What Dogs should I buy for my new MFT3?

[gearhound]

There's a few different offerings and being a new user I'm not really sure what brand to go with? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[DrD]

Good Morning!

Good question, and I'm sure you will get many different answers because there are a multitude of "dogs" available, as you've stated.  I think, the first available were from Steve Adams and marketed under the name Qwas Dogs.  I have used, continue to use and love Qwas dogs, and since they are available from my go-to Festool dealer - Bob Marino - they are all I purchase.  They have never let me down.
I also have a lot of respect for Peter Parfitt at the New Britt Workshop, and his Parf Dogs are available from Lee Valley.  Then there are "Precision Dogs" which many other users hold in high esteem.  There may be more as well, and my apologies to those whose dogs I have omitted; I'm quite sure all of them are excellent and will get the job done, so which ever you choose may well come down to convenience to you in purchasing.  I didn't see if you were in the USA, but, if so, and if you buy from Bob Marino - maybe free shipping, you'll need to check, and quite possibly no sales tax, then it will be Qwas.  If you buy from Lee Valley, then it will be Parf, etc.  The websites for each are very helpful, and Qwas and Precision have helpful videos.
Long winded response, but maybe some input that will help you decide.

Best Holiday Wishes, and keep us posted.

 

[Holmz]

In Austraila AusDogs. Which is a three dog night for an MFT.

There are parf and quas for other regions. Basically any 20 cylinder that does not fall through works. There is no magic that they offer, they all do the same thing.

 

[PreferrablyWood]

In Austraila AusDogs. Which is a three dog night for an MFT.

There are parf and quas for other regions. Basically any 20 cylinder that does not fall through works. There is no magic that they offer, they all do the same thing.

Three Dog Night was a great band in the olden days.. Now it's used to denote some accessories for a cutting and clamping table.. [smile]

 

[Peter_C]

I have 4 different height Precision Dogs and they work. *shrugs* Also have a couple sets of rail dogs which serve a purpose for me and my table setup.

What I do highly recommend is a set of Festool Clamping Elements, along with a couple of Kreg Automaxx clamps and a set of bases. For bases I have Precision's which are nice in that the bases use Dogs which can be removed and used as...well...Dogs. There are two different lengths of clamps. The biggest benefit of the smaller I can think of is they are probably less likely to damage the holes. The long clamps require being bolted from the bottom or they will damage the table top. Guess how I know?

 

[bertv]

The *big* division amongst dogs is the material used: (high grade) aluminium vs steel. Eg Qwas are alu with a very nice finish and Steve has a reason for using that — cutting into alu is far less dangerous as cutting into steel. A good point, imo. On the other hand the Parf Dogs are more hefty and feel better, more solid, when used butting up to them.

I also have Precision Dogs (Brooklyn), Veritas and some others. The PD are a bit too expensive for non-US buyers. Veritas are good.

 

[Dan Clermont]

Naturally, we like the Fine Tool Works dogs which we helped design!

 

[clark_fork]

Here is a nifty add-on from Axminster for the Parf Dogs

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[Rip Van Winkle]

Here is a nifty add-on from Axminster for the Parf Dogs

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Are these sold in the USA?

 

[gearhound]

Thanks for all the input guys! I ended up ordering a set of Qwas dogs to start and I'll see how it goes....chose them because of Bert's comment about the safety of accidentally cutting into them! On my 1st MFT bevel cut I wasn't thinking about the fence's position under the track and knicked it with the blade and figure I could easily do something silly again...

 

[copcarcollector]

Here is a nifty add-on from Axminster for the Parf Dogs

http://www.axminster.co.uk/ujk-technology-dog-rail-clip-pair-102973

These simple looking spring clips firmly secure a Festool or Makita guide rail to Parf Dogs or other 20mm diameter dogs. The whole point of using a multifunction table and Parf Dogs is to achieve complete accuracy. Even though guide rails have anti-slip strips on their undersides, in the presence of wood dust there is always the possibility the ‘anti-slipperiness’ may not be as sticky as intended. If the rail moves fractionally during the cut, your finished piece will not be as accurate as you wish. The body of the Dog Rail Clip fits into your rail’s T-slot. Slide the Dog Rail Clip into position, then clip the spring around the 20mm bench dogs ensuring the rail is tight against the dogs and guarantees a precise result every time. Supplied as a pack of 2, UJK Technology Dog Rail Clips are designed and made in the UK.

Axminster has been good about sending the Parf Guide system to the US, I would be they will be happy to send these our way too---

 

[grbmds]

I know this goes against most posts, but I rarely use my dogs and I have more than one brand. The Parf Dogs seem the best to me. I got mine from Lee Valley a couple of years ago. I used to use them as backing for when I used the Domino to do mortises and the Parf Dogs seemed to fit the best. Now I mostly Domino with the wood mounted on the VacSys. I also used them once as a 45 degree fence on the MFT instead of setting the MFT fence at 45 degrees. They really just aren't that useful for me.

 

[nickao]

I know this goes against most posts, but I rarely use my dogs and I have more than one brand. The Parf Dogs seem the best to me. I got mine from Lee Valley a couple of years ago. I used to use them as backing for when I used the Domino to do mortises and the Parf Dogs seemed to fit the best. Now I mostly Domino with the wood mounted on the VacSys. I also used them once as a 45 degree fence on the MFT instead of setting the MFT fence at 45 degrees. They really just aren't that useful for me.

I know this goes against most posts, but I rarely use my dogs and I have more than one brand. The Parf Dogs seem the best to me. I got mine from Lee Valley a couple of years ago. I used to use them as backing for when I used the Domino to do mortises and the Parf Dogs seemed to fit the best. Now I mostly Domino with the wood mounted on the VacSys. I also used them once as a 45 degree fence on the MFT instead of setting the MFT fence at 45 degrees. They really just aren't that useful for me.

I like the original Qwas dogs the best.

I use the dogs far more as stops for clamping, but other use them religiously to set up for cuts,  they have so many uses its up to the user really. Some people may never need  them, others once they find a use for them can't live without them.

 

[JBird]

I know this goes against most posts, but I rarely use my dogs and I have more than one brand.

What do you use when you do cross cuts on the MFT? That is the primary use of them I believe. Even when I use my MFT fence I still use the dogs to square the fence up.

 

[grbmds]

I know this goes against most posts, but I rarely use my dogs and I have more than one brand.

What do you use when you do cross cuts on the MFT? That is the primary use of them I believe. Even when I use my MFT fence I still use the dogs to square the fence up.

Crosscutting is my main use of the MFT with fence and guiderail. I have a square I trust completely and use that to square up the fence to the guide rail.

 

[Peter_C]

Crosscutting is my main use of the MFT with fence and guiderail. I have a square I trust completely and use that to square up the fence to the guide rail.

Many folks use a square to get the rail 90* to the fence. The Dogs get the fence true to the holes. Does that make sense? There are some good videos on how to set up the fence using dogs if you want to learn how others do it.

 

[grbmds]

Crosscutting is my main use of the MFT with fence and guiderail. I have a square I trust completely and use that to square up the fence to the guide rail.

Many folks use a square to get the rail 90* to the fence. The Dogs get the fence true to the holes. Does that make sense? There are some good videos on how to set up the fence using dogs if you want to learn how others do it.

Already know and have been down that road. I don't find it that useful for what I do.