TetonStorm
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I will definitely do this with the hope it never happens again.MavDog said:
Kapex is destroyed
- Thread starter TetonStorm
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[member=37928]TetonStorm[/member] I think this will fix the problem. I don't think there is enough suction to suck up a cut off piece from the deck. I bet it is the blade was just a little too high and a tooth caught the cutoff piece and flung it up. Look at the pic in the thread I linked to and see how that compares with your saw for the depth of the blade. Mine looked just like the before pic when I kept having small pieces go flying when I would cut them. I would leave the blade down until it stopped so it was not that I was lifting the blade before it had stopped spinning.
TetonStorm
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Thanks Mavdog!
I saw something this evening on my Kapex that possibly relates. I wonder if this is what has happened: Was your Kapex in trenching mode and set to maximum trench depth? (trenching lever forward and unscrewed all the way possible). On my saw, that setup leaves the blade slightly higher than full cut mode and will possibly catch a tooth into the unstable material. I'm thinking that even if you did not mess with that function, it may have left the factory QC that way and you may not have realized it when you started cutting with it. I haven't tried it, but i think with enough pressure you can still make full cuts with that setting. Even if you've cut a lot with other saws, for me this is my first miter saw of several that has that particular feature.
TetonStorm
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Thanks for the response but no, that was not the case.
Have to say I'm very disappointed in the way this was handled by Festool. I was very close to buying a kapex this spring but for me this attitude of blame the end user and rape them on repair cost has pushed me away. For a Festool employee to say return the broken saw to the retailer and get another new one blows my mind. The guy was trying to do the right thing...have him send it in, repair it, and let him make some money with it.
Godfather said:
I don't know who was at fault and not even trying to determine. That is between the O and Amazon or Festool. If he can get a new saw out of this, I would think that is far quicker and better for the user than waiting for a repair.
Tinker
waho6o9
Member
hey festool, the kapex: great in some ways, dc, lasers, portable, compact, easy to adjust, looks great.
Fails : sends small cut offs flying, base flexible and not flat, underpowered, cannot be used with a generator, stiff miter turntable, hard to be set just out of a miter detent, leaks oil out of the arbor, scraping issue, carpel tunnel safety switch. Just call it a day cut your loses and try again. Just my two cents, but what do I know.
Fails : sends small cut offs flying, base flexible and not flat, underpowered, cannot be used with a generator, stiff miter turntable, hard to be set just out of a miter detent, leaks oil out of the arbor, scraping issue, carpel tunnel safety switch. Just call it a day cut your loses and try again. Just my two cents, but what do I know.
Cheese
Member
glass1 said:
Excellent evaluation...you should just return your saw and get your money back. Done deal.
TetonStorm said:
You did nothing wrong. I've seen damage done to saws and operators caused by stupidity, ignorance, and carelessness but the Kapex is the only saw that I've ever seen that kind of damage done by nothing but basic use. I was on a job where a carpenter was cutting shoe and had a similar explosion. The guard was thrown into the blade shattering it into high velocity plastic shrapnel. This saw was brought to Festool and they claimed to be unable to reproduce the results.
It's a design flaw.
There are any number of cut where zero clearance fences and bases backing up a cut are necessary but they should not be required for basic safe operation of a saw.
Rollin22Petes
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As a professional cabinet maker and trim man of 25 years I agree there are certain situations that a zero clearance plate are very helpful but should not be required to operate a new saw safely. I have had the same issue with my Kapex just not to that extreme from what I have observed it seems that the piece gets thrown into the dust shroud witch bounces it back into the blade and that's when things get ugly. The reason I say this is every time it has happened to me it knocked of my dust shroud until it just broke off the tabs could be wrong just my experience
Julian Tracy
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Zero clearance coverage on a miter saw simply just for safe operation - no way! I could see if it was because of tear out avoidance or use with < 1/2" moldings, but for general operation, shouldn't be necessary.
Through the years, I've used 4 different Dewalt 12" saws, a Bosch 12" compound, the new Bosch glide 12", a Bosch 10" cordless and probably a few more. Only on rare occasion have I had an off-cut get thrown with any force, and never to the point of causing any damage to the saw.
I've always lusted after the Kapex, but in no way would I think it's worth near $1000 more than my Bosch Glide. And, I'll add that my Bosch Glide saw when hooked up to a vac seeems to get near 90% of the dust. It's efficient enough, that even when not used with the vacuum, it'll load up the vac hose with a bunch of sawdust passively.
I could see having it, being aware of the fact that it might do that and taking precautions; but all that is useless the minute someone else makes a cut on it. Pretty silly to have to warn someone that they have to be extra careful when using a $1400+ mitersaw.
JT
Through the years, I've used 4 different Dewalt 12" saws, a Bosch 12" compound, the new Bosch glide 12", a Bosch 10" cordless and probably a few more. Only on rare occasion have I had an off-cut get thrown with any force, and never to the point of causing any damage to the saw.
I've always lusted after the Kapex, but in no way would I think it's worth near $1000 more than my Bosch Glide. And, I'll add that my Bosch Glide saw when hooked up to a vac seeems to get near 90% of the dust. It's efficient enough, that even when not used with the vacuum, it'll load up the vac hose with a bunch of sawdust passively.
I could see having it, being aware of the fact that it might do that and taking precautions; but all that is useless the minute someone else makes a cut on it. Pretty silly to have to warn someone that they have to be extra careful when using a $1400+ mitersaw.
JT
So if it's a adjustment issue then I would say it's on Festool to repair the unit free of charge not make him return the saw. It sounds like a known issue so the would be no reason to place blame in op. Might have been better PR to handle this privately on festools part rather than see this come out in public.
