Kapex ( Greek for Spending my Childrens Inheritence)

[Llap Goch]

Hi Riri

It is the attachment to the base of the Kapex which is the problem. The extendable trim guide slots into the crown moulding fence.

If had an MFT extension table I would probably make a small box, at the same height as the systainer 1, to fit over the aluminium rail but the workpiece would be limited to the length of the rail.

The Triton Multistand is remains my preferred option as it is very stable, can take loads up to 100kg and can be used with any length of workpiece. There is a photo of it with the Kapex and MFT on my earlier post.

Regards
Pat and the LLad

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Pat,
Terrific series of posts, and I keep reading them hoping to learn even more.  Keep it going, show us how you use the saw, tell us how the dogs like it all.
Matthew

 

[ririmarqueverte]

Hi Riri

It is the attachment to the base of the Kapex which is the problem.
Pat and the LLad

Shame and will keep me of buying it for now! Mind you with my MFT 1080, my TS 75, my ATF 55,my Basis with extension arms and my Symmetric, i am not sure there is more i can do with the KAPEX. Do you?

riri

 

[Brice Burrell]

  I do a lot of trim work every year, so I spend some time in front of my SCMS. My opinion, a SCMS without full length extension tables is only half the tool it should be. The Festool extensions/legs look to be a poor design. I use the Sawhelper Ultrafence, model U55S. Here is a picture from there site.


This has been one of the best investments I've every made, it really speeds the job up. Of course this doesn't do you guys outside of the US any good, I doubt it is available over seas. The first thing I will do if I get a Kapex is find a way to mount the sawheper!

 

[Llap Goch]

Shame and will keep me of buying it for now! Mind you with my MFT 1080, my TS 75, my ATF 55,my Basis with extension arms and my Symmetric, i am not sure there is more i can do with the KAPEX. Do you?

riri
[/quote]

Precisely the point I made to him Riri but, like you with your vast inventory, he is a Festool Tart. Shed full of the stuff and not even a clue on how to sharpen a pencil properly.

To him the Kapex is the most wonderful saw in the world; to me its an expensive way to cut a perfectly good piece of wood into two. I can but dream of the pigs ears and gravy soaked biscuits he could have bought instead of that dammed saw. As we speak the sad sod is in his shed thinking that he is a modern version of Thomas Chippendale. He's more like Sven Ikea.

I hate Festool and their sanding pads taste dreadful so I think I will start an anti-Festool Blog. There's thousands of starving Rotweillers out there who could be saved if people accepted second best and bought DeWilt or Jinglang tools.................now where's my pen.

Simou

 

[sgryd]

You write entertainingly, and I enjoy reading your posts. But this time you went way too far for me, being from Sweden, to sit quiet.
IKEA stands for "Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd". Elmtaryd was the farm where Ingvar Kamprad grew up. Elmtaryd is in the village Agunnaryd.

So, it should've been "Ingvar IKEA", not "Sven IKEA"

And here he is:

I'm glad we could sort this out in a friendly way. Now, please go on with the Kapex thread (BTW, I've got a Kapex myself so I can recognice your excitement)

//Michael
From the beloved land of IKEA

 

[Llap Goch]

Michael

I have just hit Simou with a Tord Bjorklund designed melamine board as punishment for getting his Svens mixed up with his Ingvars and am grateful that we sorted it out in a friendly way. 

The problem is that us inhabitants of this Sceptered Isle think that all Swedes are called Sven in honour of the sacked England football coach, Sven Goren Erikson. Its a bit like me being Irish and always called Paddy.

Oh I just remembered I am called Paddy. ;D

Glad you like the Kapex

Pat

(Good to see Ingvar laughing. He must have just seen the CCTV pictures of lines of shoppers trying to use the one checkout thats working.)

 

[Lou Miller]

  I do a lot of trim work every year, so I spend some time in front of my SCMS. My opinion, a SCMS without full length extension tables is only half the tool it should be. The Festool extensions/legs look to be a poor design. I use the Sawhelper Ultrafence, model U55S. Here is a picture from there site.

I've been going back and forth on the Sawhelper for quite some time now. One of my subs has one and its a really top notch setup. Its just awfully expensive. I've yet to read a bad comment about them though. One of these days I'll probably get around to picking up one of the U88 models.

I'd imagine fitting a Kapex to a Sawhelper wouldn't be all that hard to do. Would you want to drill holes in a $1,000+ saw though?

