I am new to the forum but not to festool; by way of intro [so you all don't think that i am a troll!], i have slowly converted my whole home shop to festool including a domino, router, sander, plunge cut saw, planer and the kapex. I don't make sawdust for a living but rather as a hobby of necessity. all was well until yesterday when i went to use the kapex and found that it did nothing; no laser, no power at all, just silence. of course, i checked the breaker, outlet and cord and all seemed fine. next, i made sure that the blade lock knob was in the locked position. called festool and they were nice as could be but said that it has to go in for repair. brought it to the local dealer who, when i first called about dropping it off, did not know what a kapex was...long and the short of it is that while it is still under warranty, i have to pay for shipping to festool because it is over a year old. not a problem w/ a router or drill but a large expense on a kapex. has anyone else had this no power issue w/ a kapex? anybody else have an issue w/ the shipping cost for warranty work?
Kapex problem
- Thread starter termite
- Start date
termite,
If you have it plugged into a Festool dust collector and you have the switch set to "On" or "Off", the plugged tool will not power up. It will only work in the "Auto" mode. Not sure about Fein.
Of course, if you don't use a tool activated dust collector, this will not be the issue.
Neill
If you have it plugged into a Festool dust collector and you have the switch set to "On" or "Off", the plugged tool will not power up. It will only work in the "Auto" mode. Not sure about Fein.
Of course, if you don't use a tool activated dust collector, this will not be the issue.
Neill
Termite,
Neill makes a good point. If you have it hooked to a Festool dust collector it could be the problem. Try it plugged directly to an outlet. I found that my CT22 power ouitlet (even on automatic) was the problem as its prongs were not tight. Mentioned this to the Festool rep at a demo and he provided a replacement plug at no charge which fixed the problem.
Russ
Neill makes a good point. If you have it hooked to a Festool dust collector it could be the problem. Try it plugged directly to an outlet. I found that my CT22 power ouitlet (even on automatic) was the problem as its prongs were not tight. Mentioned this to the Festool rep at a demo and he provided a replacement plug at no charge which fixed the problem.
Russ
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The cord is permanently attached.
Tom
Tom
Richard Leon said:
Richard,
To shortcut the response, the Kapex does not use the plug-it cord. I would assume this is because you would not want it to become unplugged in the middle of a cut. I have a Makita 18v cordless SCMS that I use on occasion. The battery will die in the middle of a cut. Not only is it dangerous but it generally ruins the workpiece.
I think many of us that use one of Festool's TS saws have experienced the plug coming loose in the middle of a cut either from the outlet or the tool. Not a fun experience.
Neill
Have you checked the fast fix knob to make sure that it isn't locked?
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It strikes me as odd that you would lose everything (including the laser) suddenly, so this may be a simple repair. If it was just the motor or just the laser, or had been acting up before total loss, then I would be more inclined to think it was the electronics module itself. There is no internal fuse that can be replaced.
If something had caught on the cable between the frame of the saw and the motor head, it is easily conceivable that this could have pulled one of the spade lugs from the control board. Inspecting this is easy, and because removing this cover is also required to replace the motor brushes (a wear item) it probably won't void your warranty, but you should give the Service Department a call first to confirm this.
[attachimg=#]
If something had caught on the cable between the frame of the saw and the motor head, it is easily conceivable that this could have pulled one of the spade lugs from the control board. Inspecting this is easy, and because removing this cover is also required to replace the motor brushes (a wear item) it probably won't void your warranty, but you should give the Service Department a call first to confirm this.
- Make sure the saw is unplugged, and check it twice.
- Remove the 5 screws that secure the upper motor cover and lift it straight up.
- Inspect the two main power lugs on the control board (see image below)
- If you need to lift the control board out, it simply slides up, but pay close attention to any wires that are too short to lift it very far. (The control board is slightly raised in the image below) The wire indicated below is the shortest, and will come unplugged from the motor, so make sure you check this before putting it back together.
- Before replacing the motor cover, inspect all wires for proper routing. Make sure none will become pinched when the cover is screwed down.
[attachimg=#]
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Peter Halle said:
The FastFix dial will not disable the laser, only the motor.
