So in my shop, we batch cut small stock for a framing company. Lots of repetitive cuts on the miter saw for about 2-3 hours a day. I’ve ran a dewalt 780 for a long time but it’s on its last leg. We notice that saw motor gets HOT. It’s time for an upgrade and due to the accuracy and dust collection I’ve been looking at the kapex. The saw makes me money so price isn’t a factor. Durability, accuracy, and dust collection are the keys here. I’ve saw a lot of trouble with motors burning up on the kapex and I was wondering if my type of work would accelerate that problem? Looking to see if anyone has first hand experience running their saw continuously forproduction work
Is the Kapex right for my shop?
- Thread starter nicktoney
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Birdhunter
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I use my Kapex cutting mostly exotics (really hard woods) and sometimes for a couple of hours at a time. Certainly not a production shop though.
The dust collection is very good. The accuracy is excellent. My Kapex has been trouble free for many years. I am very careful with it not to over challenge its capacity.
I have read that Festool has beefed up the motor in the newest saws.
Your money, but the dust collection alone would swing me to the Kapex.
The dust collection is very good. The accuracy is excellent. My Kapex has been trouble free for many years. I am very careful with it not to over challenge its capacity.
I have read that Festool has beefed up the motor in the newest saws.
Your money, but the dust collection alone would swing me to the Kapex.
Crazyraceguy
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I have never used one, so I don't know from experience, but the dealer that I bought most of my Festool gear from advised against the Kapex. He said that it wouldn't stand up to the way I use a mitersaw. There are days when I may not use it much and others where I might make hundreds of cuts in a very short time. I hear that the dust collection is the best on the market though.
His recommendation and my dislike of the ergonomics of the switch made me decide against it.
I went with the Dewalt 717 like I had before. It is a 10" dual bevel slider. This dust collection is not so great though. I have a deflector box behind it and baffles in front to help contain it. The whole thing is connected to a 4" hose, still not great, but ok.
His recommendation and my dislike of the ergonomics of the switch made me decide against it.
I went with the Dewalt 717 like I had before. It is a 10" dual bevel slider. This dust collection is not so great though. I have a deflector box behind it and baffles in front to help contain it. The whole thing is connected to a 4" hose, still not great, but ok.
You didn’t give us time to answer lol!!
I’d like to know how it hold up, I do have one and a dedicated dust collector but I’m a hobby guy and don’t know how it would hold up. It’s a nice saw.
I know changes were made and you sure don’t hear much about the motor issues. I know when I purchased a year/two ago it was a common topic here. Most of the feedback seemed negative it I think that’s human nature.
I hope it meets your expectations
I’d like to know how it hold up, I do have one and a dedicated dust collector but I’m a hobby guy and don’t know how it would hold up. It’s a nice saw.
I know changes were made and you sure don’t hear much about the motor issues. I know when I purchased a year/two ago it was a common topic here. Most of the feedback seemed negative it I think that’s human nature.
I hope it meets your expectations
Michael Kellough
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Crazyraceguy said:
Dust collection from chop saws is difficult. One reason is that they push a lot of air at high velocity out the back. Because of that speed you're better off with a deflector bag to let some of the air escape instead of deflecting debris all over. Make the deflector box with filter cloth instead of something that blocks the wind. I think FastCap has something like that.
waho6o9 said:
Or, if there're two circuits and esp. if it's the old EB mode, this iVac auto switch:
https://www.festoolownersgroup.com/...-switches-safe/msg640147/?topicseen#msg640147
kevinculle
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I have a 12 year old Kapex with UG cart and wings that has held up well in hobbyist use. I very rarely run a batch of cuts that lasts more than 10-15 minutes and it's just fine for that mode. I would be a bit hesitant to run a Kapex in a production continuous cutting operation just because I don't think that is the usage it was engineered for. There must be miter saws that are engineered for continuous production but I don't know of one.
Cheese
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Crazyraceguy said:
I also have a 12" Delta radial arm saw that I fabricated a HUGE sheet metal enclosure around it to contain all of the sawdust. It worked well but it was just too large for the benefit it provided. It was great 30 years ago but we've all moved on. I still own the Delta RAS but got rid of the sheet metal enclosure years ago. The Kapex is great for dust collection and though it's rated at 91% efficiency, I think it's actually higher than that with a 36 mm hose.
So stepping back years later and evaluating the results, the RAS with the HUGE 3' x 4' x 1' enclosure probably captured only 50% of the sawdust that the Kapex captures.
There's something to be said for products designed with special features built-in rather than just added ad hoc.
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"we batch cut small stock for a framing company."
Framing as in house framing? Is a Kapex overkill for this task maybe.
I know they are not in favor and in a shop where you have employees
probably not a good choice and many if not most will jump on me for
suggesting this but have you considered a RAS? If you are just cutting
2x material to length wouldn't the larger induction motor in a RAS be
a better choice for these 2 to 3 hour cutting sessions than the universal
motor in what is meant to be a portable saw.
I will admit I don't know what type of motor is used in the Kapex but I
would expect it is similar to those used in other miter saws.
Radial Arm Saws are still made and available for purchase. Too bad they
don't have SawStop technology built in.
https://www.woodcraft.com/products/...Jzn4HZuLFdTYQP7XG2OWBtXNI9UFGVqMaAl4XEALw_wcB
Framing as in house framing? Is a Kapex overkill for this task maybe.
