What do I need for my new Kapex?

[fshanno]

The die is cast.  The new Bosch is less than I'd hoped for so it will be a Kapex. 

So what about the accessories.

Is an anti static hose necessary for the Kapex?  Is the vac running long enough for it to matter much with a SCMS?  I know, I know, what's only another $53 bucks but does it make any difference?

What's the scoop on blades these days?

Not interested in a stand or wings right now.  I'll wait and see if the new version shows up in the US.  Meanwhile I've got the little stand for my Jawhorse which works fine.

 

[harry_]

Hey Frank,

I dont (yet) own a Kapex, but none the less I have experienced the difference between the two. Actually it was not an anti-static hose, but a break in the connection.

Anti-static only matters for two things that I can think of. The first is if you are going to be in contact with the hose. It is a bit of a drag have it constantly discharging on you. With the Kapex I see that as being a non-issue. The other is the dust collecting on the outside of the hose itself. If you don't care about that then I don't think the $50 would be worth it to you.

However there is the issue of  'in for a penny, in for a pound' and you may never know when you might want/need an extra length of A/S hose.

 

[tbellemare]

The KAPEX Blade Set allows you to save $48 if you buy the Universal and Fine Tooth Blades together. In your case, I don't see it as really a value because you already have a brand new Universal Blade. It is, however, something to think about down the road if you wear that one out.

Tom

 

[Aaron Underdahl]

I just purchased the workshop clean up set. It comes with a 36mm x 3.5m Antistatic hose.  I did not notice any difference with the antistatic hose, but the larger diameter hose sure made a big difference.  I have only used it once so far, cutting mdf is now almost zero dust.  I would recommend the 36 mm hose.  also the crown stop base extension is also great.  Even if you dont use it for cutting crown it serves as a larger base for the saw. 

 

[tbellemare]

Those base extensions can also be used on an MFT/3. I find them quite handy just for that.

Another thing that is useful is having two Hold Down Clamps. It only comes with one. I find myself working on both sides a lot and having two clamps speeds things up.

Tom

 

[ccarrolladams]

By the time I purchased my first Kapex the week they became available here in the USA, I already owned both AS and Non-AS 36mm hoses. All the conversations I had conducted with Festool reps convinced me I needed a 36mm hose. At first I tried the non-AS hose, figuring I would not be touching it. That turned out to be true.

However, back then I had no shop DC system because I had no shop. With the non-AS hose I noticed dust attaching to the hose. Sometime after I concluded an operation with the Kapex, that dust would fall off the hose, making a mess which needed to be cleaned up.

So I switched to a 36mm AS hose. No dust attached to that hose. A little dust did escape the extraction, but far less than any other miter saw I had owned. Subsequently I have only used 36mm AS hose with the Kapex. As soon as I did have my shop with DC, I installed a conventional miter saw DC shroud behind my primary Kapex that is bolted in place. Of course I also leave it attached to a dedicated CT22 with a 36mm AS hose. The Kapex is designed to be used with high velocity dust extraction. That is part of cooling the Kapex. High volume shop dust collection cannot provide enough velocity.

I also agree that having a second Kapex clamp is a sensible investment.

 

[fshanno]

Fine tooth blade, an extra hold down, crown stops.  Check, check, check.

Great feedback on the hose.  Might as well go ahead and get a A/S 36mm and dedicate it to all cutting.  Looks like the Tradesman/Installer kit would be best for me assuming I'd be okay with the 3.5m

Does anyone have any strong feelings about 7m vs. 5m vs. 3.5m lengths?  I worked with both and found pluses and minuses.  Extra length is always good but with me the extra length tends to get tangled and stepped on more.  Are there any appreciable performance differences?  It seems that a shorter hose would have less volume and suction would begin sooner.  In other words a shorter hose would be more responsive, quicker to start and stop.

You know, there are a lot of accidental double entendres possible in these sorts of discussions aren't there?

 

[ccarrolladams]

The longer 36mm AS hoses can be convenient with some tools and for use with the cleaning sets.

However, the best extraction from the Kapex happens with the shortest possible hose. Even the 3500mm hose can be longer than ideal, depending on placement of the CT. What you are trying for is that the hose have a minimum of bends. So the hose will need one loop as it comes off the Kapex hose port. From there the ideal route is for the hose to drop to the level of the entry port on the DC, which is placed far enough away the hose does not kink or loop.

 

[Jesse Cloud]

+1 on the second clamp.  The anti-static hose isn't absolutely necessary.  Have to confess I'm running my Kapex with a shop vac and an auto-switch and it works pretty darn good.  Not sure the fine tooth blade is a good idea.  I got the Woodworker Chopmaster, but it burns unless you are very careful to move the blade at just the right speed.

Get some MDF and make a dozen or so sacrificial fences and zero clearance inserts.  Once you have a pattern, it takes no time to crank out a dozen.

 

[AdamM]

Not yet having a CT when I purchased my Kapex, I found an adapter that allowed me to connect the kapex to my standard issue (2 1/2"?) Ridgid shop vac hose.  I then use one of those external switches to turn on the vac automatically.  I've found it works great and don't notice any issues with dust build-up on the hose.  I've since acquired a CT22, but will probably just dedicate the shop-vac to the Kapex so I don't have to deal with constantly moving my CT22 around.

