STM 1800

[Mike Goetzke]

When this came out I was like what an over priced mobile cutting station, but, now I have a question for experienced users.

I work out of my garage. Right now my work table is on a ceiling cable lift. It consists of three "MFT" type slabs, TrackTubes, and Speedhorses. I can put this 4'x8' tabel up in less than 5 minutes. I love this table except for one thing - It's not mobile. If I need to use other large machines I can't move the table to get access. This is why I may have interest in the STM 1800.

Just wondering if anyone has used this as a workstation and put an "mft" type table on it for assembly work. Or is it not the right tool for that?

Thanks

 

[mac sparrow]

@sancho57 ex Jobsworth has and a number of people have copied that. Sedge showed it on a Festool Live thingy. If you buy additional clips via eKAT and screw them to the bottom of an MFT slab it will just click onto the STM1800 metal rails.

 

[rst]

I made a small extension table Like Sedge’s, but also have two 4’x5’ MFT layout tops I can throw on for cutting and assembly with stops and clamps.

 

[rst]

Other people have used small extension tables as small router tables

 

[Ebuwan]

Festool 10293265​

That i believe it the part number for the clips; as @mac sparrow said, attach those to a table slap and you can pop it on the STM 1800.

Seperate from your actual question; i love the STM1800. Rolling over to my truck to unload and break down sheet goods is awesome.

 

[bwehman]

I would not love to relive life without the STM. That thing is prolific in how it changed my workflow.

 

[woodferret]

I think expectations should be set though. A few people have mentioned dropping extensions, which I guess is fine if you're just putting the mini MFT on for clamping and domino work. Good enough for Festool's Frank to build a RTA door jam on it (but that's self-squaring).

 

[ear3]

Small point of advisement: Every so often the adjustable legs will slip when at full extension and under a heavy load. This is the result of not tightening up the screw knobs sufficiently after setting them into position with the ball detent. You think you have tightened the knob enough, but it actually requires quite a bit of finishing torque to make the leg fully secure when supporting heavy loads. It's a minor inconvenience though relative to the overall functionality of the table.

Really good investment in my opinion. Not just as a cutting and assembly table for garage based shop, but also any field work you have to do, as it packs up compactly and fits in the back of even a modest-sized car.

 

[Mike Goetzke]

Thanks for the comments, The brackets look encouraging but need to study it more because I would still like to put three 32"x48" MDF slabs on it to make a 48x96 work table. I have had some heavy cabinets on my current setup - like a dresser and recently 48" bathroom vanity and right now not confident the outriggers can handle the load.

 

[nclemmons]

I bought one right after they came out and have used it a lot! Really like the ease of setup and the fact that it collapses into a package that can be rolled against a wall taking minimal space. Great as well for rolling outside my garage onto the driveway for finishing operations where I don't want the overspray in my garage.

I did make an extension table on one end from a 2' x 4' piece of baltic birch ply. I simply ripped down the outriggers by 3/4 and use a couple of screws to secure the ply to the outriggers. This both extends the length of the table but also gives me a workbench for using FT clamps, etc. You DO Have to be mindful of counter balancing that weight on the other end of the STM 1800. It works but I also have an MFT and other benches in my garage shop. This may be what others are referring to the "Sedge" modification...

You COULD add a couple of diagonal braces under the top that would rest on the metal rods that connect at the bottom of the legs of the STM1800. Or just cut two vertical legs that could be attached under the extension for additional support.

 

[Mike Goetzke]

I made a small extension table Like Sedge’s, but also have two 4’x5’ MFT layout tops I can throw on for cutting and assembly with stops and clamps.

When you get a chance can you take a pic of the tops installed.

Just thinking, maybe I'm overthinking this. My three MFT type slabs are 32"x48". Today I take them off my ceiling cable lift onto track tubes resting on a couple or three saw horses. I have couple Dominos between each section for alignment, Domino connectors to pull them together tight, and short "dogs" in the track tubes to keep the assembly from moving.

Maybe without any extra plastic pieces I can just throw these slabs on a STM and connect them together like I do now?

Also, I see the load limit is 330#. A Festool rep. told me the frame can hold much more but the limit is the casters. Wondering if someone has replaced the OEM casters with higher capacity ones.

Thanks

 

[mike_aa]

I'm not doing much woodworking of late so I haven't used mine recently, but right after they first came out I picked one up at Hartville and put it to work mostly as a portable work table and a way to move stock around. It was indispensable when my son was getting ready to put his house (3 hours away from us) on the market. I set it up down there primarily to repair, strip, sand, and paint their side door. It was easy to work on outdoors for most of the work and I could roll it under their carport at night and for painting. It saved me from dragging the door around and setting it up on sawhorses multiple times.