"If something had caught on the cable between the frame of the saw and the motor head, it is easily conceivable that this could have pulled one of the spade lugs from the control board. Inspecting this is easy, and because removing this cover is also required to replace the motor brushes (a wear item) it probably won't void your warranty, but you should give the Service Department a call first to confirm this."
i am sure that this is possible, had the saw failed while i was using it. unfortunately, i used it monday while building a set of bookcases and it worked great. came down tuesday morning to finish up and it was dead...that's why i decided to send it in...not wishing bad mojo on anyone but i was just hoping that someone else had experienced this and had a ready answer. thanks for all of the replies...will have to eat the shipping charge to festool but it still irritates me given the cost of the saw and how little use it has had...
i am sure that this is possible, had the saw failed while i was using it. unfortunately, i used it monday while building a set of bookcases and it worked great. came down tuesday morning to finish up and it was dead...that's why i decided to send it in...not wishing bad mojo on anyone but i was just hoping that someone else had experienced this and had a ready answer. thanks for all of the replies...will have to eat the shipping charge to festool but it still irritates me given the cost of the saw and how little use it has had...
WarnerConstCo.
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At least they have a good warranty and you don't have to make 30 phone calls to get something to happen.
Did you try smacking it with a hammer? [big grin]
Did you try smacking it with a hammer? [big grin]
nickao
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I am starting not to understand the rules of the forum regarding safety.
Are we actually allowed to open up the tool and mess around inside and it still be under warranty, let alone be safe?
I have seen things safer then messing with the insides of a tool taken off the forum for safety issues, just wondering. I swear I read somewhere that only qualified people should open the tools and that is not a regular customer or generally a person reading the forum.
I open my tools and fix them, but it seems that taking a tool apart and messing about with the electronics or even cleaning the inside is a huge safety issue. I think Festool would be more apprehensive about someone telling us how to fix our own Festools than someone showing us the actual use of the tools.
Just to be clear, I find nothing wrong with the posts here, it just seems Festool may.
Are we actually allowed to open up the tool and mess around inside and it still be under warranty, let alone be safe?
I have seen things safer then messing with the insides of a tool taken off the forum for safety issues, just wondering. I swear I read somewhere that only qualified people should open the tools and that is not a regular customer or generally a person reading the forum.
I open my tools and fix them, but it seems that taking a tool apart and messing about with the electronics or even cleaning the inside is a huge safety issue. I think Festool would be more apprehensive about someone telling us how to fix our own Festools than someone showing us the actual use of the tools.
Just to be clear, I find nothing wrong with the posts here, it just seems Festool may.
Cost me $65 in shipping but I got the saw back today and it appears that the electronic module was replaced as well as [unrelated to the original failure] the updated parts for the turntable adjustment lever. It was very stiff and sort of screeched when you pivoted the saw, so I am glad that it was repaired as well. unfortunately, the small allen screw stop for the moveable fence on the right side was bent over at about 30 degrees. I called festool and they are sending another out. Happy to report that the saw was quickly repaired but not so happy that it left Festool about 3 degrees out of adjustment both horizontally when in the detent and vertically when locked at 90 degrees. I guess that I should have anticipated that it should be set up before I used it, but then I also said to myself ["self...."] that it was just fully serviced at Festool...how it could have left Festool this far out is a mystery.
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termite said:
I just confirmed with the service department that every Kapex that comes in for repair is checked for accuracy before it is shipped back. According to them, the only way it would be that far out would be if the shipper really banged it around. Sorry to hear that it was received out of adjustment.
thanks for the reply shane. I just spoke at length w/ steve in service [could not have been nicer] and it seems that it has to go back to Festool. I adjusted out the horizontal axis which was out about 2-3 degrees but things are still not right in my Festool world. When you start the cut about 7.5" out on a piece of dead flat 4/4 red oak, the blade is adjusted absolutely vertical or at right angle to the table. By the time you finish the cut, it is now at 91-92 degrees. It appears that the saw is twisting slightly as you make the cut; by the time you get to the end of the cut there is a good 1/64" of daylight when you put the square up to the wood. I crosscut the same piece of oak on my Inca table saw w/ a forrest woodworker II on it and there is no deviation from 90 across the entire cut...total pain in the butt on a saw that can't have 10 hours of total use on it.
WarnerConstCo.
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Sounds like the shipping company dropped it or threw it.
Out of curiosity, who would pay for the replacement of the saw if it can't really be fixed or for the fixing of it?
Was it packed well to and from?
Out of curiosity, who would pay for the replacement of the saw if it can't really be fixed or for the fixing of it?
Was it packed well to and from?
"Out of curiosity, who would pay for the replacement of the saw if it can't really be fixed or for the fixing of it?
Was it packed well to and from?"
i brought the saw back to the dealer where i bought it. they took a new saw out of a box and used that festool box to ship it back to festool. i suppose that i should have suspected something as soon as i noticed the bent fence stop screw.... [huh]
Was it packed well to and from?"
i brought the saw back to the dealer where i bought it. they took a new saw out of a box and used that festool box to ship it back to festool. i suppose that i should have suspected something as soon as i noticed the bent fence stop screw.... [huh]
