Kapex Saw Stache - Best Attachment Method?

[Bugsysiegals]

I bought the 4" Saw Stache for the Kapex but don't seem to find a consensus on which mounting location seems to catch the most dust.  Have any of you tried more than one of these and which do you find works best for you?

• punch holes into the upper piece of the Saw Stache like the OEM rubber piece ... easily switch between OEM and Saw Stache  ;D
• 3D print a new clip which mounts the OEM rubber boot and Saw Stache for easy removal ;D
• drill through the plastic clip ... need a seperate OEM boot
• drill through the OEM rubber boot and mount the Saw Stache somewhere below the clip ... need a seperate OEM boot

 

[ChuckM]

This: drill through the OEM rubber and mount the Saw Stache somewhere below the clip ... need a seperate OEM boot

The OEM boot is the default boot for the saw. It works well for most routine cuts.

I switch it to the SawStache boot when I need to trap fine dust such as when making trench/dado cuts, bevel cuts, etc., or making a ton of repetitive cuts.

 

[edwarmr]

Wouldn't the 2" saw stache be enough?

 

[ChuckM]

Have had no experience with the 2".

The 4" one works very well. Mine is also a wrap-around, not just a flat SawStach as seen in the above video.

 

[edwarmr]

Do you have pictures of yours? I'm going to be putting one on mine and I'm debating what to do. Thanks!

 

[ChuckM]

My pictures are given in Reply #1 already.

 

[edwarmr]

My pictures are given in Reply #1 already.

Thanks!
I can't believe I didn't notice that [poke]

 

[edwarmr]

[member=57948]ChuckM[/member]

Does the saw stache hit the fence a lot when making cuts or is it similar to just the OEM boot? I know the upper fences need to be pulled away from the blade a bit for the OEM boot not to catch. I ask because I plan on just leaving the saw stache on the whole time. Thanks!

 

[ChuckM]

As I pointed out, I bent the sides around so the sawstach boot is close to the OEM  boot in shape unlike the wider piece shown in the video. With the aux. open a bit wider, the boot stache shouldn't catch the fence much. The whiskers are soft and it wouldn't be a problem even if they touch the fence on their way in or out during the cuts.

 

[edwarmr]

Thanks Chuck! The bristles were what I was wondering about. Good to know they are soft and don’t really affect the cut even if they hit the fence.

 

[ChuckM]

You're welcome.

 

[Bugsysiegals]

As I pointed out, I bent the sides around so the sawstach boot is close to the OEM  boot in shape unlike the wider piece shown in the video. With the aux. open a bit wider, the boot stache shouldn't catch the fence much. The whiskers are soft and it wouldn't be a problem even if they touch the fence on their way in or out during the cuts.

I don’t have a zero clearance fence yet and wonder how that impacts the stache?  I’ve a 36mm hose arriving tomorrow and I’m curious how much that might improve dust collection alone and hopefully with the stache even better. 

 

[pettyconstruction]

I had tried to use just the stach but it didn’t work as well as the original boot.
To do that,I placed a piece of wood and used clamps to get the shape.
Next was back to the original boot,works but I always felt it should be better.
Then I read a post here about attaching it to the boot.
I used self tapping metal screws.
Works well.
Good luck,Charlie

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

[ChuckM]

[quote
I don’t have a zero clearance fence yet and wonder how that impacts the stache?  I’ve a 36mm hose arriving tomorrow and I’m curious how much that might improve dust collection alone and hopefully with the stache even better.
[/quote]

A ZCF will affect the dust collection negatively whether the OEM boot or the sawstach is used.

 

[Bugsysiegals]

I believe I’ve better dust collection when the fences are opened and the boot doesn’t bend but even with the shorter 36mm hose, fences opened, cutting slowly with the saw fully extended and down, then sliding forward slowly, I still get a good amount of dust so I’m not sure how some people have been able to use the saw inside somebody’s home with minimal dust.

I’ll try to install the saw stache today and see how that helps ...

 

[ChuckM]

You're right about the limit of dust extraction with the Kapex. If I were to use the Kapex in the house, I'd use it with a saw hood (e.g. the Fastcap chopsaw saw hood) as well. BUT, you can't find a miter saw with better dust collection in the market. To see how good the Kapex's dust extraction really is: make a few cuts with the dust extraction on (36mm hose), and note the dust that is not collected. Clean the set-up and repeat the cuts, this time without the dust extraction. It's day and night. If you have other brands of miter saws, do the same test.

The images show a dado cut I made (with the sawstache boot in place), and the amount of dust that was not collected. The OEM dust boot wouldn't have performed that well. The sawstache kept the fine dust from shooting and flying everywhere.

 

[Bugsysiegals]

You're right about the limit of dust extraction with the Kapex. If I were to use the Kapex in the house, I'd use it with a saw hood (e.g. the Fastcap chopsaw saw hood) as well. BUT, you can't find a miter saw with better dust collection in the market. To see how good the Kapex's dust extraction really is: make a few cuts with the dust extraction on (36mm hose), and note the dust that is not collected. Clean the set-up and repeat the cuts, this time without the dust extraction. It's day and night. If you have other brands of miter saws, do the same test.

The images show a dado cut I made (with the sawstache boot in place), and the amount of dust that was not collected. The OEM dust boot wouldn't have performed that well. The sawstache kept the fine dust from shooting and flying everywhere.

Thanks [member=57948]ChuckM[/member]! 

The Saw Stache is installed ... I was getting a coating of dust on the protractor tool in the back but now it's just some random chips which is a vast improvement!  As I build my miter station I'll enclose the back to further reduce dust from spreading all over everything else and more importantly from getting on the floor where somebody could slip and fall. 

I'm not sure whether it matters but I left my Saw Stache a little longer (up to the plastic piece which goes up into the blade guard).
I now pull the saw forward, pull the stache forward if it got hung up on the wood, lower the blade, let it forward, align the laser, and cut ... works great!!

FWIW - I did lose 2 different pockets of bristles on the back Left corner ... I think I overheated the area and then the rubber stretched to far when I bent it ... the bristles also started curling there and fire alarm went off as I smelled a slight burning! LOL
That said, be careful not to overheat or bend to far past the shape of the "U" like I did ... I bent it 180 degrees and clamped with a quick clamp to ensure a good solid corner but would have rather not have lost some bristles than have a sharp corner....

View attachment 1 View attachment 2

 

[ChuckM]

Snip. and fire alarm went off as I smelled a slight burning! LOL
That said, be careful not to overheat or bend to far past the shape of the "U" like I did ... I bent it 180 degrees and clamped with a quick clamp to ensure a good solid corner but would have rather not have lost some bristles than have a sharp corner....

Did prove your sensor was working! [big grin]

It was clever to heat it up for the bending...if one day I need to make another one, I'd do that.

Your saw still has the factory insert. I haven't looked into it, but I wonder if a zero clearance insert (not fence) will have any positive effect on the dust collection.