Festool Kapex, poor dust collection

[ChrisOldCodger]

I had problems with dust collection after using a Forstner bit to hog out some wood in a bowl I was making.

Traced the problem to very thin disks of wood created by the drilling being sucked into the hose, causing a drop in air flow.

Gave a good puff into the reversed hose and out popped the disks.

I have the Festool cyclone box on top of the CT26, and use the 36 mm hose to connect the CT26Cto the cyclone box. Very little drop in suction with this setup, and cyclone is a great success.

 

[Cheese]

[member=71612]Rupert199[/member]  that now seems like the norm for Kapex dust collection. [big grin]  It's not 100% but it is at the 90%+ level. For a sanity check, just make 14 cuts without the vacuum attached and measure the results.  [smile]

However, I would caution that you take more care when dealing with the off cuts. The Kapex has a nasty way of propelling the off cuts towards the blade, fence and plastic blade guard which usually results in some form of damage. The Kapex is a great miter saw but it is a bit tweakier than any I've previously owned/used.

The normal drill is that after the cut is complete, you release the trigger and when the blade stops, you remove the off cut.

It's also recommended that you start the cut in front of the material and then push the blade towards the fence.

In your video, you are using the Kapex like a chop saw in that you're cutting into the material first and then moving the saw towards the fence. Less dust will be collected if used in that manner.

 

[RKA]

As a Kapex user since 2010 I don't see anything unusual in your most recent video in comparison to mine.  It isn't perfect.  I often suggest that a true comparison is to not use dust collection and then compare.

Peter

No need to waste more wood, he can turn the vacuum bin upside down and sprinkle the dust everywhere.  That’s what it will look like.  [wink]

Seriously, what you showed in this video is what you should expect.  Before I got mine many years ago I remember reading accounts of people cutting inside homes with just a small drop cloth to catch the course stuff that falls behind the saw.  My experience with it says no way.  The dust collection is good but not THAT good.  I think with the changes you made you’re getting the proper dust collection.

Two tips.  Let the blade stop before you lift the saw head.  This saw WILL throw small off cuts and in some cases it may damage the plastic parts behind the blade (and you may soil your pants).  Second, do not make a cut with something wedged behind the wood on the waste side of your cut.  Get those scraps out of the way before you make the next cut.  You don’t want the waste material some how wedging itself against the blade or the saw will kickback and throw those scraps, possibly damaging the saw and nearby fingers in the process.

 

[Rupert199]

Thanks again for your comments. I am more comfortable now that my saw seems to be the same as other people’s.

Points taken on cutting small pieces and kick back. I must stress though that I did not put my hand near the blade unless the guard was down and the blade had stopped.

One more point though I noticed that while The majority of the dust is sucked up through the the dust hood, several times I noticed dust escapes where the dust hood joins the saw body. I know the hood was fitted correctly before I started and wonder if some of my dust issues stem from this area of the saw.

I will check this again to see if something is broken here.

 

[Jiggy Joiner]

[member=71612]Rupert199[/member] Your technique still needs honing. Try and get the blade pulled right out, and right down before starting the motor. With the stock you were cutting, this is achievable but, the wider stock, makes this impossible, and you will then start cutting, and get the blade dow smoothly before going forward.

These little factors will all keep the dust down. You are using a mix of chop and push at the moment, so get accustomed to pulling back, lowering fully, start the motor, then smoothly forward, stop motor, once blade stops, bring the cutting head back up.

As the others have said, try and use the clamps and sub fences whenever possible, and even better make a zero clearance pair of sub fence add ons.

For what it’s worth, I still sometimes display bad habits, nearly always when I’m tired.

 

[AofD]

I agree with [member=69479]Jiggy Joiner[/member] in that the cutting technique will influence dust collection. I recommend the "single pass slide" as illustrated in my previously posted video. I think this is the same method Jiggy recommends too ("try and get the blade pulled right out, and right down before starting the motor."). The Kapex dust collection is still the best around despite the non-optimal cutting methods. Happy holidays all!

 

[luvmytoolz]

I agree with [member=69479]Jiggy Joiner[/member] in that the cutting technique will influence dust collection. I recommend the "single pass slide" as illustrated in my previously posted video. I think this is the same method Jiggy recommends too ("try and get the blade pulled right out, and right down before starting the motor."). The Kapex dust collection is still the best around despite the non-optimal cutting methods. Happy holidays all!

Great video! Nice and short but very informative!

As someone who's extensively using a Kapex inside the house with reno's atm, even the wife was extremely surprised by the low amount of dust generated.

 

[usernumber1]

Is this your first miter saw? I'd like to  hear what you are comparing to in your experience. other miter saws have massive amounts of dust. you're showing what is normal for kapex and that is actually a huge improvement over some other brands people are used to

also watch the spinning blade, guard or not

 

[ChuckS]

Like Peter said, one will appreciate how effective the dust collection feature on the Kapex is when one cuts something without using dust extraction.

The only time I use the chopping mode (in this case, the sawhead position on the rail is locked) is when I need to crosscut a lot of narrow pieces (e.g. 2" x 2" in several hundred cuts). Instead of sliding and cutting (which can be tiring), I just chop (swing the sawhead down; no sliding), using the Kapex like a chop saw. Yes, the dust collection will be compromised, but the job gets done much quicker -- and without hurting your arm.  ;D

[attachimg=1]

That's one of the situations where I'll use the boot with the sawstache:

[attachimg=2]

Many miter saws in the market don't even come close to the Kapex in terms of dust collection effectiveness as much as they have tried.

 

[usernumber1]

oops I got baited by AofD into replying to someone asking a question two years ago. my bad

 

[semenza]

oops I got baited by AofD into replying to someone asking a question two years ago. my bad

  There is nothing wrong with replying on / to an old topic. The information is still relevant. 

Seth

 

[Mini Me]

Bravo Seth!! Why do so many people on in forum land think it is a sin to reply to an old thread?

 

[mino]

Bravo Seth!! Why do so many people on in forum land think it is a sin to reply to an old thread?

This is because it is a sin - on most *user support* "forums" people frequent outside FOG. On some the threads even auto-close within a month of no replies etc. Those sites call themselves "forums", as in places of discussion, but are in fact nothing of the sort as they are really just a "support platform".

The reasoning is that any advice is so time-dependent that replying to a year+ old thread is detrimental - the infomation is generally out of date by that point and the OP would have long solved "his problem".

FOG is much more a true forum in this, with even "support" queries being of a knowledge-base nature. It is indeed refreshing at times.

That Festool is very much a maker who explicitly goes against the "yearly updates" trend of the last decades helps too. Even a "support" thread from 10 ys ago is very much current thanks to that.

 

[ChuckS]

Here or any other forums I take part in, I never check if it's a "zombie thread" before I say my piece. What matters is whether the topic is of interest to me. New products, new angles or even new solutions may have come up for a very old inquiry or problem that are worth talking about or of benefit to someone who recently encountered the same type of problem.

 

[tsmi243]

new solutions may have come up for a very old inquiry

Agreed.  I know of at least one other forum where starting a new thread will get you referred to the old one, and your post deleted.  It's a good strategy. 

 

[usernumber1]

I replied to a person not the thread, and the person may be deceased for all we know. He posted asking for help two years ago and doesn't look like he visits the site at all. I should've realized and replied to the thread itself, the information is still somewhat relevant but there are still questions

Also what mino said. There's a forums culture to avoid certain issues.