that eliminates any wobble.

One of the best things about MFT/3s is the scope for modification and enhancements is pretty limitless. Many examples of this are to be found all over this FOG forum and Youtube.

Buy one. I bet you'll love it and soon be wanting another one...

 

[peter halle]

Back in 2009 a bunch of us were lucky enough to attend a class at Festool USA that was the prototype of future classes.  It was an introduction to the various tools and the Festool system.

When we got to the MFT/3 we were asked how many of us had one.  I was one of the few that did not and I said that I really didn't see the need for one.  Festool was very interested in how the tables were used.  At that time sales of the MfT were trending higher in the US then in other parts of the world.

Thru the discussions it came out that many were just using it as an assembly table or an auxiliary work surface.  So in the class they decided to showcase the versatility of the table and how it meshed into the "System."

I left that class interested but as a mobile carpenter I still thought about the table as not necessary and just a table with a bunch of holes in a pattern and not necessary for me.

In the following months I read many threads here about the MFT/3 and became more interested, but then Per Swenson wrote a post about the MFT/3 for the finish carpenter.  His posting punched the right buttons for me and then I took the plunge.

I have never looked back.  Personally I think that it has so many options and possibilities that haven't been touched on.

I certainly have written here and have told many in person that if they get one the best thing that I think that they can do is grab a chair, their favorite beverage that allows their mind to be unfettered, and sit or stand in front of it with tools unplugged and start thinking about what it could do if...

My MFT looks like it has gone thru a war or two.  But when I unfold it I smile and happily cut into the top or clamp something down or look for another possibility to use it with something I already have on hand.

Peter

 

[Coliban]

Hopefully this picture will come through.

Thank you!

 

[waho6o9]

Also the table is a major expense on top of the saw. I guess my main question is it worth the investment?  I just don't have any experience with it. 

In a word yes. But I use qwas dogs and rail dogs more than the Festool protractor as it's stupid simple to set up

which makes it a no brainer IMHO. 

 

[sancho57]

I have written this many times and I will continue because i believe it.

Festool is a system. Everything is bought ala cart so that you can create a system to meet your needs. The 3 basic elements of this system are the TS 55/75, CT and MFT. I use the MFT as my sole workbench. I have 2 MFT3s and when I return to the states and get more room I will buy another. I also have a Kapex MFT. I use mines for everything I would a stationary work bench for, assy, machining, sanding, staining etc etc. My top though not cut into is pretty well thrashed. It looks like this and worse on the other side. Im replacing the top and going to use this one as a top to cut into.

The clamping options are pretty limitless and Ive used my MFT  as a Door bench for planing and machining doors for installation, cabinet construction, door ad drawer construction and fitting..

Its only limited by your imagination.

 

[waho6o9]

Its only limited by your imagination."

Truth right there ^^
[attachimg=1]

My imagination ^^ Yeah buddy, gotta love the system

 

[Tinker]

Once I introduced myself to festal and gained confidence and experience, I got rid of my table saw.  The ATF 55 and MFT gave me all I needed as far as sawing lumber was concerned.  I could do, not only cross cuts AND rips, but found i could do miters as well.  All with as much accuracy as I had done with my table saw.  I also used the MFT with rail and fence to do most routing operations.  I had a SCMS that was taking way too much space; so I put that out of the way into another part of my shop relegated to scrap lumber and seldom used "toys".  I never missed a table saw. 

This past fall, I had a whole bunch of Christmas projects to do, three of which were unfinished from Christmas 2014.  I needed either more space(impossible), another MFT (read comment about more space), or bring back my old table saw (read comment about another MFT).  After sending out an SOS to FOGgers about the wisdom of getting a smaller table saw, I listened and finally brought home a small DW 3480.  That saw is ok for some cross cutting and some ripping.  The pieces I cut need to be no longer than about 3 feet in length.  The DW was handy in that I could set up my MFT for cutting or assembly and use the DW for occasional cross cuts or ripping.  There is no way the DW, or even my old full sized contractor's saw, can take the place of my MFT and TS 55.  No way.

I use the MFT/3 TS 55 combo to cross cut lumber as long as 12 feet.  If I could get any thing longer, I would be able to cross cut boards longer.  Using my MFT/TS55 combo, I can rip anything I can get into my shop by using Festoy clamps and RMW rip guides.  I can break down full sheets of plywood with help getting full sheets into my shop.  I do have an old MFT 1080 that I can set up outside to breakdown full sheets working alone. 

All of that is impossible for me with a table saw and working alone.  Some, I won't even try with a TS and wring even with help.  The MFT/TS 55 can do it all whether I am alone or not.
Tinker

 

[FlobeySolo]

I'll be that guy...

I'm a hobbyist and frankly I have a tough time getting my MFT square. I  find myself reverting to the table saw more often than not because I trust it. I'm sure it's the user, but it's certainly not an out of the box tool....

 

[grbmds]

[member=21802]Colby[/member] A couple things might help . . .

1.  Decided whether you want to square the fence/guide rail to the holes. There  are advantages in the you can use bench dogs to make 90 and 45 degree angles which can be useful when cutting picture frame and other straight cuts. However, this, of course, takes ate last one good set of dogs. In Festool class, this squaring process is not necessarily the one recommended as the holes can have some slop and/or they can vary from hole to hole.
2. So another method is to square the fence to the guide rail. There are various orders that all will result in a square fence to guide rail. One tool required for this is an accurate square, preferably one which has high enoughb blades that you can square it with the guide real off the table (namely in place at the height you need it for the cuts.) I personally have a Woodpeckers MFT Square which I have not yet used for anything but squaring up the MFT. It works so well that I will never regret paying the high piffle for it. I now always pull the MFT Square out and check/adjust the guied rail to be square. Now, whenever I make final crosscuts for a project, I check the squareness, adjust if necessary and cut. Everything is as square as I am visually able to see and square enougth to assemble square also. There are videos online, some from Festool, which deal with this squaring. It's not difficult and gives me piece of mind each time I get to the crosscutting part of the project.

 

[sancho57]

I'll be that guy...

I'm a hobbyist and frankly I have a tough time getting my MFT square. I  find myself reverting to the table saw more often than not because I trust it. I'm sure it's the user, but it's certainly not an out of the box tool....

To accurately set up your MFT You need a good square square . Though some folks use dogs, I use both.  I also have found (following the advice of some foggers here) that 2 (if you have them) angle stops (protractors) mounted to the MFTs fence makes it incredible accurate and keeps its accuracy even if you bump into it.