After having bad luck with my Bosch slider I finally made the decision to purchase the Kapex. I know some have had issues but the quality of my other Festool pieces helped me make the call. Are there any issues or tips on initial set up? Thank you.
New Kapex advice
- Thread starter bigduke6
- Start date
Someone earlier reported that his Kapex table was not flat (coplanar?), but he didn't check it when he bought it. So you may want to use a straight edge to check that as a start. After that, perform test cuts to confirm the square cuts, angled cuts, laser alignments, etc., and make adjustments as necessary.
When you're happy, get a zero clearance insert (I use Fastcap's -- simple and dirt cheap, just a few-minute job to trim and put it on), and make the auxiliary fences.
You won't find a better saw in terms of precision, dust collection (remember to use the 36mm port/hose), hold-down clamping, and ease of setting the bevels.
When you're happy, get a zero clearance insert (I use Fastcap's -- simple and dirt cheap, just a few-minute job to trim and put it on), and make the auxiliary fences.
You won't find a better saw in terms of precision, dust collection (remember to use the 36mm port/hose), hold-down clamping, and ease of setting the bevels.
Congratulations! It’s a great saw. Don’t let other posts on this forum discourage you, I love mine and take good care of it, like all my tools. Another tip would be to download the supplemental manual found on the Festool website. It contains great information aside from the basics covered in the provided manual. I would check your fences and bed with a straight edge, then perform the 4-cut calibration/tolerance check that is detailed in the supplemental manual.
Enjoy the saw! How are you planning on mounting it? Make your own miter station or purchase an MFT or UG cart?
Enjoy the saw! How are you planning on mounting it? Make your own miter station or purchase an MFT or UG cart?
Use the saw for a few weeks to make sure it is right for you and put it thru your workflow. Let the blade come up to speed before cutting and stop before lifting the blade at the end of the cut.
As already mentioned, download the supplemental manual. I would even suggest taking that pdf file on a stick to an office supply store that offers printing services and have it printed, laminated, and spiral bound. Yes it will cost a few bucks but it is a great reference.
Peter
As already mentioned, download the supplemental manual. I would even suggest taking that pdf file on a stick to an office supply store that offers printing services and have it printed, laminated, and spiral bound. Yes it will cost a few bucks but it is a great reference.
Peter
RJNeal
Member
Congrats to you bigduke6.
All good info have been shared by the previous posters. For power, I always either plug straight into an outlet or use 10 gauge extension cords.
Hope this helps.
Enjoy it.
Rick.
All good info have been shared by the previous posters. For power, I always either plug straight into an outlet or use 10 gauge extension cords.
Hope this helps.
Enjoy it.
Rick.
Birdhunter
Member
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2012
- Messages
- 4,145
The lasers on my Kapex needed to be adjusted. There should be a small Allen wrench in the packing box. The Supplemental Manual has directions for doing this.
Safety tip..... let the blade come to a complete stop before lifting the saw head. Otherwise, the cut off can fly back at you with great violence. Wear safety glasses. Don’t cut really small pieces with the saw.
Dust collection is improved with the short vacuum hose with the wide diameter. Let the vacuum run for a few seconds before starting the cut.
If the saw bogs down in a cut, ease up to avoid a kick back or burning up the motor.
I use a zero clearance insert I bought. I made a zero clearance supplemental fence. Both help.
Safety tip..... let the blade come to a complete stop before lifting the saw head. Otherwise, the cut off can fly back at you with great violence. Wear safety glasses. Don’t cut really small pieces with the saw.
Dust collection is improved with the short vacuum hose with the wide diameter. Let the vacuum run for a few seconds before starting the cut.
If the saw bogs down in a cut, ease up to avoid a kick back or burning up the motor.
I use a zero clearance insert I bought. I made a zero clearance supplemental fence. Both help.
Reiterate: Cutting small parts on any SCMS can be dangerous, on the Kapex it seems to be particularly dangerous. I worry more about kickback and small offcuts shooting out of the Kapex than on my cheap Craftsman saw.
