Kapex laser light brightness problem

[JillB]

Hi there, I have a new Festool Kapex KS120 sliding compound mitre saw that I have used for about 10 minutes.

The left hand laser line on my work is very much lower in brightness than the right hand laser light. I have removed and cleaned the dust lens, and though there was dust on the lens, it made no difference. I even ran the laser lights without the dust cover - same result!

Can anyone please advise how I can fix this?  The LH laser line is difficult to see

regards,
Jill

 

[jmbfestool]

If you only used the kapex for 10 mins  dust wouldnt not of caused any problems to the lasers what so ever.    I have used my kapex for many many many many many many hours and the lasers are still bright.

It sounds like a manufacture fault which does happen  even with festool  so I would get it sorted by festool straight away.

I think most people would agree here.

JMB

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

Jill, I would strongly agree with the recommendation to contact Festool Australia.  They are in the best position to diagnose the problem and take whatever correction action is necessary.

 

[ccmviking]

Jill,

These things don't seem to be adjusted very well right out of the box.  That's ok, because it's such a simple thing to do anyway.  What I've noticed that causes the line to diminish is if the laser is hitting the top of the blade too much.  There is an adjustment to bring the laser in and out from the blade as well as to tilt it from the top to the bottom and front to rear.  The adjustments circled in the picture are what tilt it top to bottom.  What this adjustment allows you to do is to make sure the laser is parallel to the blade so the position of the laser doesn't change as you lower the head.  Again from what i've seen in my experiences I'm certain this is your issue.

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

I don't think there is a problem at all, I bet the left laser is getting partially blocked by the arbor or slip clutch.

Adjust the lasers, and see if you can make it better, I bet you can.

 

[jmbfestool]

The laser should come pretty good out of the box really. I must admit my right one is slightly out when I first bought it but for the laser to be out so much so that it hits the blade isn't very good. Festool place the sticker over them holes why do that if your supposed to break the seal soon as you get the kapex out of the box why seal the holes.

I do agree though that the laser could be hitting the blade causing it to be less bright. I just never had that problem so didnt think of it sorry.

JMB

 

[tbellemare]

I got mine pre-release and it was spot on right out of the box. They are meant to be user adjustable though.

Tom

 

[Rick Christopherson]

Hi Jill,
As was suggested, it is likely that the laser is being diminished by the blade. It is a narrow margin between having the laser come down dead-parallel, but not hitting the blade too much. In reality, you actually want the two beams to come down in a very slight V-shape to keep them away from the body of the blade. However, you don't want this V-shape to very significant, as it will cause the laser lines to be closer together when the saw is raised. Some users like to have the laser line fall centered over the edge of the cut. However, you can't do this if the laser is perfectly parallel to the blade.

The Supplemental Manual explains how to adjust the laser.

 

[Neill]

JMB,

I agree with Tom.  My laser was perfect upon delivery and because I do not move it around it has remained so.

I have also constantly checked the blade alignment using Rick Christopherson's method as well as a Wixey angle gauge and it also has remained in perfect alignment.

Neill

 

[jmbfestool]

JMB,

I agree with Tom.  My laser was perfect upon delivery and because I do not move it around it has remained so.

I have also constantly checked the blade alignment using Rick Christopherson's method as well as a Wixey angle gauge and it also has remained in perfect alignment.

Neill

??  I didn't disagree

 

[Neill]

JMB,

I agree with Tom.  My laser was perfect upon delivery and because I do not move it around it has remained so.

I have also constantly checked the blade alignment using Rick Christopherson's method as well as a Wixey angle gauge and it also has remained in perfect alignment.

Neill

??  I didn't disagree

JMB,

Sorry.  My mistake.  I looked at JillB really quickly and well...  Must be my 63 going on 64 year old eyes.

Neill

 

[Jesse Cloud]

Jill,
If you haven't tried the advice above about adjusting the lasers, please do so!

I had exactly the same problem you have - left laser very faint.  I didn't bother me enough to call service right away - I was going to get around to it once I finished this project.  But reading this thread made me curious.

Sure enough, five minutes of fiddling brought the laser into perfect glory!

Now that I sit back and think about it, I guess this should be a routine activity.  If you change blades and the kerf is different, the laser will want adjusting. 

Thanks Rick for the excellent Kapex supplemental manual.