I know they are not in favor and in a shop where you have employees
probably not a good choice and many if not most will jump on me for
suggesting this but have you considered a RAS? If you are just cutting
2x material to length wouldn't the larger induction motor in a RAS be
a better choice for these 2 to 3 hour cutting sessions than the universal
motor in what is meant to be a portable saw.
I will admit I don't know what type of motor is used in the Kapex but I
would expect it is similar to those used in other miter saws.
Radial Arm Saws are still made and available for purchase. Too bad they
don't have SawStop technology built in.
https://www.woodcraft.com/products/...Jzn4HZuLFdTYQP7XG2OWBtXNI9UFGVqMaAl4XEALw_wcB
Birdhunter
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I hope you enjoy your Kapex and make a lot of profit with it.
My trick with mine is to listen to it. If it sounds like it is laboring, I slow the cut or back out entirely. Also, the machine will throw cutoffs if you don’t let the blade come to a dead stop before lifting the head. Mine has kicked back. The blade got pinched when the wood bowed. There was a warning. The machine labored just for a second then kicked. The machine doesn’t like to be slammed through a cut.
If I’m cutting a thick board, I’ll cut half way through and finish with a second pass.
I made zero clearance inserts for mine and the cut quality improved. New Brit Workshop has a good video on making them. I used phenolic for mine, but just I had some around.
My trick with mine is to listen to it. If it sounds like it is laboring, I slow the cut or back out entirely. Also, the machine will throw cutoffs if you don’t let the blade come to a dead stop before lifting the head. Mine has kicked back. The blade got pinched when the wood bowed. There was a warning. The machine labored just for a second then kicked. The machine doesn’t like to be slammed through a cut.
If I’m cutting a thick board, I’ll cut half way through and finish with a second pass.
I made zero clearance inserts for mine and the cut quality improved. New Brit Workshop has a good video on making them. I used phenolic for mine, but just I had some around.
notenoughcash
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the makita ls1019 is on par with the festool imho, and it costs less, as well as better dc in my experiance.
product code for the makita is gb spec if thats where you are. not sure of the us product code
product code for the makita is gb spec if thats where you are. not sure of the us product code
MikeGE
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Crazyraceguy said:
I have a DeWalt DWS780 and am happy with it except for the dust collection. I told my Festool dealer (also a Makita and Bosch distributor) that I want a KS 120 as soon as I find a buyer for my DWS780. I don't have a money issue, but don't want to store the saw indefinitely while I search for a buyer.
I bought all of my Festool equipment and supplies from this dealer, as well as my Minimax SC2 Classic saw, but he told me I would be happier with the Bosch GCM12SD. He had two of the KS120REB saws in stock, as well as the Bosch saws, so it wasn't an issue of offering what was in stock as opposed to ordering and waiting. When I was shopping for a SCMS, I didn't know anything about the Kapex and wanted the GCM12SD because of the compact design. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any in stock, so I bought the DWS780.
Dust collection is very important to me since my basement shop is in a fully-enclosed. I don't want any dust created in the shop to make it to the rest of the house. While I appreciate the dealer's opinion about the GCM12SD, I'll buy the KS120SD.
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Take advantage of the 30 day trial period in your production mode. As you are getting to the decision time you should start planning on how you are going to handle dull blades in your job flow. Because of the size and specs of the blade, here in NA you probably can't rush to a store at lunch except a Festool dealer and pick up a blade(s) because cuts are suffering. DON"T stock up on Festool blades until you have made a decision to keep the saw. Blades are considered consumables and are not returnable usually if you decide to not keep the saw.
You situation is exactly why Festool set up the trial period.
Once my check cleared, I have never regretted purchasing mine and that was 11 years ago. It rides to work everyday with me sitting proudly on the passenger seat of my van. It has logged more miles in the van than my wife.
Good Luck.
Peter
You situation is exactly why Festool set up the trial period.
Once my check cleared, I have never regretted purchasing mine and that was 11 years ago. It rides to work everyday with me sitting proudly on the passenger seat of my van. It has logged more miles in the van than my wife.
Good Luck.
Peter
DynaGlide
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MikeGE said:
Hey [member=70363]MikeGE[/member] same situation. Was completely content with the DWS780 but being in a basement shop of my house I wanted to step up the dust collection. I was able to sell my old saw the same day I listed it for asking price, but it was a good deal for the buyer since I kept it in great shape and included some blades/accessories. I went all in and got the UG cart and wings with the Kapex and I can finally have my miter saw setup permanently and not shoved in a corner, although only with one wing. Second wing requires me to move it out.
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fuzzy logic said:
No, the Kapex can’t drive. That is why it uses the passenger seat. Is it legal? I don’t know. But it does wear a seatbelt because passengers must. [smile]
Peter
Crazyraceguy
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Might not be long until it can. I saw a guy in a Tesla yesterday who didn't look up from his phone for more than 5 miles. I first noticed this because of the size of the infotainment screen. It was massive, looked like a laptop that was propped up there. It was sticking up above the dash a few inches, like a billboard, ugly IMO. But I kept watching because he was looking down at his phone. That auto-pilot thing seems ripe for abuse, and as far as the law probably sees this, no ok. Just because the car is watching (maybe even better than a person can) it doesn't absolve the driver of paying attention.....yet.fuzzy logic said:
