Kapex and Dust Shroud

[RonMiller]

I'm way too happy with my Kapex, including the dust collection. I just finished two days of a trim installation and ended up with very little dust on the floor. It was in the garage but I really could have done it in the house. It was a joy to use and the accuracy is really amazing.

However, I'm wondering if a larger rubber (?) dust shroud would collect even more of the particles than the present one does. Has anyone tried to add something or replace the black rubber collector (shroud?) to improve this?

 

[greg mann]

The shroud is about as big as it can be without getting hung up when you use the sliding function. If you just chop with the tool it could probably be bigger but the DC is good enough you probably would not see that great an improvement anyway. 

 

[Umbro]

I find if you pull the saw right back towards you letting the saw get up to full speed, then plunge and push back into the timber slowly.
This lets the dc get up to full volume and shroud seems to be at its most affective. Also because the dust is coming off the blade higher up due to be fully plunged its aimed straight at the shroud.
If you just plunge from the rest position or if the timbers wider from above, the initial dust seems to fly past the shroud at first.
Try it you'll see what I mean (hopefully).
I've been doing a kitchen install this week with the Kapex set up in the customers dining room and all I've had to do at the end of each day is to vac the saw off. The floor's dust free [smile].

 

[ccarrolladams]

Behind both of the Kapex in permanent locations within my custom cabinet shop I have conventional pull-over/miter saw dust shrouds connected to my plant Dust Collection System using 100mm duct and hose. That catches anything missed by the dust extraction connected to all my Kapex. With the big DC system baking up the extraction, all of us can concentrate of getting the most cut quality from the Kapex without being compulsive about using a technique which improves extraction.

The other 3 and sometimes 4 Kapex in my shop are on rolling stands and placed where needed for particular projects. Their rolling stands contain CT22 for extraction dedicated to each Kapex, but because the rolling ones are not also served by the plant DC System, we do have to clean up a little dust using still another CT22 which we use as a really quiet shop vac.