Kapex cutting capacity

[cruiten]

I was going to pick up a Kapex KS 120 for my shop today at lunch, but I was reading about the cutting capacity for this saw and I think that I might have to reconsider my purchase if my understanding is correct.

Every so often I need to make 45 degree (0 degree bevel) cuts on material that is 4 inches tall and 1 7/8 inches thick and it appears that the Kapex will not be able to make this cut because the "special cutting position" can only handle material 4 23/32 inches tall by 3/4 inches thick.

Is my understanding about the "special cutting position" capacity correct?

Cor

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

Cor,

Welcome to the forum. The Kapex is not capable of making that cut unfortunately.

Shane

 

[GarryMartin]

At the risk of sounding stupid, unless I'm misunderstanding completely, if the required angle is 45 degrees, could you not lie the material flat and use the compound 45 degree bevel and slide?

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

At the risk of sounding stupid, unless I'm misunderstanding completely, if the required angle is 45 degrees, could you not lie the material flat and use the compound 45 degree bevel and slide?

Correct and good point, Garry. It could be cut on the flat. I assumed his requirements were specific for a reason.

Shane

 

[cruiten]

At the risk of sounding stupid, unless I'm misunderstanding completely, if the required angle is 45 degrees, could you not lie the material flat and use the compound 45 degree bevel and slide?

Correct and good point, Garry. It could be cut on the flat. I assumed his requirements were specific for a reason.

Shane

Thanks for the feedback Shane and Gary!

I actually ended up calling Festool directly and I spoke with someone who was very patient with me and ended up talking to me while in front of one of his saws in order to figure out a solution.

Once we got our terminology aligned he did some "mockups" and he assured me that the Kapex is able to handle this type of cut. I double-checked everything with him and thanked him for all his help.

Based on this information I headed over to the closest Rockler store near my work and I walked over to their display unit and did my own "mockup" and found out that I was not able to make the cut without removing the arbor bolt guard... It was close, but I had to remove the arbor bolt guard.

I ended up purchasing the Kapex  ( ;D ) so now I have to figure out whether to remove the arbor bolt guard or whether to make this cut like Gary suggested. With my old miter saw it was a pain in the backside to accurately and repetitively achieve a 45 degree bevel, but hopefully this will not be a problem with the Kapex so that I won't have to remove a safety feature (assuming that the arbor bolt guard is a safety feature).

Thanks again guys!

Cor

 

[peter halle]

Bevel cuts are so sweet on the Kapex.  The stops are accurate.

Peter

 

[tjbnwi]

Put a spacer between the fence and the cut piece. By moving the piece away from the fence the cut piece is closer to the centerline of the blade.

Tom

 

[wow]

I ended up purchasing the Kapex  ( ;D )
Cor

Congratulations, and welcome to the FOG. The Kapex is one of the 'crown jewels' of the Festool line. I'm sure you'll be very happy with it...

...and I'm jealous!

[wink]

 

[mastercabman]

The harbor bolt cover guard has nothing to do with cutting capacity
Are you sure that you have it in the up position?

 

[cruiten]

Bevel cuts are so sweet on the Kapex.  The stops are accurate.

Peter

Peter: After putting the Kapex through its paces over this past weekend I am happy that I totally agree with you.

Put a spacer between the fence and the cut piece. By moving the piece away from the fence the cut piece is closer to the centerline of the blade.

Tom

Tom: I will have to try that. My first thought was that this would not make a difference because the distance between the back of the cut piece and where the front of the cut piece hits the arbor bolt cover remains the same; however, I will see if it makes a difference...

Congratulations, and welcome to the FOG. The Kapex is one of the 'crown jewels' of the Festool line. I'm sure you'll be very happy with it...

...and I'm jealous!

[wink]

wow: Thank you very much. I am happy to report that I am still happy that I purchased the Kapex after heavy use of the saw this past weekend.

