Squaring Kapex

[mike9]

My saw is cutting square but when I cut 45's the miter is open. I cut two 45's on each side of the fence then flipped a piece over to make a 90, I can't figure out why both are open. I thought if the fence was off the one side would cut closed and one side open. Do you adjust the detent plate or the fence. I had the oshlun blade on it and thought it might be one of the problems and replaced it with the forrest miter saw blade. If I am missing any info please let me know, I really want to fix this issue. Thank you!

 

[ChuckM]

Does your saw cut square on both sides of the fence? If not sure. make some test cuts to find out. Some people have reported the cuts made one particular side of the fence were not square.

If a stock is not uniformly straight or held consistently to the fence during the cut, the miters may be off an hair too.

Also, is the square you used to check for squareness indeed square itself? You may want to check the square for square if unsure.

 

[Birdhunter]

This has been an issue with my Kapex since I bought it many years ago. I get a “perfect” 90 degree cut using the left fence but not so using the right fence. So, I just use the Kapex for “close enough” cuts and the big SawStop for precision. The fence is straight across and I don’t push the head sideways when I cut. Big mystery. The 45 degree cuts and also good using the left fence, but slightly off on the right fence. Another mystery.

 

[peter halle]

[member=34797]mike9[/member] You might want to go to this link and download the supplemental manual.  That has instructions for calibrating that might help.

Link to Manuals

Peter

 

[Mini Me]

A tip for checking square cuts, cut a fairly wide piece then flip one of the cut pieces and there should be no gap along the cut.

 

[kevinculle]

My Kapex (2009 vintage KS120 REB bought used) was having the same issue...I could setup the left side to cut perfectly and the right side would be out slightly.  I found that the two faces of the Stop (P/N 103) were not aligned parallel with each other at a 180 degree angle and were instead slightly under 180 degrees by a few tenths of a degree.  I took the part off the saw and lapped it on some long abrasive strips using the surface of my table saw as the reference.  It took a while but I was able to lap the two surfaces to be colinear and aligned and when I reinstalled the part and realigned the saw it now cuts perfectly on both sides.

 

[ChuckM]

Snip.I took the part off the saw and lapped it on some long abrasive strips using the surface of my table saw as the reference.  It took a while but I was able to lap the two surfaces to be colinear and aligned and when I reinstalled the part and realigned the saw it now cuts perfectly on both sides.

Sounds like a good solution for those who have such an issue.

 

[mike9]

Thank you everyone for your responses, sorry just getting a chance to look intothuis again. I did get the left side to cut square but not the right. One thing I don't like that IMHO make this hard to align is there are 3 factors to deal with instead of two. I think the miter detents being a seperate piece cause to many alignment issues. I will try to keep everyone posted on my finds. Kevinculle how did you figure the detent was not square, I don't know what the piece looks like so wondering what you used as a reference. Thanks again everyone!!!

 

[kevinculle]

It was the Stop that was out of alignment on my saw.  It looks like a horseshoe connecting two flat surfaces that should be in line.  It was simple to determine with a straightedge that they were slightly out of alignment.  Here's a section of the parts diagram with P/N 103 being the culprit in my case.

[attachimg=1]

 

[ChuckM]

For the price of the Kapex, such critical component of the saw should be made perfect out of the factory.

 

[kevinculle]

I certainly agree that perfection is the goal but in reality, there is no such thing in manufacturing.  Components all have tolerances and things sometimes go astray.  The parallelism of the two straight faces is so simple to check and mine was far enough out that I suspect it wouldn't have gotten past routine manufacturing quality checks.  More likely is that the aluminum casting developed internal stresses that relieved after it was machined and assembled.  Just a guess though.

 

[ChuckM]

I certainly agree that perfection is the goal but in reality, there is no such thing in manufacturing.  Components all have tolerances and things sometimes go astray.  The parallelism of the two straight faces is so simple to check and mine was far enough out that I suspect it wouldn't have gotten past routine manufacturing quality checks.  More likely is that the aluminum casting developed internal stresses that relieved after it was machined and assembled.  Just a guess though.

Your definition of perfect is different from mine and from that of many others who are willing to fork 4 to 5 times the price of a non-Fedtool miter saw. I expect the fences to be perfectly done, checked and delivered so the saw owner doesn't have to do any sanding, grinding or flattening in order to make 90* cuts. I can probably buy a $300 miter saw, and make perfect cuts by shimming, tweaking, etc., but that's not what I want.

It isn't about perfect manufacturing, but about delivering a product that meets the reasonable user expectation of making square cuts, etc. If the user expectation for quality can't be met, lower the price to match the quality delivered.

 

[luvmytoolz]

Couldn't agree more, with the cost Festool stuff is the parts that are machined should be machined bang on. I was more than a bit miffed when I bought my OF2200 and found the template rings had around 0.1-0.2mm slop. Doesn't sound like much but was enough to noticeably move the ring while in position. Went back and forth with Festool, and I ended up tapping the egde with a hammer around the outside to deform it that minute bit so it's now a firm fit.

I really expected better than to have to do that on a $2k router.

 

[kevinculle]

Your definition of perfect is different from mine and from that of many others who are willing to fork 4 to 5 times the price of a non-Fedtool miter saw. I expect the fences to be perfectly done, checked and delivered so the saw owner doesn't have to do any sanding, grinding or flattening in order to make 90* cuts. I can probably buy a $300 miter saw, and make perfect cuts by shimming, tweaking, etc., but that's not what I want.

It isn't about perfect manufacturing, but about delivering a product that meets the reasonable user expectation of making square cuts, etc. If the user expectation for quality can't be met, lower the price to match the quality delivered.

I don't at all disagree but what I hypothesized was that the part likely passed all quality checks in manufacturing and assembly and then at some point the internal stresses in the casting relieved and a part that was once in spec was no longer in spec.  It's speculation on my part, informed by a 40-year career in mechanical engineering.

 

[David2T370]

Why does Festool not chime in on this discussion? If you don't know why - say you don't know why (in relation to the topic at hand).

 

[peter halle]

Why does Festool not chime in on this discussion? If you don't know why - say you don't know why (in relation to the topic at hand).

Just as a FYI, Festool rarely posts responses here currently.

Peter