Kapex Refurbishment Issues - Lasers and Dust Collection

[mculik5]

I am refurbishing an old Kapex. I finally got to try my new Forrest 80T blade this afternoon. It cuts beautifully, but there are two issues:

1. The lasers - The laser sticker has not been pierced, which likely means the lasers haven't been messed with. Weirdly, at the top of the stroke, the lasers appear to be shifted to the right by a blade width, meaning the left side laser lines up perfectly with the right side of the blade, and the right laser is off the blade onto the workpiece to the right. Then, as you bring the saw down, the lasers seem to move to the left the lower the saw goes (they remain parallel to each other and the blade; they just slide to the left) such that when the blade is on the wood, they look pretty close.

Does this sound like an adjustment issue or something else? I'm surprised they are so far off if they haven't been messed with, and also surprised about the moving as I lower the saw.

2. Dust collection - The part that I'm calling the back blade guard, which is the black, spring-loaded plastic piece by the dust boot seems to be blocking the dust port, such that when I make a cut, the blade pushes the sawdust against this part and then it bounces all over the saw and my work surface. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find any YouTube videos showing how this part is supposed to move.

Can someone enlighten me about what this part does and how it's supposed to move? My part is currently broken (going to order another from Festool), so I'm wondering if it's not doing what it's supposed to, hence the poor dust collection.

Thanks!

 

[tjbnwi]

Before adjusting the lasers remove the lens and clean it.

There is a redundant spring on the lest side that raises the shroud. Make sure it is in the slot it belongs in. I’d suggest going to a local seller and study how it works.

Tom

 

[Birdhunter]

Have you read the Kapex Supplemental Manual. It has a good guide on laser adjustment. Adjustments are tedious at best. It is just an overall well written manual.

I have experienced blockages, but they have all been due to small cutoffs obstructing the air passages. One of these blockages was devilishly hard to find.

I have a dedicated vac for my Kapex that connects through a short fat hose. The short fat hose improved the dust collection over the long skinny Festool hose. Not perfect, but darn good.