Festool MFT or classic workbench?

[Niels J. Larsen]

I currently have a homebuilt extended Festool MFT - made up of the original Festool extension rails and approx. 2½ of the original MFT tops.
The base is heavy and sturdy and the table is nice.

However, lately I've begun using handplanes more and more.

It works ok if I'm planing the face of a board, but I'm having problems when I need to plane the edges. It is doable by using the Festool clamps on the rail along the front of the table, but just not good enough to fully satisfy me It's fiddly and I fear the aluminium rail will either mark or color the wood.

I don't have room in my shop for both the extended MFT and a workbench, so it can only be one of them.

I've thought about getting rid of the MFT and build a bench, but I fear I will miss functionality of the MFT.

If you have any advice - or maybe even a good example of some kind of MFT-workbench combo it'll be greatly appreciated.

BTW - happy New Year

[Gary Curtis]

A month after I bought the newer MFT/3 table, it was clear to me that I didn't understand how to use it. So I went to a dog-and-pony show Festool puts on at lumber yards and tool dealers around the country.

The lightbulb in my head suddenly went on. The MFT has so many clamping abilities. You can hold wood flat against the legs in order to work on the edges. You can long pieces with one end sticking up in the air. To mill the end.

If it would be profitable to sell your old table on craigslist, get rid of it and buy the new model. There is a difference. See what used MFTs are selling for to guide your decision.

Gary Curtis

[Narayan Nayar]

You'll be much better off with a traditional workbench if your goal is to hold boards for handtools. There's really only two reasons for this: mass and workholding.

I like the MFT a lot and if my shop were a few square feet bigger I'd probably get one (I've worked on them quite a bit). They're great for powertool work. But they will scoot around when you do anything significant with a handtool--an aggressive cut with a handplane, chopping mortises, etc. And they do wobble if you do any sawing. I'm sure you could anchor them down more firmly, but despite all the fantastic engineering in the MFT/3 there's a difference between the 61 lbs of the MFT/3 and 300-400+ lbs of a real workbench, and that difference is significant in regards to handtools.

If I had to move stuff around (as in from site to site), I'd get an MFT in a heartbeat.

The good news is that traditional workbenches also work well for powertool use. I'd get Chris Schwarz's Workbenches book and go from there.

[John Stan]

I currently have a homebuilt extended Festool MFT - made up of the original Festool extension rails and approx. 2½ of the original MFT tops.
The base is heavy and sturdy and the table is nice.

However, lately I've begun using handplanes more and more.

It works ok if I'm planing the face of a board, but I'm having problems when I need to plane the edges. It is doable by using the Festool clamps on the rail along the front of the table, but just not good enough to fully satisfy me It's fiddly and I fear the aluminium rail will either mark or color the wood.

I don't have room in my shop for both the extended MFT and a workbench, so it can only be one of them.

I've thought about getting rid of the MFT and build a bench, but I fear I will miss functionality of the MFT.

If you have any advice - or maybe even a good example of some kind of MFT-workbench combo it'll be greatly appreciated.

BTW - happy New Year

Niels,
I have the MFT and tried to use it for hand planing. It just did not work out, It is great at holding wood. However, it is not sturdy enough to plane with. The table moves when you are trying to plane. No offense to the MFT, it just was not designed to be a hand tool workbench. I built a classical work bench, and the MFT is now a storage/glue up table. I use a cross cut sled and a table saw for my cross cutting. For me, I found the table saw to be more accurate than the MFT. So, my advise to you is to get a real workbench that was designed for handtools.
-John

[Jim Becker]

I own an MFT and a real workbench. For hand-plane work, you want a real workbench. The MFT is a wonderful thing, but it doesn't have the weight, mass and stability you want for working wood by hand and the lateral forces you exert on the bench while doing it.

[Dan Forman]

Get hold of Christopher Schwarz's book "Workbenches" to learn about the work holding capabilities of a well designed traditional workbench. The MFT is the one piece of Festool equipment I have that I wish I had passed on. If handtool use is in your future, build yourself a good bench, you won't be sorry.

Dan

[Edward P. Surowiec]

Happy New ALL, now I'm stuck again after reading your comments regarding the Festool MFT vs a good bench. I plan to start a Wainscoating project going down a starwell and had convinced myself that this project would justify spending about $1000 on a Festool TS 75 plunge cut saw and MTF/3 table, currently on special at Woodcraft in my area. But after reading your comments I'm not sure about the table vs bench. MY shop is small, a two car garage that is crowded,with PM 2000, 12" RAS, router table , 8" Jointer, small bandsaw, two small hammer on benches and my Harley Road King. Needless to say I spend a lot of time moving things around. Any further comments on the Festool vs other would be appreciated.

[Eric DeSilva]

Happy New ALL, now I'm stuck again after reading your comments regarding the Festool MFT vs a good bench. I plan to start a Wainscoating project going down a starwell and had convinced myself that this project would justify spending about $1000 on a Festool TS 75 plunge cut saw and MTF/3 table, currently on special at Woodcraft in my area. But after reading your comments I'm not sure about the table vs bench. MY shop is small, a two car garage that is crowded,with PM 2000, 12" RAS, router table , 8" Jointer, small bandsaw, two small hammer on benches and my Harley Road King. Needless to say I spend a lot of time moving things around. Any further comments on the Festool vs other would be appreciated.

While the MFT doesn't have the mass necessary to stabilize wood for using a handplane, it is a good tool for doing certain kinds of activities... Frankly, I'd say doing wainscoating is probably in the sweet spot for the MFT.

I would think about the TS75 v. the TS55, however. Do a search here--my general recollection of threads on them seem to favor the TS55, with most people saying they bought the 75 thinking they would need the power, but it has never really been an issue, and the TS55 is lighter and cheaper. I've crosscut 6/4 white oak with my 55, and it has never bogged down on me.

[Scott T Smith]

While the MFT doesn't have the mass necessary to stabilize wood for using a handplane, it is a good tool for doing certain kinds of activities... Frankly, I'd say doing wainscoating is probably in the sweet spot for the MFT.

I would think about the TS75 v. the TS55, however. Do a search here--my general recollection of threads on them seem to favor the TS55, with most people saying they bought the 75 thinking they would need the power, but it has never really been an issue, and the TS55 is lighter and cheaper. I've crosscut 6/4 white oak with my 55, and it has never bogged down on me.

I tried both and bought the 55. I like the smaller size - it's more user friendly.