Kapex 120 - trouble moving table

[Griff]

Hi. I just bought a Kapex 120 and found that moving the table thru different settings is not very smooth. I thought I had seen people mention having the same issue and Festool sending a replacement angle guage. I called Festool and they claimed they had no knowledge of this. I would rather get an easy fix than send it in for repair.
Has anyone on this forum had a similar problem?

 

[ChuckS]

What do you mean by not very smooth? How much force do you have to apply force to move it As far as I know, the turntable needs force to move, based on the three Kapexes I've used. It's a normal for me.

 

[Griff]

I can move it with one hand but to get it to a precise location requires 2 hands. When i push down on the notch lever, i can see that a small metal piece under the notch lever is still riding on the top of the scale. As a matter of fact, it is leaving marks on the scale.

 

[guybo]

Hi maybe this , sorry my link didnt work, however look @ part 115 it was the problem.[attachimg=1]btw welcome to the fog.guy

 

[semenza]

Welcome to the forum  [smile]

Seth

 

[Griff]

Hi Seth ... using Festool's terminology in the user guide, I am pulling up the "clamping lever" and pushing down on the "notch lever". Then, when I rotate the saw, it seems to be rubbing. I can actually see marks being left on the edge of the scale closest to the handle. If I tip the saw on edge, I see 2 small pieces of metal(???) one of which rides above the scale and other below the scale. It appears that the one above the scale is rubbing. Last night when I was researching this I ended up in a user forum where this seemed to be a common occurrence and Festool was overnighting replacement miter scales that were made of a thinner stock. Of course, I am now unable to find that forum. I called Festool repair and was told to send it to Indiana for repair which I'm trying to avoid.
Dave

 

[squall_line]

Festool's own user guide video shows some light markings on the miter scale if you watch closely enough (jump ahead to 3:26):
=206

Now, I don't know if they're as deep as what you're experiencing, since obviously you shouldn't be rubbing off the scale or causing deep gouges or anything, but I found it interesting.

 

[peter halle]

Hi Seth ... using Festool's terminology in the user guide, I am pulling up the "clamping lever" and pushing down on the "notch lever". Then, when I rotate the saw, it seems to be rubbing. I can actually see marks being left on the edge of the scale closest to the handle. If I tip the saw on edge, I see 2 small pieces of metal(???) one of which rides above the scale and other below the scale. It appears that the one above the scale is rubbing. Last night when I was researching this I ended up in a user forum where this seemed to be a common occurrence and Festool was overnighting replacement miter scales that were made of a thinner stock. Of course, I am now unable to find that forum. I called Festool repair and was told to send it to Indiana for repair which I'm trying to avoid.
Dave

The initial run of Kapex saws here in North America did have reported issues of rubbing.  Festool discovered that it was a tolerance issue at that time and new parts were made available or repairs made.  Since that time - pre- 2010 when I bought mine, issues like yours have been rare or as Seth was trying to help with, sometimes were merely not understanding how to operate the levers.

It is a new saw.  Can be returned possibly under the 30 day trial period(?) or sent in for service.

I vote for letting Festool sort it out.

Peter

 

[ChuckS]

Mine works exactly as shown in the YouTube posted, using just one hand -- squeeze and move. The only time I use two hands is when I need to set it for odd angles, with one hand on one side tapping, and the other on the opposite side to control the movement -- in the same manner I dial in a table saw fence.

 

[Griff]

Hi Peter,
Thanks for the info ... the wear on the scale looks similar to what you provided in the video .... my saw has 5 minutes of use.
And, I do understand how the levers work.
It's possible that what I am experiencing is normal ... I have a 10 year old Dewalt that I paid $300 for that has a much smoother action. Before I return it to Festool, I'm going to call a few distributors in the area and see if they have any demos set up. If I find one, I will take a drive over and compare their saw to mine.

Thank again,

Dave

 

[Griff]

ChuckM,

Thanks for your input. I'm beginning to think that I do not have an issue here.
This is my first experience with this saw and the action is much different (in a bad way)  from my 10 year old Dewalt saw.

Dave

 

[ChuckS]

ChuckM,

Thanks for your input. I'm beginning to think that I do not have an issue here.
This is my first experience with this saw and the action is much different (in a bad way)  from my 10 year old Dewalt saw.

Dave

My previous Dewalt (non-compound) was indeed much less "sticky" than the Kapex. Other Kapex owners on this forum have had the same observation.

 

[semenza]

Disregard my post. I was thinking of something different.

Seth

 

[semenza]

    I have two. One is butter smooth (newer). The older one has been very stiff and scraping. There is a way to improve the swing action and make it quite good. I can not remember exactly how to do it. I thought there was also a Festool fix.

Seth