Is festool MFT worth it? - Printable Version

Is festool MFT worth it? - Printable Version

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+-- Thread: Is festool MFT worth it? (/showthread.php?tid=7369693)

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RE: Is festool MFT worth it? - Murray M - 08-21-2022

I'm a big Festool head. Got the track saw, several tracks, vacuum.
I owned two MFT tables (one with track, one plain)
I sold them and don't miss them.

In one sentence: they're too expensive for what you get. Yes: there will be pockets of perfect matched customers [I thought I was one] but these folks are few and far between. Doug's example above underlines this elegantly. There's just too many awesome tools out there [hello high end FEIN Multimaster] that you could get instead of a MFT table that's easily replaced by nice saw horses. I bought 8 high end Dewalt saw horses with adjustable legs [wow--use these TONS] for $30ish dollars each that do WAY MORE than my two MFT's.

I bought two MFT's thinking of this was a table saw replacement. I've got a panel saw and with the Festool track saw this seemed like it could work for me [particularly then my shop was aimed at being more mobile]. WRONG. In practice, it's just too fussy. Too many little things to be on top of and keep aligned. And then somehow some water dropped on the MFT and then the particle board raised up there. Sandable but still annoyingly fragile. I've now committed to a more non-mobile shop and I'm currently shopping for a table saw [and no: continuing my trend of going against the grain, I'm not doing a Sawstop: paying premium to put a muzzle on one shark makes no sense when you swim in a pool with 10 sharks].

In summary, unless you're a particular snowflake [and you'll know this if you are] I'd skip Festool MFT tables.

---------

Festool is king but they make duds too [hello Kapex, and their drills, and their oscillating tool]. No one tool company gets it right all the time. They've all got to make money too.

RE: Is festool MFT worth it? - Handplanesandmore - 08-21-2022

(08-21-2022, 07:01 AM)Murray M Wrote: ---------

Festool is king but they make duds too [hello Kapex, and their drills, and their oscillating tool]. No one tool company gets it right all the time. They've all got to make money too.

Yes, the mft tables isn't worth its price. The mft table would work only if one is prepared to spend tons of money on third party accessories. But why? Just get a decent tablesaw, such as the sawstop.

About the kapex. Like many others, you relied on what you saw on forums to decide it was a dude. I spoke to several festool dealers and none of them had the kind of motor repairs the forums made it to be. They were aware of the fsetool forum discussions but like any machines, their kapex repairs were not unusually high.

Simon

RE: Is festool MFT worth it? - EightFingers - 08-21-2022

I bought my mft used for less than half retail. I would not buy it if I had to pay retail.

I also got a bunch of accessories with it. I think my best Festool purchases were the Domino, the track saw and the router table.

RE: Is festool MFT worth it? - bhh - 08-28-2022

(07-12-2022, 04:27 PM)cpolubin Wrote: I once read a theory that all tools cost the same. You either pay that amount once for a tool that lasts or pay smaller amounts repeatedly replacing a tool that doesn't. They both end up costing the same.

Cliff

Well there is also a "law of diminishing returns." There are a number of manufacturers whose price is 2-3x the competitors. While they may be marginally better is that extra few percent worth double or triple the price? At my age (71), I also have to ask myself that as a hobbyist, what is the return on my investment -- how much will that specific thing cost me over the the number of times I'll be able to use it? Is a $5-10 per joint cost worth it when I have other alternatives (that might be as good but take a little longer)?

RE: Is festool MFT worth it? - Latech15 - 08-29-2022

I’ve often thought about a shop without a table saw and the mft is a big part of accomplishing that. However, a good, properly adjusted radial arm saw does everything a mft does, at (probably) less cost. It would probably need refurbishing, but it’s a hell of a machine. If you are going to have a radial arm saw, you might as well have a table saw and be able to do all the joinery cuts that a table saw affords as well.

I have decided that I will always have a table saw.

RE: Is festool MFT worth it? - Derek Cohen - 12-17-2022

I have a Roubo bench for hand tools as well as a Hammer K3 slider for ripping and crosscutting.

I am building an MFT as it has dawned on me that that an MFT would provide more than just another option for sawing - it could provide an ideal small assembly bench as well as a bench for holding small parts for routing and sanding. The bench will also act as a outfeed for the jointer/thicknesser-planer and sliding tablesaw. This is why it is called a MultiFunction Table
Smile

Progress to date (lots more to do) ..

[Image: 17.jpg]

I might add that I am building all the parts, including the crosscut hinge. The cost is my labour/time, which is really part of the fun.

Regards from Perth

Derek

RE: Is festool MFT worth it? - JohnnyEgo - 12-18-2022

I am also a breaker-downer of sheet goods on a sheet of foam insulation over some saw horses. I have a knock-down cutting station dedicated to that purpose.

[Image: cuttingtable02.JPG]

I also have a bunch of ply tops cut with the Festool hole pattern, that I find endlessly useful for sanding, routing, light cutting work, etc... One of them is configured so I can clamp it to my vise and use it bench-hook style on my assembly table, and others are outfitted with Dewalt brackets to clip to my saw horses. I use them as sacrificial surfaces for whatever I have going on, or when I need a quick assembly area or table.
[Image: benchhookmft03.JPG]

I had thought about the MFT early on, and there are some problems it might solve better than my current solutions if I needed to live a more portable life. But I don't, so I've spent that money on other things.

RE: Is festool MFT worth it? - EdL - 12-18-2022

Excellent use of the MFT concept Johnny.

Ed

RE: Is festool MFT worth it? - splinter7612 - 12-26-2022

(07-12-2022, 04:27 PM)cpolubin Wrote: I once read a theory that all tools cost the same. You either pay that amount once for a tool that lasts or pay smaller amounts repeatedly replacing a tool that doesn't. They both end up costing the same.

Cliff

I always remember what a good friend told me 30+ yrs ago," the cheap man always pays more" and that has proven to be true in my life until I smartened up.

RE: Is festool MFT worth it? - Woodenfish - 12-26-2022

The MFT table was designed to be brought to a job site for various projects and accomplishes its intent well. Although not a necessity in a fully equipped workshop it is still very nice for woodworkers who have limited space. When I first looked at it I thought it was a Workmate on steroids. I came to appreciate it more by Peter Millard and a few other European woodworkers usage of it.

I added one to my unheated garage woodworking shop where I can only do my crafts in the warmer months. Throughout the year my 3 car garage has to store my car, two motorcycles, all my shop equipment, machines, supplies, various shop vacuums, materials, large Snap On tool box, floor jack, motorcycle jack, jack stands and more. Having a large folding work surface that has many capabilities has been a blessing. Although I would love to have a traditional woodworkers bench I just don’t have the space. The MFT has been a fantastic addition to my work and I would not be able to do many of the things I need and want to do so easily.

This thread is quite old now and I wonder what the original poster has chosen to do?