Talk me into or out of an MFT

[JHZR2]

I've got a workshop with workbench, a good complement of sawhorses, router table, etc... But I've really come to love this:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-1-8-ft-x-3-ft-Portable-Jobsite-Workbench-225047/205887786

It's so easy to put up and take down, light, small, sturdy, etc.  I've never used it as a router table, so can't comment on that...

I've come to prefer working on this and moving it around... To the point that I want a second... Or an MFT.

I've seen a lot of threads with mixed points on MFT, some good, some saying that you can make your own.

My requirements are light, storable, and very sturdy when set up, even if on imperfect ground.  I don't necessarily buy into the "spend 10x more because Festool is a system" angle, but I'm also not opposed to paying a premium to meet my requirements and be extra handy with my new TS55. 

My angle is either a domino or Festool router with another husky table, or an MFT and nothing else for a while... I do have two Bosch routers, but no other joiner (I've typically preferred and used dowels), fwiw, tools wise...

Thoughts?

 

[Coen]

The MFT is nice with cutting panels etc. Also easier to clamp stuff to than the Husky tables, although the clamps run more expensive than that whole tablet.

 

[agarwalsa]

I have not seen or used the Husky but can vouch for the MFT/3. It is literally worth its weight in gold. The most used Festool tool you will ever own. I have two massive workbenches that I built - one Roubo and other a more classic style plus a bench on bench for some specialized work but I use the MFT much more than all of them combined. The ease of clamping stuff wherever you want on the MFT is just so convenient, and it is much more sturdy that what may appear looking at it. For portable power tool use, the MFT cannot be beaten. Yes, it is much more money but will pay back over its lifetime.

 

[charley1968]

The MFT is a versatile workbench. It holds your workpiece. If you got a workbench that holds your workpiece, i see no 'need' for you to buy a second one. If you need the hole pattern of the MFT for right-angle cuts, you could instead buy the top and put it onto sawhorses or the like.
The Domino might be a better choice in your case.

 

[Holmz]

...
My requirements are light, storable, and very sturdy when set up, even if on imperfect ground.  I don't necessarily buy into the "spend 10x more because Festool is a system" angle, but I'm also not opposed to paying a premium to meet my requirements and be extra handy with my new TS55.
...

I can argue either for or against... usually opposite what everyone else is doing just to be obstinate.

[quote author=Myself]
Pros:
1) Easy, just buy it and you are done.
2) Can take FT tracksaw for cross cutting, and also a Bosch rail if one prefers an MT55. A few parts needed, but all easily acquired.
3) Dog holes mean that one does not even need the fence, and just align the wood on the dogs... And then align the rail on the front to back dogs.
4) Glue ups can benefit from the dog holes, and one can mach up the parts against the dogs to get a 90 degree joint (picture a picture frame.
5) 45 degree angles also work with the dogs, eliminating the mitre for most work.

So for 90% one can eliminate the mitre and fence altogether
[/quote]

^They would be mad to buy it^ because:
1) One can save some $ doing it themselves, and with the "Rail dogs" one does not even need the floppy rail. It is climbing towards $1000, and for basically a piece of MDF that is a bit much.
2) At this point we are talking about a plank/sheet of 96-mm holey MDF, and some saw horses, so it does not warrant the holy cost a which it is priced.
3) As some dogs and clamps are, and which do not even come with the MFT anyhow... There is a need to acquire these with is some more hundreds in outlay.

So for me it was like Jello Biafra's Album, and I outlaid the cash for convenience sake.
If there was a Home Despot nearby I would have gotten a Husky (if I already had one and liked it).

One would assume that the Husky would have dogs, but I see no dog holes.  [huh]

 

[Birdhunter]

I have two MFTs joined together with a home built extension on which a heavy woodworking vise is mounted. I also built an island with an MFT top.

If I was to start from fresh. I would probably not change anything although I do not need the portability.

The MFTs were not very stable until I added the leg braces. Adding the vise extension with its heavy steel legs greatly improved the stability. I can now plane and saw with no table movement.

