Cutting vinyl with the Kapex

[Saskataper]

I'm starting to do some trim work using vinyl trim like crown, chairail, and wainscoting and was thinking the kapex would be ideal. Has anybody cut vinyl with theirs? I just finished a job installing crown and I borrowed a 12" Bosch which was just stupid heavy and I used a non ferous blade. It worked alright but got the occasional chipping and although I had a vac hooked up there was a lot of plastic dust to clean up after. Is the variable speed going to help me?  I want one but I need some real justification.

 

[Kev]

Precision, material specific blade selection and dust collection are all great reasons for going with a KAPEX.  Other options are likely to give you two out of three for less ... but Festool will give you the best outcome for a slightly higher investment!

 

[peter halle]

Cutting plastic works great with the Kapex with either the standard or the fine blade.  Dust collection may be worse than with wood because of static electricity, but not as bad as routing plastic depending on your material.

Here are some threads concerning the Kapex and dust collection:

http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-tools-accessories/kapex-and-50mm-hose/

http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-tools-accessories/no-bevel-detents-on-kapex/

Now that you have seen what the Planex can do you will be hooked!

Peter

 

[Brice Burrell]

I cut a ton of Azek trim and sheets every year.  For the Kapex I use the solid surface/laminate blade because it holds up a lot better than the blades made for wood.  If you use the blade that comes with the Kapex it will dull fairly quickly. 

 

[skids]

I cut a ton of Azek trim and sheets every year.  For the Kapex I use the solid surface/laminate blade because it holds up a lot better than the blades made for wood.  If you use the blade that comes with the Kapex it will dull fairly quickly.   

Interesting tidbit, good to know. I would have thought it was softer. What makes it dull do you think? Personally I hate cutting Azek, but have an exterior trim project this spring summer. Last time I ran that crap through my table saw it took me a year see the last of the remnants of it.

OP- one other thing worth mentioning is that you can slow the speed down of the blade with the Kapex, so for plastic materials you can slow it down so it doesn't melt the material.

 

[tjbnwi]

Spray the saw/tools with Static Guard, it keeps the dust from sticking to the tools.

The PVC in the synthetic lumber is more abrasive than wood fibers. If you want to smooth a cut edge, wipe it with acetone.

Tom

 

[Brice Burrell]

Interesting tidbit, good to know. I would have thought it was softer. What makes it dull do you think?.....

Aluminum oxide is what makes PVC white, that's also the same stuff that most sand paper abrasives are made from.

...........Personally I hate cutting Azek, but have an exterior trim project this spring summer. Last time I ran that crap through my table saw it took me a year see the last of the remnants of it.......

Well, you're into Festool now, so you can enjoy the antistatic feature on your vac/tools.  Really, Festool's dust collection is great on PVC trim. 

.......OP- one other thing worth mentioning is that you can slow the speed down of the blade with the Kapex, so for plastic materials you can slow it down so it doesn't melt the material.

My experience is that I don't need to slow down the speed for PVC.  There are a ton of "plastic" types of trim out there, some might benefit from a slower speed.

Spray the saw/tools with Static Guard, it keeps the dust from sticking to the tools.

The PVC in the synthetic lumber is more abrasive than wood fibers. If you want to smooth a cut edge, wipe it with acetone.

Tom

The antistatic feature on Festool gear goes a long way too.  I just hear about the acetone trick last year, I wish I would have found that one out sooner.