Very nice! That’s ingenuity for you, using the tracksaw itself as a square. I would still recommend the “stop slop” under the guide rail to take away any movement.
@@fernando2014 true, however I don’t want people thinking they HAVE to buy other tools. I wanted to prove that extra tools and accessories save you TIME, and nothing more. I’ve not had any issues with guide rail shifting, so not sure if it’s a defect that’s been corrected in manufacturing. My MFT is about 3 years old and gets used almost daily.
I think you are almost there. I recommend two additions. 1 - shift track right so not to cut into dog holes. This allows you to router out a sacrifical insert later if you choose. 2 - rather than measure diagonal complete a fifth cut to incorporate the 5 cut method of establishing square. Enjoying your videos. Thanks!
All great points, John!! I use the kapex trimming attachments, and the distance is set to match up with the flag stops. I was very close to using the 5 cut method in this video, but felt like that would take away from the key point of the method here - which is to square up the MFT without any tools. Appreciate the comments and feedback!!
Thank you Ben. This worked! In addition I moved the mitre box closer to the guide (as yours is) and I loosened one of the hex nuts on the guide rail hinge as my guide rail was so far off, then tightened once square. Thanks again.
After hearing on all the festool videos that I shouldn't mess with the "factory set stops" and never being able to get a perfect setup done quickly, this video saved me! Thanks and great job with the channel!
Of course! Wanted to provide an additional way to check or set it. Some people don't want to chase the caliper settings on a set up. This is much quicker, but isn't as precise as the 5 cut. Thanks for sharing that!
@@BenMarshallDesigns fully agree. I also think the 5 cuts method is not so well known .... maybe could be an addon video to this one ;) In any case, thanks for sharing and good job on the video editing.
@@BenMarshallDesigns I did look up the 5 cuts method after seeing this comment and your way seems far easier. There is a guy who made a calculator for the 5 cuts method and he applied it for a crosscut sled with a table saw. For this specific application, your way seems most efficient. No need to make a video that so many others have already made. This was the video I needed - thank you for taking the time to share this freely.
@@AaronGeller of course, glad you found it helpful. Yes William Ng has a great video on the 5 cut method, great for dialing in squareness as you said. This is great for those that have to constantly set up and break down the MFT for field work
Ben!!!! Thank you SO VERY MUCH, Brother! My mind digested that like curry being consumed by a piss ant. Festool needs to send their master instructors to you... So that they can re-do the manual and instructional doctrine in a more efficient and effective manner. Merry Christmas to you and your family. Wishing you, your family, friends, and loved ones a very happy and healthy holiday season!
My TS55 has casting mold lines in the base and therefore is not perfectly square. Nice idea though, check your saws for mold casting lines that were not milled off at the factory.
well you should always double check with a square first to ensure it is indeed square. At the time of this video, I had multiple owners check theirs, and all were true to square
The main issue is that the smaller the square, the less accurate the fence can be at length. Precision squares are not cheap, and if someone has a limited budget and can only afford a track saw, they can rest assured knowing that the base is square if they're ever in a bind
You've caught me red handed - I didn't even check for squareness, not even when prepping for the video or the countless projects I've made that are in fact square with this method. Thank you, good sir, for calling me out. I shall quit youtube immediately and reevaluate my life choices.
@Roy R I would hope that a newbie isn't jumping straight into purchasing Festool!! I debated on covering what the 5 cut method was, however felt it wasn't necessary for this video. Good on you for looking out for the lesser experienced though! 👍👍
@@BenMarshallDesigns Indeed. A newbie who buys Festool for his first woodworking tools might as well buy a Felder (Format 4), SCM, Martin Machinenbau, or Altendorf as his first table saw.
![Festool MFT Replacement Top with a Twist [video #372]](/img/n.gif)
This is so simple and a wonderful idea.
thanks, bud!
Very nice! That’s ingenuity for you, using the tracksaw itself as a square. I would still recommend the “stop slop” under the guide rail to take away any movement.
@@fernando2014 true, however I don’t want people thinking they HAVE to buy other tools. I wanted to prove that extra tools and accessories save you TIME, and nothing more. I’ve not had any issues with guide rail shifting, so not sure if it’s a defect that’s been corrected in manufacturing. My MFT is about 3 years old and gets used almost daily.
@@fernando2014 the slop stop is not required. When the weight of the saw compressed the neoprene the slop is removed. It’s a gimmick imo.
@@MyGarageWorkshopwhat is the slop stop?
Best method from all the ones I tried to square my MFT, so simple an dead on square after. Thank you.
nice!
Well done Ben, very logically once someone else has thought of it. Very impressed. Best Andy
Thanks, Andy!
I think you are almost there. I recommend two additions. 1 - shift track right so not to cut into dog holes. This allows you to router out a sacrifical insert later if you choose. 2 - rather than measure diagonal complete a fifth cut to incorporate the 5 cut method of establishing square. Enjoying your videos. Thanks!
