Festool Kapex KS120 Instruction Manual page 25

The Kapex is manufactured with relatively tight
tolerances. The good part is that the saw is precise, with
almost no slop or deflection, this produces great cuts.
The other side is the saw is a little stiff in the mitering
and beveling of the saw. I expect these to break in over
time and move more smoothly. Miter and bevel angles
can be easily tweaked to 1/4°. The detents have no slop
and the saw bad and fence are coplanar making cuts
predictable and repeatable. Overall I've been pleased
with the results it terms of accuracy and cut quality.
Compound miter cuts in hardwoods; this is a good test
for any miter saw. The Kapex's rails have very little
deflection, this produces pretty accurate cuts. How you
push the saw carriage can influence the accuracy, in a
good or bad way. The Kapex's handle is in the center
over the blade helping to apply the pressure evenly to
help reduce deflection. With an offset vertical handle and worse yet, a horizontal handle, the
handle can act like a lever applying torque to the rails causing more deflection.
Of course the blade can deflect also, some people prefer full kerf blade for bevel cuts compound
miters. I like thin kerf blades, but my first choice is to use a full kerf on a thicker, stiffer blade for
mitering (bevel cut) tall hardwood baseboard. The Kapex blades are 2.5 mm (around 3/32")
they fit into the thin kerf category. The Festool blades do pretty well on bevel and compound
angle cuts. They are surprisingly stiff, here's one you can try at home, take Kapex blade and tap
it with a coin, what do you hear? The answer is very little; what's missing is the distinctive
ringing found on most other saw blades. The Kapex blades dampen vibration incredibly well. In
Brice Burrell, copyright 2008
Festool Kapex
general, the less vibration the better the
cut will be, that goes for any angle, not
just compound angle cuts.
Another factor that plays a role in cut
quality is how well the work piece is
supported. If the piece isn't properly
supported it can move, twist or slide
during the cut, spoiling an otherwise nice
piece of wood. Extension wings like the
Sawhelper models are a perfect for
continuous support. The picture on the
left has a piece with saw marks on it, this
is what happens when the work piece
isn't held properly on the saw. Even a
small amount of movement can cause
these saw marks in the cut. (See photo on
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