Kapex dust collection hookup

[Woodchucky]

Hi All,

I just ordered a Kapex saw, having grown thoroughly disgusted with my current saw's lack of accuracy and dust collection performance. I can't wait to have it hooked up in my workshop.

I need some help with finding an appropriate hose or adapter to connect the Kapex to my shop's dust control system. My miter bench area has two dust collection connections: I have a 2.5" short hose running to the 4" main for connecting to the saw's dust port.  I also have a behind-the-saw trough that sucks up most particles that fall behind the saw; this one directly connected to a 4" hose.

Even though I own two Festool vacuums, I would like to hook up the Kapex to the existing dust collection scheme. Can someone direct me to the best hose or adapter that I can use to connect the Kapex to the 2.5" hose section?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[Brice Burrell]

That's not going to work well at all.  The small diameter hose port on the Kapex is meant for high velocity (low volume) collection.  The low velocity/high volume of your shop dust collection system just isn't going to do the job nearly as well as your Festool vac.  

That said, this part is what you're looking for, hose sleeve.

 

[Woodchucky]

That's not going to work well at all.  The small diameter hose port on the Kapex is meant for high velocity (low volume) collection.  The low velocity/high volume of your shop dust collection system just isn't going to do the job nearly as well as your Festool vac.  

Thanks for the help. I realize that the airflow characteristics of the vacs are very different from dust collection systems. However, I definitely want to give it a try, even if the results are not perfect. My miter bench area is not arranged to easily accommodate a vacuum without the unit being in the way. In the worst case scenario I will just have to use the Festool vac anyways.

 

[ccarrolladams]

Hi All,

I just ordered a Kapex saw, having grown thoroughly disgusted with my current saw's lack of accuracy and dust collection performance. I can't wait to have it hooked up in my workshop.

I need some help with finding an appropriate hose or adapter to connect the Kapex to my shop's dust control system. My miter bench area has two dust collection connections: I have a 2.5" short hose running to the 4" main for connecting to the saw's dust port.  I also have a behind-the-saw trough that sucks up most particles that fall behind the saw; this one directly connected to a 4" hose.

Even though I own two Festool vacuums, I would like to hook up the Kapex to the existing dust collection scheme. Can someone direct me to the best hose or adapter that I can use to connect the Kapex to the 2.5" hose section?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

First of all, Wood Chucky  [welcome] to FOG and the World of Kapex!

From the moment Kapex were available in the USA until I opened my big shop in August 2010 I used a 2.6m x 36mm Anti-Static hose to connect the dust port of my Kapex to a CT22. Of course my shop has a sophisticated dust collection system with 40hp of suction. Two of my Kapex are permanently located, so my goal was to avoid changing bags on those CT.

I did install commercially available chop/miter saw dust shrouds behind each permanent Kapex. Those shrouds connect to the plant DC system with 100mm hose. That does collect the small amount of dust not handled by the Kapex dust port.

My first experiment was to do as you suggest, using an adapter so the vac end of the short 36mm hose can attach to a separate 100mm hose. As Brice wisely explained above, the Festool CTs provide high velocity extraction at a modest volume. All the Festools, including the Kapex, are designed to use low volume high velocity extraction. Simply put, just connecting the Kapex dust port to the plant DC system did not provide the necessary velocity.

The CT22 has an output fitting so that the filtered extracted air can be hosed outside. However, the dust still goes into a bag, so simply connecting the output of a CT22 to the plant DC did not help me.

What I have done is construct a device I call an "Accelerator" which pulls air from a tool to its discharge at high velocity which can be adjusted in a way similar to a Festool CT. The input of these accelerators is the same as on a CT. My output is 100mm to fit my DC hose, but it could be anything 50mm or larger. These accelerators provide the same electrical grounding as Festool CTs, so the anti-static hoses work as intended.

By the way, the Kapex is designed for use with anti-static hose. Regular hose will clog. I make my 2.3m hoses by cutting 36mm x 7m AS hose into three equal lengths and adding appropriate Festool connectors available as spare parts.

For the past 6 months my accelerators have worked very well. Because those are prototypes they cost a lot more than I ever paid for a CT22. We have just started to evaluate the accelerators on the TS55 sawing station, the Domino station and the Festool sanding station.

Should these evaluations prove successful, my plan is to make a deal with a manufacturer to make and sell them. My own metal working plant is not in the business of manufacturing products at consumer prices.

 

[semenza]

Hi Woodchucky,

Welcome to the FOG!  [smile]

I think you will find that the above advice  is sound. But in your situation I would be inclined to give it a try as you say. Especially since you already have the hook ups in place. The 4" line behind the saw may do the job quite well.

Seth

 

[Brice Burrell]

Hi Woodchucky,

Welcome to the FOG!  [smile]

I think you will find that the above advice  is sound. But in your situation I would be inclined to give it a try as you say. Especially since you already have the hook ups in place. The 4" line behind the saw may do the job quite well.

Seth

I think you'd be heading down the wrong track monkeying with adapters to attach the DC system to the Kapex directly.  You'll have much better luck with the approach Chris has taken. My [2cents]

 

[Woodchucky]

Thanks for all the great advice. The dust shroud is an interesting idea, but in my space it would not work all that well. I did order the hose adapter (I figure I can blow $13 on an experiment) and see how it goes. If the setup just does not perform well, I can probably make room for the Festool vac by ditching my scrap bin.

After I have the saw and test the setup, I will check back whether the adapter-to-DC was any good, and how it compares to the vac.