BC's KAPEX Problem

[score0matic]

my buddy BC over at contractor talk posted this today:

Kapex issues! any advice
Ok so i had my first day using the Kapex. 20 mins into using it and i smashed the guard and broke the saw. Not sure exactly what happened but i was cutting some 8x3/4 pine baseboard which i have cut with my Makita thousands of times and never had this problem. I was cutting the board flat and with the saw tilted at 45 degrees to the left and the first piece of wood i cut come shooting out the back of the saw. Thought to my self i must have done something wrong and checked all the settings again and checked blade was tight. Went to cut the same piece again and bang the piece i cut flys up and smashes the blade guard and spins it completely around, snaps a spring, covers my face in sharp plastic(lucky had safety's on) and nearly takes off my fingers in the process.

What seems to happen is the 1" wide piece that falls away as i cut seems to get it's self binded back up with the blade instead of falling out and away and then it throws it at unreal speed into what ever is in it's way. Spoke to festool and the dealer and neither have a clue why it's doing this.

Any tips on what im doing wrong

 

[peter halle]

I would really wish that your friend would come here and post his situation.  That way we could ask questions directly and try to help.

Peter

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

I think he will.

He was just cutting missiles IMO.

I had never cut something to leave a drop like that, well I went and found a piece of 1x8, cut that bevel off and watch out.
Good thing I planned on something happening because I stood to the left of the saw and that little piece went flying by me very quickly.

You either need an auxiliary fence or leave more meat to the right so it has plenty of bearing on the right fence.

 

[vwdave]

I have this problem also.  Only when I bevel to the left and its less than 4" on the left of the blade.  I spoke to Festool about it and all they do is send me new throat plates as that is all I break.  Its is really annoying and it is just because there guard has alot of force and covers the entire blade through the cut. 

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

I have this problem also.  Only when I bevel to the left and its less than 4" on the left of the blade.  I spoke to Festool about it and all they do is send me new throat plates as that is all I break.  Its is really annoying and it is just because there guard has alot of force and covers the entire blade through the cut. 

These cut-offs were on the right and the blade guard does not try and close in this situation.

 

[Brice Burrell]

This isn't a new issue. If you don't know to avoid it by cutting off enough material that it won't go flying it can be dangerous. I don't think it's the guard causing the problem. Might be the vac sucking the piece up towards the blade. I'm going to have to spend some trying to figure out what's happening and a way to solve it.

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

This isn't a new issue. If you don't know to avoid it by cutting off enough material that it won't go flying it can be dangerous. I don't think it's the guard causing the problem. Might be the vac sucking the piece up towards the blade. I'm going to have to spend some trying to figure out what's happening and a way to solve it.

Brice I will save you the time, I did not have my vac hooked up when I did my experiment.

So you can rule the vac out.  

I think the only way to solve it is an auxiliary fence or more cut-off left to the right side.

What I saw when I tried to re-create it was this:  Once you get through that last little bit of that cut, it slams the off cut down and it seems it just bounces back from that, very hard.  I never got one to go off the back, always back at me.

 

[mastercabman]

Flying pieces of wood is caused by letting the saw head up to quick.

LET THE BLADE COME TO A COMPLETE STOP BEFORE LIFTING THE HEAD!!!
Small pc just get sucked in and gets into the spinning blade.

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

Flying pieces of wood is caused by letting the saw head up to quick.

LET THE BLADE COME TO A COMPLETE STOP BEFORE LIFTING THE HEAD!!!
Small pc just get sucked in and gets into the spinning blade.

Tried that too, made no difference in this situation.
Works with crown returns and such.

As soon as the blade finishes the cut, that off-cut gets pummeled back at you.
Like I said, I think it is bouncing back off the kerf plate.

There was enough force it broke my old growth Ash plate.

 

[ccmviking]

   Don't lift up the saw head until the blade stops after the cut.  I've really only seen this stuff happen when I lift the spinning blade up with the small piece lying up against the blade.  

Chris...    

 

[vwdave]

This is guard problem for me when I spoke to festool they understood my problem. There is no fix just leave more waste.

 

[vwdave]

The only time I have this problem is when beveling the saw to the left. All the other times it can be solved by letting the blade stop.

 

[ccmviking]

Slow Motion Video would be cool... Anyone seen the series "Time Warp"?

