Festool has announced – or at least is teasing about – a new portable workbench, STM 1800. The Festool STM 1800 looks to be designed as a one-person solution for breaking down large sheet goods off the floor.
Festool says the STM 1800 can support sheet goods up to 3100 x 2150 mm in size, or ~10.2′ x 7′. In other words, it should be able to handle 8′ x 4′ sheet goods with ease, and then some.
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At this time, Festool has only teased about their new work support system overseas. There’s no information regarding USA availability at this time.
The STM 1800 is described as a mobile panel saw, designed to be used with circular saws and guide rails.
It folds down for storage and easier mobility, and has caster wheels on all four legs.
The four large outrigger support extensions can be removed and attached to the legs for storage, to give the workbench a smaller footprint.
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Smaller support attachments can be mounted to slide-out extensions running in the perpendicular direction, and although it’s not clear where they store for transport, Festool says “all parts are fitted to the product, nothing is lost.”
It can be tilted and pivoted on its caster wheels, for bringing a vertically-leaning workpiece to a horizontal position for cutting.
The wood blocks, for supporting workpieces during cutting operations, are user-replaceable.
At this time, we can’t find any details regarding pricing, availability, or specs.
Pricing Update
Festool UK says:
£1,080.00 excl VAT (tax)
£1,296.00 incl VAT (tax)
£1080 GPB is ~ $1403 USD
Specs Update
- Folded table dimensions: 1150 x 250 x 700 mm (45.3 x 9.8 x 27.6″)
- Minimum contact surface: 1100 x 1050 mm (43.3 x 41.3″)
- Maximum contact surface: 1800 x 2100 mm (70.9 x 82.7″)
- Max workpiece dimensions: 3100 x 2150 mm (122 x 84.6″)
- Height range: 700 – 900 mm (~27.5 – 35.4″)
- Max load: 150 kg (~331 lbs)
- Weighs 34 kg (75 lbs)
Discussion
This seems like an interesting solution to make it easier to cut large sheets of plywood, OSB, or other such materials to size.
I wouldn’t consider it a replacement to their MFT/3 multi-functional table, although the STM 1800 does look a lot sturdier.
I’d think that this is a product for users who currently connect two or more MFT/3 tables together to increase cutting capacity, or who are looking for a better system than cutting large sheets on the floor supported by 2×4 or foam spacers.
If you watch the product video (below), it’s interesting how the workbench expands and collapses.
The STM 1800 rolls to where it’s needed, which makes it seem as more of a workshop or commercial space type of support system.
Details are slim right now, but if there’s interest we’ll look into digging up more.
Festool Video
Here’s the intro video from Festool UK (1:11 duration):
Frank D
Like the concept.
The tilt idea on two fairly average casters surprises me.
alex
I believe they took the idea from eureka zone. Looks great though.
Chris G
Over on The FOG, somebody mentioned it’ll be priced at $1400. Not sure if that’s a USD conversion from the euro or if that’s US MSRP, but like all Festool products (save for the 5-in-1 tool and cutting board/knife from a year ago) you’re paying a lot more than you would for a competitive product. In this instance, you’re paying orders of magnitude more. Though you could argue that this product is significantly different from anything else available now.
fred
Many years ago visiting – I saw several German-made assembly tables that had all the bells and whistles (including extraordinary price points) for that time. Tilting, lifting, vacuum clamping etc. were parts of their repertoire. I thought that they might be very nice for our shop floor – but the price scared me off.
Barth is still one brand to drool over:
https://www.barth-maschinenbau.de/en/work-tables/overview/
rob
Yeah, been there, lusted after that. Anyone crying about the price doesn’t know the market nor which companies that Festool is pricing this against. I’ve been irked at pricing of things like driver bits (clearly made by Wera….not Zephyr/Apex/PBSwiss price range) for $9 a piece and the constant increases but their tools are generally in line with their competition (usually cheaper).
Lyle
I can see Festool charging $1499 for this.
Adam
Yes they probably will change that, it’s ridiculous.
Bolt
If you think the price of the table is ridiculous imagine how much you’d be paying for work done by someone who uses one.
Andrew LB
I just had to hop in here and guess this thing is gonna cost $1800 as the name/model implies.
Adam
I’ve seen the price in the uk, £1300 , that must be about $1700, ridiculous, I wouldn’t even want one if they gave it to me.
Dean
Placeholder listings on German tool sites have this down for €1,900.
Adam
I think I’ll stick to my saw horses that cost under $ 25 to build, I like Festool tools but some of there stuff is over the top, a cost way to much .
Rafe
My thought exactly. You get great support with saw horses. Also if you’re breaking down enough sheet goods to make this worth it, it really ought to be done in a shop setting with a horizontal panel saw. Way faster, way more accurate and consistent.
Adam
I’ve just watched the video, I would never buy that, and probably at least $1000,
Paul
https://www.festool.de/produkte/neuheiten/neuheiten/205183—stm-1800
$1300 to $1575
Flotsam
That sounds like a pool bet right away. Closest without going over (Price is Right rules)
Knowing how pricey Festool is I am going with $589 suggested retail. No motors in the design, but a lot of precision metal work.
