In one last act of resistance my Kapex, soon to be redundant, has decided to produce an electrical smell.
The motor still functions but the smell is persistent.
I want to sell this saw, but can’t do so as is. Is anyone familiar with what’s wrong with the saw in this scenario.
I find it interesting that it last 6mo past warranty expiration.
The Death of a Kapex
- Chris Hall
- Site Admin
- Contact:
- Location: Greenfield, Massachusetts
Post
Re: The Death of a Kapex
You've really had an unpleasant experience with your saw! Electrical smells are seldom good news.
- Brian
- Deshi
Post
Re: The Death of a Kapex
I found out that The warranty is actually three years, so it’s still covered.
Indeed, once it’s repaired I’m going to sell it. For what it’s worth, the service dept. is very decent. They shipped me a box to return the saw for warranty repair. I will ship it out Monday and should have it back in 1-2 weeks.
That said I’m going to hunt down a Graule and send this saw packing. 1.5yrs of service is no where near enough between first use and first major issue.
Plus I’m not fond of the idea of being in need of a tool that requires shipping to a service dept for repairs. If a motor fails on a machine I want to replace it and get back to work rather than spend two-three weeks without a major shop tool.
Indeed, once it’s repaired I’m going to sell it. For what it’s worth, the service dept. is very decent. They shipped me a box to return the saw for warranty repair. I will ship it out Monday and should have it back in 1-2 weeks.
That said I’m going to hunt down a Graule and send this saw packing. 1.5yrs of service is no where near enough between first use and first major issue.
Plus I’m not fond of the idea of being in need of a tool that requires shipping to a service dept for repairs. If a motor fails on a machine I want to replace it and get back to work rather than spend two-three weeks without a major shop tool.
- John Whitley
- Deshi
- Location: Seattle, WA
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Re: The Death of a Kapex
Brian, what are your thoughts on handling dust collection for the Graule saws? That I’ve seen so far, most miter saws and radial arm saws give, at best, a minimal nod to chip collection. Context: I’m finalizing my initial shop layout (with some built-in flex) re: ducting and electrical. I find myself wishing I could just kick the whole first-pass crosscut function outside as some Japanese shops do with their machinery.
John Whitley | admin@craftsmanshipinwood.org
- Brian
- Deshi
Post
Re: The Death of a Kapex
I received an Omga so far, the dust collection is excellent.
My plan with the Graule, since it is a type of uni-point is to create a shroud at the fence and combine it with the port at the blade cover. I'm not sure how well it will work, but dust collection has become a higher priority for me. Anymore, anytime I let significant dust into the air I suffer for it, so minimizing it has been a serious concern. That said, most of the European machinery (bandsaws aside) seem to have their act together with dust hoods. If combined with a good unit then collection at the source seems pretty decent.
The Kapex was OK but reliant upon a glorified shop vac and that only goes so far, put your hand in front of the shop vac hose and that of a true DC and feel the difference between the two.
One thing to watch out for is the ZCI, a lot of times they're doing a disservice in terms of dust collection, so on the OMGA I left one side tight and the other side open on the fence I made for it. The OMGA has a built in dust collector that seems to be able to do a very decent job, I inspected the area after 50 chops and did not notice significant dust. Kapex/Festool Vac combo would have the entire area behind the saw coated with dust.
![Image](https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/img_2472.jpg)
My plan with the Graule, since it is a type of uni-point is to create a shroud at the fence and combine it with the port at the blade cover. I'm not sure how well it will work, but dust collection has become a higher priority for me. Anymore, anytime I let significant dust into the air I suffer for it, so minimizing it has been a serious concern. That said, most of the European machinery (bandsaws aside) seem to have their act together with dust hoods. If combined with a good unit then collection at the source seems pretty decent.
The Kapex was OK but reliant upon a glorified shop vac and that only goes so far, put your hand in front of the shop vac hose and that of a true DC and feel the difference between the two.
One thing to watch out for is the ZCI, a lot of times they're doing a disservice in terms of dust collection, so on the OMGA I left one side tight and the other side open on the fence I made for it. The OMGA has a built in dust collector that seems to be able to do a very decent job, I inspected the area after 50 chops and did not notice significant dust. Kapex/Festool Vac combo would have the entire area behind the saw coated with dust.
![Image](https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/img_2472.jpg)
- John Whitley
- Deshi
- Location: Seattle, WA
Post
Re: The Death of a Kapex
That's quite interesting. Turns out there's a suitable Omga (RN 450) on my local used market. I'm on the fence as to whether an RAS is suitable for my work, however. The footprint is a lot deeper than a miter station, and it's not clear that I'd take advantage of the RAS' features over a miter saw, given my sliding table saw.
John Whitley | admin@craftsmanshipinwood.org
- Brian
- Deshi
Post
Re: The Death of a Kapex
You probably don’t need it given that you have a sliding table saw.
A miter saw has advantages, however. The advantage being that you can work to a layout line easily and quickly.
The last round of miters I made with this new saw were absolutely perfect. It’s been a very long road for me with miters, so I am happy to start getting some good results.
A miter saw has advantages, however. The advantage being that you can work to a layout line easily and quickly.
The last round of miters I made with this new saw were absolutely perfect. It’s been a very long road for me with miters, so I am happy to start getting some good results.
- Brian
- Deshi
Post
Re: The Death of a Kapex
OK, I sold the Kapex and immediately rolled that money into a Glide stop.
http://www.jadawley.com
I had planned to build my own, but decided instead that I really liked how this system looks and is setup. I can add on a DRO later, the DRO can be used to measure pieces up to the length of the stop (8'6" in my case) and I can make the system longer if ever need be.
I think a system like this could be more useful in a small shop than a TigerStop or similar, having 20 location stops that do not inhibit the use of the full range of the system is very useful. So I could presumably make a kumiko layout then return the identical layout in the future if need be, utilizing a setup block to relocate the stops back into the identical position.
I also like the fact that I was able to have a good conversation about accuracy with the owner prior to purchasing. Most people seem to lump me into the crazy bin when I start talking about accuracy in the thousandths with woodworking. It's often considered nonsense to hunt for accuracy but it's been proving worthwhile for me, reducing required fitments and improving my end product.
I'm hoping that I can incorporate the Graule into this same system without buying another, so we'll soon see.
This all started due to my miters, so here is a photo of how they're turning out, off the saw without planing, or touchup of any sort.
![Image](https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/img_2521.jpg)
http://www.jadawley.com
I had planned to build my own, but decided instead that I really liked how this system looks and is setup. I can add on a DRO later, the DRO can be used to measure pieces up to the length of the stop (8'6" in my case) and I can make the system longer if ever need be.
I think a system like this could be more useful in a small shop than a TigerStop or similar, having 20 location stops that do not inhibit the use of the full range of the system is very useful. So I could presumably make a kumiko layout then return the identical layout in the future if need be, utilizing a setup block to relocate the stops back into the identical position.
I also like the fact that I was able to have a good conversation about accuracy with the owner prior to purchasing. Most people seem to lump me into the crazy bin when I start talking about accuracy in the thousandths with woodworking. It's often considered nonsense to hunt for accuracy but it's been proving worthwhile for me, reducing required fitments and improving my end product.
I'm hoping that I can incorporate the Graule into this same system without buying another, so we'll soon see.
This all started due to my miters, so here is a photo of how they're turning out, off the saw without planing, or touchup of any sort.
![Image](https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/img_2521.jpg)
- Chris Hall
- Site Admin
- Contact:
- Location: Greenfield, Massachusetts
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