All great points, John!! I use the kapex trimming attachments, and the distance is set to match up with the flag stops. I was very close to using the 5 cut method in this video, but felt like that would take away from the key point of the method here - which is to square up the MFT without any tools. Appreciate the comments and feedback!!
Thank you Ben. This worked! In addition I moved the mitre box closer to the guide (as yours is) and I loosened one of the hex nuts on the guide rail hinge as my guide rail was so far off, then tightened once square. Thanks again.
Awesome! Glad it helped
This is brilliantly simple - excellent!
Not too shabby, eh?!
Excellent video, so simple and well explained - thank you...
Thanks, Kenneth! Glad you found it helpful
After hearing on all the festool videos that I shouldn't mess with the "factory set stops" and never being able to get a perfect setup done quickly, this video saved me! Thanks and great job with the channel!
Thanks! Glad it’s helped!!
Briliant, thanks for this! I'm 100 percent going to set up my MFT in this manner.
Awesome!! Glad it's helpful!
Very practical video - thanks
Welcome!
Thank You Ben for this very helpful Video. You are Great Bro .
Greetings from Wonderful Vienna .
Thumbs up 👍and y follow your Channel .
Awesome, thank you!
you could use the 5 cuts method as well. no additionnal cost and very high precision.
thqnks forthe tip on the square base for the TS5
Of course! Wanted to provide an additional way to check or set it. Some people don't want to chase the caliper settings on a set up. This is much quicker, but isn't as precise as the 5 cut. Thanks for sharing that!
@@BenMarshallDesigns fully agree.
I also think the 5 cuts method is not so well known .... maybe could be an addon video to this one ;)
In any case, thanks for sharing and good job on the video editing.
@@BenMarshallDesigns I did look up the 5 cuts method after seeing this comment and your way seems far easier. There is a guy who made a calculator for the 5 cuts method and he applied it for a crosscut sled with a table saw. For this specific application, your way seems most efficient.
No need to make a video that so many others have already made.
This was the video I needed - thank you for taking the time to share this freely.
@@AaronGeller of course, glad you found it helpful. Yes William Ng has a great video on the 5 cut method, great for dialing in squareness as you said. This is great for those that have to constantly set up and break down the MFT for field work
Awesome tips, thanks a lot
Of course! thanks for checking it out!
good hints
🤜🏻🤛🏻
I am curious why not square the fence by its adjustments instead of the rail clamps?
This was a realization after I posted this video. Sedge from Festool has a few videos of him doing this - live and learn! Just another way to do it!
@@BenMarshallDesigns I love the idea of using the track saw base as the square reference! Thanks!
What a great suggestion
Thanks Patrick!
Thx for this
Ben!!!!
Thank you SO VERY MUCH, Brother! My mind digested that like curry being consumed by a piss ant.
Festool needs to send their master instructors to you... So that they can re-do the manual and instructional doctrine in a more efficient and effective manner.
Merry Christmas to you and your family. Wishing you, your family, friends, and loved ones a very happy and healthy holiday season!
shazam! Glad it helped, mayne! And Merry Christmas to your family as well!
My TS55 has casting mold lines in the base and therefore is not perfectly square. Nice idea though, check your saws for mold casting lines that were not milled off at the factory.
well you should always double check with a square first to ensure it is indeed square. At the time of this video, I had multiple owners check theirs, and all were true to square
First, every carpenter NEEDs a square. Put it on fense, loosed the adjusters, square the rail and tighten. 1 or 2 steps.
The main issue is that the smaller the square, the less accurate the fence can be at length. Precision squares are not cheap, and if someone has a limited budget and can only afford a track saw, they can rest assured knowing that the base is square if they're ever in a bind
@@BenMarshallDesigns good carpenter square is 20 bucks. Calling BullShit. You don’t need a super tenth of a degree square.
@@Qwiv Good luck making fine furniture (that someone actually would want to buy) using just a carpenter square
@@BenMarshallDesigns we do a few hundred million in revenue a year….
Or…..buy a dashboard guide rail bracket and be done after step 1
the point is to NOT have to buy more things and use something you already have that works just as good
I didn't see a Five Cut method. Measuring corner to corner proves nothing, You might be making perfect parallelograms all day long!
You've caught me red handed - I didn't even check for squareness, not even when prepping for the video or the countless projects I've made that are in fact square with this method. Thank you, good sir, for calling me out. I shall quit youtube immediately and reevaluate my life choices.
@@BenMarshallDesigns Great reply, I knew it was square but a newbe might not know what the 5 cut method is. Cheers,
@Roy R I would hope that a newbie isn't jumping straight into purchasing Festool!! I debated on covering what the 5 cut method was, however felt it wasn't necessary for this video. Good on you for looking out for the lesser experienced though! 👍👍
@@BenMarshallDesigns Indeed. A newbie who buys Festool for his first woodworking tools might as well buy a Felder (Format 4), SCM, Martin Machinenbau, or Altendorf as his first table saw.
Roy, but any parallelogram with equal diagonals would, perforce, have perfect 90º corners, n'est-ce pas?