Agree the drop down rail is great. I did look into buying the hardware for it separately but it was coming out at more than the difference between the standalone table and the one with everything.

Yes should be fine to re position. It made for repeatable cuts as had movable stops.

I think Festool probably didn't want to use it as the standard alignment mechanism is that the holes are in MDF and will get slop over time. Probably works 99% of the time but guessing with Festool's focus on accuracy, they wouldn't want it to be the standard go-to method.

I think the ones you are talking about are from Axminster tools. Part of their UJK range.

@@WheresMyPencilUK spot on. Thank you very much

Not sure maybe check the Festool website?

Make your own for half price? And better

Yes the clamps will fit in.

@@WheresMyPencilUK thank you.

Yeah standard Festool tax!

Hi Paul thanks for your comment. I did look and can’t see you can get just the top, rails and track. At least without paying Festool spares more than the full MFT/3 price. I’m going to mount my MFT on a trolley with drawers underneath so kind of similar to what you want. There will be a video at some point but I’m moving house before Xmas and have lots to do to set up new workshop and renovations before I get to it. Only thing you could try is to buy the bits used on eBay but may be a while between getting what you want. Good luck. 👍🏼

Track saw and foam insulation from big box stores

Yeah I like Peter’s videos I’ve seen that one. 👍🏼

They are from Axminster mate. Currently £35.48. If you are quick though Amazon are doing the green ones for £32. Link here: www.amazon.co.uk/gp/search/ref=as_li_qf_sp_sr_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=appyifeappyif-21&keywords=Festool FS-HZ 160 Lever Clamp&index=aps&camp=1634&creative=6738&linkCode=xm2&linkId=43d3e677c32fbe3881b54d0b7ec47f94 If you use it I get some commission. 👍🏼😊 (Copy the whole link including the bit in black and paste it to your browser).

Brilliant. I bought 2 last year at 40 quid each. I've just bought 2 more via your link. I have a cheap Ebay MDF 'MFT' which I've built into a sturdy bench. These clamps are so useful. Thanks for the quick reply and keep your vids coming.

Thanks Trevor. Glad the link was useful. 👍🏼

@@WheresMyPencilUK 👍🏼

Much better with the cross braces fitted (495502), however that's another extra expense.

Thanks. No I actually work in Banking. This is all a hobby and I use a lot of tools when renovating properties. 👍🏼

@@WheresMyPencilUK I’m a commercial real estate broker that renovates properties too. So I understand where you are. I entered the Festool eco system with the Carvex jig saw and CT26 Dust Extractor. After completing an exterior ship lapped siding project and have flawless long angled cuts. I decided to take the plunge with the MFT table and TS 55 saw. It was a peculiar to hold the timber down and move the spinning blade over the timber. Exactly opposite of my table saw, chop saw, router experiences. Once I wrapped my head around it. It did take a few go’s, with many mistakes, I now love the MFT Festool system. I can set it up and square it at a job site very quickly. The dust extraction is superior to any on the market. The advent of the track for guiding the TS55 saw, router or carvex jig saw is awesome! One of my little value add deals, for a not too talented bloke like myself, rehabbing rental property, is that I do a fair amount of finish carpentry in the home or apartments or office property, I’m rehabbing as a hobby when the other trades are working away. I get great results, allowing me to charge a nice rental rate due to the nice finishing touches, or increase the resale value while flipping due to my matching door and window trim or nice crown molding, base molding and chair railing. In a phrase, my flip properties look better than most flip properties in my market, Southern California. Again, I am not a pro, don’t even pretend to be. It did require some getting used to though. Once you do get acclimated, try the domino system for joinery. It’s a game-changer of a tool set. Take care and stay healthy! Cheers!!

Yes it’s very expensive and if you aren’t needing to move it about no point. I’ve got the Benchdogs fence. It’s a good bit of kit going to do a review in due course. 👍🏼

@@WheresMyPencilUK just followed u on instagram

Thanks mate. 👍🏼

You are not paying for those- you are paying for the label.

Assuming eBay. That’s where I found mine.

Ebay

Festool do not warrant the holes to be accurate. Because it is MDF. And the rail still has to be set square.

@@Tensquaremetreworkshop bit of a joke really , so much money, they made it with cnc i guess

@@ChristopherClaudioSkierka Usual Festool profit margin... They were fined several million euro a few years ago, for price fixing. All the working parts are bent sheet steel and IM plastic.