I am trying to think what is directly comparable commercially. But a lot of the best features in this i have seen in custom cutting tables people have built before.
Stuart
If we’re guessing, I’d say $1200, maybe higher even.
PETE
I’ll take $1 bob(or drew) lol
Stuart
For Price is Right rules, should have went with $590 or higher.
With Flotsam’s $598 bid, $1 would be an automatic loss. There’s no way this is less than $600.
Keep in mind that Festool will likely be shipping these directly to end-users, presumably via Freight, and these fees will probably be baked into the price as well.
Ignoring some of the comments about EU pricing, it’s guaranteed to be in the $1000-$2000 price range. I guessed $1200 based on Price is Right rules, but a more realistic prediction would be $1400-1600.
Update: Festool UK says:
£1,080.00 excl VAT
£1,296.00 incl VAT
£1080 GPB is ~ $1403 USD
Flotsam
Based on the newest post, it looks like you may in fact be the WINNER Stuart
Stuart
No, my guess was $1200. Go over and you bust. =(
William
Very Cool Item, like how it folds down so small. Unfortunately, as a hobbyist woodworker, it’s out of my budget and cant really justify spending $1500 when I would like to put that same money toward something like a CNC or upgrade my Dust Collection.
Jeff
Why not copy the basic framework using 80/20 extrusion?
Stuart
Cost and complexity. It can be done, but it’s not going to be inexpensive.
Koko The Talking Ape
I’d like to hear from Stuart or others whether an 80/20 version could fold the way this does, or have those slide-out extensions. I don’t think it could, but I don’t know the system as well as you guys.
Stuart
Yes, it can fold in a similar way, but as mentioned it’ll drive the cost and complexity way up.
There are 80/20 motion components – hinges and slides – that can be used for an adaptable system.
With this Festool product, you have two fixed sides and two folding sides. The fixed sides will be easy to build with 80/20 t-slot components.
For the symmetrical fold-out mechanism, pivot plates can be used for the bottom and top supports, and you can either go with linear motion components and pivots for the top, or fabricate square tubing with low-friction plastic inserts for the slides. It might take time and effort to have something as elegant as Festool’s pivots, but it looks fairly simple and definitely achievable.
For slide-out extensions, that’ll be a challenge. Hinged supports might be easier to create, or quick-attach extension similar to the larger outrigger attachments on Festool’s system. Tube-within-a-tube extensions isn’t possible here.
Koko the Talking Ape
Thank you sir! I wasn’t aware of even the pivot plates.
Roberto
Why 80/20?
Cheap and cheerful, you could make something similar with plywood, dimensional lumber, and hardware store hinges.
This bench is full of great ideas.
Soup
Looking forward to buying a knock off one of these at Harbor Freight for $200 with a 20% off coupon and free Coronavirus.
ca
Haha!
Ray
Keep the virus, I will stick with Corona.
Koko The Talking Ape
Sawhorses are cheaper and more flexible, and can be made in the shop, but it’s hard to think of a rig that could do that tilting panel trick without being some kind of table.
Jared
Woodpeckers, Festool, Snap-on… etc. Always attract heat for their high prices. I’m guessing this would be about $300-350 MSRP if it came out as a Dewalt, Irwin, or Milwaukee product.
Without considering price, this looks pretty innovative. Debatable whether non-professional users would benefit enough from this contraption to make it worth the hassle of setting it up each time you break down a sheet of plywood though (again, nevermind the presumed cost). If you were doing it a lot though, it’s a nifty solution.
Josh
Although expensive it’s target audience is onsite contractors. If it is more efficient and either saves man hours or allows more to be produced then it is a worthwhile investment.
Frank D
Maybe if you are a high end custom carpentry guy flying solo … or as a duo; but beyond that I see no place nor advantage for the average crew where extra hands are available and which typically treat tools as disposable. Much better to stick to traditional saw horses with replaceable tops.
Koko The Talking Ape
Yeah, that’s what I was going to say too. Sawhorses are small, cheap, versatile, and can be made onsite. They don’t let you tilt panels flat that way, but that’s what other guys are for.
This is for a solo woodworker in a small shop, where space is at a premium.
Josh
All it needs to do is save you a 4 hours a week at a 100 bucks an hour and it’s pretty much paid for itself in 8 weeks. Even if you just figure employee wages @ 20 bucks an hour it does pay for itself.
We bought a tire changing machine for 40k which is a lot of money considering you can get them for 8k brand new. It paid for itself in about 10 months, it eliminated a position in the shop allowed us to pay the two that remained more, saved on WC, taxes, customer sat and expanded what we could do and how fast we could do it. I feel like that’s a apples to apples comparison.
Would I use it for my one man shop? Probably not, my sheet goods come in 5×5 and my table saw handles that perfect and it rare like less than 5% I’m on a site.
