What accessories for Leigh Mortise and Tenon Jig?

[Frank Pellow]

This thread http://festoolownersgroup.com/index.php?topic=8063.msg81655;topicseen#msg81655 gives advise about the Leigh Dovetail jig.  I expect that some of the information there also applies to the FMT jig, but I decided to start a new thread specific to the Leigh Mortise and Tenon Jig.

The old jig was too expensive for me to justify its purchase, but Leigh recently announced a model made with cheaper parts at about half the price: http://leighjigs.com/superfmt.php

Now, I think I can justify buying one.  I have a Festool 1400 router and am seeking advise about its use with the jig. Leigh claims that the cheaper jig is fully compatable with the luxury one, so any experience with the older FMT jig is relevent.

 

[butzla]

Frank, I didn't realize they were coming out with a super-jig.  Thanks for posting!  Very tempting

 

[Aegwyn11]

I saw this as well...very very interesting. Did some research and someone over at the mill called Leigh to talk to them about this thing...supposedly they ended up talking to someone pretty high up and found out that the new Super FMT does everything the old one does. To me, it almost looks as if it does more...can the old one do angled M&T? Cause the new one sure does...they show it doing such things in the adverts. I was planning on getting a Domino sooner rather than later since it was the same price almost as the FMT, but now we'll probably end up getting the FMT first and get a Domino when it becomes advantageous.

 

[Jesse Cloud]

Hi Frank,
I sold my old FMT when I got my Domino.  Haven't looked back, but there are certainly many things the FMT could do that the domino can't (e.g. larger m&ts).  The FMT uses spiral upcut bits that you can buy from Leigh or open market, but they must be correctly sized.  I think the 1/2 collet on the 1400 would be very important.  The one downside to the 1400 is its weight.  With the FMT, you will be lifting that router a lot, and probably not at the most comfortable height.

I see two challenges for the Festool user picking up the FMT: clamping and dust control. 

The clamps on the FMT (at least my older version) were not great.  Awkward to adjust, often in the way, and sometimes slipped at the worst time.  Holding the workpiece absolutely still is crucial to getting a good cut.  I suspect that with your ingenuity a special Pellow jig will debut in no time at all.

The dust control on the FMT was poor at best.  They said they were working on an improvement.  I hope they came up with something good.  The problem is that the workpiece is held against the fence but in an open space that allows for router bit movement.  At times, the router bit is between the workpiece and the user, with the fence and the dust port on the other side of the workpiece - a difficult challenge for dust collection. 

The FMT does indeed do angled m&t.  There is an auxiliary fence that normally holds the workpiece at 90 degrees.  The fence is held in aluminum tracks with 2 (if I remember correctly) nuts.  Simply slide one of the holders until the fence is at the correct angle and tighten.  Given my lack of faith in Leigh clamps, I checked and rechecked the angle of the fence often and would usually fine tune it a couple of times during a project.

In terms of the cutters and the templates, you will need to decide which sizes you will need.  I splurged and bought the complete set, but there were many that I never used.

Good luck and I'm looking forward to seeing posts of your progress!

 

[PaulMarcel]

I got to see the new Super FMT tonight.  The old is now renamed the FMT Pro and remains unchanged.  The Super is indeed CNC stamped steel, but the ad photos don't do the thickness justice; that puppy is heavy.

Jesse might be happy to hear that the Super uses new clamps.  Basically F-style clamps you insert through the Swiss-cheese holes you see on the front, but the head of the clamp is shaped to fit into the hole so it won't move.  I'm likely to agree, though, that the front fence may allow for longer heavier pieces to move during the operation, but some strips of P400 PSA placed between the holes would fix that and not affect the alignment.

The vacuum port for it is nearly identical to the Pro model.  During the demo, a lot of the dust was picked up, but not all.  A 'chip-catcher' of sorts placed on the front possibly with its own hose would do a lot to help.