My Kapex Makes a Mess

[longwood89]

I've been meaning to ask for a long time now, but is there anything I can do to eliminate the mess my Kapex makes every time I use it?  I'm using it with a CTL 36.  I haven't tinkered with either one and have had to clean up a mess under and behind the Kapex since day one.  I bought both machines new.

Thanks,
~Michael

 

[VictorL]

Try to use 36 mm hose. It improves dust collections significantly.

VictorL

 

[Jason Kehl]

What constitutes a mess? My Kapex, with a CT36 and 36mm hose, collect the vast majority of the dust, but there is always some left behind. The finer, and what would be airborne dust gets captured with some of the larger particles ending up behind the saw, harmless really.

The Kapex has very good dust collection for a miter saw, but it does miss more than other Festool tools. The Kapex is much better than any other miter saw I have used though.

Jason

 

[sancho57]

I've been meaning to ask for a long time now, but is there anything I can do to eliminate the mess my Kapex makes every time I use it?  I'm using it with a CTL 36.  I haven't tinkered with either one and have had to clean up a mess under and behind the Kapex since day one.  I bought both machines new.

Thanks,
~Michael

How long is the hose? Mines makes a little bit of a mess to. But at the festool end users class the one they had there didnt. It was set up with the same CT, same hose. The only difference was the length (shorter) and not having to loop it around a hanger b/c it is so long. So Im going to shorten mine that should do it.

 

[stairman]

Fastcap makes a hood that will catch the tiny amount of dust that is escaping.
I have been using SCMS's since Hitachi unveiled their little 8" slider "back in the day"
I have never seen anything that even comes close to the Kapex + CT in terms of dist collection.  it is as good as it gets!

the small amount of dust that makes it past the collection system can be caught by this: http://www.fastcap.com/estore/pc/ChopShop-Saw-Hood-p113.htm

I have been setting up my Kapex on a drop cloth,  and at the end of the day, I simply vac the dust off the saw,  fold it up (mine is on a Kapex UG stand)  roll it off  and fold up the drop cloth, which I shake out at an appropriate time/place
I have had nothing but praise and utter ASTONISHMENT from my customers and from other trades people.
evidently, no one else has ever seen anything that comes close to this setup either!

sure, it leaves a LITTLE dust!  it is a SLide Saw! -you're cutting wood with it

but if you must have ALL the dust captured,  I believe that Fastcap hood will catch the bit of dust that you're concerned  with.
Fastcap also makes some very slick "zipwall" type dust barrier systems.  I've been using them for a while now with stellar results.
they go up fast, thay totally "quarantine" off your work area,  and the "DOOR" system is just too cool for words.  check out the video and you'll see what I am talking about:  http://www.fastcap.com/estore/pc/Door-Mag-p293.htm

PS, FastCap's  METRIC tapes and storypoles work VERY WELL with our Festools since everything is calibrated in METRIC.
it sure makes things easier for me

 

[Steve R]

A Kapex is not completely dust free....  But take off the extractor and try it then.... If you don't notice a difference in dust collection you have a problem.  When I bought the Kapex, I used the 27mm AS hose... and it does not collect material cut near as well as a 36mm AS hose does.

Today I was using the Kapex on site and made about 150 2x4 cuts... I only had to clean up the MFT/Kapex and a bit under it... honestly 2 -3 minutes max.

The pre-drill holes before I screwed them in place....made as much or more dust.

Cheers,
Steve

 

[Sta2LT]

I use a 36 hose on my 26 vac and it works really well. A little is left behind but not very much. I ran it unhooked the other day to make 4 very small cuts and was amazed how much dust there was.

 

[Kev]

I run my Kapex with the bigger hose to the CT36. I tend to keep the trigger on for a few seconds to help clear the saw after a cut.

There's a little bit of debris after a session - but it's well within my level of satisfaction / expectation.

All said, my Kapex is on the trolley and I wheel it out to an under cover area to use ...

 

[longwood89]

Well, judging by the responses I guess the culprit is my 27mm hose which works well with my other tools.  Rather than spend $80 on a 36mm hose maybe I should get reducers/connectors that will allow me to connect my 4" dust extractor to it.  Any recommendations here?

 

[Kev]

Well, judging by the responses I guess the culprit is my 27mm hose which works well with my other tools.  Rather than spend $80 on a 36mm hose maybe I should get reducers/connectors that will allow me to connect my 4" dust extractor to it.  Any recommendations here?

If it's not going to need to be mobile - that sounds like a good option. High volume extraction would probably suit the Kapex.

 

[sancho57]

How long is the hose? Mines makes a little bit of a mess too. But at the Festool end users class the one they had there didnt. It was set up with the same CT, same hose. The only difference was the length (shorter) and not having to loop it around a hanger b/c it is so long. So Im going to shorten mine that should do it.

