Im sure this will become annoying

[craigs]

I have soo many questions on tools and peoples advice im sure it will get real old real quickly and ill just be told to goto ikea lol

That being said, and feel free to call me a pretentious ****, but what are peoples thoughts on the Festool MFT/3 ?

I am in a crappy position of renting a house with no giant shed, and that really limits what I can work on and where. I need something portable that I can fold away but has enough tricks to cover a lot of functions. I especially like the parf dog system and replacements are pretty cheap from fleabay.

http://www.axminster.co.uk/festool-mft- ... ies-702780

also seems better value to get the one with accessories.

thoughts ?

P.S. this sucks starting from scratch again.

 

[lurker]

IMHO festool is aimed at high end pros working on clients sites
Time is money and they can't afford to mess around.

The rest of us do nott really need to cost in our time.
This new fangled thing with dogs is just a passing fad.

For that money you could buy the tools and materials to make yourself a small bench and a couple of saw horses.
I managed with that for 30 years and knocked out stuff just as good as I do now with the luxury of a workshop and a fair amount of kit.

 

[craigs]

IMHO festool is aimed at high end pros working on clients sites
Time is money and they can't afford to mess around.

The rest of us do nott really need to cost in our time.
This new fangled thing with dogs is just a passing fad.

For that money you could buy the tools and materials to make yourself a small bench and a couple of saw horses.
I managed with that for 30 years and knocked out stuff just as good as I do now with the luxury of a workshop and a fair amount of kit.

Oh i absolutely agree, but i dont even have a shed i need something thats accurate, can attach rails/clamps with minimal fuss and I can fold it up and put it away. Cost is high on this and UJK/UKJ does have something much cheaper, but this just has convenience.

 

[lurker]

It's just a glorified wallpaper pasting table

Unsure how this would make your work accurate

 

[craigs]

It's just a glorified wallpaper pasting table

Unsure how this would make your work accurate

an expensive wallpaper table with shiny bits, i get that. its accurate because i didnt make it, it was made with much fancier machines and the power of extruded metals

 

[petermillard]

It's just a glorified wallpaper pasting table

Unsure how this would make your work accurate

Clearly you've never had to carry one up a flight of stairs, or tried to paste wallpaper on one, lol! I have the older MFT/1080 and it's the main bench in my small workshop. Set up as essentially static, in the middle of a 20' run of benchtop, with the fence and flag stops I can cut panels accurately and repeatedly, then lift the rail up out of the way and have my bench back. If necessary, I can drop the rail back down and make further cuts/panels and they will be identical to the first - that's where the accuracy comes in. I regularly use the back of the rail as a fence to run a Domino against for e.g. mid-panel shelves; flag stops and fence, again, guarantee that each panel will be identical with minimal measuring or marking out.

Does that sound like the kind of work you're expecting to do? If not, it's a lot of coin for this type of bench, and it really has to suit the way you work. If all you need is a flat, stable benchtop with ample clamping options, then there are a whole host of ' MFT-alike' alternatives on eBay that, coupled with a set of dogs, will do the job of helping you make straight, square cuts in sheet goods. As well as being cheaper, they'll be a darn sight lighter, too...

Not trying to put you off - if I lost my MFT I'd buy another - but you really have to be doing the kind of work that they're best suited to to be worthwhile IHMO.

HTH Pete

 

[craigs]

It's just a glorified wallpaper pasting table

Unsure how this would make your work accurate

Clearly you've never had to carry one up a flight of stairs, or tried to paste wallpaper on one, lol! I have the older MFT/1080 and it's the main bench in my small workshop. Set up as essentially static, in the middle of a 20' run of benchtop, with the fence and flag stops I can cut panels accurately and repeatedly, then lift the rail up out of the way and have my bench back. If necessary, I can drop the rail back down and make further cuts/panels and they will be identical to the first - that's where the accuracy comes in. I regularly use the back of the rail as a fence to run a Domino against for e.g. mid-panel shelves; flag stops and fence, again, guarantee that each panel will be identical with minimal measuring or marking out.

Does that sound like the kind of work you're expecting to do? If not, it's a lot of coin for this type of bench, and it really has to suit the way you work. If all you need is a flat, stable benchtop with ample clamping options, then there are a whole host of ' MFT-alike' alternatives on eBay that, coupled with a set of dogs, will do the job of helping you make straight, square cuts in sheet goods. As well as being cheaper, they'll be a darn sight lighter, too...

Not trying to put you off - if I lost my MFT I'd buy another - but you really have to be doing the kind of work that they're best suited to to be worthwhile IHMO.

HTH Pete

There is no putting me off

I get its many dollar, and I also get that im a hobbyist playing with wood. so its not for making money (I wish it were, but im too old and lazy to spend 10 years studying and building a business).

there are certain things I love about this table, the t-rails on the sides, the guide rail that, as you said can be used for repetitive cuts. there wont be much transportation (house > garden > house, while the weather is good).

Do I need it? probably not, I have a £55 macallister B&Q blinder thats 2 weeks old which although serves a purpose, isnt very stable or large enough. I just think if im going to buy stuff, i should buy something that can serve many uses and last a decent time with minimal adaptation

 

[MikeJhn]

Before I bought a bench and modified it to suit my needs, I used a B&D workmate, mind you its one of the originals with a magnesium cast frame, not the pressed metal ones that they sell now, guess how old it is?