 

[mastercabman]

Flying pieces of wood is caused by letting the saw head up to quick.

LET THE BLADE COME TO A COMPLETE STOP BEFORE LIFTING THE HEAD!!!
Small pc just get sucked in and gets into the spinning blade.

Tried that too, made no difference in this situation.
Works with crown returns and such.

As soon as the blade finishes the cut, that off-cut gets pummeled back at you.
Like I said, I think it is bouncing back off the kerf plate.

There was enough force it broke my old growth Ash plate.

Is this all the time or just when you bevel?

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

Flying pieces of wood is caused by letting the saw head up to quick.

LET THE BLADE COME TO A COMPLETE STOP BEFORE LIFTING THE HEAD!!!
Small pc just get sucked in and gets into the spinning blade.

Tried that too, made no difference in this situation.
Works with crown returns and such.

As soon as the blade finishes the cut, that off-cut gets pummeled back at you.
Like I said, I think it is bouncing back off the kerf plate.

There was enough force it broke my old growth Ash plate.

Is this all the time or just when you bevel?

I always let the blade stop after a cut, no matter what.  Works like a champ with mitered returns but,

It didn't do a thing when I re-created his problem, as soon as the blade finished the cut, BAM off-cut heading back at me.

I think the off-cut may bounce off the guard as well as the kerf plate.  It happens pretty quick for sure.

 

[BCConstruction]

Hey guys. Thanks for the replys. I did sign up on here when i bought my TS55 but never had any issues so never needed to come here. It's a scarey situation that i have never come across on any other saw. Im trying to undertsnad why it's an issue with the Kapex and not my Makita. Also you can leave the blade down until it stops but the off cut has already flew it's course and implanted it's self into a wall.

I have never even heard of a saw doing this on a piece of timber so large. I have seen my makita throw small pieces of crown returns off but never in the way the Kapex throw's these large pieces.  The fix does seem to be an aux fence.

 

[BCConstruction]

Flying pieces of wood is caused by letting the saw head up to quick.

LET THE BLADE COME TO A COMPLETE STOP BEFORE LIFTING THE HEAD!!!
Small pc just get sucked in and gets into the spinning blade.

Tried that too, made no difference in this situation.
Works with crown returns and such.

As soon as the blade finishes the cut, that off-cut gets pummeled back at you.
Like I said, I think it is bouncing back off the kerf plate.

There was enough force it broke my old growth Ash plate.

Is this all the time or just when you bevel?

For me it's just on Bevel cuts.

 

[mastercabman]

Flying pieces of wood is caused by letting the saw head up to quick.

LET THE BLADE COME TO A COMPLETE STOP BEFORE LIFTING THE HEAD!!!
Small pc just get sucked in and gets into the spinning blade.

Tried that too, made no difference in this situation.
Works with crown returns and such.

As soon as the blade finishes the cut, that off-cut gets pummeled back at you.
Like I said, I think it is bouncing back off the kerf plate.

There was enough force it broke my old growth Ash plate.

Is this all the time or just when you bevel?

I always let the blade stop after a cut, no matter what.  Works like a champ with mitered returns but,

It didn't do a thing when I re-created his problem, as soon as the blade finished the cut, BAM off-cut heading back at me.

I think the off-cut may bounce off the guard as well as the kerf plate.  It happens pretty quick for sure.

I might look into it tomorow,I have a lot to cut!  How big of a piece did you try to cut?

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

Mastercabman-  Just take a 1x8 bring it from the left, saw beveled 45 left, and just take that 45 degree triangle off the end of that 1x8.

I wouldn't try it, It broke my 0 clearance throat plate. 

Just looking at the cut, looks like it could be dangerous.

 

[BCConstruction]

Mastercabman-  Just take a 1x8 bring it from the left, saw beveled 45 left, and just take that 45 degree triangle off the end of that 1x8.

I wouldn't try it, It broke my 0 clearance throat plate. 

Just looking at the cut, looks like it could be dangerous.

Dangerous ain't the word. I'm supprised that this problem has not been come across before. It really knocked my saw out of alignment as well. I just checked my insert on my makita and it has a gap as big as the Kapex so i don't think that's the issue. I'm wondering if the blade may be having a part to play in it. First time i have ever used a Festool blade and it's the first time i ever had this happen on any saw.