 

[harry_]

However, back then I had no shop DC system because I had no shop. With the non-AS hose I noticed dust attaching to the hose. Sometime after I concluded an operation with the Kapex, that dust would fall off the hose, making a mess which needed to be cleaned up.

Assuming you meant on the outside of the hose...... this could actually be a good thing,.... in a way.

It is a given that some dust gets past extraction. When it collected on the outside of the hose it was in one general place to clean up. Where does that dust end up now? I would much rather have X amount of dust gathered in the general vicinity of the non-AS hose than all over everywhere else.

 

[ccarrolladams]

Harry,

Behind my permanently installed Kapex, which is connected to a CT22 with a 36mm AS hose, there is a normal miter saw shroud connected to the shop DC system. That catches all the dust missed by the Kapex and CT22. Even after 4 hours of intense use there is hardly any dust near that Kapex.

On the other side of my shop, close to the big sliding table saw, our specialist in face frames has his personal Kapex attached to his CT33. That also has a miter saw shroud. My other Kapex gets moved around the shop a lot, so it does not have a dedicated shroud. With it I do use a non-AS 36mm hose precisely to attract stray dust. Our practice is to remove that dust right away using one of the Festool brushes attached to an additional CT22.

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

You don't really need the crown stop extension things unless you do a bunch of crown.

I find them invaluable to me but, that is my real money maker.

I am using a tenryu 80t ATAF with a raker, a matsushita 60t ATAF, and I use the stock blade for muck work.

Two of the angle finder things makes my life easier, I do have the table and wings.

Love that saw.  I use it pretty hard daily and I have yet to need to adjust anything.

 

[jmbfestool]

I prefer no anti static because they are a lot more flexible than the anti static hoses. So they don't get in the way as much as they bend and move more easily as you work.

Jmb 

 

[Steve R]

The Kapex is the most amazing saw I have every used.

I bought the Festool table for the Kapex at the same time...why it doesn't come with the hold downs I will never understand....So buy when you buy the table.

I added a second hold down because the hold downs flat out work!!! Better than any hold down I have ever used.

I also added two crown stops, I have yet to use them for crown molding but the added support area and the ability to use the sliding stop helps hold any media you are cutting.

The most important addition was the 36mm AS hose.... this a lone will pay for the saw over time from savings in clean up, over time.  I used the 27 mm for  few days...but the 36mm is the only way to go.

I do have one other Festool table that I use for support of long media.

The supports wings/tables are worth a lot ... just depends what you are cutting.

As far as blades go.... what you cut will make those decisions.

I have to say the standard blade (that comes with the saw) is a game changer!... clients are blown away with the quality of the cuts when they see and run their finger over the cut edge...... as they are so smooth you would think they where polished with 100,000 grit sand paper...  The cuts are glass smooth !!!!

As one client said to me... "God can't cut as smooth and accurate as a Kapex" when they reviewed the results of their project.  AND THAT CLIENT WAS GOOD FOR MORE REFERRALS THAN THE COST OF many Kapex's !!!

Cheers,

Steve R.

 

[lumbajac]

The longer 36mm AS hoses can be convenient with some tools and for use with the cleaning sets.

However, the best extraction from the Kapex happens with the shortest possible hose. Even the 3500mm hose can be longer than ideal, depending on placement of the CT. What you are trying for is that the hose have a minimum of bends. So the hose will need one loop as it comes off the Kapex hose port. From there the ideal route is for the hose to drop to the level of the entry port on the DC, which is placed far enough away the hose does not kink or loop.

So I'm about ready to pull the trigger on a Kapex.  Will get the antistatic hose for it based on this thread.  Based on the quoted post, the shorter 36mm AS is the way to go to maximize extraction.  Just looked on Bob M's website and see there is a 50mm hose available as well - would the 50mm hose be even better yet; will it even work with the Kapex?

Looking for advice.  Thanks.

 

[Ken Nagrod]

I think the added volume of the 50mm hose will reduce the suction compared to the 36mm and that's what you want with the Kapex, suction, since you already know that the 36mm handles enough volume from the stuff coming out of the Kapex's "exhaust".  My opinion, stick with the 36mm.

 

[ccarrolladams]

Good for you selecting the shorter 36mm AS hose for your new Kapex!

The 50mm Festool hoses are intended as extensions for the smaller hoses. These 50mm hoses have the same sort of connector on both ends as the smaller hoses have on the end which connects to the CT. When coupling one of the 50mm hoses to a smaller hose you use an Antistatic Connector Sleeve #493 047. One of these is part of the Boom Arm set, which includes the shorter 50mm AS hose.

Perhaps a connector could be fabricated so you could use a 50mm hose on the Kapex. It would offer no dust collection advantage. Chances are that any hose larger than 36mm will interfere with operation of the Kapex. Trust me, you will be thrilled with the effective dust extraction of a Kapex with a 36mm AS hose and any of the CT.

 

[alanmonty]

Do you mind if I ask what you were disappointed with in the new Bosch?  I am looking at both the Bosch and Kapex and haven't found anything to make the decision easy for me.

Thanks in advance.

alan

 

[Brice Burrell]

....Perhaps a connector could be fabricated so you could use a 50mm hose on the Kapex. It would offer no dust collection advantage....

This Festool adapter allows you to connect the 50 mm hose to the Kapex, it is however, non-antistatic.  I've used this adapter with a Shop Vac hose and it worked fine.