Brian
and my question would be… do I need to tilt the panels?
Like… if I am onside, how did I get the panel to the location and standing vertical to begin with?
In a workshop I could see having a stock of sheets, but the worksite probably had the material dropped off in a stack out in the yard. this doesnt solve for getting them off the stack and onto this table.
Wade-inthe-Water
Eureka Zone continues to be the inventive genious and product development behind much of Festools industrial espionage.
Ray
No longer, Eureka Zone is closed.
Wade-inthe-Water
Thx for update & Sorry to hear it.
Presuming Eureka Utube history is still available??
For anyone interested in Festool but price point is limiting factor?
Check Eureka Zone on Utube and learn where Festool learnt from….
Dino learnt us lots of ways to reinvent yourself, your tools , and to keep reinventing the way you work
Maybe more of us that keep learning to be more productive & profitable can soon afford upgrade and expense of new Festool table!:)
….and as Nathan says below, I’m also not a Festool hater…just “disliker”…
Very overpriced and over protective marketing gugernaut
& I’ll man up and give credit where it’s due:
While Festool took alot of Eureka Zone ideas,
they changed them enough to avoid the legal charges against them…
Aka- reinventing someone else’s stuff to reinvent your own & keep in bussiness!
So it would seems Festool has kept in business vs others
So they’re doing something right!
Michael
I have been cutting 4×8 sheets for many years but myself using sawhorses and scrap planks
Mark
I use the 4×8 centipede with a sacraficial sheet of ply on top. They are great for using with the festool tracksaw.
Nathan
Eureka Zone seems to be shut down now.
Meanwhile for the price is right game I’m going to stab at 1400+ US dollars and you can’t get it for 5 months.
It’s neat and I’m a festool disliker, not hater. so I just don’t see it. I use the Kobalt knockoff of the Toughbuilt saw horses (adjustable height was a key feature) and a set of cut 2×4’s and a 3/4 sheet of ply does wonders in my garage. For less than 200 dolllars (ply is expensive by the way). I have a flat sturdy table for assembly and other work – it can be either 3.5 x 4ft or 3.5 x 6 ft with ease (different 2x’s and different top sheet). and stable as all get out.
but when I go to cut sheet goods – laid on top supported by some dense foam sheet – glide right across. and then use the same table minutes later to assemble my work or whatever I need. I’m about to make a new table top add on for a router table. somewhere I’m still saving money I just know it.
FOr a contractor that has a image to maintain – there is something to be said about showing up at the job with a fancy looking tool setup. I won’t lie I know of guys that will say working in _______ area it’s expected. High dollar homes etc I can see the need. And the ability to just charge more in general too. SO it has a purpose. From an insurnace/osha sort of angle it also makes some sense. Meanwhile I don’t know why I’d buy an MFT over this thing going forward.
Joseph
Looks like an awesome idea, with a no less awesome price.
It looks like an ideal project to recreate it in 80/20.
Matt J.
This is pretty much everything I wish my Centipede was. Don’t get me wrong, I like my centipede stands, but the tilt feature and integration of standoffs is really nice. Not to mention the increased durability. I wouldn’t pay Festool prices for that, but If Bora Portamate came out with a pro version with some of these features, I’d be in at ~$300 or so for a 4×8.
Bob
Cool design. Fliping up sheet of ply off the floor is cool. Makes senses in the right circumstances: solo high end pro, festool fan boy’s (don’t hate pick whatever tool color you like ;-)) guy with a bad back/injury etc etc
I might even copy it if I needed another fun project in the metal fab shop. Like most guys its cheaper to buy outright unless my time is free (ie its a just for fun project).
chip hershberger
In this day of either hiring 20% more labor force just to have enough help show up on big crews, vs working solo or a small crew.
If I was the latter, it would be worth it.
Equipment can be depreciated, and expected to last for a finite period as a fixed cost.
With this technology available, it is nimble and stores in a very small space.
Watch Insider Carpentry on YouTube to see how efficient and effective 1 man can be.
The older I get, I rely on jigs and fixtures to save time,when I was younger it was more brute force.
Jess
Looks like it costs $995 + $100 shipping from US Tool & Fastener. They’re taking pre-orders for October delivery.
https://www.ustoolandfastener.com/festool-stm-1800-mobile-saw-table-and-work-bench-205183/
SpainToolGuy
C’on guys, ever heard of COGS (saying with sarcasm,) this thing at productions level will cost them no more that half the cost to manufacture the MFT. So how they got to that price is unknown linear cost/cut/machining of this tool is very very low. I’m seen that they have about 10 parts, so that is roughly $2 Per part, machining/finishing roughly $7 so ~$90 at most on a pallet ready for shipping. How they are expecting to keep this product going with 90% margin is beyond me. Let’s say I was way off, and COGS was $140 @70% healthy margins, I would buy this product at ~$500 NOT. $1500, and I’m sorry to say but the clown on the USA festool channel, to say he bought one is just insult to injury on their marketing efforts.