Tall Miter Latch

[Al]

I can't get the tall miter latch down the 90 degrees required to latch into the back of the saw head.  Since everything on the Kapex is built with close tolerances, I figured that I wasn't using enough muscle but that's not it.  Even using a little more pressure, it only genuflects about 45 degrees.  I called my Festool agent but he's never heard of the problem and wasn't close to a Kapex to deduce the problem.

If anyone wonders what I'm talking about, take a look at Rick Cristopherson's excellent manual............. in the bottom left of page 14.  What Rick has labeled as the Latch Lever is the culprit.

Al

 

[Warrior]

Try moving the metal latch by hand with the green lever in different positions. I believe that the green lever is only to disengage the latch.

Eiji

 

[Al]

There are 2 levers there.  The one closest to the front of the saw IS the Release Lever.  The one I'm having trouble with is at the rear and it is the Latch lever.  It too is green.  I also tried moving the metal part by hand before my first post but to no avail.

Al

 

[Frank-Jan]

At the point you describe (The tall-miter-setting-latch-lever-arm-thingy at 450) it pushes a spring-loaded-rod-thing back to lock the bevel at 00 (it isn't possible to bevel the saw in the tall miter mode). If the saw is not set at 00 bevel, you cannot move the lever further than to the point that you describe.

I haven't taken the saw apart, but my guess is there's a hole in the bevel guage, where the rod with the spring (you can see that behind the lever-arm) is pushed into. So if you make sure the saw is set at 00 bevel and it won't work I guess the problem lies there, and you have to send the saw back for warranty. The lever does give a bit more resistance from that point on (because of the spring), but not that much.  

/edit: When I use the degree-key 0 on my keyboard it shows 0 in the draft, but ? in the actual post, I just found the workaround: superscript button in the workbar above the post-input-box

 

[Per Swenson]

Frank_Jan.

Geez up until a few seconds ago, call me iggnint Per

was looking all over his keyboard for that degree sign.

Silly American, rest of you stop snickering.

Silly because like most other's (I presume) I was unaware that you could put dang near any

symbol you want, on anything.

For those of you still following along, hunt and peck mouser's...

go check this out.  http://home.earthlink.net/~awinkelried/keyboard_shortcuts.html

Per

 

[Frank-Jan]

Per, I use this weird Belgian keyboard "Azerty", the 0 sign has it's own button (shift ")")  Belgium has 3 national languages (Dutch, French and German) so it has a keyboard layout where some letters with accents have their own button to be able to type easily in french. (My own mother-tongue is Dutch)

I use to have some techy friends that knew lots and lots of ascii-codes by hard, but pushing that many buttons to get one sign on the screen just doesn't fit my lazy nature

 

[Per Swenson]

But if it were not for you!

I would never have figured it out.

No, thats wrong.

I would never have gotten curious.

So for that, thanks.

Per

 

[Al]

At the point you describe (The tall-miter-setting-latch-lever-arm-thingy at 450) it pushes a spring-loaded-rod-thing back to lock the bevel at 00 (it isn't possible to bevel the saw in the tall miter mode). If the saw is not set at 00 bevel, you cannot move the lever further than to the point that you describe.

I haven't taken the saw apart, but my guess is there's a hole in the bevel guage, where the rod with the spring (you can see that behind the lever-arm) is pushed into. So if you make sure the saw is set at 00 bevel and it won't work I guess the problem lies there, and you have to send the saw back for warranty. The lever does give a bit more resistance from that point on (because of the spring), but not that much.  

/edit: When I use the degree-key 0 on my keyboard it shows 0 in the draft, but ? in the actual post, I just found the workaround: superscript button in the workbar above the post-input-box

Frank,  you hit the problem right on the nose.  A couple of days ago I was playing with the Kapex, including the bevel lock and what's necessary to change the blade and, unwittingly, cause two errors or problems. 

Earlier today I was going to cut up some scrap for my brother-in-law.  I plugged the Kapex into my 22.  When I squeezed the trigger, nothing happened and this was the first time that I had the saw plugged in.  To make a long story short, the saw will NOT turn on if you have the Arbor Lock engaged.

Back to the Tall Miter Latch..... I printed out your remarks and went to my shop.  While examining the Kapex, I noticed that the left bevel gauge was reading 2 1/2o.  Evidently, when I was playing with the bevel lock, the saw moved on its own to that position.  My guess is that the weight of the saw's motor was the culprit.  Once I corrected the bevel, the Tall Miter Latch worked.  The Miter Release is a little stiff but then so is everything on this saw.

Thanks for the help.

Al

 

[Al]

But if it were not for you!

I would never have figured it out.

No, thats wrong.

I would never have gotten curious.

So for that, thanks.

Per

Per, 

The easiest way for you, short of a dedicated key, is to use what this list gives you........ a decent list of publishing tools.  If you take a look at the 2nd line of icons (when you're composing a message),  the 6th icon from the right, on the 2nd row of icons, has the word "sup".  You click on that icon, type the word or letter that you want in between the word "sup" and the 2nd "sup" and you will get superscript.  The icon to the right is for subscript which makes the symbol for oxygen very easy.

Al

 

[Frank-Jan]

Al, glad it turned out ok, and you don't have to be without your saw for a while.
I have mine since december and two days ago I calibrated the miterscale for the first time, using Rick's manual.
I spoke to a festool rep a few weeks ago about the laser issue I have with mine (I have to recalibrate the lasers after almost every transport) (That issue is supposed to be resolved now, so the  saws currently sold won't have it) He told me I could have it send in by my dealer and I would have it back in 3 days, but I'm waiting till they go off beyond adjustability.

Per, I learned something too today (well tonight it's after 3 am here :-X) "To genuflect " ~"bend the knee, esp in worship"

 

[Al Lenkner]

Frank,

The box that the Kapex came in is on my front porch.  My granddaughter uses it for a playhouse but the foam corners have seen better days.  As my dealer is in another state, the thought of sending it back to him to then be sent to Festool is enough to make me sick......... at a minimum.

Now that I have this damn thing working and have already used it, it is one very sweet piece of machinery although I could have been happier if the cost was lower....... like $1,000.

Al