The harbor bolt cover guard has nothing to do with cutting capacity
Are you sure that you have it in the up position?

mastercabman: On my Kapex the arbor bolt guard ends up hitting my 4" x 1 7/8" lumber which prevents the saw from moving forward and completing the 45° miter cut when the lumber is standing up.  If I move the arbor bolt guard up then it actually hits the lumber earlier than when it is in the normal "down" position. Here is a picture with some "mock-up" lumber to simulate the lumber dimensions with the guard in its normal position to show you what I am talking about (sorry about the fact that the picture is rotated, for some reason this bulletin board auto-rotates this picture:

       

If I remove the arbor bolt guard then it is able to make the cut when the lumber is standing up...

So, at this point in time I am leaning towards making this cut with the lumber lying down with a 0° miter angle and a 45° bevel angle; this means that I will have to re-cut my story-sticks but it beats having to removing safety mechanisms...

Thanks for all the feedback!

Cor

 

[SMJoinery]

Safety is your top priority but for info my new Kapex bought here in the UK 8 weeks ago doesn't come with Arbor Bolt Guard!
I assume that there our Arbor bolt remains unguarded for a reason.
See photo below.

 

[cruiten]

Safety is your top priority but for info my new Kapex bought here in the UK 8 weeks ago doesn't come with Arbor Bolt Guard!
I assume that there our Arbor bolt remains unguarded for a reason.
See photo below.

Hmmmm.... Very interesting... Perhaps Shane, or someone else more knowledgeable than I, could chime in here about the intended purpose of the arbor bolt guard that appears to be present on units sold in the USA and as shown on the cover of the Festool USA Kapex Supplemental Manual found here: http://www.festoolusa.com/media/pdf/kapex-ks120-supplemental-manual.pdf

[attachthumb=1]

Cor

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

The arbor bolt guard is a unique requirement for the US market as I recall. We do not advocate removing/modifying/overriding any safety component of our tools for obvious reasons.

Edit to expand: I guess UL thinks Americans are dumb enough to try to remove the blade while the saw is in operation...

 

[SMJoinery]

The arbor bolt guard is a unique requirement for the US market as I recall. We do not advocate removing/modifying/overriding any safety component of our tools for obvious reasons.

Edit to expand: I guess UL thinks Americans are dumb enough to try to remove the blade while the saw is in operation...

Hey Shane
All the USA guys will love this....
ARBOR BOLT GUARD - NAIUK

When you moving over here to whip Festool UK into shape?
Scott

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

When you moving over here to whip Festool UK into shape?
Scott

I think Festool UK is doing quite well already. In the end, a company is only as a good as a sum of its parts. I am just one part of Festool USA and credit goes to all of my colleagues for making it what it is. We have Christian now in the role of CSO for Festool worldwide, so I'm confident that his leadership that brought together a great team and success for Festool USA will be propagated and multiplied throughout the organization.

But, thanks for the vote that I'm doing a good job  [smile]

Shane

 

[mastercabman]

mastercabman: On my Kapex the arbor bolt guard ends up hitting my 4" x 1 7/8" lumber which prevents the saw from moving forward and completing the 45° miter cut when the lumber is standing up.  If I move the arbor bolt guard up then it actually hits the lumber earlier than when it is in the normal "down" position. Here is a picture with some "mock-up" lumber to simulate the lumber dimensions with the guard in its normal position to show you what I am talking about (sorry about the fact that the picture is rotated, for some reason this bulletin board auto-rotates this picture:

       

If I remove the arbor bolt guard then it is able to make the cut when the lumber is standing up...

So, at this point in time I am leaning towards making this cut with the lumber lying down with a 0° miter angle and a 45° bevel angle; this means that I will have to re-cut my story-sticks but it beats having to removing safety mechanisms...

Thanks for all the feedback!

Cor

Well that's because the saw is not designed to cut that size
I will check tomorrow how big I can cut with it.
I know I can cut a little more than what the specs states

 

[cruiten]

Well that's because the saw is not designed to cut that size
I will check tomorrow how big I can cut with it.
I know I can cut a little more than what the specs states

Ummm...

Earlier on this thread I stated that I called Festool USA before purchasing the Kapex to ask about this and they stated that I would be able to make that cut...

My experience has shown that I am able to make this cut with the lumber standing up, but only if I physically remove the arbor bolt guard; perhaps I should have purchased my Kapex outside of the USA since it appears that only units sold in the USA have the arbor bolt guard...  [blink]

Cor