Kapex / Sawstop Sliding Crosscut Table - Questions

[Brian Holcombe]

The Kapex dust collection is ok until you put a zero clearance insert on the fence. Well, enjoy the saw, it’s a good saw for non-critical stuff and it’s a heck of a lot nicer than most jobsite saws. I think they have improved the motor on the current model ones, mine died after one year then festool repaired it.

[Greg Parrish]

Thanks Brian. I remember reading about your issues with the Kapex motor and your acquisition of the Omga. It is certainly a nice saw but a bit too costly and large for my current smaller shop space. Regards!

The Kapex dust collection is ok until you put a zero clearance insert on the fence. Well, enjoy the saw, it’s a good saw for non-critical stuff and it’s a heck of a lot nicer than most jobsite saws. I think they have improved the motor on the current model ones, mine died after one year then festool repaired it.

[David Walser]

Allow me to slightly disagree with those who've said that the Kapex is inaccurate. I think that depends on the type of work you do and on how careful you are in using the saw. Years ago, Malcolm Tibbetts gave a demonstration on segmented turning. (You can see the kind of work he does here: https://tahoeturner.com/newest/.) He said that he used his Kapex for cutting most of his segments and that the cut was so good that the segments need little if any sanding before glue-up. Those of you who are familiar with segmented turning understand how precisely the angles need to be cut. With, say, 24 segments in a ring, even a 10th of a degree error will cause a large gap when you try to close the ring. So, the fact that Tibbetts was able to cut compound miters with such precision proves that the Kapex can be very accurate.

However, segments for most turnings are fairly small. You don't need a lot of cross-cutting capacity for this type of task. What about larger items? An inherent weakness in all sliding miter saws is the amount of side-to-side movement the saw permits when it is fully extended. Some saws have more flex than others, but they all have some. Kapex is better than most in this regard. But, if the operator doesn't use the saw properly (pushing or pulling the saw head left or right, or pushing or pulling the work against the side of the blade as the cut is made), even the Kapex will produce visibly inaccurate cuts. Even with good technique, I doubt you'd want to use a Kapex to cut a 36-segment ring that is 4' in diameter with each segment being 8" from front to back. For that, you'll want to use a very good cross-cut sled on a table saw.

[Brian Holcombe]

I check a test cut with a Mitutoyo certified square and a boxed straight edge that has been scraped flat by hand to an accuracy of less than 1/2 thou over 42”. My straight edge has been checked against a granite surface plate that is routinely re-certified.

I can take any given cut off the omga, check it against this setup and it will show accurate, even after two years of chopping everyday, some tasks taking hundreds of cuts. I can have a student, who has never before chopped a piece of wood in their life, use this saw and they will create the identical result.

I spent a lot of time and effort trying to get the Kapex to repeat like this, it would not. It’s a fantastic jobsite saw, but I really think moderated expectations for its accuracy being well beyond that of a typical chopsaw are the best expectations to set. If somehow you score a saw that can repeat like an Omga, then cherish it. That was not my experience and I have sincere doubts that it is due to me not being capable of using it properly, but certainly could be.

[Greg Quenneville]

I have owned a Kapex for six years and have used it on a large house build with lots of period details. For architectural work the saw does a great job. I did have to adjust the fence after the framing was completed due to a .003” vee shape. The trim on this house is extremely detailed, and it all fits right off the saw.

I have also helped friends who owned both Bosch and Makita saws. Both good tools, but I wouldn’t trade.

If I was to attempt the things Brian does though I too would be looking for an Omga.

[Brian Holcombe]

Much appreciated and that is where the Kapex shines, for that matter all of the Festool stuff is just fantastic for architectural install work.

