Kapex left outboard table wonky!!!

[morogue]

I've just started cutting wider boards and have found cuts being off a few tenths of a degree...
everything checks out along the fence and with the chopper.
I then checked the tables:
the rotating table is coplanar with the right table extension, but the left table is not fully coplanar;  it curves down away from the fence.
I'm guessing that's where the problem is.
When you lay a straight edge across the three tables, it's pretty obvious, and at it's worst (nearest to the front) you can slide an xacto blade in under the straightedge. At the fence it's sorta okay, being 12 or 15 thousandths low.
So, is this a standard feature? Seems like the casting just sucks, as is evidenced by the sharp, crusty flash running around the base.
I wish I had used this tool more in the first month! Sucks to have noticed this now, months later.
if it were high, I would be able to deal with it, but low is not good. Is there anything festool can do? They're one piece, so what is there to do?

 

[peter halle]

You should give the Service Department a call tomorrow.  Their phone number is in the blue box at the top of the page.

Peter

 

[alkaline]

I'm not sure if it  will help, but recently I noticed that I KAPEX on the right side not cut at right angles. On closer inspection, I discovered that the base on the right passes by about 1 mm in the back.  After dismantling has been the problem was even more striking. in my opinion, it is a natural tension of the aluminum parts. I pulled him back and set until it has been left and right cut ok. I wish you the best.

[wink]

 

[morogue]

I think my firewall is stronger than the blue box with the phone number inside.
Could someone reply with said phone number?

 

[Brice Burrell]

I think my firewall is stronger than the blue box with the phone number inside.
Could someone reply with said phone number?

888-337-8600 Festool USA service number
One of the side effects of Peter's chemo is seeing mysterious blue boxes. [tongue] [big grin]  All joking aside, it must be a browser thing because I don't see a blue box either.  BTW, this number is on your tools as well.

I'm just having some fun (at your expense) Peter.  No hard feelings buddy.

 

 

[Cheese]

MacBook Pro...no blue box [scratch chin]

 

[morogue]

Since no one else checked their saw, I checked two other saws at dealers and they both have the same left table defect exhibited.
It would be helpful to see how many others have the same table alignment problem.
My dealer gave me sympathy and the number of the Festool rep.  The rep was less than worthless and told me to call support.

 

[TomE]

Kapex 120EB, 3/10, TNr 495822
Using aluminum Veritas 38" straight edge milled within .003

My xacto blades measure .02 or so.

Using .002 feeler
Fence OK
Platen at 0, edge tight to fence, beyond the 'finger line' on both sides of table and platen OK, between the 'finger lines' and platen .004 or so.

Outboard table (close to user, away from fence), I get .006 feeler variance but the straight edge rocks on my after market zero clearance insert, holding down the edge on one side or the other gives me the .006 (decided not to remove the insert for test)

Platen at either 45 gave roughly the same stuff at .006 and .002.

Nowhere did I get the .02 shown in OP's photo.

Checking out my DeWalt saws

DW 706- Fence, outside in, easily allowed the .006 feel toward the blade.
Platen was well below table at .006

DW 703- Fence showed no variance at .006
Platen was same as the DW 706

Sold my Makita LS 1013 and Dewalt 716XPS sometime after I got the Kapex so can't compare those models.

Not sure what all these numbers mean in terms of actual use but it does appear that my kapex is a lot tighter than my Dewalts.

Curious as well about Kapex mfg. dates and TNr numbers and when these issues popped up.

 

[morogue]

Hey, thanks for the reply.
When you send in a kapex,  do you ever get back a different saw, like a remanufacturd?

 

[peter halle]

I have never read that a remanufactured saw is sent to a customer.  Either their tool is serviced or a new one is supplied by Festool at their (Festool's) discretion. 

Peter

 

[MetalDemigod]

What I have seen, and plan to do to mine, is; attach an axillary fence, and surface plan the face while attached to the aluminum fence. That should guarantee flush in the position you surface pained it in. This may help?

 

[morogue]

Problem solved:
I'm using a properly strong and stable base: the old ridgid saw mobile base, which is a beast. There are all kinds of supports welded under the table.
I placed various washers and wood blocking under the low area on the left to support it. I then cranked down on all the other attachment points.  To stabilize and align the rotating section I used some left over 80/20 connectors  and 1/4 bolts on the spoked undercarriage of the base.
Now, everything stays aligned, as the saw swivels and as the saw travels along the slide bars. It used to flex as it slid front to back.
This should be considered by Festool to be an embarrassing amount of work to get such a costly tool to behave. I have never needed to do any such rigging to straighten AND stabilize SCMS from Ridgid and Makita. They took some "setup time", none of which involved adhoc bending and fixating their bases, just twisting a couple of screws or bolts. It seems like the whole botton end of this saw needs to be beefier and more modular and able to be aligned.
Now, after such effort, I hope I get to enjoy the saw and avoid the more scary/catastrophic problems associated with the kapex.