Is festool MFT worth it?

[JDuke]

Even if I had an MFT, I’d probably still drop a sheet of foam board on the floor and lay plywood on it for perfectly supported sheet breakdown.

So it continues to sound like MFT style bench wouldn’t do me a lot of good.

[AHill]

Search YouTube for MFT demos. It's not just the top with the spaced out Parf holes. It's the ability to attach clamps and other accessories. If all you need is a work table to place the items you're going to cut, the table isn't going to provide much more functionality than a slab of ply on top of two sawhorses.

[tablesawtom]

I have a fairly well equipped shop and I see not real need for a track saw let alone anything Festool. I have a couple of 42inch sq. assemble tables that I work off from that could benefit with some hole in it  for holdfasts that I already have. but then I would have to change the top, strengthen it.

[JDuke]

If you can’t see the benefit of a track saw, you must like wrestling full sheets of plywood around more than me.

I have a dewalt track saw and it’s very useful for accurately breaking down sheet goods.

They also have lots of other uses, but they are indispensable for breaking down sheet goods. I know someone will say they like a regular circular saw and guide better, I’ve used both and the locked into guide track is better hands down in my opinion.

Duke

[tablesawtom]

I slide the plywood out of the truck onto a open torsion box folding table. I have an aluminum extrusion fence and the circular saw rides on a plate. The table works as a saw table because I don't have to worry about cutting into it. I throw on a sheet of OSB and I have a work surface as well as a table for my wife's garage sales. The aluminum extrusion and Hulv (or what ever) cost about 60 dollars about 20 years ago and I can buy a 71/4 inch circular saw at an auction anytime for $5. 

I do have a Delta contractor saw with an Excalibur sliding table on it and a Saw Stop professional cabinate saw. I just don't think a track saw can compete with the two saws and it certainly isn't any faster than what I use to brake down sheet goods. 

 I also have a DeWalt RAS for straight cuts only and the slider along with a Dubby sled, which I dearly love, for cross cuts as well as angled cuts so I do not own a miter saw.

   

   

   

If you want a track saw go for it but there are a lot of other ways to do something that cost a whole lot less money.

[Tapper]

Nice setup Tom. Thanks for sharing.

Doug

[JDuke]

Tom, that is a nice setup, and your setup is probably less costly than a tracksaw, and I suspect was in use prior to widespread availability of track saws.

I do wonder if one were starting new, what cost comparison would be on a new good quality circular saw, as well as the track your using, and the shoe to hold the saw tight to the clamp/track, and a track saw?

Even with what I would assume a lower price on a setup like yours, your still missing a couple features that track saws include, the anti kickback lock that keeps saw from going backwards on track, and the riving knife that plunges with blade(although one could argue that it’s not of much value on sheet goods due to minimal internal stress).

One of the nice things about woodworking is that you can get such a varied cost of tools.
If your budget is tight, you can do lots of good work with just a few hand tools, and if your budget grows, there is an almost never ending plethora of tools available to “make things easier or faster”
It’s up to each of us to balance those forces and decide where we land.

I’m reminded of the old adage, good, fast, cheap pick 2

I personally started out without much budget, and more time and tried to pinch each penny. I found myself buying cheap crap and getting mediocre results. As my budget grew, I found that spending a little more up front was frequently more economical than getting a low quality tool and upgrading a few times. I also found a great deal more pleasure in using the tools, and while I didn’t always get better results, I enjoyed the process more.

[cpolubin]

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

[rwe2156]

If you're doing a lot of sheet work, a track saw with parallel guides and an MFT crosscut track is really nice way to go.

You can actually eliminate a table saw entirely. For someone with a small shop who needs the real estate, IMO it's the best option.

[TGW]

As a part timer doping a bit of everything I see no use for an MFT table. Not enough to make it worth the cost anyway. If I had enough work for it to make it feasible I would order a 6mm mild steel plate with plasma cut holes in it.


Actually I don't own a single Festool of any sort. I was going to buy one of their magnificent 8 inch three phase 400 volt hand held power planers secondhand but unfortunately it went away to the smelters due to a miss in communication. That was the only fertool I have ever really wanted and needed....... and finding another is pretty much impossible it seems. Out of stock more than 60 years ago it seems.