Kapex guide rails

[rmy1299]

Does anyone know whether to use lithium grease or wd-40 on the kapex guide rails for smother action?

 

[Kev]

Go with wax.

 

[ccmviking]

Does anyone know whether to use lithium grease or wd-40 on the kapex guide rails for smother action?

a couple of drops of light machine or pnuematic oil on each rail, work it back and forth, then wipe away any excess.

Chris...

 

[festooldude]

I just spray them with WD-40 and then wipe off the excess..

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

Welcome to the forum.

I would highly recommend that you contact our service department for a recommendation. Generally, a lightweight machine oil is recommended, but I would defer to our experts for a recommendation.

Shane Holland
Festool USA

 

[rmy1299]

Thanks guys for the responses,and thank you Shane.I think I will confirm with festool just to be sure,because for $1400 I don't want to make a mistake.

 

[ccmviking]

It was discussed in this thread along with Rick chiming in with David's support.  No need to call Festool on it... read this

Kapex Lubrication

Chris...

 

[rmy1299]

What about using a teflon spray?

 

[Rick Christopherson]

As I mentioned in a previous posting, the bearings in the Kapex slides are recirculating ball linear slides. These are different from other slides used in some of the other Festool products. How you choose to lubricate these is less critical, but I would still refrain from using any type of lubricant that contains solvents. In my personal opinion, a grease is too thick, but a thin machine oil is too thin. Something between a medium to thin oil would be ideal.

I got distracted today before posting this, but I had previously pulled up a graphic of the type of bearing used in the slides. This is not an actual image of a Festool bearing, but is representative of the type being used. In it you can see how the ball bearings are exposed in one portion of their track where they contact the rail. In the portion where they recirculate back to the beginning they are contained within an enclosed race.

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[BlueRidgeWoodworksLLC]

I have used Renaissance wax in the past for my OF 1400 and domino slides and it's worked out really well.  My Kapex is about 2-3 years old now but I've never had to do anything but wipe the rails or vac them off.  I would think any kind of oil, even after it's wiped off would still attract dust, where as this wax dries thin and hard, fills in small imperfections and would seem to allow those bearings to glide really nice.

Sorek

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

I just spit on them.

 

[Rick Christopherson]

I have used Renaissance wax in the past for my OF 1400 and domino slides and it's worked out really well.  My Kapex is about 2-3 years old now but I've never had to do anything but wipe the rails or vac them off.  I would think any kind of oil, even after it's wiped off would still attract dust, where as this wax dries thin and hard, fills in small imperfections and would seem to allow those bearings to glide really nice.

Sorek

Even though I previously stated that what you use is not all that critical, I take that back. I would not recommend using a wax here.