Kapex hard to push down
- Thread starter sully132
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Welcome to the forum.
There's a roller that the head mechanism rides on. Check to make sure you don't have excessive dust/gunk build up on there. That may be the cause.
Shane
There's a roller that the head mechanism rides on. Check to make sure you don't have excessive dust/gunk build up on there. That may be the cause.
Shane
Thanks Shane, that is clean. I keep the saw spotless, all tools are cleaned everyday.
This saw was always stiff, It was purchased when Kapex first came out, and I just figured that was normal for the saw until I played around with a new one at a festool dealer. Am a big fan and I own a lot of festool tools, this saw has been kind of a let down for the money. had a few problems that I fixed. Its getting to the point where it is so hard to push down its not safe.
This saw was always stiff, It was purchased when Kapex first came out, and I just figured that was normal for the saw until I played around with a new one at a festool dealer. Am a big fan and I own a lot of festool tools, this saw has been kind of a let down for the money. had a few problems that I fixed. Its getting to the point where it is so hard to push down its not safe.
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Within the first three years, there's a warranty which covers any issues you might have had with the saw. Did you ever contact our repair department to assist with any of the issues?
Do you have a video of what it's doing so we can have a look? "Stiff" is a subjective word. But, it shouldn't require excessive force to operate the saw normally.
Do you have a video of what it's doing so we can have a look? "Stiff" is a subjective word. But, it shouldn't require excessive force to operate the saw normally.
Kevin McConville
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Sully132 - let me start off by saying that I hope I'm mistaken and this may not be your situation at all.
I'm certainly getting tired of the unusually high number of people who join the FOG lately and within short time their very first post is like this one, some vague reference to being a fan or loving Festool BUT my Kapex sucks its unsafe or I love my many Festools but my ETS125 is a piece of junk and I'm disappointed that a company like Festool wood even sell it, the Rotex125 rants, the list goes on.
If you own many Festool tools like you say then you registered them? How can you not know that you should be calling Festool service if you think something is so wrong with your tool that it is "unsafe"? There are many things I love about Festool and some that I don't but one thing is for sure - they protect their image fiercely and by that I mean that if your are unhappy with a tool they will do damn near anything to rectify that. I cannot see how anyone could spend the thousands of dollars you would have had to spend to own a Kapex and your "many" other Festools and not know that.
By all means contact Festool, get your saw fixed and then as a public service to the FOG post something like - "noticed my Kapex was getting stiff, called Festool service and got it fixed, if you experience the same then call them etc. etc." The hobbyists with enough money and the trades people thinking of spending Festool type money on tools are not so dumb as to be put off buying these tools because of such transparent attempts to mislead them.
I'm certainly getting tired of the unusually high number of people who join the FOG lately and within short time their very first post is like this one, some vague reference to being a fan or loving Festool BUT my Kapex sucks its unsafe or I love my many Festools but my ETS125 is a piece of junk and I'm disappointed that a company like Festool wood even sell it, the Rotex125 rants, the list goes on.
If you own many Festool tools like you say then you registered them? How can you not know that you should be calling Festool service if you think something is so wrong with your tool that it is "unsafe"? There are many things I love about Festool and some that I don't but one thing is for sure - they protect their image fiercely and by that I mean that if your are unhappy with a tool they will do damn near anything to rectify that. I cannot see how anyone could spend the thousands of dollars you would have had to spend to own a Kapex and your "many" other Festools and not know that.
By all means contact Festool, get your saw fixed and then as a public service to the FOG post something like - "noticed my Kapex was getting stiff, called Festool service and got it fixed, if you experience the same then call them etc. etc." The hobbyists with enough money and the trades people thinking of spending Festool type money on tools are not so dumb as to be put off buying these tools because of such transparent attempts to mislead them.
of course I contacted festool. they want me to ship the tool and have it fixed. which cost money, they could not give me a fixed price until they have the saw. I joined this forum to see if this was a common problem and something I can fix myself.I do love festool tools! I have been disappointed by this saw! those are my opinions based upon my experiences. So, if you are getting tired of the unusually high number of people who join FOG to get info and express their experiances maybe you should
join another forum!
join another forum!
WarnerConstCo.
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sully132 said:
Or you could study the saw for a few minutes and probably find something that needs lubricated.
Kevin McConville
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I don't have a problem with credible people complaining about their issues with Festool - I've even posted support for them, when the information good or bad is trustworthy I can learn something new from it or see if I have a similar concern with my tools, Festool or otherwise. These posts on the other hand have come in a rash in a relatively short period of time, the themes are the same, some small degree of positive comment in a veiled attempt to have people believe you are honestly trying to put information out there to help people followed by a story about how crappy something Festool is.
Whether you call yourself Sully... or Raptor... or any of the other similar aliases, these are juvenile attacks with no credibility, for what purpose I don't know but I'll bet there are high paid people that reputable companies like Festool pay to find out.
Who in the world do you think is naïve enough to believe you were an early adopter of the Kapex at several times the price of other brands and you never even touched one at a store before you bought it, or any other one in the world except your "stiff" one for the last 6 or 7 years and just today you tried one at a dealer and decided to join this Forum and say how crappy the saw is.
Just so people don't think I'm nothing but a Festool "homer" - the fact they make some rails without the holes for the LR32 system is in my opinion a clear and obvious money grab, there is no reason in my opinion for making them without holes except to cause us to buy more when we purchase the LR32 (the cost to manufacture these with and without are so close to the same that they could possibly even save money by only making one type - except then sales would go down).
Move on - stop clouding the issues with whatever agenda you are trying to forward.
