Kapek problems

[Dirk D]

I have a Kapek miter saw that has a bad base and fence. Its never been able to cut anything accurately.
Its been like this from the start but for the first several years I've only used it for rough carpentry stuff.
Now that I'm doing more demanding work it is unusable as is.
I replaced the fence once thinking that might help but no difference.

The trouble is the base is not flat, I'm talking about just the base casting alone.
The pivoting center section of the base is higher than the base and not parallel either.
The left and right sides of the fence are not parallel.

What this results in is a different cut depending upon how long the board is and which side you cut from.

I'd like to get it fixed but I suspect that the cost to repair plus shipping is going to be as much as a new one.
That plus getting a big enough box to ship it and packaging it is going to be a pain.
Can anyone give me a rough idea what Festool would charge for a new complete base plus doing the work would run?

I just might part it out if the cost is too high. I don't want to sell it as is as its that bad.
Thanks

 

[peter halle]

For the most accurate answer you should give Festool a call.

Peter

 

[Dirk D]

I have, "send it in we'll give you and  estimate"
Hate to waste all the time and effort of finding/making a box, packaging, shipping only to find out they want more than its worth.

 

[luvmytoolz]

Have you tried undoing the pivoting section from the base to see if somethings jammed there or there's maybe some flashing from the casting that simply needs to be filed back?

It seems strange to me the saw is higher than the table, so maybe in transit something got wedged, or the bolt wasn't tightened properly?

 

[woodferret]

Not the first time I've heard of the center being higher.  Spencer Lewis from Inside Carpentry keeps getting them bunk like that, in addition to fences being out of wack.  You'll probably get the 'it's within tolerance' line these days if you send it in for servicing so really the only way to avoid it is to bring a straight edge with you to the purchase point.

 

[ChuckM]

Snip.You'll probably get the 'it's within tolerance' line these days if you send it in for servicing so really the only way to avoid it is to bring a straight edge with you to the purchase point.

That's why i advise against buying the Kapex via an online seller which ships the machine to you.

How hard is it to have and follow a standing and standard instruction that the turntable as well as the fence of EACH Kapex must be checked to be flat across, and that the fence is straight and is square to the table before they leave the factory? They are not a $500 or $600 miter saw, for Pete's sake.

 

[squall_line]

"for the first several years"

How old is the saw?  What manufacture date?  Is it an EB or an REB?

 

[Cheese]

THIS...How hard is it to have and follow a standing and standard instruction that the turntable as well as the fence of EACH Kapex must be checked to be flat across, and that the fence is straight and is square to the table before they leave the factory? They are not a $500 or $600 miter saw, for Pete's sake.

And I'd take it one step further, I think Festool should mandate that each Kapex sold at a dealer is verified to be within certain limits. This would be a simple 5 minute check by the dealer with the new owner looking on. This becomes a verification for the dealer & Festool and a quick education for the new owner.

 

[woodferret]

I have a sneaking suspicion that Festool is well aware of the QA (un)tolerances and is relying on purchasers not to care.  That's the line I had when I returned the CSC 50.  "Works for most people"  The 30-day no questions asked return is meant for us picky people and is very likely a drop in the bucket.  Dirk and Spencer are illustrative of people not noticing/bothering to fix until well into the lifetime of the saw since it does 90% of the tasks fine.

In a way, they're subsidizing the picky users.  If they implemented tighter QA allowances, then the price would exceed the usual inflation adjustments they've been doing.  And most people won't notice nor care... unless you tell them it's off - then they care.

 

[Cheese]

Here, go to this link click on "Sawing" then "Miter saw" then "Kapex". Choose "REB" or "EB" and you see what the parts you want to replace will cost.
https://ekat.festool.de/login2/app?...29351DB45EA618EEFB7B1BB136D42B8044FCE28E6056D

 

[woodferret]

[member=75933]luvmytoolz[/member] is right in that it should be opened up to see if any fouling is occurring.  My bet is the bearing sleeve molded plastic is fat.  My MW1000 molded plastic parts are fat too.  Festool doesn't seem very good at controlling that.

 

[Dirk D]

Have you tried undoing the pivoting section from the base to see if somethings jammed there or there's maybe some flashing from the casting that simply needs to be filed back?

It seems strange to me the saw is higher than the table, so maybe in transit something got wedged, or the bolt wasn't tightened properly?

Yes, I took it all apart, looked for bent, burrs and other possible mfg issues. Basically the base and fence are bent and the center section sits high. Was thinking of machining the thing flat and straight but there isn't much meat and the base is bent so that the fence when attached gets twisted out of shape worse than when its sitting free by itself.

 

[Dirk D]

"for the first several years"

How old is the saw?  What manufacture date?  Is it an EB or an REB?

about 6 yrs old, mfg date 11/17, its a EB

 

[Dirk D]

Here, go to this link click on "Sawing" then "Miter saw" then "Kapex". Choose "REB" or "EB" and you see what the parts you want to replace will cost.
https://ekat.festool.de/login2/app?...29351DB45EA618EEFB7B1BB136D42B8044FCE28E6056D

for Just the base, fence base and the center section we are talking about $700. There are some assorted parts that are mounted on the bottom side of the center section, possible more money. Also for the center section a special tool is required, more cost plus shipping I think I'm in the it ain't worth it range.  Hate to sell it as is. I'd only sell it with the buyer knowing what hes getting.

Thanks for the link and heads up on the parts info.

 

[woodbutcherbower]

One thing I don't understand. If this saw's been a pile of badly-manufactured s*** since day one - why didn't you immediately reject it? Why wait 7/8 years to highlight the problems with it?

 

[Dirk D]

One thing I don't understand. If this saw's been a pile of badly-manufactured s*** since day one - why didn't you immediately reject it? Why wait 7/8 years to highlight the problems with it?

I used it for rough construction for the first couple of years, never noticed any issues. If it could reduce long 2 x 4's to shorter 2 x 4's it was OK. I found the problems about 2-3 years ago, when trying to do some fussier stuff. I looked in to getting it fixed at the time, it was out of warranty at the time.

I called festool and asked about the tolerances for how flat, straight and parallel the work surfaces are supposed to be. They couldn't or wouldn't give me an answer. So I put it in the basement and used a table saw to do the work. Sending it in at the time was deemed not worth the effort, I couldn't wait weeks or months to get it back to do the work.

Its been sitting there since then and I'd like to get rid of it. Its just taking up space. I really don't need a miter saw anymore as I am used the table saw for all my miter work now.

 

[ChuckM]

Dirk isn't the first one or only one who owns a Kapex and found issues with it later. Just a couple of weeks ago or so, another Kapex owner came on here, saying that he found his Kapex not cutting square after he pulled it out from storage. The Kapex went into storage immediately after it was fixed and returned by Festool, but he never bothered to check whether the saw was properly or indeed fixed.

I guess we often put faith in other people's service, but the onus is on ourselves to do the checking.

Mine is an EB, and it works flawlessly (including its motor [tongue]). I can say that it's the best quality tool (on par with the DF500) in my shop, only behind the SS PCS. It's too bad that some bad apples are casting the Kapex in a very bad light (and that's the fault of Festool).