New MFT/3 track doesn't land on pin

[BobInOhio]

I bought an MFT/3 yesterday and I'm still trying to assemble it. I've watched several YouTube videos, but something isn't right.

I have the front and rear track holders pushed up against the stop in the track of the table. When I bring the track from a tilted up to a horizontal position, the track doesn't land so that the track hits the pin on the front holder. It's off about 1/4". I then apply a sideway force to get the track to set where it belongs.

I don't  see any adjustments on the two holders that allow horizontal movement of the track position. Advice?

 

[squall_line]

Verify that the front and rear attachments are set to the same height, for one.

If you are using the stock "stops" that are inserted into the face tracks would be to loosen the set screw that holds whichever piece is out of alignment and adjust it until it's square, and then re-lock it.

That said, I believe that the intent of the MFT rail hinge is to NOT be perfectly aligned, but I think the intent is to be closer to 1/16" or 1/8", not 1/4".

There's also this advice:

Also this:
=32s

 

[Michael Kellough]

I bought an MFT/3 yesterday and I'm still trying to assemble it. I've watched several YouTube videos, but something isn't right.

I have the front and rear track holders pushed up against the stop in the track of the table. When I bring the track from a tilted up to a horizontal position, the track doesn't land so that the track hits the pin on the front holder. It's off about 1/4". I then apply a sideway force to get the track to set where it belongs.

I don't  see any adjustments on the two holders that allow horizontal movement of the track position. Advice?

That is the way it’s supposed to work, so don’t change it.

There has to be some clearance for one part to fit into another but that slack would allow the angle to change. By offsetting the the rail the slack is always moved to the same place and the angle is constant. (Sorry for the poor explanation  [embarassed]

When I set up my first MFT about twenty years ago I too thought the factory had made a mistake. I fixed it, and then discovered I couldn’t get repeatable results, because of that slack.

You do have to be gentle in setting the rail down on the pin. If you slam it down the steel pin will wear a groove in the rail and the angle will gradually change.

There are aftermarket solutions that basically reduce the slack but I haven’t tried any of them yet.

 

[BobInOhio]

That said, I believe that the intent of the MFT rail hinge is to NOT be perfectly aligned, but I think the intent is to be closer to 1/16" or 1/8", not 1/4".

Also this:
=32s

In the Perfect 90 video, at 6:00 he says, "that should fall right down on that pin." A few grunts later he says, "If you ever have to set up an MFT and you have to tug it over, it's not good."

That was what prompted me to post my question.

 

[BobInOhio]

That is the way it’s supposed to work, so don’t change it.

Please see the section of the video mentioned in the other reply. I'm watching a lot of Youtubers with MFT's and they all seem to land dead onto the pin.

 

[Michael Kellough]

Not in in watching that video but judging by the “cover” since he is using a perforated rail he must have taken the original rail off his MFT and chose to install the perf rail without being sprung.

In my opinion that is a mistake but it’s his MFT.

 

[peter halle]

I really don't think that there is a right or wrong answer here.  Like Michael I remember the days when the advice that came out of Festool was to have it sprung.  Nowadays the advice seems to have shifted towards the dead on approach.  Either way there are tons of videos out there to show how to easily adjust to your preference.

[member=297]Michael Kellough[/member] , I see that you are in the same camp that I am in where your setup works well and you haven't had the need or desire to add on an aftermarket device on the pin.

Peter

 

[Michael Kellough]

I haven’t kept up with Festool’s advice (I accumulated 3 MFT’s before the MFT3 came out and barely have room to set up one) but since Festool delivered Bob’s new MFT3 with a sprung rail it seems they still recommend taking out the slack that way.

That said, I haven’t heard of anyone who bought a “Slop Stop” (if that’s what they’re called) saying they didn’t like it.

 

[BobInOhio]

I'm going to see if the Dash-Board brackets work any better.

 

[squall_line]

I'm going to see if the Dash-Board brackets work any better.

I can tell you this much: they work wonderfully.

Whether or not they work better, I can't say, because I skipped the factory brackets entirely (I mean, I have them, but I never used them).

 

[BobInOhio]

I was watching The Woodgrafter - Festool MFT3 Setup Part 2 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUqCQ4De2GU) and he shows how to square up the rip fence (track? rail?.. what's the right word?) so it is not only square to the protractor rail but also square to the dog holes.

He says to loosen the stop in the front rail and that it takes a 4mm hex. I looked into my stop and I don't see it having any type head. This must have changed since he made the video - 4 years ago.

It turns out my fence/track was square to the dog holes without any adjustment. Sweet!

 

[sancho57]

make sure you got a true known good square square.
Or you will be having problems getting a square cut
Dont ax me how I know that

 

[Sparktrician]

I haven’t heard of anyone who bought a “Slop Stop” (if that’s what they’re called) saying they didn’t like it.

I have one and love it for the consistency in maintaining square.  That said, I still check square regularly, and every time I change material thickness.

 

[JeffSD]

My MFT was not square when I purchased it new.

I probably shouldn't have been surprised seeing that it probably got knocked around a bit making its way from Germany to California.

Following the advice in the Woodgrafter's video + a good square + a "Slop Stop" put everything right.

 

[SoonerFan]

My MFT was not square when I purchased it new.

I probably shouldn't have been surprised seeing that it probably got knocked around a bit making its way from Germany to California.

Following the advice in the Woodgrafter's video + a good square + a "Slop Stop" put everything right.

I did same as [member=71275]JeffSD[/member] … good square and a Slop Stop to set mine up several years back.  Still good and square today.

 

[Sparktrician]

You might want to tale a look at this message regarding squaring the rail to the MFT.  The thing to note is that I start at the most stable component and work toward the least stable component for consistency.  Every time I change material thickness, I re-check the relationship between the fence and the rail to verify "squareness".  [smile]

 

[BobInOhio]

I'm going to see if the Dash-Board brackets work any better.

I can tell you this much: they work wonderfully.

OMG. The dash-board brackets are just dripping with quality!

 

[Michael Kellough]

My MFT was not square when I purchased it new.

I probably shouldn't have been surprised seeing that it probably got knocked around a bit making its way from Germany to California.

Following the advice in the Woodgrafter's video + a good square + a "Slop Stop" put everything right.

There is slack between the mdf top and the frame too. If the MFT gets knocked around or even simply folded up there is a chance the top has shifted. Since the fence is attached to the top and the rail is attached to the frame there is a chance they are no longer square.

A simple routine is to pull the top into the same corner prior to checking square, every time.

 

[TSO_Products]

[member=79121]BobInOhio[/member] – your MFT/3 will serve you well as you become proficient following FESTOOL’s official instructions (i.e. Sedge FESTOOL Live Episode 5 at 4:30 ff for example)

You might also benefit from understanding the benefits of a thoroughly engineered refinement before  simply replacing everything.https://tsoproducts.com/accessories/mft-aligned-guide-rail-support-upgrade-kit/

enjoy your woodworking journey!
Hans

 

[dashboardpws]

I'm going to see if the Dash-Board brackets work any better.

I can tell you this much: they work wonderfully.

OMG. The dash-board brackets are just dripping with quality!

Thank you very much. We have 8 years of development/refinement in those.