MFT/3 versus Parallel Guide?

[davidwilkie]

My first post! ... I have the TS55 and 55" guide and need to break down some MDF panels for some cabinets and am using this project to rationalize a sheet breakdown system (oh, how we can rationalize tool purchases!) and am debating between the MFT/3 Table and the Parallel Guides? To be honest I was thinking of getting both and the Rockler salesperson -- honest guy that he was I guess -- said that with the MFT/3 the Parallel Guides would be redundant ... but as I watch some user videos on YouTube I can't help but wonder if that's really the best choice?

Any thoughts on pros/cons of each and whether the MFT/3 duplicates all the Parallel Guides offer or are they complimentary?

Thanks!

 

[ajones]

Dave

[welcome]    the mft and the parallel guides compliment one another if you have a cms I would get the guides first

 

[Martin Johnson]

I have both and use them for completely different purposes.  Mft for cross cuts, miters, clamping, and workbench.  Guides for cutting down sheetgoods(for the application you mentioned ) to get perfect long cuts of consistent width.   Could not have built a three part 7' tall entertainment system without them... I didn't have a table saw, and the cuts were magnificiant.  You will likely end up with both, but fog different reasons...Happy Holidays!

 

[Jesse Cloud]

If breaking down panels is what you need to do, the parallel guides are unparalleled (ugh, sorry [embarassed]).

First of all, the MFT/3 just isn't big enough to hold a whole sheet.  If you are making several cuts of the same dimension, the parallel guide really rocks, you become a one man factory.  Yeah, you could (and maybe should) get multiple MFT/3's but that kind of changes the equation.

The MFT/3 does a lot more than the parallel guides, but the guides rule for breaking down sheet goods.

I love my MFT, use it way more than the guides, but when I have a pickup full of sheetgoods, you can bet I reach for the guides first thing.

 

[ajones]

I have both and use them for completely different purposes.  Mft for cross cuts, miters, clamping, and workbench.  Guides for cutting down sheetgoods(for the application you mentioned ) to get perfect long cuts of consistent width.   Could not have built a three part 7' tall entertainment system without them... I didn't have a table saw, and the cuts were magnificiant.  You will likely end up with both, but fog different reasons...Happy Holidays!

[thumbs up]

 

[grobin]

I have two of the older MFT800s and while they are a little smaller than the MFT3 IMHO they are just too small and not really suited for breaking down sheet goods.  Take a look at these videos on the parallel guides and extension rails—parrallel guides.  I guilt a sacrificial exteion table very similar to what he shows in the video.

 

[RDMuller]

I have to agree with everything that has been said so far.  The MFT's just are not for breaking down large sheet goods.  The guide rails along with an appropriate support table are great.  Take a look at these videos I put together earlier in 2010.  The first video was named the best woodworking training video in competition sponsored by Cabinetmaker magazine this past summer. Festool Parallel Guide Video Link

By the way, this is not slight the MFT tables.  The only thing that is better than one MFT is two of them!!  Amazing flexibility when working on large projects in the shop.  Space them some distance apart and let the project span the tables.  I have shoved the European style workbench to the corner and now have 2 MFT's in the center of the shop.  The only thing I occasionally miss are the vises on the workbench.

 

[Sparktrician]

My first post! ... I have the TS55 and 55" guide and need to break down some MDF panels for some cabinets and am using this project to rationalize a sheet breakdown system (oh, how we can rationalize tool purchases!) and am debating between the MFT/3 Table and the Parallel Guides? To be honest I was thinking of getting both and the Rockler salesperson -- honest guy that he was I guess -- said that with the MFT/3 the Parallel Guides would be redundant ... but as I watch some user videos on YouTube I can't help but wonder if that's really the best choice?

Any thoughts on pros/cons of each and whether the MFT/3 duplicates all the Parallel Guides offer or are they complimentary?

Thanks!

If you're breaking down sheet goods, I'd recommend that you get an additional 55" guide and the connectors to join them.  One thing I've found is that the guides don't always line up perfectly, so I'd suggest that you use a 6' straightedge when joining the guide sections to ensure that they're lined up perfectly before doing the final tightening of the screws on the connectors.  I've also found that my two 55" guide sections have a "good" end and a "not-so-good" end for connecting them so that anything sliding over them (TS55, OF1400, OF2200, etc.) doesn't hang up or skip when it crosses the joint.  Once I identified the "good" ends, I marked them so that I can set them up correctly every time, as needed.  If you're using the parallel guides with a joined guide section, it is critical to be certain that the joined sections are aligned perfectly before you start cutting.  The best alternative is to buy the 3000 mm guide to bypass the need to constantly monitor joined guides for straightness.  Good luck. 

[smile]

 

[GPowers]

For breaking down sheet goods, safely, constantly and square you need:

TS55 saw
Dust Extractor
1400mm Guide Rail
3000mm Guide Rail
Parallel guide set
MFT/3

All have their purpose and none are redundant.

 

[Corwin]

For breaking down sheet goods, safely, constantly and square you need:

TS55 saw
Dust Extractor
1400mm Guide Rail
3000mm Guide Rail
Parallel guide set
MFT/3

All have their purpose and none are redundant.

I find the 1900mm (75") guide rail is better than the 1400mm for those 4' cuts.  A simple cutting table from 2x across two saw horses covered with some foam, ply or MDF is more appropriate for cutting down those full-sized sheets, and a MFT or two are best once the sheets have been cut down on the cutting table.

 

[grobin]

Don't have a MFT3 but do have 2 MFT800s.  The MFT is useless for breaking down sheet goods.  Just too small, even for 5x5' (1.5x1.5m).

As for the length of rails get the basics that you need you can always buy rails as you need them.  Just remember that the saw needs to have some where to sit before being plunged.

 

[Sparktrician]

For breaking down sheet goods, safely, constantly and square you need:

TS55 saw
Dust Extractor
1400mm Guide Rail
3000mm Guide Rail
Parallel guide set
MFT/3

All have their purpose and none are redundant.

I find the 1900mm (75") guide rail is better than the 1400mm for those 4' cuts.  A simple cutting table from 2x across two saw horses covered with some foam, ply or MDF is more appropriate for cutting down those full-sized sheets, and a MFT or two are best once the sheets have been cut down on the cutting table.

I use rigid foam board since it creates less wear on the saw blades than MDF, and it's a bunch lighter to wrangle around. 

[smile]

 

[GPowers]

Don't have a MFT3 but do have 2 MFT800s.  The MFT is useless for breaking down sheet goods.  Just too small, even for 5x5' (1.5x1.5m).

As for the length of rails get the basics that you need you can always buy rails as you need them.  Just remember that the saw needs to have some where to sit before being plunged.

I use the MFT/3 for squaring up and cutting to size the long strips I cut using the parallel Guides.  For cutting the 4 x 8 sheets with the parallel Guides i use two saw horses a support system and a sheet of foam insulation.