The precise hole pattern with QWAS dogs is a strong asset. The flip down rail for my TS55 is a strong asset. The Festool clamps combined with the holes make it easy to affix objects to the table.

A very large and very true square is extremely useful to true up the tracksaw rail.

My tops tend to sag over time. I simply flip them over like a mattress. I think the MFT needs a brace midspan to support the top.

I think an option where one could buy the MFT with the side extrusions but without legs would have been better for my needs.

P.S. I agree with the above statement that a Domino is a wonderful choice. Of all the Festool products, the Domino is truly a game changer.

 

[peter halle]

I have a MFT as well as three Keter tables which are very similar to the Husky product shown.  I wouldn't want to be without either because I use them for different things.

The tables are used instead of sawhorses with 1/2" foam on the tables to break down sheet goods.  Also used when I am using the Kapex as a cheap miter stand with 2 SYS 1 to hold up longer stock.  Sometimes just having a spare table to place the Ts55 pen and prefect stooping can make a job more efficient.  I have only used some of the clamps and Keter supplied extra parts once.  The tables are great because they are lighter than the MFT and set up in literally seconds.

If I need to be making cross cuts in stock that is greater than 12" wide then I will use the MFT.  Also if I need to be doing much work stabilization or clamping. If I still had dedicated shop space and could leave the MFT set up all the time I would use it even more.

Peter

 

[fignewton]

I had a Rockler clamping bench that had the t-tracks mounted in it flush, and I bought all of their sliding clamping devices.  Once I bought my Domino 500, it seemed like I could never get things clamped in the direction that I needed to go, where I wanted them on the table.  The MFT3 and festool clamping elements solved that for me. I bought a spare MFT top to use as a pattern to make a 4x8 assembly table, then put the spare top on the Rockler frame and leveled the two together.  Works superbly.  When I need a solid top that can't be hurt, I just slide the Rockler top back onto the second MFT top.  I also bought the Seneca clamping adapters and use my ViseGrip clamps with ease for quick repetetive clamping.

 

[bobfog]

For me I understand the usefulness of the MFT and that it's more than just a table. I've almost bought it a few times, but every time I am about to pull the trigger but given I don't have an unlimited supply of money  I can always see something on my "to get lost" that almost always seems to represent better value for money for handing over £500.

It's just too expensive for what it is. If it were £300 I would have bought it ages ago, but for £500 for what is basically some MDF and a bit of steel/aluminium, I just get more pleasure or bang for buck by spending that amount on something else.

 

[bkharman]

I am in the camp of "love it". I use it for a lot of different things, I don't baby it and it always pulls through for me. I have a bunch of dogs, clamps, prototypes and else that I use with it, so it is truly versatile for my needs. I wouldn't want to work without it to be honest. It is almost a hub for most things I do.

That being said, my next version of the MFT will be a hybrid table after I move into my new shop.

If you can find a used one on CL or alike, it might be a good choice for you.

Cheers. Bryan.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Mismarked]

You didn't mention if you had a table saw.  I don't have one and don't want one.  The MFT combined with the TS55, although not a total substitute, is nearly perfect for me, and is the most used surface in my garage.
I don't need portability, so I took the legs off of the MFT and spent a weekend to build a cart with the MFT and aluminum frame on top.  I can roll it around but don't have a need to transport it out of the garage.  It is also much more stable.  There are some good threads on the rolling cart.  If you need to be able to fold up and put in a corner, maybe the MFT with leg braces would be stable, but I can't comment on how good they are.
Assuming you don't have a need for the MFT track/TS55 combination, I agree with Charlie1968's comments.  The Domino is amazing and fast once you get the hang of it.  You indicated you already have a workbench, so the MFT by itself might not be essential.  I do make much use of the holes in the MFT top for clamping and wouldn't want to be without them, although I can't say I have ever clamped anything to the aluminum frame yet.  Perhaps getting just the MDF top and putting it into some kind of rigid wooden frame on top of sawhorses would be a lot cheaper and easy to store.

 

[Michael Kellough]

The MFT is great. So is the Domino. You need a router table too.