[Greg Parrish]

I would agree that Festool is highly geared towards jobsite use by trade contractors, but that same innovation and technology benefits us small hobby woodworkers greatly. For many of their tools, it is one of the best options available to the small shop hobbiest who doesn't have room for a more commercial sized approach. Same holds true when you are considering a Felder KF700 vs a cabinet saw. Most of us on this forum don't have room for that fully outfitted KF700 in our home workshops. Heck, I didn't even truly have room for my prior KF500 when all of the outriggers were installed. However, for probably 80 to 90 percent of the folks on this forum, especially me, there isn't much better option than the Felder tools that are within my reach, available space and aptitude to actually use them to their potential. LOL

Anyway, I long for the day that I have a huge pole barn shop with space for whatever tool I want but in my current situation I'm working with around 1/2 the space I had before so I'm constantly weighing the decision of which tool best serves the need but also meets the reality. No getting around that compromise unfortunately. And my current setup with the Kapex is going to be another somewhat non-traditional approach/compromise. Just waiting on the Kapex adapters from Fastcap and I can start putting it together in my chosen location.

[Patrick Kane]

Greg, i think you made the right call. I had a kapex and sold it. I also had the jessem mast r slide, which sawstop looks to have mostly copied, and sold that when i sold my saw. Not knocking sawstop, but they look almost identical. I used the jessem for several years on a unisaw, and it was good, but not excellent. It needed to be treated with tender respect, and i would not put a large workpiece on that table. I just dont think it can support much weight. Not being right up against the blade isnt always a bad thing. It allows you to run much wider dado tooling, and your crosscut fence doesnt get in the way of performing traditional rips on the saw. Nor does your sliding table cant the workpiece during a normal rip. Its commonplace to make your sliding carriage a bit higher than the cast iron saw surface. With a normal slider, this can tilt your work piece ever so slightly when not ripping off the wagon. In the end, I found the jessem to be a glorified miter gauge. It isnt robust enough to compare to even the lowest end slider's crosscut fence and outrigger. It is a very smooth and greater capacity miter gauge, however.

For the kapex, i had a used model that i used for 2 months and then sold with some other stuff to buy a used Felder KF700. Its a clever design and would be my first choice for trim carpentry. I think the adjustments are slick, and its typical festool quality. I didnt find it to be particularly powerful(old and well worn critique), but i cant knock it too much. It's a good quality portable saw. I consider festool's lineup to be lights out for trim carpenters, and 'good enough' for furniture makers. The track saw cant replace a jointed edge off a 2500lb large jointer. Nor can it match the speed and accuracy of a sliding table saw. Its also comparing a $1500 saw to a $15,000 saw, sooooo.... If you get yourself setup with a reliable stop block, then i think you have the makings of an excellent crosscut setup in your shop.

[Jacob Mac]

I would agree that Festool is highly geared towards jobsite use by trade contractors, but that same innovation and technology benefits us small hobby woodworkers greatly. For many of their tools, it is one of the best options available to the small shop hobbiest who doesn't have room for a more commercial sized approach. Same holds true when you are considering a Felder KF700 vs a cabinet saw. Most of us on this forum don't have room for that fully outfitted KF700 in our home workshops. Heck, I didn't even truly have room for my prior KF500 when all of the outriggers were installed. However, for probably 80 to 90 percent of the folks on this forum, especially me, there isn't much better option than the Felder tools that are within my reach, available space and aptitude to actually use them to their potential. LOL

Anyway, I long for the day that I have a huge pole barn shop with space for whatever tool I want but in my current situation I'm working with around 1/2 the space I had before so I'm constantly weighing the decision of which tool best serves the need but also meets the reality. No getting around that compromise unfortunately. And my current setup with the Kapex is going to be another somewhat non-traditional approach/compromise. Just waiting on the Kapex adapters from Fastcap and I can start putting it together in my chosen location.

Are you going to have your Kapex on a mobile stand? If so, what are you going to use?

[Shannon Brantley]

I'm boxing up my Kapex right now because of the motor. Brian, I'd love to hear what Omga you settled on. I'm torn between the miter saw and the radial arm saw. Although I do miter cuts at times, as a cabinet and furniture shop, most of my cuts are square. I can put the Kapex on the end of the bench and still use it for those.

[Greg Parrish]

Are you going to have your Kapex on a mobile stand? If so, what are you going to use?

