August, 2008

A Tool for Pros

Festool Kapex offers the first dust-free sliding compound miter saw, and its innovations are astounding.

By Gary Katz

Most lumber and building material dealers stock tools in their stores because the markups are so high on them, right?

Nope. The reason LBM dealers stock tools is an issue of customer service.

You want your customers to find everything they need inside the doors of your store. That means, with such competitive prices, you have to be doubly sure that the tools you stock are the products your customers will value and buy.

Most often, contractors and carpenters like me are on a tight budget. We’re after affordable tools that do the job and stand up to long-term abuse. But every now and then, especially when it comes to finish work, there’s a tool that can change the way we work, improve the quality of our craftsmanship, and increase production. Tools like that always cost a lot more money.

What’s a Kapex?

Until now, a miter saw has been a miter saw and needed only one name. But the new miter saw Festool released last month is a different type of cutting tool. In German, the word “kappen” means “to cut;” it’s fair to say that the Kapex is an extraordinary cutting machine.

The first thing you’ll notice about the new saw is that you can back the tool right up to a wall or a window. The dual, stationary rails extend over the front of the saw base.

Unlike previous saws, the rails do not slide out the back of the saw. Because the rails are stationary and set widely apart,
the saw cuts smoother and straighter than any 10-in. miter saw I’ve ever used, and much better than a 12-in. saw. The saw projects only 33 in. from the wall, compared to 44 in. on my last saw. That means you can set up in a narrow hallway or small room with ease.

Though it looks heavy, with a honeycomb magnesium-alloy base, the Kapex weighs only 47 lbs., making it the lightest 10-in. sliding compound saw on the market—a dream saw for trim carpenters (A). The switch and safety trigger are also unusual: Until the safety trigger is squeezed, the saw cannot be lowered, or the guard retracted. The motor will not start unless the safety trigger is completely engaged and the safety switch is also depressed.

The combination of switch and trigger, plus their position high on the handle, is cumbersome compared to other saws with T-handles, but that design flaw isn’t tough to accommodate.

The bevel lock is at the top rear of the rails and easy to reach (B). Flip the lock lever up to release the guide-rail assembly. Like other miter saws, you can set the stop knob so the saw swings 45-degrees to the left and stops vertically at 0 in the center. A second position on the stop knob allows the saw to swing 45 degrees in both directions. The last position allows the saw to swing 47 degrees, plus or minus.

One reason this saw cuts extraordinarily well is because of the bevel angle control. I can dial a bevel angle to within 1/2 degree on the Kapex because the radius of the bevel gauge is about 7 in. (C). No other saw has such a large bevel gauge. (Only the digital gauge on the Hitachi is more accurate.)

Another first: The Kapex is equipped with a gear-driven twist knob that allows precise bevel-angle control without having to support the weight of the motor with your hand or shoulder. Bevel-angle adjustment is stepless, without troublesome detents—for the first time, real micro-fine adjustment is possible on a miter saw.

The Kapex is also equipped with an accurate dual-line adjustable laser that casts extremely thin lines (D).

When cutting tall baseboard (over 3 1/2 in.), I did find the laser wasn’t able to cast a line on both sides of the blade at the measurement mark on top of the material, something related to the forward position of the saw motor and a minor inconvenience. On shorter material, especially crown molding, the lines are perfect. For cutting on-the-flat, these laser lines are better than all the other lasers I’ve “tried” and abandoned. The lines are so crisp that they don’t interfere with my sharp 21⁄2 lead pencil lines. I can now cut right to the mark without making any false cuts— which saves me time on every piece.

Most magazine tool reviews are horse races: authors like me line up a dozen tools and compare the features and performance. We work with editors and develop a list of objective things like belt hooks, tool size, swivel fittings, weight, the number of screws driven or boards cut. We also include subjective reactions, like the “feel” of the tool, the balance, the grip, and sometimes the vibration or noise. Unfortunately, after spending so much space on comparisons, few tool reviews have much room left for judging quality, especially when it comes to miter saws. Maybe that’s partly because there hasn’t been much difference in quality between top-rated miter saws. Of course, up until now, there hasn’t been a miter saw that cost $1300, either. But if you have customers who work to tight tolerances and want dead-on accuracy with every cut, in a 40-lb. package, this might be the answer to their dreams.

This isn’t a tool that every customer will want or be able to afford. But discriminating carpenters will appreciate this tool’s accuracy, speed, and ease of use.

To see a longer version of this review, and a video I shot of testing the accuracy of my Kapex saw, visit http://www.garymkatz.com/toolreviews/kapex.htm.

GARY KATZ, with nearly 40 years experience in the industry, is a contributing editor to Fine Homebuilding magazine, a frequent contributor to the Journal of Light Construction, and produces the Katz Roadshow—Carpentry Clinics at lumberyards all over America. To learn more, visit his web site: www.GaryMKatz.com.