Kapex KS120 Adjustment

[timbly]

Hi
I just got my new shiny Kapex and on arrival it was well out of square. I've followed the 4 cut method for calculating the error as described in the supplemental manual and with some effort have managed to get it down to an error figure of 0.054mm or 0.002". My question is basically is this error figure acceptable or do i need to keep going?? The manual doesn't outline what is an acceptable/achievable level of tolerance.
The bevel seems OK to the square but I haven't checked it with the 4 cut method yet - I'm hoping it's OK as the method for bevel adjustment looks very hit and miss..!
many thanks for a great forum.
Tim

 

[Kev]

Ultimately what is acceptable comes down to you and your work.

Mine was perfect out of the box relative to my ability to measure an error, plus my dealer is a stones throw away and he just told me to bring it in for adjustmentif it ever goes out  - so I'm "hands free" and probably a bt lazy in this respect.

If you have any concerns over accuracy, I wouldn't hesitate calling Festool service - they seem to be all over this sort of thing and the KAPEX is a Festool flagship ... no way they'll let you be less than 100% happy with it!

 

[Ken Nagrod]

Hi
I just got my new shiny Kapex and on arrival it was well out of square. I've followed the 4 cut method for calculating the error as described in the supplemental manual and with some effort have managed to get it down to an error figure of 0.054mm or 0.002". My question is basically is this error figure acceptable or do i need to keep going?? The manual doesn't outline what is an acceptable/achievable level of tolerance.
The bevel seems OK to the square but I haven't checked it with the 4 cut method yet - I'm hoping it's OK as the method for bevel adjustment looks very hit and miss..!
many thanks for a great forum.
Tim

That's excellent!

 

[timbly]

Thanks for the replies.
I think I'll leave it - I can't see any error with an engineering square!
The mitres still need adjusting which involves sliding the scale in or out without moving it laterally - wish me luck!
Tim

 

[agehall]

Decided to give my Kapex a checkup before the summer. Turns out it was off by 0.002degrees, so I decided it was fine as is.

Did tweak the lasers a bit though, so that they are just on the outside of the cut on both sides. The one on the left side was off by a good mm or two.

 

[Stone Message]

Hi Tim

My Kapex 120 was perfect out of the box but I caught the bevel arm with a BIG lump of wood and it went out of square. I tried the 4 cut method and got it close - if you download the US supplemental manual you will find out what is an acceptable error. I found that this was not good enough for my fine box making and so I persevered and now it is absolutely spot on (until I hit it again!).

Peter

 

[cgmojoco]

Is this an acceptable amount?

-0.0587 is the calc error returned by the supplemental Built-in Electronic Calculator (I took my measurements in inches assuming the calc error is in inches too).

Rick mentioned in his manual that acceptable tolerance is:
"The factory calibration threshold is ±0.16°, but this calibration procedure is capable of measuring errors as low as ±0.001°, which is nearly impossible to obtain in actual practice."

Assuming his manual's err calc is in degress (it has sin in it so it must be right) I think I'm outside of those factory tolerances.

Anyhoot, I'm pretty sure the bevel is off too a bit.

This was after being shipped back from the factory (a year or so again and since has seen very little work) from a defective fence.  Its been sitting in my shop since (no site work) and I've built a few garden things with it that aren't very susceptible to errors in a miter saw cut.

I'm not a heavy miter saw for fine work yet so I'm not surprised this has gone on this long without me bothering to get out the manual and do a deep dive...

Christopher

 

[Stone Message]

Hi Christopher,

I think that it is within the average person's ability to make the adjustments. I have managed and I found (following Rick Christopherson's excellent US SM) it is easy to get the saw better than the factory tolerance.

Peter

 

[Rick Christopherson]

Is this an acceptable amount?

-0.0587 is the calc error returned by the supplemental Built-in Electronic Calculator (I took my measurements in inches assuming the calc error is in inches too).

That's a pretty good setting. I wouldn't mess with it. You are down in the range where simply changing your hand position or movement is enough to affect the angle.

 

[fazmanicg]

I'm wondering if i am the only one having an issue with the Calculator in the Supplemental Manual.  I punch in the numbers and hit Calc Error, but nothing happens, no matter what numbers I put in. -- Is there a specific PDF reader I need for this?  I am on a Mac running OSX Yosemite. -- Took advantage of the 10% off sale and grabbed me a Kapex and CT Mini. -- I started a post a little while ago about being addicted ... http://festoolownersgroup.com/other-tools-accessories/totally-addicted/msg366295/#msg366295  Since that post, besides today's purchase, I also picked up a Rotex RO 90 DX Multi-Mode Sander.

Thanks Folks!

 

[Rick Christopherson]

I don't know whether your problem is due to an Acrobat version or not. They keep stripping features out of Acrobat for each new version. Don't open it in a browser-based window. Open it in a native Acrobat program. When downloading the file, save it locally and then open it with Acrobat.

Also, check your Acrobat security settings. They may be set to block running scripts in PDFs.

 

[Stoli]

Rick,
Do you know if the computations work inside the mac's default pdf reader, Preview?  That may be the problem here.

 

[fazmanicg]

They do not work in Preview, or PDFopen Pro. -- I think I may have get Acrobat for this.

 

[Birdhunter]

I cut a 11.5" board with mine yesterday and, according to my Woodpecker square, I got a perfect 90 degree cut. I've checked 45 degree cuts and they seem to be perfect.

Other than cutting a thick board, how do you check the bevel?

 

[peter halle]

The pdf viewer portion of Safari as well as iBooks is doing strange things with pdf's.  Take Rick's advice and open with Adobe native software.

Peter

 

[fazmanicg]

Yep!  -- Put the PDF on a computer with Acrobat and it worked as advertised. -- Thanks All!

 

[Mbconstructionjoinery]

Just my kapex week think I'll check it for trueness at the weekend