Hi guys,

This is my first post so please be kind. After lots of research, and much deliberation, I purchased a Kapex 120 saw. My very first Festool tool!

When I got it home, I did a pre-start inspection and found, what appeared to be, heat checking (cracking) in the rotary table die casting directly below the bevel pivot. Tipping up the saw and looking underneath, I found more in the same general area. Vertical cracks in the ribbing.

I took the saw, and my concerns back to the store, and the kind people pulled out another saw to replace it. I checked this one and found the same thing. I then checked the three Kapex saws on display, and found heat checking in the same area in all three. The good people at the store assured me that the heat checking was not a concern, and that they have never had a Kapex casting fail. However my confidence was shot, so I asked for my money back, and left saw-less.

I still need a saw, and still prefer the Kapex, but... for what I intend to use it for the heat checking would not be a serious risk, but it would annoy me no end knowing that it is there, in a top of the line saw.

Has anybody else notice this in their saws? Is it common to all Kapex saws or am I just lucky enough to find the five in existence with heat checking? Is it a known defect that people just accept, except fussy people like me?

I am at a loss and a stand still. I must await the wise words from experienced people from this group.

Many thanks in advance for advice and information given.

Dion.

Mine looks perfect - I'd love to see the problem area

Hi guys,

Thanks for your replies. I took some photos of the first Kapex saw with my phone. Quality is not greatest, but you can see the dark lines in the casting.

The checking occurred in the same location in all the saws I looked at.

I hope this illustrates the heat checking well enough.

Dion.

The cracks themselves are probably not a huge issue. The problem is what they could be an indication of. If you see small cracks in aluminium, it's a good sign that there will be more coming.

However, I'm wondering if there isn't some sort of powder coating on those areas that are shown in the picture and couldn't it then be just the coating that has cracked a bit. In that case, it would be harmless.

I know how tiny cracks can become bigger cracks under certain circumstances. I fail to see how those circumstances apply to the base of the Kapex. A machine that most of the time sits stationary on a desk is not like a motorcycle that cruises the highways with 100 mph. 

Mine might be full of them, but I really never bothered to look and this is not going to make me do it either.

This is being pretty anal, if you ask me.

All I care about it is how it cuts wood.   After all it is a tool, not an airplane or something.

Those cracks look like the finish has a crack. 

I don't even know what the underneath of my Kapex looks like.

I buy Festool power tools for a couple reasons. 

1.  There tool is usually the best one out there.

2.  If something comes up and I have a problem with a tool, Festool will help me take care of it some how, some way.


It is a tool, it is meant to be used and during the course of use, they usually get dirty, some scratches, ran over by your truck, sanded in half, etc.

Since when is it wrong for someone - especially a new member - to come here and express a concern?  It happens several times a day.  Whether it has been a label that doesn't stick, a peeling splinter guard, a pad that doesn't rotate, a paint or metal coating that chips, etc., we read about it and 99.97 percent of the time the members here try to help out with answers or avenues for help.

What was so different in this case?  He bought a Kapex, he noticed something he was concerned about and he took it back.  He looked at others at the dealer, noticed the same thing and decided to pass.  Then he researched, found the FOG, came and asked questions.  Then he frankly got treated basically like an idiot by numerous members for examining his saw and having concerns and asking us about it.  That isn't the way we normally do it here.  If you re-read the opening post he admits that this was his first Festool and asked that we not be hard on him.  What may not be important to you might just be the most important thing at that time to someone else and how you say something can be as important as what you say.

Peter

Peter, I know you are a moderator and all here, but aren't you going a bit overboard here? Nobody is treating the OP in the way you say. I do find that the OP is making a mountain out of a molehill, and if thinking so is an offence here, then I must say I am guilty. But at the same time I think now you're making a mountain out of a molehill too.   

The OP is saying he really would like to get a Kapex. But because of seeing these cracks he now has some reservations about the quality of the saw. All we are doing is trying to asssure him his reservations are unfounded. We are not allowed to do that?

I'm sorry, but sometimes peope worry TOO much. I don't see what's wrong telling them if they do.

it is good to see that the way new members that post with issues or concerns are being met with a more positive attitude than in the not to distant past

Ok, but are they really cracks in the alloy casting (which is not 100% aluminum)?

At the risk on being stupid - Isn't "heating checking" something that affects material through cycles of temperature increase and decrease? Causing cracking over time?

I'm not saying the bases examined don't have cracks of any sort - but I suppose I'm questioning my understanding and the probable cause.

The KAPEX base is a cast alloy and these cracks appear "out of the box".

Is there a particular spot on the castings that the cracks appear or are they just all over the place? From a fairly close inspection I can't see anything that would concern me with my KAPEX - but if there's a specific spot to check I'm happy to look.

If the saws you're looking at are a bad batch or have imperfections inconsistent with others, Festool should be made aware and should offer comments on the issue.

Kev.

Ahem, that is a MAGNESIUM alloy casting that we are "concerned" about. I decided to further investigate my KAPEX and used a 300 watt halogen lamp to look for these cracks. I found many cracks on the underside of the casting. As far as affecting the cutting accuracy of the saw goes it does not seem to have an adverse result. As some other posts have said the frequency and amplitude caused by the motor and cutting action of the saw do not seem to be a problem. If this was a Space Shuttle booster rocket or a nuclear power plant piping then non-destructive testing would be in order for the safety of the public which I have been involved in. That said I do not believe that there is a safety or performance issue to worry about.

Hi Dion,

Welcome to the FOG ! 


Thanks for posting. You have brought to light a potential issue that people might never be aware of without looking under the saw.

Seth