Setup of mft 3

Janmara1

Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2014
Messages
97
Hi
I recently came across an ad by woodpecker tools offering a one time set up tool for the mft3 the cost for this square was 270 us
What is Festool thoughts on setting up the mft from my point of view it seems irresponsible to need a special tool to set up a table that costs quite a bit to star wth
What do you recommend
 
You do not NEED the Woodpeckers product, you can easily set up the MFT with a square, or squarely cut piece of wood like MDF, or other people use Qwas or other dogs to square the rail and fence.

The Woodpecker item is simply an optional add on that some people choose to purchase.

You can search this forum for various threads on ways to square the MFT table
 
You don't need that woodpecker triangle, but I do check my square of the MFT with the woodpecker 12" 1281 square. Only $99, but the best square in my shop and it gets used everywhere. I think i would be a better purchase as you would get more use out of something like a 12" solid square. I think the MFT triangle has much limited use as many of their one-time tools. Every once in a while I see one of those tools which actually applies to my everyday functions and I think this is for a few limited people, which is why they do them on short runs.
 
I don't want to comment directly on another manufacturer's product.

I think the essence of the question is: "do I need an expensive third party product to set up or use the Festool MFT". The simple answer is no.

There are different expectations from one person to the next on how square is square, so to speak. There are many squaring solutions and options on the market with varying levels of "squareness" or accuracy/precision. We would recommend that our customers use a quality square to check their MFT for accuracy. The factory stops are set to be very close to perfect out of the box. Of course, there's an opportunity to verify and possibly tweak this by using a good square.

Basically, it depends on how precise you want to get. Personally, I think trying to work with wood in thousands of an inch is a little futile. Metal and other materials, sure, but not wood.

I hope that answers your question.

Shane
 
IMHO :this is superfluous gimmick designed to get people to buy/consume.
Get a good square, by all means, but 270 bucks for something you can do with a systainer is a bit steep.
 
I don't think it's that complicated to get things square but, as others have said, what you need to satisfy you depends on the level of "squareness" you desire. I don't currently have a square that is guaranteed like the Woodpecker's MFT square would be and, so far, haven't ordered it (although it certainly looks cool). It just isn't necessary. I've used several different squares in my shop, all with the same result. I have a couple of small engineer's squares, a cheap triangle, a plastic drafting triangle, and a fold-up square (which was allegedly more accurate than my other tools). I get the same result with all of them. I also have dogs for the MFT (3 sets for other reasons). I've squared using those also. I still get the same end result. Peter Halle has a great video on squaring with dogs. It works. If the end result fits in your project or, when assembled, looks the way you intended, it's right, square, and the right size.

It would be nice if there was a fixed reference point on the MFT where the fence would just sit and be automatically square using the holes and you would just need to square up the guide rail, but, in the end, all the methods I've seen work. It makes some happy to have a square, like the Woodpecker's square, that is never in question. I admit  that, in my mind, there is some finality about that concept, but I definitely have survived without that square.
 
I found the table to be a pain, constantly need to check for square, to much variation in components', ended up drilling my own 4' x 8' table, and just using dogs, so much better and easier.
 

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