The only one you can get/simulate on the cheap is the MFT.

I mostly agree with Holmz in this case. Buy an MFT replacement top, some clamps, and some dogs and make some kind of support stand. Once you start using that setup you'll wish you had a real MFT but it's way better than a plane old table.

 

[The.Handyman]

I went the route of having my own  MFT tops made for use on my saw horses and Centipede workbenches.

1" thick Baltic Birch plywood CNC'd, holes rounded over, troughs routed and then a couple coats of tung oil.

Best decision I have made in a long time. These workbench tops are so incredibly useful.

 

[woodvkk]

Don't get one because you will end up with 2 like me

It is super versatile and possibly the backbone of the festool system. I can't do without mine.

 

[Ptk16]

I thought the clamps did not work in 1" material...

 

[peter halle]

The FESTOOL clamps won't work unless you round over or chamfer the holes on the bottom side.

Peter

 

[Ptk16]

Ahhh, that's the trick. Are people getting the cnc shop to do this or doing themselves after? What radius?

Thanks

 

[The.Handyman]

Ahhh, that's the trick. Are people getting the cnc shop to do this or doing themselves after? What radius?

Thanks

I used a 1/8" radius roundover on the entire top side of the MFT table pictured above. On the bottom side a chamfered all the 20mm holes. The clamps fit in just fine on the 1" material. All of the Festool clamping elements fit fine as well. The threaded knobs have plenty of threads to screw into the clamps/dogs.

 

[Coen]

The FESTOOL clamps won't work unless you round over or chamfer the holes on the bottom side.

Peter

Or counterbored, because then you have a better surface if you use the big nobs below the table to secure the MFT-SP clamps (among other things).

But it would have to be a little bit bigger.

 

[TheSergeant]

I posted it awhile ago but my opinion in still the same. 

To be honest I wouldn't even bother with the MFT.  I had one for awhile and sold it after building a MFTC.  I wish I would have looked more closely at the complaints people had about it. 

1) It's not stable.  You basically have to purchase the braces, which are an additional $80 to stiffen it up.  They really should be included with the table as many consider them a necessity. 
2) You have to square the rail every time you adjust the height.  The engineering on that part of the table is poor and they designed it that way for cost saving reasons I'm sure.  I'd like to see a keyed dovetail design out of aluminum that ensured everything stays square as you raise and lower the rail.  The way it's made now it racks and you'll go from being dead on at 1/2" cut height, then raise it to cut 3/4" and be noticeably off.  Then you have to resquare.  It's a major pain.  Not only that but it develops slop so then you have to go out and buy another accessory part called "SLOP STOP" to try and combat that.  It's insane.
3) There's a reason Parf dogs, precision dogs and qwas/rail dogs are so popular.  No one uses the stock flip down rail/fence/protractor setup.  If you're not going to use the flip down rail/fence/protractor you're essentially paying $700 for a piece of MDF with a proprietary aluminum extrusion frame.
4) The tops sag.  Few people even talk about this but many people notice it.  You'll see it brought up in threads and when someone points it out other people will respond with "oh ya, I guess my does sag, but it's okay with me, you can always flip it over".  Seriously?  The table offers a nice large work surface but it's made out of MDF and  only supported around the perimeter.  At those dimensions you're gonna get some sagging.  To combat it people suggest rigging up a support beam on the underside of the table?  Really, another modification?

I really wanted to like my MFT3.  Unfortunately I came to the conclusion that it's not worth it, IMO atleast.  After the necessary upgrades the MFT3 is almost $800 in the US and you'll still need to make modifications.  That's mind blowing to me.  I think there are a lot better options out there.  I'm sooo much happier with my MFTC and it was many, many times cheaper.  I even like the MFTSlab concept better than the MFT3.  My suggestion would be to look at some of the other options.  I wish someone would have broken it down like this for me before making the purchase.

I also like the MFT Horses shown in this thread.  I'm actually in the process of building something very similar.  I'll post photos when it's complete. http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-jigs-tool-enhancements/mft-horses/