 

[bruegf]

More expensive than Festool - that almost defies imagination

Fred

 

[Brice Burrell]

 Lou, the Sawhelper is like a Festool, worth every penny. It sets up fast and is dead on every time (fence alignment). If you plan to take the sawhelper on the road with you every day, don't bother with the U88, it's really too big to carry around and you often won't have the space needed to set it up. A guy I do a lot of work for has one 88 fence, we never use, it's just too big, even with one 55 and one 88. As for drilling holes in a $1000 saw, I'd do it in a second, that's how much I think of the Sawhelper. Fred, I don't remember what I paid for my U55, I got it a year ago, I think around $400??? They have new ownership now and have made some improvements and of course raised the price.

 

[Llap Goch]

Brice

Thats a cracking piece of kit which I have just done a search for here in the UK but without success. What price are these in the States please?

As it is, a single Festool side support and crown moulding would set me back $650 so it might be more economic to import one from CONUS. I think I could probably adapt the Kapex base.

Pat

 

[Lou Miller]

Brice,

When I finally get around to picking up a Sawhelper, I'm getting the 88. Reason is I want the ability to use the stops for 7'+ molding. I don't care about the space it takes up in the truck cause when I'd set something like this up, I'd be doing thousands of feet of molding, and wouldn't be transporting it daily. I'd load it once to get it to the job, and then again at the very end of the job. Fortunately, my larger jobs are all very secure and I can leave everything setup on site for as long as I like. Space to work in isn't much of a problem either on my larger jobs.

For smaller jobs (couple hundred or so feet of molding), I just use a Rigid MSUV. Its not the greatest setup in the world, but its flexible and works well for quick setups and teardowns.

I'm going to be trimming out a 5,000 square foot addition in July or August. So, that's when I'll probably get my act in gear and finally pick up the Sawhelper.

 

[Brice Burrell]

 Pat, I just dug up the invoice, $360 US dollars, this price is for the U55 from last June, I know the price has gone up since, but I don't know how much, ***** ETA: The company's new name is Sawtooth Specialty Tools, Inc.(old name, American Design & Engineering, Inc) US phone number is 800-441-1388, good luck.**** The trouble is, if you get a sawhelper, you will never get to use the Kapex again once Simou gets his paws on it.

******EDITED, see above******

 

[Brice Burrell]

  Lou, I'm telling you now, once you use the sawhelper you won't go back to the MSUV, ever, in fact you will throw it in the trash  . The sawhelper sets up very fast, no reason not to use it on every job. You could get the U55 and one extra 88 fence for your bigger jobs, just a thought.

*****Edited to add, if you are going to spend that much don't you think you it should be on a tool that you can use everyday, that's have I looked at when I bought mine.

 

[Llap Goch]

Thanks Brice

I have just sent (them) an email so I will be reeling in a few favours from my old partners in crime (and late night beverage test sessions) in the USAF. I am sure that there is sufficient justification for a Humanitarian Aid airdrop in our Valley.

Pat

 

[Lou Miller]

  *****Edited to add, if you are going to spend that much don't you think you it should be on a tool that you can use everyday, that's have I looked at when I bought mine.

Sure, in a perfect world, that's what I'd do. My world ain't even close to perfect though. I always have multiple jobsites running and have to bounce around frequently. So, I pretty much have a setup for everything that is very mobile and easily transportable. Another that is more permanent or long term. Its kind of hard to explain actually, but it works out very well for me. The more mobile setup for everything is usually left on a job with one of my employees (I hate having employees again). That way they can pack it up and take it with them at the end of the day.

I won't get rid of the MSUV, no matter what I buy. Its a pretty decent little rig and it comes in handy. If I like the Sawhelper as much as you think I will (and its as easy to setup), I might even just use the MSUV with a portable planer for jobsites. I really prefer the 15" stationary one back in the shop, but that's not exactly mobile.

 

[Dan Clark]

Where do you buy a SawHelper?  I looked online, but couldn't find any place that sold them.

 

[Lou Miller]

Dan,

They don't sell through retail outlets. Its direct sales (or at least it was, maybe the new ownership will change that). Go to their website or call the number that Brice posted.

A whole bunch of guys over at JLC have them and they all love them.

 

[Dan Clark]

Lou,

Thanks.  I went to their website, but couldn't find any way of ordering one and didn't see any prices listed.  I bit confusing.  I'll give them a call.

Regards,

Dan.

 

[Brice Burrell]

Lou,

Thanks.  I went to their website, but couldn't find any way of ordering one and didn't see any prices listed.  I bit confusing.   I'll give them a call.

Regards,

Dan.

  Dan, you have to call to get a quote or to order one, as Lou said, they do have threads over at JLC about the sawhelper.

*****EDIT****** Try this phone number 800-441-1388.