Kapex Blade

[keithcoffee]

Am I missing something?  I have used my Kapex for about 6 months and needed to have the blade replaced/ sharpened.  I went to my local woodcraft store bought a Forrest Chopmaster blade......wrong arbor size....didn't see that coming.  I buy forrest blades exclusively because of the quality and the fact there US made.  Is there any way to adapt to this saw??

I also have problems with the guard not returning, I keep the saw stationary on a bench, and very clean, but the guard doesn't return all the way.  Can't seem to figure out what is sticking.  I suppose I'll have to take it apart to find the problem.

In general a great saw but I want to use my Forrest blade

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

Have it re-bored.

Forrest, tneryu and maybe another are making a blade with a 30 mm bore now.

My stock blade made it about a month and a half.

I had my matsushita re-bored and bought a european style tenryu for mine.

 

[rnt80]

I bought the fine tooth blade for mine a few months ago and was really disappointed.  I didn't see that much of a difference in the cut quality compared to the stock blade and it didn't stay sharp very long.  I'd like to get the Tenryu.  Although I think someone posted here that is is way overpriced since it appears that they just took one of the blades and rebored them to fit the Kapex.

 

[Forrest Anderson]

I have used my Kapex for about 6 months and needed to have the blade replaced/ sharpened.  I went to my local woodcraft store bought a Forrest Chopmaster blade......wrong arbor size....didn't see that coming.  I buy forrest blades exclusively because of the quality and the fact there US made.  Is there any way to adapt to this saw??

So, was the hole in the Forrest blade larger or smaller than the one in the Kapex?

If it was smaller, as others have pointed out, you could get it re-bored to make the hole larger. See Kapex and planer for one discussion about reboring blades, which some manufacturers do not recommend.

As an aside, in the UK you can get "blade reducing bushes", which make a hole smaller. The following bushes, taken from the Axminster website come with a 30mm outer diameter, and with inner diameters of 1/2" to 1" in various thicknesses. They won't help in your case, but they would enable someone to, for example, fit a Kapex blade (which has a 30mm hole) to a saw with a smaller arbor.

I also have problems with the guard not returning, I keep the saw stationary on a bench, and very clean, but the guard doesn't return all the way. 

Can you take a photo of the guard?

Can't seem to figure out what is sticking. 

There could be several things wrong. For instance, if the saw head does not spring upwards to its fullest extent, the blade guard will not fully cover the blade. Have a look at the thread entitled
Kapex base is not level which has photos of a malfunctioning saw and the cause of the problem.

In another case, I looked at a saw which had an offcut wedged into the space between the guard and the head casing. I removing the offcut and the blade was able to return to its proper position.

I suppose I'll have to take it apart to find the problem.

Most Kapex saws are still under guarantee - can you not return the saw to get it checked and repaired free of charge?

Forrest

 

[keithcoffee]

thanks for the suggestion.  I emailed forrest to see if I can exchange for a proper bore.  By the way if you haven't tried a Forrest blade...do yourself a favor Woodworker2 is truly the best I have used.

The guard problem seems to be the same as in the table warped pic.  Now that I see the pic your right my saw is not going all the way up...Ill look for an offcut in the AM

 

[Spike]

thanks for the suggestion.  I emailed forrest to see if I can exchange for a proper bore.  By the way if you haven't tried a Forrest blade...do yourself a favor Woodworker2 is truly the best I have used.

The guard problem seems to be the same as in the table warped pic.  Now that I see the pic your right my saw is not going all the way up...Ill look for an offcut in the AM

Keith,
Sawblades and tooling are my life. Call Forrest and ask for Tony Ferrato. He has 30mm 10"/250mm chopmasters in stock. However you will need to re-adjust the lasers as the chopmaster kerf is wider.

 

[Forrest Anderson]

The guard problem seems to be the same as in the table warped pic.  Now that I see the pic your right my saw is not going all the way up...Ill look for an offcut in the AM

eiden found that the reason why his saw head didn't move fully upwards was because of a plastic piece at the back of the head that had become loose. See http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-tool-problems/kapex-base-is-not-level/msg89636/#msg89636 for a photo and http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-tool-problems/kapex-base-is-not-level/msg89639/#msg89639 for how he sorted it.

Forrest