Kapex Qustions

[Birdhunter]

I on the verge of buying a Kapex. I played with one at my local woodworking shop and was very impressed.

Theirs had the large hose attached.

My vac is a CT MIDI with the small hose.

Will my vac/hose combination work with the Kapex or do I have to buy a larger vac?

Also, their Kapex was on a roller stand. Looked like a better solution for my limited space than the Kapex MFT. Any reason to not go with the roller stand?

My main attraction for the Kapex is doing accurate miters (45 degree and 22.5 degree) for small projects. Does the Kapex do really accurate miters?

 

[ccarrolladams]

Yes, Indeed, once your new Kapex is calibrated, and it might be so right out of the carton, it does extremely accurate miters and bevels.

I have owned a Kapex since that midnight when dealers could begin selling them in the USA. Currently I own a total of six Kapex. I also own a very large CNC Felder slider table saw, which many consider ideal for making furniture-quality cross cuts in hard wood. The cabinet maker who created the majority of the face-frames, doors and drawer fronts in my shop has also owned a Kapex a long time. Together we find for the precise cross cuts and miters needed in our custom cabinet production, the Kapex is every bit as accurate, provides the same quality of cut and generally is faster than using the big slider saw in cross-cut mode.

Over 60 plus years I have owned most popular brands of radial arm pull-over and sliding compound miter saws. Good luck finding any as accurate as a Kapex.

To be sure, dust collection from a Kapex is much improved by using as short a 36mm hose as possible. I certainly do not recommend using any 27mm hose, especially the special version supplied with the mini and midi CT. Those have a right angle vac connector built in. Trust me, there will be clogs near that fitting.

The good news is you can disconnect the factory supplied 27mm hose and then connect a standard 36mm hose by bringing it down from the top. For use with a Kapex, this is the ideal way to use a hose. The downside is with the 36mm hose connected, you will not be able to place Systainers on top of your vac.

The Festool folding cart for the Kapex is the "UG" stand. Those can be very handy in a shop where space is limited. My own commercial shop is very large, so two of the Kapex are bolted to long benches along the east and west walls. Two other Kapex are on rolling benches we built so the in and out feed is the same height as a standard MFT/3, 900mm from the floor. We have several rolling tables that same height.

 

[skids]

Just bought one myself, and have a Midi. I love this saw and love this combination. But like CCadams mentioned the 36mm is better for dust collection but the 27mm will probably still blow your mind when you first try it.

AS far as the stand, if you don't have a stand and plan on being mobile, the UG (on with the wheels) is a decent choice, but the Kapex wings that compliment that stand aren't wide enough to me. I am building my own wings almost done actually, and I am super happy with them. Baltic Birch banded in Walnut I had laying around-yeah I got carried away. Made them about 10 inches deep and 60 inches wide and retrofit them onto my existing (Ryobi) stand. Will post pics once I get it done. Options are endless here..

The saw has made me better, made me think differently about my approach. I couldn't imagine using anything else at this point. I was hesitant to spend this much on a saw being a DIYr, but like many have said once you get over the price you never think about it again. I am finding this is true, it's a great saw. I can't speak for reliability and longevity and durability yet being so early. But if it's like all my other Festool tools, it can take some work being thrown at it.

You will most likely love the Kapex

 

[MrToolJunkie]

The Kapex is an amazingly accurate saw for any angle cut and bevels too.  I have the MFT Kapex and the UG extension wings and love that set up.  My thinking is that I can fold the MFT down when not in use and it saves space.  On the UG stand the Kapex typically stays attached and so it has a little bigger footprint.  I work in a shop and do not need the mobility of the cart so the MFT worked better for me.  I also use the MFT Kapex for other tasks too -- its smaller size than the regular MFT is really handy for a lot of things other than acting as a stand for the Kapex.  Your needs might be different and I think that either choice is a good one.  I think you will like the 36mm hose better for dust collection.

Scot