MFT3 router attachment.

[Peter Hamilton-Scott]

Hello chaps, my first post here having just discovered the FOG whilst looking at Brice Burrell's website who I see is also a long established member. Anyway, by way of background and cutting the story short, my wife bought me a surprise and most unexpected but much appreciated present of a collection of Festool tools and goodies a couple of weeks ago. Needless to say, I'm enjoying them and have put them to very good use. I've been looking at the product reviews that Brice has added to his website and I see some openings for additional Festool items that would complement what I have.

What I have in mind is to buy the Festool MFT3 table, some parallel guides and routing guides, an extension side table and what I'm quite interested in looking at is Festool's router attachment. I figure these would be very useful to have. All I have at the moment is some crappy Wolfcraft workstand which is basically buggered, unstable and I got exactly what I paid for.

A dedicated router station would be ideal but is not practical. Further, we are looking at buying and restoring a property in France and I want to do as much of the non-structural work myself so a dedicated router table is not exactly portable. I've only seen static pictures of the Festool router table attachment. You probably know the one I mean where the router bolts on underneath and you feed the work past it like a normal router table. Being Festool, I know the quality and efficiency is par for the course but has anyone used this router attachment and can comment on it?

I'd be interested to know how well it works, reliability, setup, router attachment fitting, that sort of thing. It's quite an expensive attachment so I'd appreciate any advice you can give me. Ideally, I'd like to know if the infeed and outfeed is level with the MFT3 table top. I have in mind to profile edges (mostly MDF) at this time and I'd like to make a continuous pass on say, 2.5+ meters so I'd like to know more about it. If you know of any online videos I can look at I'd appreciate that as well.

Also, are there any must have accessories you need for the attachment? Festool usually give you lots of things for the tools but sometimes there are accessories that you wish you had but don't always need to use. By the way, I have the OF1400 router.

Edit: I just did some more research. It seems the separate router attachment can only be used in the CMS table? Looks like the two are a serious shedload of money.

Anyway, I'm a noobie to the forum, living in an architecturally bankrupt town called Crawley which is in the UK south-east, just outside Gatwick Airport. I've a super wife, two cats, no mortgage (hooray) and I've just been made redundant as our jobs were all sent across the ocean to India, surprise, surprise. I'm happy with things so I've got lots of time to do all the work I need to do at home. That's probably why she bought me all the Festool goodies. The bulk of my power tool estate is Dewalt plus a few bits of Bosch and AEG. I am now firmly on the path to convert my black-and-yellow stable to black-and-green. 8)

 

[Brice Burrell]

Peter, let me be the first to welcome you to the FOG. Great group of people here that will be happy to help with any question, share ideas and give feedback. Sundays can be a little slow around here but I'm sure someone with the router setup will post some good info soon. In the meantime here are some thread that might be helpful, another new product-CMS and CMS router table. 

From what I understand the router setup is portable and with a MFT/3 and/or table extension running long stock shouldn't be a problem. Since the CMS/router isn't available in the US I don't really know for sure. Some of our members from Europe and Australia can answer your question from hands on experience.

Again, welcome and I'm sure you're going to enjoy your time. 

 

[jonny round boy]

It seems the separate router attachment can only be used in the CMS table?

The CMS inserts (saw, router, jigsaw, belt sander*) can be used in both the CMS module frame (CMS-GE GB 240V) or in the MFT add-on (MFT/3-VL). This second option isn't illustrated very well on the Festool UK website, but it can be seen in the MFT/3 Brochure.

*As an aside, for some reason I had it in my head that the belt sander module had been discontinued, but it's now back on the website. Oh well. Perhaps I dreamed it.

Oh, and welcome to the forum! Good to have more from this side of the pond. I'm in the same boat as you as far as work is concerned - I got made redundant at the end of July, so am also filling my time working on the house.

One last thing - it would be appreciated if you edit your profile info, and put your location in the 'personal text' box. That way, it shows up at the side of your posts, and helps others know where you are from (obviously you mention that in your post, but it will help in the future!).

 

[Peter Hamilton-Scott]

Guys, thanks for the links and the feedback. I had the impression that Festool offered all products to all markets. Not all shops carry the MFT3 and accessories in stock but does anyone know of any supplier in the south-east that does have them? I'm also thinking that Festool's office in Suffolk might be worth approaching. Do they actually run a retail shop or are they only a distribution outlet? I'll research the router option but so far I like the look of the CMS attachment. That could be the way to go. My workshop is basically my front garden. I don't have a shed of any merit so working outside is my only option. Hence the need to setup and tear down quickly. Unfortunately, there are no dealer open days near where I live listed on Festool's website. Pity.

Edit: I noticed that the pictures of the CMS router table feed is at 90 deg to the MFT3 worktop? I was hoping that the in/outfeed would be inline with the table so that you get the benefit of having the table support long pieces of material as you feed it through.

