mft breakdown and accessories question
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Ivan T
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- Jan 21, 2010
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I take all of the accessories off the MFT when I break it down. The accessories I use most are the clamping elements and quick clamps. The aftermarket accessories I have bought and use the most are Quas Dogs and Parf Dogs. I work on Habitat for Humanity homes. I replaced my MFT top awhile back and I take the old MFT top to the site and put it on a couple of saw horses and use Parf Dogs for alignment and cut vinyl siding, plywood, and lumber with my TS55.
If you look at my avatar you will see that I use a Parf Dog as a carrying handle for my MFT.
If you look at my avatar you will see that I use a Parf Dog as a carrying handle for my MFT.
Ivan T
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The Parf Dogs are threaded so I use bolts to hold the Dogs tight to the table. The Qwas Dogs are not threaded they are held by friction in the hole. The Parf Dogs also come in long and short lengths. When I am using them to position a piece and then to position the rail you need the longer length because of the thickness of the material and the rail. I used a Qwas Rail Dog this week on a rail to cut angles on vinyl siding we were hanging. I just used 1 Rail Dog so I could put the siding on the MFT top and swing the rail onto it and the Qwas Rail Dog held the end of the rail steady. I have found that I use 4 long Parf Dogs for cutting and when I am sanding I use the clamping elements the most.
Holmz
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I leave the front stop on it, and remove the floppy rail pivot.
There is a big black handle on the back that releases it and you then slide it out to the left.
Then I lay it on the back side and fold the legs in.
I rarely put on the mitre unit, and had it for sale until one day when I had to make an angled cut on a metal pipe.
The fence I have never had on the saw as I just use dogs.
One could pretty much use a regular MFT and a rail and the long dogs if all the material was narrow enough to fit and all the cuts square, and completely ditch the floppy hinge and the mitre.
Of course some need would probably arise at some point...
For accessories...
1) I use some dogs, and have the rail slide a bit to the right and use 2 dogs to ensure that the rail is aligned with the holes.
I got a 10 pack of those dogs.
2) I also got a few long dogs to go directly into a rail with a T-bolt.
3) I linseed oiled the top to aid in water beading and keep any glue from sticking.
4) clamps. (Clamping sideways) The pivoting ones that hold a circular or irregular shape are OK. I have 2 pair. I use them when sanding more than for anything else.
5) The steel ones that clamp down to the table have more force, and they are pretty good. I have 1 pair, and may get another.
All in all I like the table. However I sequestered an old foldable table that is about 30" x 60" and use that more often than the MFT for sheets. I just flop a rail on it and have at it.
If it is something less than 2 feet wide and less than 6' long then the MFT gets used. Or if I am cutting a mitred edge then I like to use the MFT and have the saw kicked over at a 45.
For almost anything requiring a jig saw I use the foldable table for as I can clamp nearer to the edge. The exception would be an angle on a pipe, as I can select the angle and eyeball the jig saw using the edge of the MFT as a visual guide.
The MFT is too small to use for layup and clamping on anything of a decent size.
One would be better off making a Paulk type of table for that or breaking down larger sheets.
For a lot of what I have been doing it is good.
So really the answer is "It depends".
for model making or in a small shop in the snow it is great.
If your work is large, or sheet goods, or you have saw horses and do not need a down parka, it may not be ideal.
If you are thinking of two or three MFTs in tandem, then you may want to consider the idea of an MFT as a holey MDF unit of your own design.
There is a big black handle on the back that releases it and you then slide it out to the left.
Then I lay it on the back side and fold the legs in.
I rarely put on the mitre unit, and had it for sale until one day when I had to make an angled cut on a metal pipe.
The fence I have never had on the saw as I just use dogs.
One could pretty much use a regular MFT and a rail and the long dogs if all the material was narrow enough to fit and all the cuts square, and completely ditch the floppy hinge and the mitre.
Of course some need would probably arise at some point...
For accessories...
1) I use some dogs, and have the rail slide a bit to the right and use 2 dogs to ensure that the rail is aligned with the holes.
I got a 10 pack of those dogs.
2) I also got a few long dogs to go directly into a rail with a T-bolt.
3) I linseed oiled the top to aid in water beading and keep any glue from sticking.
4) clamps. (Clamping sideways) The pivoting ones that hold a circular or irregular shape are OK. I have 2 pair. I use them when sanding more than for anything else.