Whether you call yourself Sully... or Raptor... or any of the other similar aliases, these are juvenile attacks with no credibility, for what purpose I don't know but I'll bet there are high paid people that reputable companies like Festool pay to find out.
Who in the world do you think is naïve enough to believe you were an early adopter of the Kapex at several times the price of other brands and you never even touched one at a store before you bought it, or any other one in the world except your "stiff" one for the last 6 or 7 years and just today you tried one at a dealer and decided to join this Forum and say how crappy the saw is.
Just so people don't think I'm nothing but a Festool "homer" - the fact they make some rails without the holes for the LR32 system is in my opinion a clear and obvious money grab, there is no reason in my opinion for making them without holes except to cause us to buy more when we purchase the LR32 (the cost to manufacture these with and without are so close to the same that they could possibly even save money by only making one type - except then sales would go down).
Move on - stop clouding the issues with whatever agenda you are trying to forward.
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Guys, please chill out. If you don't have something nice to say, step away from the keyboard. Thanks.
Sully, the frustration and, by your own admission, potential unsafe use of the tool could have been remedied by sending it in for repair. The warranty was there to be taken advantage of. For the cost of shipping, which was likely less than $50 in most parts of the country at the time. We now offer free shipping for all warranty repairs, both ways.
The best resource for getting assistance determining the cause of your saw's problem is a phone call away. Ultimately, I have to recommend that you stop using the saw until it's properly repaired and in good working order. Call our service guys and they can likely point you in the right direction.
Shane
Sully, the frustration and, by your own admission, potential unsafe use of the tool could have been remedied by sending it in for repair. The warranty was there to be taken advantage of. For the cost of shipping, which was likely less than $50 in most parts of the country at the time. We now offer free shipping for all warranty repairs, both ways.
The best resource for getting assistance determining the cause of your saw's problem is a phone call away. Ultimately, I have to recommend that you stop using the saw until it's properly repaired and in good working order. Call our service guys and they can likely point you in the right direction.
Shane
Jeffonebuck
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^^^^good advice, Shane.
Tom the Remodeler
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sully132 said:
Hi there Sully! Sorry to hear that your Kapex is getting stiff. It has been my experience that this is pretty common for Kapex saws after they have been in use for a few years (I've seen this on my saw and at least two others). On the back side of the motor, on the bearing that Shane has referenced, there is a shiny metal arm that rides on top of the bearing. It has been my experience that, over time, this arm deforms where it rides on the bearing. Over time, the arm "mushrooms" out and develops a bit of a divot. This divot prevents the arm from sliding smoothly on the bearing, thus preventing the blade guard from retracting, thus preventing the head assembly from smoothly plunging down into the work.
How to fix it? Well, you can go two ways. I attempted the repair myself a year ago. I ordered the parts, and spent well over two hours attempting the repair. Ultimately, I almost lost a small spring, spent a lot of time mucking around, and eventually got the part replaced. After all of that, the saw still didn't operate properly. Eventually I shipped the saw to Festool Service. I wish I had done this in the first place. I think I spent ~$275 for the service, including shipping. Festool replaced the fences, armature, a whole slew of other parts, recalibrate the lasers, fixed the stiff operation, and had the saw back to me within ~8 days of when I originally shipped it.
If the shiny arm is indeed deformed, while you might be able to fix it yourself, I strongly recommend sending the saw in for service. These tools, while tough, DO require maintenance, and you'll probably be money ahead having Festool fix it, versus downtime and lost revenue by you trying to do it yourself.
I covered this in another thread roughly a year ago, in which I think I included the part #'s you'd want if you were to try it yourself.
Best of luck, I hope your saw is back up and running smoothly soon! [smile]
R
Rob Z
Guest
Hey Sully
If you're using the saw to make money, paying to get the saw worked on is just part of the overhead for your business.
But as Shane suggested, give a call to service. My Planex arrived (new) with a problem, and Lester talked me through how to do the minor repair after I sent some pics by email. He shipped the parts and walked me through it. Maybe you can resolve your problem the same way.
Good luck.
If you're using the saw to make money, paying to get the saw worked on is just part of the overhead for your business.
But as Shane suggested, give a call to service. My Planex arrived (new) with a problem, and Lester talked me through how to do the minor repair after I sent some pics by email. He shipped the parts and walked me through it. Maybe you can resolve your problem the same way.
Good luck.
Jeffonebuck
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I take it that most contractors will keep pushing forward with a piece of equipment that needs repair as they might not have a backup saw and can't be without the moneymaker. It's hard to chew steak with bad teeth ! Send the saw in for repairs.
The passionate festool lover brings up an interesting point, how many festool owners and users are aware of this site forum or more importantly use it. Here on Long Island (Hamptons) there are several full Festool dealers and the products are widely used. That being said I do not know anybody personally who frequents this site. Not even the dealer I mainly use comes on the site. Given that much of the work force is from Central America and of uneven English ability albeit very few of the festool users are on this site. (I mean to cause no negative talk on the subject of immigration). Most carpenters I know just buy what they buy use what they use and do not really talk tools much. Just my 2 cents.
Oh my god I almost forgot to take this opportunity to please push festool to make a 12" kapex. My needs are 60 degrees miter both directions(like my makita ls1211 the best scms ever made), 14" and 9.5" cross cut, 6.5" vertical cut behind arbor when saw is mitered in either direction, 2" cut depth on the bevel, 55 lbs or lighter, same good dust collection but with ability to use a bag, I know a complete redesign of the trigger is unlikely but please at least make the trigger and safety button closer for ease of use, light with shadow line like dewalt, and miter detente lock override. Otherwise I would not change a thing.