Jacob, I am not going to be using a mobile stand at this time. I’m actually going to be mounting the saw on a board/panel that will be bolted to the top of a workbench. I’ll be using thumbscrews to hold it down so it can easily be pulled off as needed, but that way it also references back into the same spot. It’s mostly to allow clearance for really long cuts on my table saw if the need arises. I’ll post some pictures once I have everything setup. Hopefully it will make more sense with a picture. LOL.

[Brian Holcombe]

I'm boxing up my Kapex right now because of the motor. Brian, I'd love to hear what Omga you settled on. I'm torn between the miter saw and the radial arm saw. Although I do miter cuts at times, as a cabinet and furniture shop, most of my cuts are square. I can put the Kapex on the end of the bench and still use it for those.

I have a discontinued model that is a little larger than the T53 370, it’s fairly recent but they only made it for a few years due to the slightly different table size.

[Greg Parrish]

Have to say, I love the Kapex. Wish I bought one years ago when I had my first shop. Don’t have it fully setup as I’m waiting on the brackets from Fast Cap to mount to the Kapex, and then I can start working on mounting my Best Fence wings. But you can get the idea from the picture how it’s mounted. It will be screwed down to this bench top facing my large door. Will only have wings attached when I’m using the shop and will store them otherwise.

For a production shop, this would require too much walking I’m sure but in my small space it won’t be a big deal. Saw is mounted right next to my small wood rack. I’ll have a walk around from the wings once I get all of the junk sitting by my large red tool box out of the garage. It moves out of the garage to a new storage.

This placement also alleviated my immediate need for a mobile workbench. I now have 3 workbench surfaces available and have one setup to double duty as a sanding station. The vac handling the kapex will pull double duty for a Domino whenever I add one of those to my collection. I’ll circle back and add a few pictures once I get the Best Fence wings sorted. Thanks for all the feedback on the kapex.

EDIT: Yes, the pictures were taken after a lot of vacuuming and cleaning. LOL I'm sure someone is going to say it's way to clean in there to be a shop, but I have to clean up after each use since it's also a gym space and other use room.

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[Alan Lightstone]

Greg:

I think you'll like the Kapex / Fast Cap fence combo. I like mine a lot. What bothers me, occasionally, is that I am fussing now with the laser alignment. I must have incorrectly adjusted it at some point, so I'm dialing it in again now. And, of course, dust collection. 36mm hose is a must for that.

That being said, the Fast Cap fence is nice. Measurement couldn't be easier. I think you'll find you have to add a couple of small clamps to the stop, as in my experience it moves when tightened down and a board hits it. I use a couple of small Irwin clamps on each side of it, and that makes it rock solid.

[Greg Parrish]

Thanks Alan.

I did add the 36mm hose on the Kapex. It's run overhead to the Midi mounted on the wall. The auto start option is awesome as it is with my sander. I found that the way you process the cut and keeping the saw all the way down until the vac stops helps with dust collection as well. I'm still gettting used to the laser but overall I like the approach. Once I get a feel for exactly where to anticipate my cut it will be even better I feel. I'm hesitant to make any adjustment though until I've used the saw some.

On the Best Fence, I had one before and liked it. Before I had the standard style with the rear lip but this time I went with the flat fence. Their website says it wont work with the Kapex REB models but after talking to them it seems as though the brackets can be modified to make them work. They don't have their own manufactured solution yet but they said it should be easy to make the current ones fit. We will see. In the mean time I'm holding off on screwing the saw into place in case I have to use the bench mount brackets that came with my kit. I'll probably still end up needing to order one of their tripod stands for my extension that reaches out into the room though.

I'll keep your comment about the clamps in the back of my head. If I have any issues with movement, it will be helpful to already have the clamp idea in mind. May keep me from overthinking it. LOL

Greg:

I think you'll like the Kapex / Fast Cap fence combo. I like mine a lot. What bothers me, occasionally, is that I am fussing now with the laser alignment. I must have incorrectly adjusted it at some point, so I'm dialing it in again now. And, of course, dust collection. 36mm hose is a must for that.

That being said, the Fast Cap fence is nice. Measurement couldn't be easier. I think you'll find you have to add a couple of small clamps to the stop, as in my experience it moves when tightened down and a board hits it. I use a couple of small Irwin clamps on each side of it, and that makes it rock solid.