MFT3

[Lincoln]

Not sure what the situation is in other countries, but down here in Aus we can no longer buy the MFT3 on it's own, we have to buy the full set. An absolutely ridiculous decision. There's no doubt I would have bought a second by now, but no way will I buy with all of the rail/fence hardware. In fact, I originally wanted the table only, so I could use the Benchdogs hardware, but no go, had to get the full set.
Please bring it back, Festool!
(Currently looking for a second hand MFT3!)

 

[Ron B]

I know you only need the basic table, but here in the US the price difference is only $100 between the basic table and the table with all the goodies ($699 US vs $799 US).  For $100 more you get the protractor, 1080 rail, rail clamp, deflector, and rail supports.  The rail if bought separately is $125 US.  I would check the Australian prices of the extra items and determine if maybe you could possibly re-sell some of the items.  I do not understand Festool pricing, but the loaded table in the US is a "bargain" (if there is such a thing in the Festool world) compared to the basic table.

 

[Lincoln]

I know you only need the basic table, but here in the US the price difference is only $100 between the basic table and the table with all the goodies ($699 US vs $799 US).  For $100 more you get the protractor, 1080 rail, rail clamp, deflector, and rail supports.  The rail if bought separately is $125 US.  I would check the Australian prices of the extra items and determine if maybe you could possibly re-sell some of the items.  I do not understand Festool pricing, but the loaded table in the US is a "bargain" (if there is such a thing in the Festool world) compared to the basic table.

From memory, it was about AU$400 difference. Also, with 'bare' tables no longer available, who's going to want to buy second hand rail hardware specific to the MFT?

 

[Ron B]

I see what you mean.  Here I could almost sell the rail and deflector and come close to the $100 US difference, and could throw the rest away.  Exchange rate is about $1 US to $1.50 Australian so that is about $267 US difference, not $100.  Again, I do not understand Festool pricing. 

 

[Lincoln]

I see what you mean.  Here I could almost sell the rail and deflector and come close to the $100 US difference, and could throw the rest away.  Exchange rate is about $1 US to $1.50 Australian so that is about $267 US difference, not $100.  Again, I do not understand Festool pricing.

Yes, looks like it wouldn't be a problem in the US. Our prices are very high and keep going up.
The full MFT set is AU$1700, which is about US$1140. Another random example is the Domino DF700 is AU$2799, which is about US$1870.

 

[ElectricFeet]

I know you only need the basic table, but here in the US the price difference is only $100 between the basic table and the table with all the goodies ($699 US vs $799 US).  For $100 more you get the protractor, 1080 rail, rail clamp, deflector, and rail supports.  The rail if bought separately is $125 US.  I would check the Australian prices of the extra items and determine if maybe you could possibly re-sell some of the items.  I do not understand Festool pricing, but the loaded table in the US is a "bargain" (if there is such a thing in the Festool world) compared to the basic table.

When I bought my “full set” MFT, this was my reasoning. I bought the full set, as it looked like a bargain.

For the last I-can’t-remember-how-many years, all the extras simply been taking up a considerable amount of space as I have never used them. They simply don’t provide the level of accuracy that I want. I use a variety of bench dogs and other kit from UJK, TSO, Veritas and BenchDogs for everything.

If someone wants a pull-down hinge option for an MFT, these days there are many 3rd-party solutions that are much better built than Festool’s own.

The cynic in me suspects that Festool are probably switching to a “full-set-only” strategy for the MFT because they will be retiring it soon and they need to sell off their last parts.

My advice to anyone wanting to buy an MFT-type table these days would be: Don’t. Instead, buy a 3rd-party MFT-compatible table.

Peter Millard has several videos on MFT hacks and MFT alternatives:https://www.youtube.com/@10MinuteWorkshop/search?query=mft

Get Hands Dirty also did a video recently on an MFT equivalent from Sauter in Germany:

Alternatively, get a locally-sourced CNCed top made from moisture-resistant MDF and a base of your choice. This gives you much more flexibility than the standard MFT (think rolling carts / fold-up leaves / long-thin tables for long rips etc.). Some suppliers will ship their tables without the top so that you can do this — e.g BenchDogs:https://benchdogs.co.uk/collections...ion/products/ultra-mft-workstation-frame-only

The Festool MFT changed a lot of things in woodworking. But I think that the specific model that Festool sells today has been superseded by much better alternatives. Add to that the costs of buying and shipping a heavy, bulky item across the world and I really don’t think it’s a good choice.

 

[derekcohen]

Lincoln, I agree with EF above - make your own. At the same time, I would have been a potential Buyer for your extra parts when I started down the MFT road.

About 2 years back 8 became curious about the potential for a MFT but was not prepared to spend the high cost in Oz. I had purchased a nearly unused 20 year old Festool saw and Makita rail which, while cheap, were an really an extravagence as I have a Hammer slider. The next step was to build a bench on wheels (useful for assembly) and have a template (ala the Trend, but twice the size) for the top made on a CNC. Eventually I made a hinge of my own from aluminium plate and a fence from aluminium extrusion.

There must be others like myself, who do not want the costs demanded by Festool to get into the game, who would jump at a chance to get them separately. So if you do purchase a second unit, then I believe you will find buyers for the hinge and fence, at the least. Alternately, roll your own.



Regards from Perth

Derek