MFS, Multi-Routing Template System, Page Ten.

The MFS for cutting applications.
	Jerry Work in his manual shows how he uses the MFS as a fence for the MFT and as story sticks to place guide rails for cutting or routing. In this section I'll show how I have taken Jerry's techniques and adapted them to my own work.

Using a MFS profile as a story stick is an easy way to accurately place Festool's guide rails. I use one of the angle stops with a profile to set razor blades to act as stops for the rail, John Lucas' idea. Install the angle stop in the profile, with the scale up, using the scale I set the square on the measurement I want. Then butt the stop up to the square and tighten the bolts.

With the profile lined up with the edge of the work piece and the stop butted to the end I have a perfect story stick to help place the rail.

Now it's as simple as sticking a razor blade in the work piece at the end of the profile.

Registering the rubber edge of the guide rail off the blades will give me the exact location I want to cut this piece to.

Be sure to remove the razor blades before you make the cut. Use this technique any time you need to make multiple cuts the same size, works just as well with short or long rails.

An often asked question on Internet forums is "How do I make narrow rips with the Festool plunge cut saw and guide rail?" Using the MFS 400 with my MFT is what I've found to be the easiest, fastest, safest and most accurate. In this picture you see the setup I use. Note the wooden fence extension (green arrow), this prevents the rip from being thrown forward if it gets caught in the blade. For the rest of the set up, the MFS is butted up to the MFT's fence, acting as stop to set the width of the rip. The stock is then placed against the fence and the MFS, clamped and ripped.

Step one in the setup is to assemble the profiles with the scales on the outside and checking to make sure the setup is square. Now, I slide it under the guide rail and set the edge to be even with the rubber splinter guard on the rail.

One of the things that makes this technique so fast and easy is using the scale on the MFS to set the width of the rip. With the MFS lined up with the rail make a pencil mark at the profile's zero point (end of the profile). With this mark I'll be able to use the scale, in reverse, to set the width of the rip.

In this picture you see the MFS set to make a 10 mm rip.

The MFS has to be clamped in place to prevent it from moving during the cut, I also clamp the stock to be extra safe.

Then it's like any other cut, drop the rail, plunge the saw and cut.

Here are a few 10 mm rips. When I want to make Imperial widths I use a small combination square. I set it to the size I need, then place it against the rubber edge with the blade of the square under the rail. Butt the MFS to the suqare's blade and clamp the MFS.

Page Eleven.