Festool is introducing the CMS Precision routing table to the North American market. The German based company is highly regarded in the woodworking industry, creating speculations among festool-freaks (it’s okay, I am one too)  for a number of years about the look and features of a Festool brand routing table.

In my opinion, this is the best part of Festool.  They do not just manufacture a product for the sake of bringing it to market, they bring products to market that totally re-engineer what we’ve thought that tool is capable of.

So, how is the CMS going to blow away expectations and change the landscape of every tool they produce?  Here are four points Festool is boasting:

System Integration

First, The CMS is designed for perfect product integration. Meaning, the CMS router table is made as a system; it is not an end product designed by a variety of different companies.   Festool controls the user experience from start to finish.

All of the components of the Festool CMS Router Table, the OF 1010 or OF 1400 Routers, and CT HEPA Dust Extractors work in perfect harmony.  The centralized Festool approach ensures that the table and the router are designed to work together for maximum precision, efficiency, and ease of use with minimum fuss and hassle.

And by now, you shouldn’t be surprised that Festool designed the CMS at the exact same height as the MFT/3 MultiFunction Table and the Kapex UG Extensions.  This makes it easy to incorporate the CMS into any already existing Festool setups.

Precise Adjustability

Making some of the best over-all power tools money can buy, the German tool company has a reputation of unparalleled quality control, making adjustability in the CMS router table precise and reliable. To start off the CMS  routing table allows for easy and accurate adjustments.  Included in the table is a top mounted height adjustment.  This feature ensures precise bit height.  By inserting a handle into the top of the router table, a user can lower and raise the bit to exact height, easily and quickly. The handle can be stored on the front of the CMS table for easy access.   Other micro adjustments include a fully adjustable fence, sliding table, miter gauge, and chip guard (with starter pin).

Dust Extraction

These days having a router with great dust extraction sounds almost too good to be true.  Routers are notorious for creating dust, and most notably, chips around the work area.

If it is Festool, it is almost certain there will be best-in-class dust extraction. Therefore, the way Festool remedied any dust-extraction problems that plagues most routing tables is by creating an in-fence AND below the table dust-port. Having the two ports for dust extraction, means a user  can be ensured to catch chips and fine dust regardless of your type of routing task. The in-fence port accepts a 36mm hose and the chip guard accepts a 27mm or 36mm hose.  These two ports meet a Y-splitter that connects to the Festool CT Dust Extractor and has a 79″ (2m) hose to connect to the router underneath the router table with a 27mm fitting and a 39-1/2″ (1m) hose with a 36mm fitting for the router table fence.

CMS Router Table Models

There are two model options available with the CMS routing table.  The Stationary MFT/3 Router Table Add-on, CMS Model VL,  and the Benchtop, in the shop and on the jobsite, CMS Model GE.  The Stationary CMS Model VL router table is an extension to an already exciting MFT/3 table.   With the CMS Model VL, there are groove attachments that latch on to the V-groove profile on your MFT/3. It has a single set of legs for support. At a lower cost, this is a great option for a more permanent routing solution.

The CMS Model GE is a portable, stand-alone, routing table.  It will include four supporting legs and all the features of the CMS Model VL.  The CMS Model GE will look and feel more like a traditional routing table.

Coming October 2012

Here are some specs to read up on