kapex accuracy

[arborist]

Hi lads(and lassies!)
Just recieved my Festool Kapex back from festool UK where it was being squared up. I had tried myself to square it using the method outlined in the manual but with no luck and so off she went to the lads in the UK.
After getting it back, I immediatly started to cut mitre joints for frames/mirrors and they are still marginally out!! AAARGHH, well annoyed!
So I am putting it out there to FOG, does anyone else have this problem?, Should I just buy a mitre guillotine as I am asking too much from the kapex?
PS, The joints are only marginally out but enough for another woodworker to notice,
Thanks
Eoin
Ireland

 

[galwaydude18@gmail.com]

Welcome to FOG!

Glad to meet another Irish man on here as well!

Have a read of this. It should help you out http://www.festoolusa.com/media/pdf/kapex-ks120-supplemental-manual.pdf

 

[orgelbum]

And another irishman here, Although living in the US.

I have the same problem, just a bit, and just annoying when you are trying to do the complex things this is designed for.  I have to say, that really I am less than impressed with the thing altogether.  Right out of the box I had to reset the laser to get it right, messing up my nice new saw.  And most irritating, the machine head does not pop back to place promptly, sometimes not at all, leaving the blade exposed.  For what it cost, I am afraid it is just another slide miter saw, was hoping for a lot more.  I have a lot of festool stuff and otherwise am very happy with it, all very nicely done and work great, with great results.  I just bought a rotex 90 this week to go along with the 150 I have, both fantastic.

 

[hockey_magnet]

And another irishman here, Although living in the US.

I have the same problem, just a bit, and just annoying when you are trying to do the complex things this is designed for.  I have to say, that really I am less than impressed with the thing altogether.  Right out of the box I had to reset the laser to get it right, messing up my nice new saw.  And most irritating, the machine head does not pop back to place promptly, sometimes not at all, leaving the blade exposed.  For what it cost, I am afraid it is just another slide miter saw, was hoping for a lot more.  I have a lot of festool stuff and otherwise am very happy with it, all very nicely done and work great, with great results.  I just bought a rotex 90 this week to go along with the 150 I have, both fantastic.

No offense but I wouldn't consider piercing the sticker over the laser adjustments as "messing up" a saw. It's a tool -

Having said that, your other problem sounds very unusual. I bought my Kapex a couple of months ago but in all my research I did not find that problem - I would definitely return it for service or exchange - that's a serious issue

 

[johnnyinnb]

And most irritating, the machine head does not pop back to place promptly, sometimes not at all, leaving the blade exposed--

I traced this problem to the spring that holds the saw up, the coils are binding against each other as the spring is twisted during operation, a light spray of lube cured mine, hav`nt had to reapply since buying it in Oct 2011.

 

[GaryLaroff]

I haven’t had problems with Kapex accuracy and am a picky hobbyist woodworker.  Since I am not a contractor, the Kapex sits bolted to a cabinet and stays there.

Then again, my Kapex might have had a rough trip getting here.  It was manufactured in April 2007 and originally bought in New York.  I bought it years ago, second hand from the son of the original owner for less than half price on eBay, no less, and it was then wrapped in bubble wrap, tossed in an oversize carton and shipped across the country to me.  The angle settings were and still are dead-on accurate.  I read about a lot of problems with some of the early Kapex units, but I didn’t experience any of them.

Shortly after getting the saw, I punched holes in the plastic label to adjust the lasers to my liking.  They haven’t drifted in the last three or four years.  I wish Festool had left holes there to adjust the lasers but really haven’t thought about the plastic covering in years.  It is a great saw.

My only complaint was the quality of the bottom of the cut, so I made and installed a zero-clearance insert in the rotating table and made zero-clearance wings for the backing plates.  That helped a lot, as we should expect it to.

Gary

 

[semenza]

Hi Eoin, and orgelbum

Welcome to the FOG!  [smile]

On the accuracy problem, how far out is out? 

Seth

 

[arborist]

HI Seth
I'll take a photo tomorrow but after measuring it with the 'User Manual' method it out by .2mm
Not a lot, but enough to create a space on the inside of a frame
eoin

 

[orgelbum]

Looked at the photo, That's out a lot.  I would find that unusable.  I find mine is out enough to be frustrating, and compromising the work.  Not quite enough to be wrong.  I even went so far as to by a new blade, at $130.00, an expensive experiment, because I thought the blade might be deflecting.  It helped, but did not fix it. 

I love the idea of the zero clearance chute, That will be very helpful in many ways, esp as you say, with the treatment of the back-side cut.  It might be wise for festool to offer blank inserts for the tool.

All in all I think I would have been better off buying three separate saws for the same amount of Money and hard setting them for particular jobs.