That being said, I love my Kapex and take great care of it. For precision work it is the best. For rough cuts and rough handling my cheap Craftsman saw is my "go to" tool. The notorious Kapex motor issue also lingers in my mind everytime I use it...which is sad. While I'm enjoying the feel of precision and top level design with every cut the back of my mind says "will this be the last cut before blue smoke comes out of the motor housing?"
That being said, I love my Kapex and take great care of it. For precision work it is the best. For rough cuts and rough handling my cheap Craftsman saw is my "go to" tool. The notorious Kapex motor issue also lingers in my mind everytime I use it...which is sad. While I'm enjoying the feel of precision and top level design with every cut the back of my mind says "will this be the last cut before blue smoke comes out of the motor housing?"
Cheese
Member
The lasers will probably need to be adjusted. They'll be close but not spot on.
Make sure the blade drops down into the table far enough so that there isn't an open area between the fence and the blade. This issue goes away if you make/attach an auxiliary fence.
Order the "short" 36mm hose. I believe it's available from Toolnut. [member=48572]Shane Holland[/member]
If you decide to keep the Kapex, pick up or make your own zero-clearance table insert. Popular choices are Colliflower, Betterley & Fast Cap.
The supplemental manual has a good section on calibration and adjustment. That's a great place to start. Use the 4-cut method to establish a base line for your new saw. You can then determine if you need to tweak the saw or not. There's also a section on fabricating your own auxiliary fence & zero-clearance insert. [smile]
Make sure the blade drops down into the table far enough so that there isn't an open area between the fence and the blade. This issue goes away if you make/attach an auxiliary fence.
Order the "short" 36mm hose. I believe it's available from Toolnut. [member=48572]Shane Holland[/member]
If you decide to keep the Kapex, pick up or make your own zero-clearance table insert. Popular choices are Colliflower, Betterley & Fast Cap.
The supplemental manual has a good section on calibration and adjustment. That's a great place to start. Use the 4-cut method to establish a base line for your new saw. You can then determine if you need to tweak the saw or not. There's also a section on fabricating your own auxiliary fence & zero-clearance insert. [smile]
Birdhunter said:
My Kapex set-up includes this:http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=63013&cat=1,42401,72660
30amp draw max...no worries about any motor issue (if it is indeed due to some power problem).
Right now, free shipping! [thumbs up]
bertv
Member
Good tips! Also, apart from their stick-on zero clearance inserts, FastCap also sells this really useful utensil:https://www.fastcap.com/product/10-million-dollar-stick
Also, you should check out Timtools' (Timothy Wilmots @ Benchworks) tutorial for making 'better' fences:
(Believe me: these really improve the Kapex experience, by reducing kickback by a fair amount.)
Another tip: get a second hold down clamp. Saves time and aggro.
Also, you should check out Timtools' (Timothy Wilmots @ Benchworks) tutorial for making 'better' fences:
(Believe me: these really improve the Kapex experience, by reducing kickback by a fair amount.)
Another tip: get a second hold down clamp. Saves time and aggro.
A second one saves time (not having to move the clamp to the other side).NL-mikkla said:
But DO NOT, ever, clamp with both clamps at the same time.
Doing that the workpiece can't move anymore (the clamps are quite effective). While that sounds like a good idea on first glance, should it have tension that releases with the cut being made it is likely to grab the blade (like a disk brake) leading to spontaneous, forceful kickback.
Always clamp only on one side (preferable the longer one) so the offcut can move away from the blade freely. In case you have workpieces with high internal stress (so they twist when cutting): Do a rough cut some few mm longer than needed first, then afterwards (after stress is released) cut to actual intended length - same as you would with a TS on a rail.
Cheese
Member
NL-mikkla said:
+2 on the 2nd hold down clamp!
As Gregor said, only use one at a time. [smile]
Birdhunter
Member
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2012
- Messages
- 4,145
The rough (proud) cut then final cut is excellent advise for any saw type. I find this technique is especially effective when cutting miters. Just removing a whisker on the final cut, especially on a miter, keeps the cut free of internal stress effects and the saw blade doesn’t move the wood.
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