KS60 Comments from an owner

[kevinculle]

The real reason that high precision tools like Starrett are overkill for woodworking is in the nature of wood itself.  If you are worried about tolerances of 0.0001" over 6" you need to consider the limiting effect of wood movement as ambient humidity fluctuates.  Dialing in a setting to this degree when the piece you are machining will move 10 or 20 times that tolerance while it sits on your bench waiting for assembly is the issue!

 

[Nigel]

Exactly. Well put and far better than me...

 

[flair woodworks]

When i made a cut with a piece of wood at the left side of the fence ( so the wood piece was at the left side of the blade) it was square. Butt when i made the same cut at the right side of the square it wasn't square

This is usually an indication that the fence isn't straight.

 

[Iceclimber]

I dont know about anyone else but i expect my miter saw to cut square. At least over a short span od say 3-4".

I make lots of rail and style doors face frames so forth and so on. I process the stock on the moter saw, then move to the shaper for the cope and stick. If my miter cuts are off everything ends up off and you chase square the rest of the project.

I only mill up or bring to final dimension enough lumber that i can assemble the doors or face frames within a couple hours of putting the cope and stick on them. Point is i attempt to get a perfect fit with no gaps. If the wood moves and i have to apply more pressure with clamps than i would like so be it. The point os i do everything i can from the get go to avoid such.

My Kapex has a bent fence as i can chase adjusting square from left to right all day and never get it perfect on both sides. Annoying as hell for a saw that cost $1800 all said and done.

 

[ach_78]

Before anything else, the fence should be dead flat from right to left (not concave nor convex), and it should be square to the bed (horizontal surface). If it is not it should be replaced under warranty.

Second, the square cut detent shoud produce a square cut. If not, the fence should be adjusted accordingly. This is probably the most time-consuming and tedious task if it is like pretty much all Festool calibration type : unscrew, move, tighten back. More than one trial and check might be necessary. The 5 cuts method can tell you if the cut is square or not with a precision way beyond any visual inspection (no matter the precision of the square).

Last, the scale should be adjustable and aligned to the 0° position.

Unless there is somethink actually wrong with the saw hardware (bent fence, etc) it is totally pointless to send it back because transport is typically what can throw a saw out of calibration.

Then you can proceed to calibrating the vertical squareness.

 

[cosmin]

The fence is looseable. At the top of the fence there are 4 hex bolts. I tried myself to make the kapex cut square. Tried for several ours. One time i thought it was square, but it wasn`t. When i made a cut with a piece of wood at the left side of the fence ( so the wood piece was at the left side of the blade) it was square. Butt when i made the same cut at the right side of the square it wasn`t square. I don`t know what the problem , i cannot solve the problem myself , thats why the saw will go back to festool. I think that a mitre saw at this price point must cut square. i will keep you informed about the kapex ..

did u sort it out somehow  ? mine doesnt cut angle brand new .

 

[demographic]

[quote/]
The Starrett 20/24 is relatively cheap at $1800.

Can't understand anyone paying these prices to work with wood....
[/quote]

That is hilarious , coming from a FOG subscriber and presumed Festool owner.
[/quote]

You do know that even the cheapo aluminium combination squares are pretty easy to modify if they are slightly out of square don't you?
Just use the square end to scrape a shaving off one of the bumps in the groove of the aluminium part.

Sometimes a little knowledge can save a huge amount of cash.

The cast iron combination squares are nice in a workshop where you just put them down on a bench but for anyone who regularly carries tools in a pouch a little less weight on a few items can make a big difference.
Plus the price difference obviously.