Query about MFT-SP Clamp

[Forrest Anderson]

One of the accessories you can get for the MFT is the MFT-SP clamp which is sold in pairs:

To operate, the lever is released, the clamping rod is pushed forward so that it contacts the workpiece, and the lever is then locked. What I would like to know is whether the lever simply clamps the rod solid in order to steady the workpiece, or whether it pushes the rod forward like a clamp and then locks it, making the workpiece immovable. If it operates like a clamp, roughly how much does it move forward and/or how much pressure can it apply, compared to say, a Veritas Wonder Dog...?

Secondly, how sturdy is the MFT-SP? The Wonder Dog appears to be made totally out of metal, but the Festool clamp seems to be a plastic and metal item.

Forrest

 

[Corwin]

Forrest,

I cannot address the Wonder Dogs as they are still on my wish list.  But I recently purchased my second set of Festool's Clamping Elements -- this say something good!  The throw on these clamps is about 1/8" and they offer enough clamping pressure for most tasks.  These clamps really shine over screw-type clamps in repetitive operations.  I love 'em!

Corwin

 

[Forrest Anderson]

I cannot address the Wonder Dogs as they are still on my wish list.  But I recently purchased my second set of Festool's Clamping Elements -- this say something good!  The throw on these clamps is about 1/8" and they offer enough clamping pressure for most tasks.  These clamps really shine over screw-type clamps in repetitive operations.  I love 'em!

Thanks very much for the feedback. The 1/8" throw was exactly the info I was after. Do you have to move the lever all the way to the rear for it to lock, and do you ever worry about breaking/stressing the mechanism by moving the lever too far?

Forrest

 

[Brian 57]

I believe these clamps work on the cam principle. I have both these and the wonder pups. I have found the Festools sturdy and capable of applying all the pressure I need - certainly enough to deflect the installed long stop :. I assume the wonder dogs would, in theory, give higher clamping forces, but surely beyond what one would normally need. Note that the Festools are a bit higher than 18mm so it can't easily be used under the saw guide rail if, for instance, you're cutting small sheet-good pieces. Additionally, I have found the Lee Valley hold-down indispensable - huge forces and their long swing is very useful.

 

[Michael Kellough]

Revised after actually examining the thing. My memory isn't as reliable as I thought it was.

A full stroke of the lever arm moves the clamp head forward a reliable 1 mm at any pressure. The mechanical principle of this clamp is similar to the Quick-Grip clamp in that the shaft of the clamp passes through a hardened steel rectangular disk which when levered to a certain angle begins to advance the shaft. However, the Festool clamp does not have the extra steel disk (the pressure release on the Quick-Grip) that prevents the Quick-Grip clamp shaft from retracting when the lever arm is re-stroked. The the lever arm on the Festool clamp ends in an ecentric cam so it begins to move the steel rectangle enough to advance the shaft when it has rotated about halfway. With the lever arm in the released position the clamp shaft can be moved effortlessly. With the Festool clamp you get the 1mm advance and thats it, but that's plenty if your parts fit. Once the shaft is engaged it doesn't slip but if you wanted to move something under load more than 1mm distance you'd need two of these clamps next to one another to alternate the pressure between them.

The clamping elements used with the MFT make a great, fast, assembly work station.

 

[greg mann]

The big advantage to the Festool clamps is speed. They can be slid up to the workpiece in an instant where the wonder dogs may need to be adjusted close by swinging them in the air to make them adjust up or down to the appropriate length. Even though the wonder dogs have a 3/4 dog they still can generate more force than you should ever use. If you don't like the loose fit you could probably put a band of electrical tape around the dog. That said, I use teh Festool clamps whenever possible. It would be nice if they were about 1mm lower.

 

[Tinker]

I have both the Festool clamps and the Wonderdogs.
1  The only problems i have with the Festool clamps is the height for some applications. I solve that by adding an extra shim board, as when i am handplaning and need a little clearance at edgeof piece beng planed.  The other problem is that you need to plan just a little when working with two of them close together as the one gets in the way of the other locking handle.  both problems are so minor, I have recently purchased a second set.  They are indespensible IMO.
2  The Wonderdogs get used in situations where I need just a little less hieght.  The problems with them is that unless the little tightening lever is hanging out in space, it is a pain to keep flipping it back and forth as you tighten it.  The other problem is that there is a tiny screw or clip (been so long, i have forgotten which)  that holds the head to the threaded rod that locks against whatever you are clamping.  One of those screws fell out the second time i used the clamp.  That darned screw is barely larger than a piece of dust and disappeared forever.  Try and find a replacement.  I still use the clamp once in awhile, but just slide the head over the rod as i tighten.  There is really no problem i can detect as I tighten over the MFT  There are other friction clamps that depend on only gravity and friction that have more play than the wonderdgs in the MFT holes.  I have not used the WD's fr quite some time, so I don't realy know the answer to the problem mentioned other than it was not apparent to me as I recall.

Do i use the Festool clamps often?  YES
Do I reach for the Wonderdogs often?  NO, only when i need an extra clamp or two.
Tinker

 

[Dan Lyke]

Do you have to move the lever all the way to the rear for it to lock, ...

No, it seems pretty solid after about half-way towards the back.

