MFT Basic Table or Full Setup

[AndyC]

Hello Everyone, my first post on the forum.

I am a new Festool convert slowly changing my workshop into a grey & green oasis. With this in mind I am thinking about purchasing the MFT for use as an out feed table for my table saw/work bench, I just cannot decide on whether to get the basic table + a few Parf dogs or whether to go to the full way and get the MFT with the guides etc.

Could anyone offer suggestions? I would really appreciate any advice.

Regards,
Andy

 

[TOOLTOWN]

Andy,

Welcome to the forum.

Everyone I have ever spoken to says they are happy they went with the full MFT kit.  Those who purchase the basic regret it later.

It may be a little different in the UK without fixed pricing, but the upgrade from basic to kit is one of the best values in all of Festool.  It is well worth paying a little extra up front in case you need the parts later.  It is quite a bit of money to purchase all the extra bits later.

Hope this helps,

Ken

 

[ccarrolladams]

Hello Everyone, my first post on the forum.

I am a new Festool convert slowly changing my workshop into a grey & green oasis. With this in mind I am thinking about purchasing the MFT for use as an out feed table for my table saw/work bench, I just cannot decide on whether to get the basic table + a few Parf dogs or whether to go to the full way and get the MFT with the guides etc.

Could anyone offer suggestions? I would really appreciate any advice.

Regards,
Andy

First of all, Andy,  [welcome] to The FOG!!!

Something to consider about the MFT is that a whole lot of us use them in pairs and even trios. The first MFT/3 I purchased was the complete kit, since at that time I did not have my own shop. However, when I told my Festool dealer what I intended to do, he urged me to also buy a basic MFT/3 as well. With the pair I could support full sheets of plywood when breaking them down, especially making the long cuts. I intended to make cross-cuts less than 24" using the rail on the full-blown MFT/3.

A couple of years later I attended a Festool training class. Each pair of us were assigned a trio of MTF/3. We practiced setting up one as the complete deal. We used the other two basic MFT/3 for breaking down sheets, clamping and so on. The idea being that the one set up with the rail would not be disturbed.

I see that you have a table saw for which the MFT/3 will be an out-feed table. Assuming you have the space you will be using your table saw for ripping and cross-cutting sheet material. That being so you probably do not need the whole MFT/3 set. You did not mention owning a Festool plunge saw.

My suggestion would be to hold off on the complete set. Use the basic as the out-feed and should you buy a Festool plunge saw try to combine it with the full MFT/3 set. That is a common deal in the USA and Canada, but the UK has different deals.

 

[NuggyBuggy]

Honestly, once I got a set of dogs, I stopped using all the stuff in the kit except for the clamps, if any came in the set and am way happier.  Especially if you plan to set yours up behind a table saw, it'd be a bit annoying to have to remove the rail from that pivot thing when you want to do a cut, remove the MFT fence, then replace them, etc.

 

[pugilato]

For some reason, depending on the flow of the project, I find myself installing and uninstalling all the stuff for cross-cutting. That part is a pain in the neck, so I bought the Parf dogs to see if the flow improves a little. We shall see what we see...

 

[Stone Message]

Hi Andy

Here is my own quote from the Parf Dog video thread...

"The various bits that make up the full MFT provide a very neat way of making cuts at any angle (rather than 90 and 45 degrees). They are also cleverly designed and made well. The only problem that I have found is that in a workshop where space is an issue those bits do take up a lot of room and this is one of the things that started me on the Parf Dog idea. I no longer use those various bits but I have found the short guide rail very useful indeed. I do think that the lever and fixed clamps are essential - I use them a lot and they are a great help."

If you are just going for the outfeed table then get the basic MFT3. If you are going to get a TS and want to do loads of angle cuts which are not 45 or 90 degrees then get the full works. If space is a premium then get the basic table. Whatever you choose to do I really do recommend that you get the clamps they make the MFT3 come alive with possibilities.

Peter

 

[peter halle]

Just in case there is any confusion to those looking at the MFT/3s, the clamps do not come with the MFT/3 in any of its configurations.  They are accessories that are available separately.

Peter

 

[Harvey]

As a hobbist woodworker I think Peter’s advice is spot on.
I love my MFT/3, not just for the guide rail support, but as an assembly table, etc. 
In my small shop space I’ve used workmates, or superjaw workstands with lumber wedged in, and outfeed stands when I cut full panels on the table saw. That’s why I bought the tracksaw Now I use a cutting grid/extruded foam & the tracksaw for panels, so much better!
Is your table saw/ workbench height close to the MFT’s?  It would be awkward if  it needed a height adjustment.

 

[Woodmatt]

Hi Andy,

In my view unless you are going to do a lot more with the table other than use as an outfeed table I would not waste your money.Remember they are fairly unstable and expensive.Why not make your own,a bit of 4x2 and a drilled top and you are there.

Matthew

 

[barnowl]

Hi Andy, and welcome to the FOG.

I have the complete MFT, and Qwas dogs and Parf dogs.

My protractor and fence etc are removed, and probably won't be used unless I need an angle other than 90 or 45.

But I am glad that I have them.

One thing to consider...without the complete MFT, you don't get the rail.

