Kapex Blade and Dust Collection

[skids]

I have to ask these two questions because the first one below I heard somewhere (can't remember exactly where) and now has me curious:

1) Is there any truth to whether or not the two Festool blades made for the Kapex are designed to help the dust collection? In other words is there some design element to that blade that contributes to the performance of the dust collection?  I just ask because if this is the case I would want to know which of the specs on the blade are designed to do that.

2)  Also curious to know if the dust collection would actually improve if you go with a higher tooth count blade since the dust would be finer. Would serve to reason no?

This may be a better question to call Festool with, but thought it was a good one to put on record here on FOG since it could effect a buying decision on an aftermarket blade from some folks.

I am interested in a higher tooth count blade for finer work, but if I am spending $140 or more, I want the best blade for my $$ andit would be nice to have options outside of Festool. But if it effects the performance of the Kapex in some way I would want to know that as well.

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

I have 6 blades for my kapex, only the one is from festool.

I have not paid any attention to the difference in DC between blades.

I have 60 and 80t blades. I would not put a blade on my kapex with more then 80t.

 

[Knight Woodworks]

No idea if Festool blades help with dust collection.

I have the FT 60 & 80 tooth blades. More teeth = more dust.

Just ordered the Forest blade, will let you know how that works out.

John

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

Yes, our blades are designed to improve dust extraction. I'm not enough of a saw blade geek to get into all of the nuances and any attempt to explain it would probably just turn into debate.

Tooth count isn't necessarily directly related to dust extraction because a large chip could be ejected with more velocity due to its mass into the collection shroud whereas a fine particular would just be sucked up in the air. Regardless, all of the Kapex blades are designed to improve collection, which is a guiding principle for Festool.

Shane

 

[semenza]

Yes, our blades are designed to improve dust extraction. I'm not enough of a saw blade geek to get into all of the nuances and any attempt to explain it would probably just turn into debate.

Tooth count isn't necessarily directly related to dust extraction because a large chip could be ejected with more velocity due to its mass into the collection shroud whereas a fine particular would just be sucked up in the air. Regardless, all of the Kapex blades are designed to improve collection, which is a guiding principle for Festool.Shane

Well dang, that's  pretty cool  [cool]

Seth

 

[skids]

Talked to David at Festool today, first time he has ever heard of this. He seems to think it's simply not true and can't see how they could design a blade to improve dust collection. He was racking his brain and came to the conclusion that maybe it's possible by lasering in a tooth configuration that increases wind turbulence or something. But overall he seemed to think what I heard could be a rumor.

He said what truly makes a difference in dust collection is material thickness and how deep you plunge the saw. Deeper = better dust collection. Dust is basically trapped in the material being forced up into the path of the suction. Whereby if it's thin material, more just blows right out off the blade itself due the the lack of material around the blade. That was my interpretation, although he used much fancier words..This was a great tidbit to learn.

 

[greg mann]

Dust collection is influenced most by the angle of departure as the blade exits the workpiece. The goal would be to have the stream of sawdust spew out directly into the shroud. This is best accomplished by using the slider function with the blade as low as possible from the very start of the cut. The dust stream will have its highest angle of departure and will most likely be caught by the shroud.

Anyone who has ever used a face mill on a Bridgeport mill learned very quickly they could position the cutter in a position that could fill their pockets with hot metal chips or they could make minor changes that would direct the chip flow away from their body. Doesn't take long to figure out. If you pay attention to the exit angle on your saw you can help the dust collection dramatically.

 

[Ta2ude]

I do not believe that the blade is designed to improve dust collection, but it may.

I am a machinist and tool and die maker by trade and actually started my apprenticeship at a tool and cutter grinder shop. We made and sharpened various tools for the metal machining industry. There are many different angles on cutters known as "tool geometry" and these angles are adjusted in various ways depending on the application of the tool, ie) material being cut, depth of cut, blah blah blah. The main design feature in any cutting tool is material removal. All of these angles are designed to work together to form the desired "chip"  and to  help expell it from the workpiece. So I do not believe the blade was designed to improve the collection of dust but I can believe that the blade geometry has been designed to produce a chip that Festool R&D found to be most effectively collected by their system. Whether or not their geometry is substantially better than any one Else's has yet to be proven to me.

 

[tjbnwi]

I don't know if the blade is designed to improve dust collection, but I can tell you a new/sharp blade makes a world of differance over a dull blade. The dust is finer off the new blade and the saw is defiantly cleaner.

Tom