Extention Support for Kapex

[mastercabman]

Does anyone have them? Do you like them?
Are the legs adjustable in height?I'm trying to come up with a system(stand and support)for my kapex.
I don't want anything heavy,bulky or complicated.I'm looking for something light,easy to set up and does not take a lot of room when packing away.
I used to work out of a trailer,but i had to stop using it.(too much fuel/too big for some jobs)
So everything is in my truck now.I have the Bosch gravity rise stand but it is way too big to fit in my truck.
I have heard about the saw helper,but they are not doing business right now.
So i am looking at the extention set,but it is pricey.And you have to buy the crown extention in order to use it.
Is there videos or more pictures of those extention that i can get a better view?

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

That is you sitting on the fence too?
I think I want these but, 700 clams is
pushing it for me. I have the crown extensions
already.  I wish I had a real good reason to buy them.
I need the of1400 more though.

 

[tDot]

The legs have minimal height adjustment, if any, I dont recall, I just remember that when I looked at them it could only be set up on fairly flat ground.

I use the Dewalt stand, I have two of them, they are very portable. 

 

[peter halle]

You can try this video.  Either watch the whole thing or scroll to 5:00 minutes in:

 

[jonny round boy]

[eek]

Spotted this in the video:

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Lifting it by the rails is a definite no-no, it says so in the manual!!!

Can't believe Festool let that slip through.  [scared]

 

[Guy Ashley]

I recently put a thread on re the Kapex on a DeWalt stand and there are a lot of guys out there that use it in preference to the Festool extension.
Forrest posted some pictures of his set up which shows how it all goes together.

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

I read all that.  It seems to work out but, I refuse to buy any dewalt product. [mad]

 

[Guy Ashley]

Wow!  , Dont get me wrong I also worship at the altar of the green and black demigod, but just from a practical point of view this stand is easy to transport, sets up in seconds, is sturdy(ish), and is possibly the only Dewalt product I would rate.

I will admit to being ignorant of the Festool Kapex stand and extensions but as I am having to bind my daughters feet to save on shoe leather so I can afford the Kapex, I will stick with the Dewalt. (As ashamed as I am to admit it!  :-[

 

[Forrest Anderson]

I read all that.  It seems to work out but, I refuse to buy any dewalt product. [mad]

If you changed your principle to "I refuse to buy any DeWalt power tool", then you could get the stand and you conscience would be clear!

Forrest

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

Even with those kinds of stands there are still multiple trips involved.

I think I am just going to buck up and buy the Kapex extensions.

 

[lordinteriors]

hey guy im still using my dewalt scms cant afford all these new goodies

lee

 

[John D]

I've got the extension supports (both left and right) for the Kapex.  They work, but all things considered, I think they could have done a better job with them.  I've had them about a year and am seriously considering going back to the home made version I made with the pieces I have from Kreg.  I spent enough on them that I am reluctant to quit using them!

Pros -

- They hook directly to the Kapex
- They have a pretty long reach

Cons -

- If you're using your Kapex on unlevel ground they are not very good.  It is a real pain to get them hooked up when you're working outside.
- There are a bunch of little pieces that you have to keep track of.  Not a big deal in the shop.  Not good on site.
- The extensions conflict moving the auxiliary fence far enough to go to 45 degrees
- They are fussy to set up.

Here are some pictures of my setup -

Here are the little pieces to keep track of -

A picture showing the limitation of the auxiliary fence you can go a bit further than I show, but then you can't easily measure cuts less than about 15 inches.

Upside down scale on left side -

A picture of the whole thing -

 

[EcoFurniture]

Ok, wait a sec! You are telling me that on a $900 piece of Machinery the scale on the measuring tape is upside down?
I'm sorry but that is lame! I was rally close of buying the set... but that makes me feel like I'm getting ripped off!

Also, imagine you are on a jobsite, everyone is admiring your festools till someone starts laughing and calling you funny names because you spend so much money on THAT!?

 

[mastercabman]

Thank you for the video and pictures.Now that i know how they work, i don't think i'm going to look into it further more.
I think i will try to fabricate something myself,i don't know what yet.

 

[John D]

Here's some pictures of the extension I made with the stuff from Kreg.  The only thing I haven't worked out is a good way to clamp it to the Kapex.  I've used the built in clamp to attach it, but then I can't use the built in clamp for stock.

Basically all I did was attach a piece of angle iron (aluminum) to a piece of plywood.  It works, I suppose I need to revisit this and come up with a method to clamp it to the Kapex and make a stand of some sort for it.  The nice thing about the angle iron method of attachment is that it seems to always connect at the same point so I don't have to recalibrate the extension.  When I made this thing my Kapex was on a cart (made from old Univac parts) and it lined up perfectly with the original MFT.  Now it is on a MFT/Kapex so it doesn't line up with the MFT.

Here's a bottom view with the angle iron.  I had to cut a dado to make the extension flush with the Kapex table.

Here's how it mounts to the Kapex

Here's a couple pictures of the finished product -

 

[nclemmons]

here's the extension wings I made for my Kapex - I've since changed the angled braces to telescoping ones that drop to the ground at each end of the wings.

But they are easy to attach and align.

http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-jigs-tool-enhancements/extension-wings-for-kapex/

neil

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

I have looked at different extrusions from 80/20 and a few
other places when I get a chance. I like the continuois
support of the saw helper type and when using my mft/3
with it. 

I think Dan Rush should win the contest for the most
utilitarian. Ha!

I am going to get a little motivation and mount some
wheels and a handle on my kapex table.  Then I can decide
what to do from there.

I like the idea someone posted about using the
rails and a kreg track for support.

 

[mastercabman]

John,Neil,NICE!  I was thinking about something like that.With John's idea,i don't need to get the crown stop,With Neil's you do,but still a good way to attach those support.I do like the brace that Neil has.Mounted to the MFT instead of resting on the floor.No need to adjust for uneven floor/ground.
I like that idea and going to work on that.
I'm thinking of using plywood,about 36" long x about 4" wide.I still don't know if i'm going to get the crown stop,but either way it should work ok.
Thanks again!

 

[ccmviking]

If you don't have them I'd highly recommend the Kapex Table Extension / Crown Stops.  The Sawhelper setup is great but you can make your own extensions quite easily and if you use something such as the Kreg track and stop kit you can have the capability of preceise repetiive cuts very easily.  The Kapex crown stops are very nice and attach quickly and positively to the Kapex without damaging the saw.  Nothing would work as well in my opinion.  There are 2 nubs that you need to grind off then you can tap with a #8 X 1.25 tap and bolt your attachment to them.  I use the Sawhelper extensions but if you look at the pics you can see how easy it would be to do other things too. 

Chris...