 

[sw1211]

Peter,

Try searching the Festool UK site to find dealers, http://www.festool.co.uk/haendlersuche/haendlersuche.cfm?CFID=240409&CFTOKEN=69842517&jsessionid=2a306b9ac92867135d30TR

 

[mattfc]

Edit: I noticed that the pictures of the CMS router table feed is at 90 deg to the MFT3 worktop? I was hoping that the in/outfeed would be inline with the table so that you get the benefit of having the table support long pieces of material as you feed it through.

Yes you are right, it is 90deg, so you cant use the MFT/3 for infeed/outfeed. On the other hand though, thats just for the router module, I have the CMS module for th jigsaw and the TS55 which are both such that you can use the MFT for support.

I terms of checking this kit out, have a look at (http://www.festool.co.uk/artikel/artikel_weiterleiten.cfm?id=87) which shows the dealer days (the usual format is a whole load of tools with a demo guy from Festool set up at the dealer, you can go along and have a look and a play).. although best to call in advnace to check they will have what yo want to see. I think some dealers also have days where they take customers to go and see Festool (Festool demo workshops are in Bury St Edmunds)

 

[Peter Hamilton-Scott]

Mattfc, thanks for confirming the router's orientation. I wonder why they made it like that but no doubt there's a good reason?

I had searched the dealer's days. Apart from schlepping into London there's nothing listed close to home. I know Bury St Edmunds from way back in history as I used to work in a place called Fornham St Martin which is not far away. I'd still like to see a video of the router station in use. For the kind of money involved I'd really like to know it more intimately before committing to one.

 

[mattfc]

Mattfc, thanks for confirming the router's orientation. I wonder why they made it like that but no doubt there's a good reason?

Yes, it is with good reason. If the unit was the other way round, since the table is rectangular you would loose fence stability as it would be very short, this way you get a longer in and out feed.

I have the add on sliding table for larger pieces (some of the CS70 table saw accessories fit so you can get the table extentions. CAUTION.. do check with Festool though with these add ons, as the CMS GE which is the standd alone CMS holder isnt as deep as the unit that attaches to the MFT/3 (e.g. CS50 bits fits the CMS-GE, CS70 fit the MFT CMS add-on holder))
RIP Fence

Table Extension

Sliding Table

 

[joiner1970]

Guys, thanks for the links and the feedback. I had the impression that Festool offered all products to all markets. Not all shops carry the MFT3 and accessories in stock but does anyone know of any supplier in the south-east that does have them? I'm also thinking that Festool's office in Suffolk might be worth approaching. Do they actually run a retail shop or are they only a distribution outlet? I'll research the router option but so far I like the look of the CMS attachment. That could be the way to go. My workshop is basically my front garden. I don't have a shed of any merit so working outside is my only option. Hence the need to setup and tear down quickly. Unfortunately, there are no dealer open days near where I live listed on Festool's website. Pity.

Edit: I noticed that the pictures of the CMS router table feed is at 90 deg to the MFT3 worktop? I was hoping that the in/outfeed would be inline with the table so that you get the benefit of having the table support long pieces of material as you feed it through.

As you are in Crawley you might want to try powertools and fixings in Redhill not far from you.I bought my fein multimaster in there and noticed they have a huge display of Festool also Bunnys bolts Woking do everything Festool.

http://www.fixingscenter.co.uk/showpage.asp?showdocumentid=417

 

[Peter Hamilton-Scott]

I know that shop very well. I've bought most of my Dewalt gear from there. They do have a nice Festool stand by the counter but I suspect they carry the more common items in stock so things like the MFT3 would probably need to be ordered in.

Like you, I also got my Fein MultiMaster renovation kit from them. That's another excellent power tool and it has more accessories in its catalogue than just about any tool ever made. I'll have to look for Bunny's bolts in Woking. There's another well stocked Festool dealer in Horsham. It seems there are dealers hither and thither. What I'd love to find is the one "killer" dealer that has everything in stock! I wonder what the dealers are like in Germany?

 

[joiner1970]

I know that shop very well. I've bought most of my Dewalt gear from there. They do have a nice Festool stand by the counter but I suspect they carry the more common items in stock so things like the MFT3 would probably need to be ordered in.

Like you, I also got my Fein MultiMaster renovation kit from them. That's another excellent power tool and it has more accessories in its catalogue than just about any tool ever made. I'll have to look for Bunny's bolts in Woking. There's another well stocked Festool dealer in Horsham. It seems there are dealers hither and thither. What I'd love to find is the one "killer" dealer that has everything in stock! I wonder what the dealers are like in Germany?

Bunnys bolts seem to have everything nearly but its so disorganized , they also sell a few imported things american tools etc. I saw a tiny Senco compressor in there awhile back they said they can get a bigger one so I emailed and rang a few times to see when they had it in stock when they finally got back to me I went over there to find it wasnt bigger at all wasting my time  . I have bought a couple of Festool bits from them but have just got fed up with how bad they are regarding communication.

My local shop is ETR in Ashford Middx they have a small display of Festool but I just order in what I need if they dont have it and they always look after me.

Another good one to try is Jaycee tools in Northolt Middx they have a whole shop devoted to Festool and Andy in there knows everything about Festool tools.