 

[tiralie]

Hi Andy,

In my view unless you are going to do a lot more with the table other than use as an outfeed table I would not waste your money.Remember they are fairly unstable and expensive.Why not make your own,a bit of 4x2 and a drilled top and you are there.

Matthew

I agree with Matt here.
You could order a Festool top if you really need to holes, save yourself the time and effort to drill them and then build a couple nice out feed tables for the price of an MFT.
Tim

 

[GarryMartin]

...I would not waste your money...

I always find this sort of comment quite interesting.  [poke]

Given the resale value of Festool items, it's not so much about "waste" as it is about what else could you have done with the capital in the meantime.

If you buy a MFT/3 and then decide you are just using it as an outfeed table and haven't taken advantage of all of the other capabilities, then sell it. The "waste" will be the difference between the purchase price and the sale price, minus the use you've made of it in the meantime.

I have a lot of Festool tools that I probably couldn't justify as a one-off expenditure with no pay back over time. Knowing that there is a healthy resale value at some point in the future helps to soften the initial blow of the capital investment required, and in the meantime I get to use quality tools and (hopefully) produce quality output.

Festool is in a league of it's own (OK, a very small league of a very few manufacturers) where resale values are a healthy proportion of the original sale price. Use it to your advantage.

Back to the plot though, I'd always go with the kit for a first purchase!  [big grin]

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

I think the fence and stuff are of little use.  I use the rail for other things.

 

[mouppe]

Hi Andy,

In my view unless you are going to do a lot more with the table other than use as an outfeed table I would not waste your money.Remember they are fairly unstable and expensive.Why not make your own,a bit of 4x2 and a drilled top and you are there.

Matthew

I agree with Matt here.
You could order a Festool top if you really need to holes, save yourself the time and effort to drill them and then build a couple nice out feed tables for the price of an MFT.
Tim

I think the OP was misunderstood here. I believe he meant using the MFT as an outfeed table and a workbench, not just as an outfeed table.

 

[AndyC]

Thank you all for your kind welcome and all the advice/experiences.

I perhaps should have had a little bit more info to my original question, I do own the TS55 and track and will probably use the MFT as more of a work bench and with only having a small workshop it will be located to the rear of my table saw instead of the outfeed table supplied with the saw.

I guess the question I should have asked was "is the extra cost for the full MFT3 worth it if I already own a table saw with sliding mitre table and will probably not have the MFT fence etc installed all the time?"

Any further advice much appreciated, although I think I am minded to go with the basic table and a set of Parf dogs and collection of Festool clamps.

Once again thanks for all the replies.

Regards,
Andy.

 

[Harvey]

One thing to consider is you’re limited by the width of the dog holes vs width of the side rails. The Festool setup allows cutting of 33 inches and 44 inches, compared to 26 and 36 inches for the dogs. Aside from that, I would go with the dogs, given you have a sliding mitre table saw.

 

[Woodmatt]

Ok Garry "waste of money" was not a good turn of phrase.Like you I have a number of Festool tools I rarely use so I cannot really justify the cost but I would not be without them.

Andy now I have a better understanding of what you are trying to do I would agree with you, go for the table and dogs.The only other thing I would say is in my experience the MFT tends to be lower in height than most saw benches so there may be some adjustment to do to make the outfeed work properly.

Matthew

 

[Qwas]

One thing to consider is you’re limited by the width of the dog holes vs width of the side rails. The Festool setup allows cutting of 33 inches and 44 inches, compared to 26 and 36 inches for the dogs. Aside from that, I would go with the dogs, given you have a sliding mitre table saw.

Nonsense  [smile]. First, Festool says the working dimensions are approximately 28 (not 33) and 44 inches. As for the dogs, I've been using Hole Extensions for years now. These allow the Rail Dogs to go beyond the table size. There is nothing to them just any pieces of wood attached to an angle plate, or you can 2x2 or 2x4 lumber to accomplish the same thing. In the second picture I used a 4x4 and carved it down to accomplish what I wanted. I've learned a slot for the Rail Dogs works better than a hole because it allows the guide rail to be lifted on one side only and swung out of the way.

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[grbmds]

As with almost all tools, what you buy should depend on what you are going to do with. I'm sure all of us have bought tools for a variety of reasons, the least important of which is what you are going to use it for. I have found that, these days, I assess the use I'm going to put the tool to much more thoroughly. I found that, in the short time I've owned the track saw and MDT/3 table, that I've put it to a variety of uses (not as an out feed table since it is shorter than all my other tables and tools), some of which made the fence and miter capabilities invaluable and some which would never require the fence; namely where the dogs I also own are more useful. So, it's an individual thing, I think. The flexibility of having the fence was well worth the price so far - for me.

 

[Qwas]

grbmds has it right, it's all a personal preference thing. I sold my Festool Fence on eBay a couple of months after I started using the dogs. Other people enjoy having the fence on the table and using the dogs with smaller pieces. Sometimes the fence is setup with a stop at a critical point and you need to make one quick cut but the stop is in the way. The dogs can be slapped in a couple of lower holes to make the cut without interfering the fence setup.

And some people just don't like dogs.  [big grin]