Carvex 420 going off line on circular cuts

[Wuffles]

At least you found out within the 15 days? Still leaves you out of pocket for the wasted blades doesn't it.

 

[Wuffles]

So, it's arrived back now. Part number changed is 499659 which according to an iffy looking PDF from Festool.de is a Gear cover - whatever that is.

Is this likely to have been the cause of the problem before? I'm a little worried that the problem hasn't been communicated very well to the service people via the front end staff and that as a result, the "problem" of not being able to cut without wavering off line, especially whilst cutting a circle hasn't been addressed.

Only have old blades to try it with now, so will give it a go in a bit and see. I've kept the packaging as it's going straight back if it does.

 

[Acrobat]

Not sure if you have rectified this, but just recently I tried cutting with my Carvex with the circle attachment and yes the same thing happened to me. Blade wandered out. Second attempt I checked every component for tightness and slowed down my feed. This worked fine. I guess I may have been forcing the blade through too fast and caused it to wander off without realising. I tried both directions and I prefer going one way clockwise, must be a lefty thing, found it awkward going anti-clockwise. Now I just slow the feed I'm sweet, the circle cutter attachment is great. Perhaps this may help you too.

 

[bkharman]

I just got my Carvex last weekend and haven't had a chance to use it much but was thinking, "what pendulum setting are you on?"

I have played around with various woods, blades and pendulum settings and haven't had it walk away from a cut line yet (including the circle cutter)

Hope the return fixed it for you. Let us know.

Cheers. Bryan.

 

[Wuffles]

I think pendulum is currently switched off, but the first 20 or so successful cuts were either on to the max or off. When it first started happening it was the anti clockwise that fouled, then clockwise was fine, but more recently it was either direction.

I think it is to do with the misalignment possibilities of the base, and when it happens it will continue happening.

Haven't tried it again yet, am considering my options on whether to just sell it and get something else as I'm not in the mood to go and buy more blades just in case.

I've taken a photo of the front to show what looks like a weird alignment in the vertical - but it could be perfectly normal, I'm just paranoid now.

 

[johnny33]

Okey dokey. Finally got round to testing this, and if I'm honest I probably have avoided doing so as it hurts to watch a perfectly good blade get destroyed just testing something that should work as advertised.

All testing performed with clockwise cuts.

Checked and double checked the line-up of the base along the centre with regard the blade. Starts wandering within about 60 degrees of the start of the cut, blade torched.

Whilst I've got all of the kit out, I'm not giving up. Checked it all over again thoroughly, moved the pilot hole along the work piece about and inch so as to avoid the original cut, replaced with another new blade, wanders again, sparks, destroyed blade.

Not satisfactory so will be returning the saw on Monday. As others have said, if it can't do it every single time, it's not right. And I'm now down around 5 blades, all killed whilst trying to figure out why it's stopped working - worked fine for ages, but I guess my mistake was taking the base off for another sawing application.

As I've never had to return a Festool item in over 6 years of use, is it an easy thing to do in the UK?

Being an owner of a new Carvex, I've tried following all the advice given here and on various videos. For tools which are so bloody expensive the set-up time just to cut one circle is ridiculous. Resetting the blade guides for every thickness of blade to me is a major pain in the butt, losing a silly little allen key in the sawdust etc, but hey. I even found the blade eject system a pain at first, if the plastic part  on the lifter rod isn't all the way up it wont eject the blade. And you need to remove the baseplate to get the blade out if you have a splinterguard in there.
I have actually found a solution to the cut wandering problem. Check the "squareness" of the actual sawblade guide itself! Mine was actually lying skew of centre a little (and that was the way it arrived from the factory in Germany by the way!) Or perhaps it was Czech Republic, which is what mine says on it. mmmm....
Anyway, just my 2p worth on the issue.
So even my freehand cuts were off to start with.

 

[r cash]

I can not speak to the carvex saw I dont own one. I have the Old trion great rough cut saw far from square or deflection free.
Last year i bought Mafell jig saw it change the way I think about how and what  jig saws do for me.
After 1 millwaukee 2 bosch saws and 1 festool should have gone Mafell first.
Rc
[smile]