Mike

 

[petermillard]

There is no putting me off
...I just think if im going to buy stuff, i should buy something that can serve many uses and last a decent time with minimal adaptation

In which case perhaps I should remind you of Festool's 14 day 'try before you buy, no quibble' refund policy Also, if you keep it in tidy condition you're likely to get the majority of your money back on an MFT if you decide it's not for you a year or three down the road...

Pete

 

[custard]

The cross cuts and 45 degree mitre cuts that come off my MFT are as accurate and almost as clean as those off my £20k panel saw. The MFT might not be cheap, but it's not £20k.

I've got a dado stack, but for most applications I also prefer to cut housings with the MFT and a router,

In fact the MFT is so accurate that I've found a way of cutting 1mm wide, cross cut inlay stringing on it that is repeatable to better than a thou. A trick I can't pull off with the panel saw.

Okay, the MFT is limited to about 600mm or so in width, and it might struggle with really thick components or repeatability on odd compound angles, and of course there's no scoring saw for laminates, but even with those constraints it earns its keep.

I've never used the UJK version, but I'd expect that to be equally as good if not better. I understand UJK use a more robust material for the top, and I once had an MFT top that after a fair bit of use developed maybe half a mill sag in the middle.

 

[craigs]

The cross cuts and 45 degree mitre cuts that come off my MFT are as accurate and almost as clean as those off my £20k panel saw. The MFT might not be cheap, but it's not £20k.

I've got a dado stack, but for most applications I also prefer to cut housings with the MFT and a router,



In fact the MFT is so accurate that I've found a way of cutting 1mm wide, cross cut inlay stringing on it that is repeatable to better than a thou. A trick I can't pull off with the panel saw.





Okay, the MFT is limited to about 600mm or so in width, and it might struggle with really thick components or repeatability on odd compound angles, and of course there's no scoring saw for laminates, but even with those constraints it earns its keep.

I've never used the UJK version, but I'd expect that to be equally as good if not better. I understand UJK use a more robust material for the top, and I once had an MFT top that after a fair bit of use developed maybe half a mill sag in the middle.

that is damn pretty! you appear to be a master of wood! another thing is that you can get mft replacement tops from fleabay very cheaply, not original but they seem to be good alternatives.

 

[Claud1]

A lot of Festool stuff is brilliant and a lot more of it is over priced crap and having looked at the table I think it falls into the later, I have by the way got thousands of pounds worth of festool gear before anyone says I am anti

 

[Petey83]

The whole r as on I got into Festool was due to living in a flat with minimal dove and a small back yard. The MFT3 is a great piece of kit as long as you understand what you're buying into. As a stand alone work bench it's expensive and has numerous other competitors at a lower price pint but if you look at it as part of the Festool system then it makes a lot more sense.

I started off with a TS55 and ended up with almost every tool I now own being Festool. Just having everything in systainers made living in a flat with limited space a lot easier

 

[Roughcut]

The MFT/3 is a decent bit of kit which can also double as a wallpaper pasting table! :lol:
But to get the best from it you will also be adding Festool power tools and accessories.
As a hobby woodworker the system has made my work extremely accurate and faster to achieve which does add confidence.
It's a great system, not cheap but a worthwhile investment if you're in it for the long term.

 

[craigs]

thats what i was thinking, I already bought the 1400 router, TS55 and dust extractor, will be adding the domino and kapex if i can find room for them

 

[Nelsun]

It's worth pointing out that, while portable, it's still a large 30kg weight to be humfing around. Taking the rail fittings and fence off each time you move it... then reattaching it all is another minor thing to keep in mind. All this depends on just how often you need to move it of course!

I'm currently doing up my little girls bedroom and it's been a major boon being able to set thing up in situ then move back to the shed for other things.

 

[craigs]

It's worth pointing out that, while portable, it's still a large 30kg weight to be humfing around. Taking the rail fittings and fence off each time you move it... then reattaching it all is another minor thing to keep in mind. All this depends on just how often you need to move it of course!

I'm currently doing up my little girls bedroom and it's been a major boon being able to set thing up in situ then move back to the shed for other things.

yeah i think my mind is set on one of these, it will either under the stairs and get pulled out when needed or ill keep the top indoors with the fancy bits and leave the frame in a Keter box in the garden. either way it wont be moving far when it gets moved.

 

[Petey83]

thats what i was thinking, I already bought the 1400 router, TS55 and dust extractor, will be adding the domino and kapex if i can find room for them

If you're buying a domino and don't have very specific requirements in mind already then go for the 700 XL and get the Seneca adapter. I did have both but just couldn't justify the expense of them both sitting there as a hobby user.

Kapex is great and I like mine but don't get hung up on it - Bosch do a great saw on a fancy gimble arm arrangement that's cheaper and looks a bit better to me anyway - I'd probs buy this if I had the choice again now.

 

[craigs]

I thought about the XL, im just not sure i would need something that big, as for the Kapex, I get 20% off at Screwfix so it reduces the cost significantly if they ever decide to stock the dominos i may just consider it, but right now i am looking at a package at axminster:

http://www.axminster.co.uk/festool-domi ... eal-717297

 

[SteveF]

I have the mft
it is heavy
my plan is for it remain setup in my shed so no moving about
it was a gift so i never had the cost
would i buy one ? yes without a doubt

Steve