Kapex Zero Clearance Plate?

[darita]

Does anyone here use a zero clearance plate under the blade?  As I was pulling out all the thin slices out from the well below wide plastic plate, I was wondering if a zero clearance plate might help.  It might also help with any fuzzies on the bottom side of the cut. 

 

[Shane Holland]

Definitely helps a lot. We sell the Betterley zero clearance for the Kapex. An inexpensive worthwhile upgrade in my opinion.

 

[copcarcollector]

Many folks do yes. Some people make their own, I have the Betterly as advertised by Shane, Fast Cap also makes a quick to change tape:
https://www.fastcap.com/product/zero-clearance-tape

 

[kevinculle]

My Kapex has the Betterley plate but I use the FastCap yellow adhesive strips on it as much cheaper to redo that replacing the Betterly after making bevel cuts.

 

[Kab]

I use the zero clearance set up made by Jack Colliflower,http://www.colliflower-zci.com/all-products/cesxelcmpbnx4u1xrej2t5gqlbd5jb.  I also use the zero clearance plate for my sawstop table saw.

 

[Cheese]

Colliflower plate & inserts.
http://www.colliflower-zci.com/all-products/cesxelcmpbnx4u1xrej2t5gqlbd5jb

 

[CADru]

Colliflower brand insert for the Kapex is is my go-to

 

[ear3]

I had the Betterley, but have switched over to making my own so that I can get the insert exactly level with the saw bed.  If you're cutting small pieces, even tiny differences in the height of the insert vis a vis the rest of the bed can have an affect on the cut.

 

[waho6o9]

Shop made ZCI works well.

View attachment 1

 

[Birdhunter]

I use the Betterly plate. If I’m doing bevels, I put the stock plate back in.

 

[Mario Turcot]

[member=37411]ear3[/member] [member=418]darita[/member]

I had the Betterley, but have switched over to making my own so that I can get the insert exactly level with the saw bed.  If you're cutting small pieces, even tiny differences in the height of the insert vis a vis the rest of the bed can have an affect on the cut.

That ^^^

The reason I have the Kapex is for it's accuracy. To not lose accuracy, the zero clearance plate have to be exactly at the same planar then the saw bed. This is more obvious on small parts. I would use the fastcap tape for long boards only. I don't know about the Betterly and Coliflower, i guess they have an adjustment like table saw inserts. Are they made of composite? Can they warp due to weather changes?

 

[kevinculle]

A 1/64" (0.4mm) pass on the jointer on the bottom of the Betterly insert leaves the Fastcap tape net flush to the Kapex table, or at least within the tolerance that Festool manufactures the table surfaces. The Fastcap tape does need to be trimmed to width and length which is easily done with a sharp Exacto knife.  The thing I likle best about the FastCap tape is the bright yellow safety zone reminder that it provides.

 

[lunchman]

Thanks for the pointer to the FastCap tape, for $5 for a pack of five you can't go wrong. It's not a Kapex, but the color match is perfect for my DeWalt saw. 

 

[Michael Kellough]

Not sure about the Kapex but since most miter saw tables sit a little below the surface of the stationary base/support table shouldn’t the zero clearance insert be a little higher to match the height of the support table? That’s the way I’ve always set up my ZC inserts and I haven’t discovered a problem with that yet.

 

[semenza]

Decided to give the Colliflower  a try. Only made the initial cut so far, but the result of the zero clearance was good. It will get some testing out over the next couple weeks.

Fit, finish, and install was good. And the insert (replaceable portion) is really a tight fit in the grooves.

Seth