Kapex Warning

[johnsonri]

Ridgid MS1065LZ (notice additional warning on blade guard!)...

Funny you should post the Rigid. That is the saw that my Kapex replaced....talk about a step up!!

So, it seems that I am not alone with my hands in the 'no hands' zone. I try not to have my hands much closer to the blade than that sign though.

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

I got cut for the first time this year.
I was cutting a bunch of crown returns
My hand came up into the bottom of the blade on my bosch.
My left hand was worthless for about a month.

The saftey features on the Kapex are the best I have seen/used on this type of saw.
Head comes up nice and quick, blade guard drops down fast, electric brake is great.

Like mentioned earlier, laser on hand=bad.

 

[robtonya]

I have had my hands there, and one day I was trying to cut a part that was way too small, and should of chose a safer method, but I was in a rush. The part caught on the blade bounced off the fence and hit my thumb with so much force that it split it my thumb open. That was the first time and only time I actually thought I might of lost a digit!  There is a real hazard, but I 'm not the one who would of brought a lawsuit.

 

[Rick Christopherson]

To the best of my knowledge, the existence and position of the No-Hands symbol is a UL requirement, which is why you see them on all saws now. I had my Kapex for over a year before I realized they were there, and even then, only after the lawyers pointed out that they needed to be mentioned in the manual (also a UL requirement). Yes, believe it or not, even manuals have to follow UL standards.

 

[johnsonri]

Thanks for the feedback on the Kapex. Of all my tools, it's the tool that visitors to my shop tend to gravitate to immediately.

 

[James Watriss]

I think it's worth revisiting that issue once in a while in my own shop. There are always opportunities for close calls. And on the miter saw, I have had weird things happen. It's not the norm, but they do.

I'm in the minority, I know... there are a lot of 'professional' guys who would call em a wimp.

Than again, I've actually met a few 'professional' guys who don't think you're a real woodworker if you haven't lost even a little bit of a digit. After 3 years of working woodworking retail, I saw a lot of fractional digits.

I do think it's worth trying to find a better way to handle small stock. But once in a while, I'll still just go for it. But when I can, I'll make sure the small piece is the cut-off, and not the piece I'm holding onto.

 

[richard.selwyn]

This discussion interests me as my Kapex recently seems to throw off pieces quite often.  I sometimes keep the blade down and switch of and then move the blade up in order to try to avoid the problem.  I find the problem greatest with hardwood trim pieces and wonder if I am doing something wrong?  I know that when I have long trim pieces that are not 100% straight this is a problem, but with short pieces I wonder if it is becuase I cannot clamp them down solidly.  When a small piece of oak flies across the shop it is quite scary.  What do others do to hold pieces firm without putting their hands in the "no hand zone"?

I have to cut some oak stock I have machined into 50 small pieces (about 2cm wide each) and am wondering if anyone has a better idea than the kapex.  On the table saw small pieces are affected by the overhead dust collection port (which I don't really want to remove, but could - sometimes they can get sucked into to blade), but on the Kapex they can sometimes go flying!

 

[Dan Clark]

Richard,

This may be caused by an overly wide gap in the table insert.  You might try making a zero clearance insert like the one in shown on page 23 of Rick's manual: http://www.festoolusa.com/media/pdf/kapex-ks120-supplemental-manual.pdf.

Regards,

Dan.

 

[Kevin Stricker]

If you take the second to allow your extractor to get to full speed and check your lasers for fingers, then leave the blade down for the second to stop the saw the Kapex is a much safer tool.  It also makes your extraction better and your cuts cleaner.  We all have a few extra seconds for better extraction and cleaner cuts don't we?  Not to mention keeping our digits.

My only close call with a SCMS was gang cutting a bunch of 1/2"x2" oak into small 2" squares with a fixed stop.  I was cutting the last piece,  the oak was vertical against the fence and started to plunge before the saw was up to speed.  Don't really know what happened except I ended up with a mangled piece of oak and a big blood blister on the back of my ring finger.  I do remember the saw pulling my hand towards it as the piece came out of my hand. 

I still put my hands into the no cut zone daily, there is really no other way to keep small stock from shifting as the blade contacts the wood.  But the extra second to let my extractor get running gives the time for a double check.  Holding the saw down until the blade stops takes an extra second too, but is a no brainer if you want clean cuts, and keeps cut-off slinging to a minimum.

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

Original post and quote edited to correct the extra period (.) in the link.