Haha! I own an mft, and whole heartedly agree. I will add that the fence sucks, it flexes, you need to treat it gingerly. The track hinge is atrocious, the stainless indexing pin damages the track, and WILL introduce slop over time. You’re smart to stay away.

@@Nunyabizn3ssI tried one out at my local Woodcraft and was appalled at how flimsy the whole thing was. $800 and every part of it wobbles. They also had the Kreg which seemed more substantial, but the accessories looked very cheap.

@@TheBiggerNoise I purchased mine in 2018. From what you say, it would appear that festool has done nothing to remediate the issues. I bet the price has gone up though!

Mdf is probably the most stable sheet good you can buy. Much more consistent throughout than even a Baltic birch. Also they make waterproof mdf if your worried about humidity.

@@thomasmoorhead42 Sadly not. Lean both at an angle against a wall, and come back in a week... Banana time. Waterproof MDF refers to the glue, not the material itself. It will not come apart in moist conditions, but it will swell. There is test data available showing how MDF 'moves' when the RH changes- it is significant, and the material does not fully return afterwards. This is not a problem for most construction purposes, but when you are referencing to features in the sheet (such as using dog-holes to locate cutting axis) they lack the precision we are led to believe by some KZfaq videos. The biggest proponent of such tables is surely Ron Paulk, and he will not consider using MDF for his Paulk tables.

@@Tensquaremetreworkshop I don't see how the sheet bending against a wall would show instability for a work top. I don't think anyone thinks mdf can span very far unsupported ever. If the material really shifted that much wouldn't a dog hole system be impossible because the holes would be to small half the year? And mdf is so consistent throughout if it did shift across the sheet good it would be consistent across the product. So the edges while possibly being further apart would still all be square with each other.

@@thomasmoorhead42 This 'test' demonstrates lack of rigidity. It is meant to show the differences between a material that is homogenous and one that has directional fibre strength. If you are using MDF for, say, a router table top it will be very relevant. There is a reason even woodworking tools use much more rigid materials. Why do you think quality table saws use ground cast iron- cast alloy or sheet steel would be much cheaper. But not good enough. Any wood based product would never be even considered. The issue when used for a table is differential movement due to localized moisture content over time. Because this movement does not return, it is likely that there will be relative movement between features. What is square when made will not remain so over time. This may not be an issue for some applications that do not require that level of accuracy, but for others may cause problems. If you are buying the Festool MFT is not an issue- the dog holes are used for clamping only (the cutting system uses the aluminium frame as reference). Many people build such tables (because of the massive saving and also the choice of size to match needs) and in that case I believe the extra cost of using quality Baltic ply is well rewarded by the more accurate placement of features, and of course the superior strength, stability, wear resistance etc etc. In any construction, it is wise to know the properties of the materials used. To be clear, the movement is not huge- but it is enough to make many KZfaq claims nonsense.

@@Tensquaremetreworkshop I think you might not understand the properties of mdf vs plywood. MDF is more stable than wood. It is not stronger, it is not more durable but it is more stable. Plywood is always limited by the fact that wood always has defects. While Baltic birch does a better job at minimizing this than most plywoods it is still an inherent aspect to it. A defect in one layer of a 3/4 piece would represent an entire 1/13th less strength in that cross section versus one void free. Plywood is full of spots like this, whether it be from knots or out right voids. MDF on the other hand has no voids and there is no grain to provide irregularitys. Furthermore if you weren't aware not all MDF is the same and you can get it made with resins or waterproof glues. So how could a product that is perfectly homogenous and perfectly impregnated throughout with waterproof adhesives be less stable than plywood? The answer is it isn't.

The main advantage of such a system is the ability to quickly make accurate cuts in sheet materials with a track saw. If you are not using a track saw, it is just a table with some holes to hold clamps, stops, etc. The system, when correctly set up, will make accurate 90deg cuts- allowing e.g. MDF cabinet construction to proceed quickly. It is not the only way to do this, but it has achieved a strong following- many have built their own version (at considerable cost saving) and added many features. The Ron Paulk channel documents his many, many designs over the years.

Same

Yes that’s this one I renamed it. 👍🏼

@@WheresMyPencilUK wife not so happy lol ? Great to see you back by the way ;)

@@kroozer5215 Happy wife, Happy life. Nothing rhymes with husband......

Not according to festool

Thanks shows what I know! 😂🙈

Festool sell an ad-on kit to give greater rigidity. At the same sort of eye-watering cost...

It didn’t come with any! And I’m not paying extra for some!