MFT - How portable?

[Norm St.Onge]

I do primarily handyman & small project work. I work out of a van and I might visit 3-4 client homes in a day. Saw horses and the plastic folding table from the big box store are ok, but not great - certainly not if I'm setting up a miter saw or need to do any nailing on it.

I'm thinking of the MFT 1080 but it's heavy, and even folded it's 8in deep which, in a van, is alot of valuable real estate.

Any body out there truly using either of the MFT's as portable table on daily basis?? The guide rail, angle stop, end stop...does all this gear have to be taken off the table when folding it up and transorting it or is it robust enough to handle some jostling around?

I'd like to hear your thoughts - good and not so good.

Thanks, -Norm

 

[Dan Lyke]

We store ours in a closet and take it out when we use it. I built a little dolly that it stands endwise on so we can easily move it around the house, and with a rubber band around the rail to keep it from flopping around have had no problems rolling it around and in and out of the closet.

Yeah, it's not day-in day-out moving it around in a contracting situation, but the rail and the guide are strong enough that they'd have to get hit pretty hard to do damage, and with a couple of casters to help you move it and slide it on and off your van you should do fine.

I'd say the main question is how much space in the vehicle you want to devote to it.

 

[Brice Burrell]

Norm,
I'm a general contractor, I tend to do jobs that last a week or more. I only take my MFT when I really need it. I don't have a good way to transport it in the back of my truck. So I usually take it (and the CT22 with boom arm)to the job the day after all of my other tools are on site. That way I don't have to worry about it getting beat up on the way.

But, I bet if you wanted to make room for it, it could be done.

 

[clintholeman]

Though I don't do many on site jobs, I still do some and take the MFT with me - on top of my Subaru Forester - while the rest of my shop is inside.

I don't move sites 3 - 4 times per day though.  With a van, it would be easier to move and I think it would work fine for me.

 

[Ned]

Norm, is this a situation where the MFT 800 might work for you?

Ned

 

[Norm St.Onge]

Thanks for the insight everyone.

Casters aren't really an option...that means a ramp to get it up into the van, just more 'stuff' to worry about and store. I switched from a trailer to a van so I would be forced to downsize the amount of stuff I carted around on a daily basis. It's worked - so far.

And, I think the 800 would be a compromise for the way I work...just not enough surface area but I could be wrong as I haven't used either table before. I do alot of work on doors, rip out and replace rotted exterior trim...lots of one-time custom cuts.

I have the CT22, TS55, guiderails, a Rotex and other Festools & systainers that travel in the van every day. It's about a 2ft lift up into the van and the 1080 at ~75lbs, well, every year that goes by I find that I want to muscle heavy tools around less and less.

So, I'm trying to balance the usefullness of the table (especially combined with my other Festools) against the hassle factor of loading/unloading. If it's too awkward and inconvenient then I won't use it. I have enough 'great idea!' tools collecting dust in my shop as it is.

As you can probably tell, I'm playing devils advocate with myself before pulling the trigger.

-Norm

 

[Dave Ronyak]

Have you considered Two MFT 800s?  Each is about 40 lbs and they can be set up and apart to hold any door.  You could make your own links to join them together.  I think Jerry Work has described how to do that with some simple wooden members and a few bolts with wing nuts or hand knobs - two bolts per link end that engage the side rails of the MFTs.  The tops of the wooden links can be set to be flush with the MFT tops when the links are installed.  I bought one MFT 1080 that I mostly keep in my shop and ne MFT 800 so I can port it around and do as described above when working on larger pieces.  If you attach a few 2x4s across the tops, you also have a portable support for cutting down plywood sheets.

Dave R.

 

[Norm St.Onge]

Dave - that's an idea I hadn't thought of. Looks like about $100 premium for 2 tables (plus the connector parts) but that might be the way to go...get me the size I need without the hernia.

I'll have to check out the storage implications of 2 tables in the van.

Thanks, -Norm

 

[semenza]

HI,

  Plus with two you can just use one easy to move when you don't need the larger size. And one could be supporting a miter saw etc. While the other is doing a different task.

Seth

 

[Dave Ronyak]

Don't forget that the second table can be the basic model.  You don't need to pay for the accessories.  The I bought a full 1080 then a basic 800 and a pair of connectors.

Dave R.

 

[Michael Kellough]

It might help to stand the 800 up (with legs open) in the van so you can still put the usual stuff on the floor.

If you go the dual 800 route you can use a longer guide rail on one of them (attached to the short side) so you have the same cutting length capacity as the the 1080

 

[brandon.nickel]

To add to Michael's idea, if you put one table on its legs, and the other inverted on top (MDF to MDF), you could drop a few bolts/pins to keep them from sliding apart and then you've not only taken up remarkably little space, but the MFT frame on the top table would form a pretty solid basket to pile things in.  Sounds like a good idea to me.

 

[Greg in Memphis]

Hey Norm
I've got 2 MFTs. An 800 deluxe and a 1080 basic. They work great together.
That 800 is a heckuva lot easier to pick up and go somewhere with. That's pretty much what my 800 is there for.
I like the idea of two 800s for mobility with a decent work area to work on.
If you do go with one deluxe 800 and one basic, spring for the 455246 Stop profile (the same one on the model 1080 deluxe) for about $13.00 to use with two 800s connected.
Trust me. You'll like it.

I hope this might help

Greg

 

[Loren Hedahl]

The two gripes I have with the MFT is it's weight and it's weakness for being damaged by water.

I have given some thought to changing out the MDF table surface with something else; possibly Baltic birch plywood over a hollow core door cut to size.

This would be a second MFT that I would use outside the shop.

Whad'ya think?

 

[Brent b]

I've got three 1080's that I use in various combination.  I'm a carpenter and have a box van, so space is not a huge issue but the MFT's do take up a dedicated area.  I do not pile anything on these as I want to be able to grab them without moving stuff around.  I experimented with standing them up on their side but of course all toolings must be off of rails, and I didn't like what it was doing to the rails besides.  So now I fold them up and stack them up on each other, which works well.  The weight is not so much of an issue for me.  I carry it by folding up the legs, tightening down the knurled knobs well, and hoisting it up on my shoulder.  Maybe thirty years from now this won't be an option but right now it's my nod to powerlifting.  The MFT really helps out day in and day out.  I used sawhorse rigs for many years and now it's quite luxurious to set up the MFT's; just a little effort at the beginning and end of day, but if you know what to expect it's not so bad.  I leave most of the MFT gear off and install as needed.  I find it gets in the way setting up and breaking down daily, and I can set up the guides quick now.  I personally would not go with the 800, basically just holds one tool.  I'm at my best when I've attained a state of sprawl.  Weather is a problem, but this is the case with all my tools.  If it looks like a shower I cover with a tarp and if clouds look like their going to stick around I pack up and post inane comments on Festool Owner Group Forum.
Brent

 

[Brice Burrell]

.......I'm at my best when I've attained a state of sprawl.......
Brent

  Brent, I love it, I'm going to have to remember that line the next time a client gripes about how much space I need for all of my tools.

 

[Brent b]

Yeah Brice, my favorite time of the day is the little break I take at the end of production and survey the heaps of tools and strategize the best way to clean up.  I can tell I've had a good day by counting the number of heaps.

 

[Michael Kellough]

Brent b said:

..."I pack up and post inane comments on Festool Owner Group Forum."

I don't know about that, this ones certainly a keeper

"I'm at my best when I've attained a state of sprawl."