Let's talk kapex blades

[PA floor guy]

So I finally bit the bullet and ordered a new blade for my kapex, I was unsure which to buy. So I have a few questions.
1. Is there a reputable person who sharpens these blades
2. Are there better options, rather than spending 140 on a 10" blade
  I ended up buying the stock blade that came with it.  But for future, what is best.
  Honestly, I was a little disappointed with my original blade, I'm a flooring guy, and I probably only got 3-4 installs out of my blade.

 

[awil66]

I have used a couple of the oshlun's and they seem fine to me. Price is much more attractive.

 

[Cheese]

.
  Honestly, I was a little disappointed with my original blade, I'm a flooring guy, and I probably only got 3-4 installs out of my blade.

You must be cutting prefinished flooring?

 

[Brandon]

Get an Oshlun from Amazon. Fantastic for the price

 

[peter halle]

I will pass on information that I have gleaned here from members I respect and also information I have received directly from Festool employees whom I have grown to trust and respect.

The Festool blades for the various tools are designed to work with the specific tools.  They are manufactured by Leitz and several members here have them sharpened by Leitz which has several service centers here in the US.  The variable tooth spacing is designed for the tool and some sharpening shops are not accustomed or set up or will not sharpen them.

Personally I like the stock blade versus the trim blade. 

Cutting pre-finished flooring or laminates is tough on blades.  I am installing stranded bamboo flooring in my house right now.  Imagine bamboo OSB.  This stuff is more dense than anything I have experienced and after placing scraps in a water bucket for a week did not experience any issues with warping and delamination if that helps describe it better.

After this job I will send my two standard blades off for sharpening and stick the fine blade on while waiting for their return.

Peter

 

[tbellemare]

Solid surface/laminate blade?

Tom

 

[Sparky]

I install cabinets and for my solid material crown molding,furniture kicks, ect, I have been using the laminate solid surface blade as well I like it better than the 60 and 80 festool blades by far. Most importantly is having someone who is good at sharpening. I had to switch sharpeners when I started using festool as they just didn't get a good sharpening but tool me a whole to figure out what was going on.

 

[Cheese]

I am installing stranded bamboo flooring in my house right now.  Imagine bamboo OSB.  This stuff is more dense than anything I have experienced and after placing scraps in a water bucket for a week did not experience any issues with warping and delamination if that helps describe it better.

Peter

[member=1674]Peter Halle[/member]
I'd be interested in a photo if possible. Is the stuff prefinished? Is it stranded bamboo throughout or is it an Engineered wood product?
The no warping/delamination quality is real interesting, especially for a basement or garage environment, maybe even for a covered porch.

 

[rst]

You might give the AGE blades.  I buy mine from Toolstoday.  They sell Amana industrial blades.  I don't cut that much flooring but I cut alot of plastics and aluminum and really like the blade performance.

 

[live4ever]

The Oshlun blades are surprisingly good.  I have both the regular as well as the non-ferrous.  Both perform very well cutting wood. 

 

[curt boyer]

Sam, where's the pics of the new rig? I like the 60 tooth Festool blade much better than the 80. I've been cutting miles of Azek, meters of aluminum, yards of plywood, and a stadium of 2x material both regular and pressure treated In the last two weeks and the blade keeps on cutting! I wouldn't try cutting crown mouldings now until its sharpened! The Oshun seems like a good value though.
Cheers
Curt

 

[peter halle]

I am installing stranded bamboo flooring in my house right now.  Imagine bamboo OSB.  This stuff is more dense than anything I have experienced and after placing scraps in a water bucket for a week did not experience any issues with warping and delamination if that helps describe it better.

Peter

[member=1674]Peter Halle[/member]
I'd be interested in a photo if possible. Is the stuff prefinished? Is it stranded bamboo throughout or is it an Engineered wood product?
The no warping/delamination quality is real interesting, especially for a basement or garage environment, maybe even for a covered porch.

I don't want to divert this discussion but the flooring is 1/2" solid stranded bamboo.  It is  a Lumber Liquidators product and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone even if it was the greatest product just because of the manufacturer's history.

That being said, I did buy it exactly for your thoughts. My previous floor was destroyed by water and the thought about a resin happy floor pecked my interest.

Peter

 

[kfitzsimons]

I would recommend checking that flooring from Lumber Liquidators for it's county of origin. If it's from China, it's probably not healthy to be near the stuff. They used unlawful amounts of Formaldehyde in it's manufacture.

 

[nickao]

Totally wrong.

Right now LL is about the safest place to purchase laminate, that's all that was effected anyhow. They are under intense scrutiny and are not selling the suspect product anymore. They test more than any other company in the industry, under the circumstances they have to..

LOWES has a lawsuit against them as well. Both got screwed by a Chinese company mislabeling products, but LL got massacred by a 60 minutes piece that was half bull crap. But somehow Lowe's was not mentioned and they sold the same exact stuff!

LL carried no debt and was an all cash company. They will make it through, most any other company would have went BK. After all their fines and pay outs from settlements they may pay back 500 million and they still might stay in business , quite a feat!

If you are buying solid bamboo or hardwood they were always safe, again it was only laminate, a certain line from one particularity company and it's long gone.

LOWES Class action that somehow no one knows about: http://www.classaction.org/lowes-flooring-formaldehyde-lawsuit

 

[Bhend18]

I will pass on information that I have gleaned here from members I respect and also information I have received directly from Festool employees whom I have grown to trust and respect.

The Festool blades for the various tools are designed to work with the specific tools.  They are manufactured by Leitz and several members here have them sharpened by Leitz which has several service centers here in the US.  The variable tooth spacing is designed for the tool and some sharpening shops are not accustomed or set up or will not sharpen them.

Personally I like the stock blade versus the trim blade. 

Cutting pre-finished flooring or laminates is tough on blades.  I am installing stranded bamboo flooring in my house right now.  Imagine bamboo OSB.  This stuff is more dense than anything I have experienced and after placing scraps in a water bucket for a week did not experience any issues with warping and delamination if that helps describe it better.

After this job I will send my two standard blades off for sharpening and stick the fine blade on while waiting for their return.

Peter

Do you have a link or more information on where you send your blades for sharpening?

 

[peter halle]

Here is a link to the Leitz Service Center information:  http://www.leitztooling.com/locations.htm

Peter