Customer Reviews

Festool MFT/3 Multifunction Table

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Festool stuff is all really well made and well designed. I've been
buying and using Festool stuff for many years.

Most Festool is, however, meant for jobsite use.

There's a bit of a cult of Festool that, perhaps lacking
experience with heavy machinery and the demands of professional
cabinetmaking, believes that Festool is faster and more
accurate than stationary machines. It is not.

The Festool MFT tables are very, very useful for holding work
for sanding and routing. The illusion that you should not
have is that it is equal to a panel saw for production
cross-cutting of cabinet parts. It is not. This is why:
the frame is an bolted-together aluminum extrusion on four
legs. As a general workbench it is pretty sturdy and gives
you confidence. As a cross-cutting tool, it flexes and
inevitably drifts in and out of square. How square square is
depends on what you need to accomplish, but for professional
cabinetmaking it is not consistently square enough and requires
constant checking for accuracy.

In addition, the saw guide will dip into cuts a bit where the
guide is unsupported at the front end of the cut, a situation
that will occur often when using this table for crosscuts
under 24". You can mitigate the dipping factor by supporting
the guide with pieces of scrap, but it's another thing to
remember to do if you want the best cut quality. Additionally
there is some blade flutter from the plunge saws. The saws
are great for what they are, and runout is as minimal as you
could ask for a portable saw, but in use (especially in hardwoods)
the blade will deflect here and there.

The result is that cuts will not be totally consistent and in
either axis from piece to piece, particularly in solid woods
thicker than 1 inch. I've cut rails and styles for many doors
using the Festool system and in conclusion I will say that
while the Festool beats a miter saw for versatility, for
accuracy in crosscutting cabinet parts within its capacity,
a $150 10" or 8.5" (name brand) miter saw will outperform the
Festool table in terms of consistency from piece to piece.

So, it's a darned useful tool for holding work for sanding and
routing and as a versatile bench for jobsite use it is
exceptionally versatile and delivers accurate-enough crosscuts -
but it is no substitute for a stationary panel-squaring set-up
for professional use in the workshop. It's a good tool, but
don't buy the hype. If you're a pro cabinetmaker you'll need
something else for everyday panel squaring.

Since Amazon has started selling Festool directly the game has changed. With the MFT (MultiFunction Table) you have bought a great table that is a perfect fit into the Festool System. The MFTs define the Festool System more than any of the other Festool products. If you are in the Festool System or planning to INVEST in it, you absolutely want one or more of these for your workshop! But if you are not it is probably too expensive. The table is an absolute 5 star in "the system" and a 1 star anywhere else (it is not a Workmate).

Spend some time on the Festool site or go to a local dealer and get "educated"...you will want this stuff. But it is very expensive and the pricing is totally controlled...all the time. When a dealer sells the product the serial number and price is sent to Festool; if it is different than the Festool price, then the dealer is in trouble. Inventories of each dealer are monitored and therefore the gross receipts for the Festool products are monitored. The upside to this method is your name and purchase date are automatically registered for warranty, etc. with serial number and dealer.

Now back to the table it is the sturdiest, most well-built table (there is another special MFT for the KAPEX saw also) around. The various Festool clamps all are made for this table, rails and stops function perfectly with this table, tables can be joined and reinforced...all with special Festool parts. FESTOOL not anything else without jury-rigging, so is it worth it? Also the table can be folded up but it is not really too portable; it is heavy and bulky and does not really breakdown easily.

The big thing here is Festool; go see it first and then buy it. The hook will be set!

At first glace at the pictures this table looks kind of like a card-table but I assure you it is a heavy duty sturdy monster. Guess I am getting old but it is hard for me to carry around it is heavier then it looks, made of heavy duty stuff. The only reason for the four stars is price, even though this is a long-term investment that I will be using way into the future the thing ain't cheap but necessary if you are using the track saw system.

Buying high priced quality tools you only CRY ONCE, when you write the check, not every time you use it!

If this is something you are thinking of getting, Go For It!

As aspiring woodworkers, we had a theory.

After vacuuming and sweeping many a pile of sawdust, we decided that we could do better.

We purchased this Festool in order to hand build our kitchen cabinets.

Rather than buying a table saw that would take up valuable garage space we settled on the Festool system and one of the reasons included the dust collection option.

We are very happy with this purchase.

The most important thing to us was being able to cut a square piece of wood and we were able to do that with this table and the Festool Model TS 55 EQ Plunge Cut Saw. Once we got the hang of the setup, we were able to do this consistently. We now know that we can build square boxes.

We were also able to cut the bottoms off of some doors very cleanly rather than having to plane them or saw them with a regular circular saw and then sand them.

Breathing dust irritates my respiratory system, yet I don't have to wear a mask when using this tool with the Model 26 HEPA Dust Collector.

The German engineering is no cliche. This was a well thought out and well executed design. Everything is compact and portable.

The table folds up nicely. The adjustments are pretty intuitive.

With the Systainer system everything has its place and they are stacked and secure. Our saw rides on top of the vacuum and everything rolls as one unit.

I highly recommend this unit.

Great product, but be prepared to spend a lot more on accessories if you want to
get the most out of it.

Assuming you have the Festool router or saw, this table is almost a must have. There isn't much to say other than the quality is top notch, the top is replaceable if you tear it up too badly, and the whole thing is made in Germany, which is nice (contrasted to everything coming from China now). The only minus is that it can be a bit wobbly at times, but only if you're quite aggressive moving things around the surface.

This is a part of the Festool system and is of limited use with other tools. With the accessories does a good job with cross cuts and dados. Its pretty pricy I bought the now discontinued MFT800 on blowout for $200. One advantage of the MFT3 is that you can link 2 or more for expansion but not to the earlier MFT. IMHO the Festool Parallel Guide Extension Set are more useful and can be used with any table.