... and do you ever worry about breaking/stressing the mechanism by moving the lever too far?

No. The throw is small enough that it seems to be "just enough", and I think it's also non-linear, so that the last half of the throw does less than the first half. And it's got a positive stop, so you know when you've gone as far as you can go without breaking the clamp.

I've had a few things that I've cantilevered off the end of the table so that I could jigsaw through them, like 1'x3' slabs of 3/4" ply, and while I don't recommend it as standard practice, those clamps from the sides alone have been enough to resist quite a bit of levering force (I usually, although not always, throw something through the table to on top of the piece when I'm doing something that involves cantilevering the work).

 

[Michael Kellough]

Do you have to move the lever all the way to the rear for it to lock, ...

No, it seems pretty solid after about half-way towards the back.

... and do you ever worry about breaking/stressing the mechanism by moving the lever too far?

No. The throw is small enough that it seems to be "just enough", and I think it's also non-linear, so that the last half of the throw does less than the first half. And it's got a positive stop, so you know when you've gone as far as you can go without breaking the clamp.

Dan has it right. Because the lever arm ends in an eccentric cam nothing happens until halfway back and the advance motion is non-linear because of the eccentric cam. The shaft advances only 1mm. I modified my original response to this question after examining a clamp.

 

[Forrest Anderson]

Very many thanks to you all for your replies. I now have a much better feel for the way the clamp operates, and am glad to see that everyone likes them. I'll put some on the shopping list!

Forrest

 

[billybokay]

I did not think I needed the festool clamps until I read this thread. Had the other clamps and they worked fine although took some time to set up.
Well I use my mft 1080 for so many more aplications since I got the clamps. Before the table was just used for cross cutting sheet goods. Now I sand everything, biscuit everything (just for the time before april) and do most projects on the table with the new clamps. What a difference  a minor convenience can make.
Too bad I can't use the table for glue up assembly.
Don't want to ruin the mdf.

 

[HowardH]

I read to use butcher paper down under your project so you can glue up using the MFT.  I have to go to Sam's and see if they have some as Ihave a table top I will be glueing up this weekend.

 

[Ned]

I read to use butcher paper down under your project so you can glue up using the MFT.  I have to go to Sam's and see if they have some as Ihave a table top I will be glueing up this weekend.

West of Texas in the US, the Smart & Final warehouse/restaurant supply stores stock butcher paper.  No membership required.

 

[James Metcalf]

HowardH

It is also handy to have a mount with cutter. Mine was sold at the same place that sold the paper.I mounted mine on the wall, but have seen them on the end of a table.I found mine at restaurant supply place.

James Metcalf

 

[Tinker]

I did not think I needed the festool clamps until I read this thread. Had the other clamps and they worked fine although took some time to set up.
Well I use my mft 1080 for so many more aplications since I got the clamps. Before the table was just used for cross cutting sheet goods. Now I sand everything, biscuit everything (just for the time before april) and do most projects on the table with the new clamps. What a difference  a minor convenience can make.
Too bad I can't use the table for glue up assembly.
Don't want to ruin the mdf.

look at thread in other section about waxing the MFT.  i (and others) have a reply there on the subject.  I do all of my small assemblies on the MFT.  If it fits, that is where i assemble.
Tinker

 

[bill-e]

I did not think I needed the festool clamps until I read this thread. Had the other clamps and they worked fine although took some time to set up.
Well I use my mft 1080 for so many more aplications since I got the clamps. Before the table was just used for cross cutting sheet goods. Now I sand everything, biscuit everything (just for the time before april) and do most projects on the table with the new clamps. What a difference  a minor convenience can make.
Too bad I can't use the table for glue up assembly.
Don't want to ruin the mdf.

look at thread in other section about waxing the MFT.  i (and others) have a reply there on the subject.  I do all of my small assemblies on the MFT.  If it fits, that is where i assemble.
Tinker

I actually wiped on two coats of poly...not wipe-on poly but un-diluted.  The MDF is so absorbent that the full thickness Minwax poly was soaked up just like a wiping varnish.  I did two coats...very easy to wipe on.  Now I just have to wax for the final glue release coating

 

[Deano]

The clamp is the most wonderful thing you've ever used.  Essentially, you just put you work piece between the blocks, push the end of the rod up snug with the mating surface and pull the lever down.  Clamping pressure is sufficient to hold any operation; I love these clamps!

d

 

[Corwin]

I love these clamps!

Me too!  These clamps really add to the value of the MFT.

Corwin

 

[Corwin]

One omission in the discussion on these two clamps is the applications where the Wonder Dogs may shine...  No, I still haven't order any... yet.  But they will remain on my wish list, as the screw action of these clamps can be used to micro-adjust stops and jigs.  So, not so much one better than the other, but each type has its own advantages.

Corwin

 

[Blakkness]

Hello,

I wonder which size is the threaded shaft of the knob shipped with MFT-SP ?
m6 ? m8 ?

Is it the same knob as this ?
http://www.festool.fr/Produits/Accessoires/Pages/Detail.aspx?pid=494693&name=Accessoires-pour-scie-onglet-radiale-KAPEX-SZ-KS

I'm planning to design my own dogs and I want to be able to secure them with festool's knobs.

Thanks.
Blakkness

P.S : Here is my first post, and not the last