5) The steel ones that clamp down to the table have more force, and they are pretty good. I have 1 pair, and may get another.
All in all I like the table. However I sequestered an old foldable table that is about 30" x 60" and use that more often than the MFT for sheets. I just flop a rail on it and have at it.
If it is something less than 2 feet wide and less than 6' long then the MFT gets used. Or if I am cutting a mitred edge then I like to use the MFT and have the saw kicked over at a 45.
For almost anything requiring a jig saw I use the foldable table for as I can clamp nearer to the edge. The exception would be an angle on a pipe, as I can select the angle and eyeball the jig saw using the edge of the MFT as a visual guide.
The MFT is too small to use for layup and clamping on anything of a decent size.
One would be better off making a Paulk type of table for that or breaking down larger sheets.
For a lot of what I have been doing it is good.
So really the answer is "It depends".
for model making or in a small shop in the snow it is great.
If your work is large, or sheet goods, or you have saw horses and do not need a down parka, it may not be ideal.
If you are thinking of two or three MFTs in tandem, then you may want to consider the idea of an MFT as a holey MDF unit of your own design.
ear3
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- Jul 24, 2014
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+1 on the clamping elements. Expensive, but worth it. Armor tools also makes a cheaper version of in line clamps -- not sure what others' experiences with them have been, but I ended up returning the ones I bought because they would lift the material being clamped off the table.
If you plan on getting the Domino, I've found another clamping setup works best -- that is a toggle style clamp (like the one made by Bessey) or Kreg automaxx bench clamp attached to a clamp dog, like the ones made by Seneca:
http://www.senecawoodworking.com/products/clamp-block
Or Precision Dogs:
http://precisiondogs.us/products/precision-clamp-mount
The advantage of these is that they snap open and closed very quickly and securely, which comes in handy if you are dominoing multiple boards of a similar size. It's also useful if you're joining face frames together, whether with dominoes or pocket screws, as the clamps can be positioned at the joints to keep the rails/stiles on the same plane.
There are a number of different ways to align the MFT, but the way that works best for me is to have a scrap board slightly less than the size of the table that I have drawn a line on with a trusted straight edge (Woodpeckers 32" T-square), then I simply line up the splinterguard to the scribe line. People also use the dogs for alignment, as well as a number of other Woodpeckers layout/measuring tools (like the MFT Triangle square, or the 26" precision square), most of which have only been available through their one time tool program, and so may be hard to find unless you search second hand.
If you plan on getting the Domino, I've found another clamping setup works best -- that is a toggle style clamp (like the one made by Bessey) or Kreg automaxx bench clamp attached to a clamp dog, like the ones made by Seneca:
http://www.senecawoodworking.com/products/clamp-block
Or Precision Dogs:
http://precisiondogs.us/products/precision-clamp-mount
The advantage of these is that they snap open and closed very quickly and securely, which comes in handy if you are dominoing multiple boards of a similar size. It's also useful if you're joining face frames together, whether with dominoes or pocket screws, as the clamps can be positioned at the joints to keep the rails/stiles on the same plane.
There are a number of different ways to align the MFT, but the way that works best for me is to have a scrap board slightly less than the size of the table that I have drawn a line on with a trusted straight edge (Woodpeckers 32" T-square), then I simply line up the splinterguard to the scribe line. People also use the dogs for alignment, as well as a number of other Woodpeckers layout/measuring tools (like the MFT Triangle square, or the 26" precision square), most of which have only been available through their one time tool program, and so may be hard to find unless you search second hand.
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2015
- Messages
- 52
Cross members are a good accessories to have, it kind of reinforces the MFT table.http://www.andersonplywood.com/cross-members-festool-495502-fes495502/
Another add on that we made here in California is the Layout Square for squaring the MFT table.
It is a CNC cut and we made the Square from rigid Phenolic European plywood for durability.
The holes in the body are designed to accept clamps and also to make it easy to hang from the table.
http://www.andersonplywood.com/square-for-festool-mft-square/
Another add on that we made here in California is the Layout Square for squaring the MFT table.
It is a CNC cut and we made the Square from rigid Phenolic European plywood for durability.
The holes in the body are designed to accept clamps and also to make it easy to hang from the table.
http://www.andersonplywood.com/square-for-festool-mft-square/
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2015
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Good question!
The answer is yes according to page 27 of the 2015 Festool Catalog (US Version).
The answer is yes according to page 27 of the 2015 Festool Catalog (US Version).
jobsworth said:
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