I promise this is not a gloat as the Kapex belongs to Simou but I hope these first impressions of his saw might be of interest. Incidentally, the documentation does speak of a 110v US version so it will arrive on your shores one day albeit with a slightly different blade guard mechanism.
I did post a wee while back that the dust extraction was excellent and after numerous cuts, some in anger and some in a testing mode, I am delighted to say that it is….for an SCMS. I must have had one or two Malts too many when I replied to Lou that the chip deflector and the blade trench were connected to the rear or top outlet. This is patent bolleaux and I can only think that in a haze of Highland Park I looked at the Symetric saw where the two are connected. Mea Culpa.
The top vacuum connector ( which swivels in a cheeky yet controlled manner to either side ) is connected to the chip deflector, which is heavy duty rubber, and the vacuum inlet close to the blade. In a miracle of Teutonic engineering or pure German luck, the sawdust which falls off the blade does not end up in the blade trench/table insert. Well a bit does but a blind man would be glad to see it. So very good dust extraction and again good enough to take into a house proud persons place and cut on the job.
I will dwell on a few things that have not been covered in the excellent review of Waka’s. Set up is truly easy even for a numpty like me. This shot shows that a Rotty can operate the saw.
The weight is +/- 21 kgs but carrying it with the cable wound up and with a hand on the table leg and one on the cable reel handle is surprisingly easy. The rubber feet slot exactly into the MFT holes and if you do not have the bolt under clamps (I do not) then the Festool F clamps do just as well. The working height on the MFT is perfect and very stable.
The Kapex is not a massive saw but it is still a big beast. This photo shows it
against the Symetric to give you some idea of its size.
Waka showed the top clamp to alter the vertical angle. It is amazingly simple, highly accurate and once set can be further adjusted using the rotating handle on the right slide arm. Once locked it stays locked. I used the saw straight out of the box but checked it first for accuracy with my Wixeys digital gauge. Spot on in all angles which is a first for me.
The horizontal movement is again a paragon of smoothness and accuracy and in between angles can be set and locked out of the pre-set and indented ones. Scales are etched, very clear and can be adjusted for wear or future alignment.
The sliding mechanism, on two rigid polished arms is very smooth and the saw itself is nicely balanced when lifting to cut. The saw can be stopped and secured along its travel should you wish. There is a very clever lever which you engage to secure the saw head away from the rear fence. This allows you to cut 120mm high materiel. A further lever disengages the clamp and returns the saw to slide mode.
The laser beams are excellent. This photo
shows the windows in the blade guard which allow the laser beams to fall onto your work piece with the guard down. The beams are exactly the width of the blade kerf and can be realigned. The laser window is removable for cleaning.
Cutting action is very smooth, well damped and controlled. The blade leaves a very fine cut for a general purpose one though I will get a finer one later. The blade runs absolutely true to the fence.
The depth adjustment for trenching is very quick to set up but I am disappointed that it is limited to about 23mm. I would have preferred to be able to trench in bigger stock. It is however rock solid once set with none of the creeping of adjustable nut mechanisms.
Right I’m parched and have probably used all of the forum space for photos. I will do some more once sober and Simou has figured out the rest of the instructions.
If anyone has any questions on the saw then please ask.
I did post a wee while back that the dust extraction was excellent and after numerous cuts, some in anger and some in a testing mode, I am delighted to say that it is….for an SCMS. I must have had one or two Malts too many when I replied to Lou that the chip deflector and the blade trench were connected to the rear or top outlet. This is patent bolleaux and I can only think that in a haze of Highland Park I looked at the Symetric saw where the two are connected. Mea Culpa.
The top vacuum connector ( which swivels in a cheeky yet controlled manner to either side ) is connected to the chip deflector, which is heavy duty rubber, and the vacuum inlet close to the blade. In a miracle of Teutonic engineering or pure German luck, the sawdust which falls off the blade does not end up in the blade trench/table insert. Well a bit does but a blind man would be glad to see it. So very good dust extraction and again good enough to take into a house proud persons place and cut on the job.
I will dwell on a few things that have not been covered in the excellent review of Waka’s. Set up is truly easy even for a numpty like me. This shot shows that a Rotty can operate the saw.
The weight is +/- 21 kgs but carrying it with the cable wound up and with a hand on the table leg and one on the cable reel handle is surprisingly easy. The rubber feet slot exactly into the MFT holes and if you do not have the bolt under clamps (I do not) then the Festool F clamps do just as well. The working height on the MFT is perfect and very stable.
The Kapex is not a massive saw but it is still a big beast. This photo shows it
against the Symetric to give you some idea of its size.
Waka showed the top clamp to alter the vertical angle. It is amazingly simple, highly accurate and once set can be further adjusted using the rotating handle on the right slide arm. Once locked it stays locked. I used the saw straight out of the box but checked it first for accuracy with my Wixeys digital gauge. Spot on in all angles which is a first for me.
The horizontal movement is again a paragon of smoothness and accuracy and in between angles can be set and locked out of the pre-set and indented ones. Scales are etched, very clear and can be adjusted for wear or future alignment.
The sliding mechanism, on two rigid polished arms is very smooth and the saw itself is nicely balanced when lifting to cut. The saw can be stopped and secured along its travel should you wish. There is a very clever lever which you engage to secure the saw head away from the rear fence. This allows you to cut 120mm high materiel. A further lever disengages the clamp and returns the saw to slide mode.
The laser beams are excellent. This photo
shows the windows in the blade guard which allow the laser beams to fall onto your work piece with the guard down. The beams are exactly the width of the blade kerf and can be realigned. The laser window is removable for cleaning.
Cutting action is very smooth, well damped and controlled. The blade leaves a very fine cut for a general purpose one though I will get a finer one later. The blade runs absolutely true to the fence.
The depth adjustment for trenching is very quick to set up but I am disappointed that it is limited to about 23mm. I would have preferred to be able to trench in bigger stock. It is however rock solid once set with none of the creeping of adjustable nut mechanisms.
Right I’m parched and have probably used all of the forum space for photos. I will do some more once sober and Simou has figured out the rest of the instructions.
If anyone has any questions on the saw then please ask.