 

[Alan m]

hi there. welcome to ye both.
what are ye from

 

[waho6o9]

Welcome to the FOG Eoin.

There should be no gaps in your miters from the Kapex, at least that has been my experiences.

Excellent picture Eoin, now to figure out how to set the Kapex correctly.

http://www.waterfront-woods.com/festool/
Check under Kapex Eoin and good luck.

 

[ezdrive]

I have had this problem when I first purchased my Kapex.  I used scrap pieces of MDF to check the accuracy of the saw with the progressive cut method mentioned in the manual.  These measures ended up dead accurate.  However, when I made real miter cuts with real wood (Hard Maple) the results were unsatisfactory.  My problem ended up being user error.  With hard wood, I noticed that holding the wood down by hand was not sufficient to stop the piece from drifting while making the cut.  Drifting also occurs from a dull blade or the use of the wrong blade for the application.  Try using the hold-down clamp to totally immobilize the your work piece.

If you don't believe that a work piece can drift during a cut, try a small amount of cellophane tape attached to the wood piece and the saw base.  If it wrinkles or tears, your wood piece is drifting.  You can also try making the same miter cuts as your final project using MDF and see if you still have gaps.  MDF is so soft it does not tend to drift.

I am not a professional, I build furniture as a hobby.  I have a friend that just recently purchased a Kapex to replace an old DeWalt.  He had the same problem and asked me to help him check his Kapex before returning it as defective.  His problem was drifting as well.  This may sound stupid at first, but check it out!  Good luck.

Ray

 

[Kev]

I have had this problem when I first purchased my Kapex.  I used scrap pieces of MDF to check the accuracy of the saw with the progressive cut method mentioned in the manual.  These measures ended up dead accurate.  However, when I made real miter cuts with real wood (Hard Maple) the results were unsatisfactory.  My problem ended up being user error.  With hard wood, I noticed that holding the wood down by hand was not sufficient to stop the piece from drifting while making the cut.  Drifting also occurs from a dull blade or the use of the wrong blade for the application.  Try using the hold-down clamp to totally immobilize the your work piece.

If you don't believe that a work piece can drift during a cut, try a small amount of cellophane tape attached to the wood piece and the saw base.  If it wrinkles or tears, your wood piece is drifting.  You can also try making the same miter cuts as your final project using MDF and see if you still have gaps.  MDF is so soft it does not tend to drift.

I am not a professional, I build furniture as a hobby.  I have a friend that just recently purchased a Kapex to replace an old DeWalt.  He had the same problem and asked me to help him check his Kapex before returning it as defective.  His problem was drifting as well.  This may sound stupid at first, but check it out!  Good luck.

Ray

Great insight - I haven't encountered the problem (yet) but this could eliminate some frustration in the future.

Thanks.

 

[arborist]

Hi lads,

thanks for all your input,
I actually have been clamping the wood when mitering so it seems that the saw is just 'off'.
I'll have to send it back.
For anyone reading these forum posts, the most helpful advice has been in the new manuals as they new stuff in them(tips and hints re zero tolerance guides and zero clearance fence) which are really helpful for accuracy.
Thanks again for your help
keep ye posted re result after returning it to the UK

 

[mlfaber]

I have had this problem when I first purchased my Kapex.  I used scrap pieces of MDF to check the accuracy of the saw with the progressive cut method mentioned in the manual.  These measures ended up dead accurate.  However, when I made real miter cuts with real wood (Hard Maple) the results were unsatisfactory.  My problem ended up being user error.  With hard wood, I noticed that holding the wood down by hand was not sufficient to stop the piece from drifting while making the cut.  Drifting also occurs from a dull blade or the use of the wrong blade for the application.  Try using the hold-down clamp to totally immobilize the your work piece.

If you don't believe that a work piece can drift during a cut, try a small amount of cellophane tape attached to the wood piece and the saw base.  If it wrinkles or tears, your wood piece is drifting.  You can also try making the same miter cuts as your final project using MDF and see if you still have gaps.  MDF is so soft it does not tend to drift.

I am not a professional, I build furniture as a hobby.  I have a friend that just recently purchased a Kapex to replace an old DeWalt.  He had the same problem and asked me to help him check his Kapex before returning it as defective.  His problem was drifting as well.  This may sound stupid at first, but check it out!  Good luck.

Ray

I totally agree with this.  I noticed it last night cutting up some scrap poplar.  I did the 4 cut method just holding down a small piece of poplar and it appeared my saw was out more than an 1/8".  So, very frustrated that I had not noticed this earlier.  Anyway, when I grabed a much larger piece and used the hold-down clamp I was still out but more like 1mm over 10".  Still frustrating to me but probably within tolerance.  Plus, it does need a new blade so I will try agian after replacement.