And please, when you shorten the hose, please report back about if and/or how much your dust collection has improved.

Roger that.

 

[Steve R]

Well, judging by the responses I guess the culprit is my 27mm hose which works well with my other tools.  Rather than spend $80 on a 36mm hose maybe I should get reducers/connectors that will allow me to connect my 4" dust extractor to it.  Any recommendations here?

What your in Germany and have a 4 inch hose! [eek]  Won't they deport you?

Yes the larger hose will help... it is also CFM of your extractor that counts. Moving from the 27mm to the 36mm on CT is just to not lose performance on due to the hose diameter resistance.

Cheers,
Steve

 

[nehardwoodfloors]

I am convinced that the bigger the blade the more dust as well.
I use a 7-1/2" makita slider and it is almost dust free. Part design but I think the small blade allows the dust "chute" to collect more dust by the simple fact that its lower/closer to the wood thats being cut.

 

[sancho57]

I didnt shorten the hose, I re-routed it. Its long so I had it routed up to a hook and looped down to the CT26.

I rerouted the hose, took the loop out of it, made it more of a straight shot and hooks my shop vac up to it.

Now I have hardly any dust to speak of.

So Maybe you need a larger hose with a straight run to the CT.

That should do it for ya

 

[SteveC]

Wait a moment for extractor to come up to speed before cutting.
Shorten 36mm hose.
Nested crown cutting dust collection is less efficient than cross cutting flat stock.

 

[rdesigns]

Well, judging by the responses I guess the culprit is my 27mm hose which works well with my other tools.  Rather than spend $80 on a 36mm hose maybe I should get reducers/connectors that will allow me to connect my 4" dust extractor to it.  Any recommendations here?

When I first got my Kapex, I tried using a 4" hose connected to my stationary duct collection system. I installed a 2" branch hose that connected to the dust port of the Kapex, and connected the main 4" hose to a 4" x 12" shroud behind the saw.

This combination set-up was greatly inferior to simply using my CT 26 with a 36mm AS hose connected directly to the Kapex's dust port

I still get a small amount of what I would call crumbs, not dust, and the amount depends to a certain degree on the type of cut I am doing. But, overall, the Kapex performs really well, and better than I hoped.

 

[ccarrolladams]

All of my permanently located Kapex in my shop have typical miter saw dust shrouds behind them connected to my plant dust collection system with 100mm hose. At first each of those Kapex had a dedicated CT22 connected with a 36mm x 2+m length of AS hose. Kapex is designed to use high velocity extraction, as provided by Festool CT extractors. I make those short hoses from a standard 36mm x 7m AS hose, by cutting it into 3 equal pieces and using extra connectors sold by Festool.

Simply connecting a length of 36mm or 50mm (2") hose with a connector to a 4" hose from a shop DC system does not increase the velocity. The high suction volume of a shop DC system does not help extraction of the Kapex. What would be needed is an accelerator blower to increase the velocity of the suction. Currently I am testing prototypes of such accelerators. They replicate the suction of a CT36.

By the way, in the many years I have used a whole lot of Kapex I have not encountered a situation in which there was a need to shut off the extraction. When using CT22, I turn on the extraction before I start a Kapex session and only turn it off after making the final cut. I have never powered a Kapex through a CT. I always run them on separate circuits. When I use a Kapex with a CT22 or CT36 in a portable situation, the CT is plugged into a toggle foot switch. The first tap turns on the power. The second tap shuts off the power. That way I am not bending over the find the power knob on the CT.

 

[Jim Green]

I have a Kapex and ct22, ct36 and ctmidi  and have used them all with saw. If you are cutting real wood they all catch a fair amount of dust but when cutting mdf/ultralite it goes down significantly. That being said it still grabs a good percentage of dust, way better then a bag or shroud for me.

 

[CutsTwice]

In my shop I've got two 4 inch pipes directly behind and under my Kapex drawing from a 7 inch main on a 2 hp collector, and I'm still not happy with the dust collection. Right now I'm in nearing the end of building a new set of cabinets that will house my Kapex, and this time I'm going to put one 4 inch line behind and above it, and one behind and below it as well as building a shroud over the top and one each side of the saw. I'll get back here and give my thoughts on this arrangement after it's up and running.

If anyone else has found a great solution for a non-moving Kapex in their shop I'd love to hear it before I start running duct.

 

[Brice Burrell]

....If anyone else has found a great solution for a non-moving Kapex in their shop I'd love to hear it before I start running duct.

Yeah, it's the same as a Kapex on the road.  D36 hose, wait for the vac to get up to speed before cutting.