Mike A.

 

[rst]

Mike, I use two 64x48 MFT drilled slabs that I just plop on top, they have enough mass that I usually don't have fasten them.

 

[louder]

My STM sits unused in a corner. It doesn't provide enough support to prevent sagging, resulting in slightly beveled and angled cuts. I've found no way to work around it and Festool has offered no help. It's the one of many Festool products I own that I just think is crap. The plywood loading is cool but what's the point if your cuts are all whacky?

 

[Distinctive Interiors]

My STM sits unused in a corner. It doesn't provide enough support to prevent sagging, resulting in slightly beveled and angled cuts. I've found no way to work around it and Festool has offered no help. It's the one of many Festool products I own that I just think is crap. The plywood loading is cool but what's the point if your cuts are all whacky?

I work on my own in my workshop and regularly have to break down sheets of material of 18/19mm x 2800mm x 2070mm.

Due to their size & weight, I can't physically pick them up on my own. The suppliers delivery driver and I, slide them individually from the lorry onto my STM, I then roll the STM and sheet into my workshop, and then fold the sheet down and store them vertically on their long edge. When I'm ready to start cutting, I then use the STM1800 to transition them from vertical to horizontal. Once flat, I can break down the sheets to approximate manageable sizes using my rails and tracksaw.

The smaller sheets can then be cut accurately in various other ways.

I don't use the STM as a highly accurate cutting table and I don't believe Festool advertise it as such.

Considering my own workflow and situation, it has been a game changer for me and I wouldn't wish to be without it.

Not cheap at about £1300 here in the UK I admit, but to suggest that it is c r a p,.....I find that quite astounding.

 

[mungk]

My STM sits unused in a corner. It doesn't provide enough support to prevent sagging, resulting in slightly beveled and angled cuts. I've found no way to work around it and Festool has offered no help. It's the one of many Festool products I own that I just think is crap. The plywood loading is cool but what's the point if your cuts are all whacky?

I'm currently in the market for one if you're local and looking to sell. I'm in Washington DC.

 

[louder]

I work on my own in my workshop and regularly have to break down sheets of material of 18/19mm x 2800mm x 2070mm.

Due to their size & weight, I can't physically pick them up on my own. The suppliers delivery driver and I, slide them individually from the lorry onto my STM, I then roll the STM and sheet into my workshop, and then fold the sheet down and store them vertically on their long edge. When I'm ready to start cutting, I then use the STM1800 to transition them from vertical to horizontal. Once flat, I can break down the sheets to approximate manageable sizes using my rails and tracksaw.

The smaller sheets can then be cut accurately in various other ways.

I don't use the STM as a highly accurate cutting table and I don't believe Festool advertise it as such.

Considering my own workflow and situation, it has been a game changer for me and I wouldn't wish to be without it.

Not cheap at about £1300 here in the UK I admit, but to suggest that it is c r a p,.....I find that quite astounding.

It should be accurate enough to get square, plumb cuts. Maybe there's something wrong with mine specifically. I've A/B tested cutting on XPS on the floor vs the STM, and on the STM I always end up with a slight bevel on my edges and marginally out of square corners. As far as Festool's intent... "ideal for cutting sheet goods" certainly doesn't place the same emphasis on accuracy as they do on many other products, but it also doesn't suggest it's for rough cuts only.

 

[ReneS]

Louder - Is the problem that the stm conforms to the surface (floor) it is on, or does it do that even on a very flat surface?

If the former, could a user shim the casters to get the stm top in one plane?

 

[Distinctive Interiors]

Due to the adjustability of the STM and the fact that it can accommodate sheets of varying sizes, there is potential for a bit of sag when cutting at the ends of the larger sized sheets, such as the size I mentioned in my earlier post.
I've never treated it as a means of actually producing cabinet accurate cuts.

Having said that, I'm sure it could be used in such a way on the smaller dimentioned sheets, such as 2440mm x 1220mm (8' x 4'), but I never purchased it with that intention.

As a means of roughly breaking down sheet material with a tracksaw, it's a gamechanger for me personally.

 

[Ebuwan]

Your comments on the sag are true. I make sure to reposition the panel after every cut so that the supports are underneath the portion i'm cutting. I'll check it now, i never really noticed any impact from it with the stuff i've made from it. I also do final dimensioning on the cabinet saw, so maybe thats part of why it hasn't impacted me.

As you mention it though, i just ripped down a ton of MDF sheets for trimwork in the house, and when ripping to final dimension on the table saw, i noticed the edge, looking top down, wasn't always super tight to the fence on some pieces. Maybe thats from what you describe. That didn't impact the work though.