Festool Multifunction Table Could Become Your Favorite Tool in the Shop
Festool may have designed the next evolutionary step in workbench technology. With its compact size and light weight, you can easily carry the MFT/3 to any jobsite. It may, however, find a more common home in the workshop. The Festool Multifunction Table has features to make clamping faster and easier and allow for repeatability when making cuts with plunge saws and routers. Ultimately, the Festool MFT/3 Multifunction Table aims to streamline it all—routing, sanding, clamping, assembly…you name it.
Two main things stand out about the Festool Multifunction Table at first glance. First, it remains extremely portable. Second, this taskmaster seems to excel at providing a myriad of ways to reduce setup time for cuts and clamping.
The Festool MFT/3 weighs 62 lbs. While not overly-heavy, it has the requisite sturdiness to support up to almost 265 lbs. of material. Since the legs fold out, you can work with the table at height (35″ tall) or fold the legs in and work on the ground.
Hijacking the MFT/3 for a Mobile Work Table or Cart
Some folks have integrated the Festool MFT/3 into a mobile work table or cart. This makes it easy to do assembly work or even use it as an outfeed table for your saw. The examples we saw included storage for Festool power tools, a CT dust extractor, and some Systainers as well as 3″ or 4″ casters to provide some mobility.
A True Multifunction Work Table
As the name indicates, the real magic of the table revolves around its multifunctionality that’s made possible predominantly by the perforated top and the V-Groove side rails. The top features a perforated grid hole pattern that works in conjunction with Festool’s clamps to secure workpieces—even those with irregular shapes—quickly and easily. The integrated V-Groove side rails let you attach Festool’s angle unit and angle stop to the table.
These tools let you make repeatable and precise angled cuts. They also give you some more reliable points for attaching clamps.
The Festool MFT/3 Multifunction Table also comes with an integrated guide rail system that gives you an adjustable maximum cutting depth of three inches. It also accurately cuts materials over 27″ wide, which presents a challenge for even the largest miter saws. The guide rail system works with any of the Festool TS Series saws, Trion jigsaws, and OF Series routers.
Ergonomics and Usability
Festool really seemed to pay a lot of attention to the ergonomics of this system. As silly as that sounds when it relates to a table, it matters. For example, the tensioning knobs on the legs have been placed further from the side of the table to keep you from scraping up your hands when making adjustments.
One last thing worth noting includes the table top surface. When it inevitably gets dinged up and damaged, you can unfasten it and flip it over. That gives you twice the expected life. We love that.
The Festool Multifunction Table doesn’t come cheap—but it can really save you time in the shop. In the end, the flexibility and features it offers make it an easy purchase for serious woodworkers and anyone seriously into cabinetry. The Festool Multifunction table comes in two variations. The Festool MFT/3 retails for $749 and offers all the following bells and whistles:
- 42″ guide rail FS 1080
- Additional clamp
- Adjustable stop
- CMS router table miter gauge
- Guide rail deflector
- Support unit
- Swivel unit
Or, you can opt for the MFT/3 Basic version of the table, which does away with all of those frills. It retails for $615. Both versions come with Festool’s 3-year warranty.
