A Review of the Kapex KS120 Slide Compound Mitre Saw by Rob McGilp

Scope: This evaluation is designed to provide information for woodworkers wishing to evaluate the Kapex 120 SCMS for use in their workshops. It is the result of one person’s experience in his own workshop and represents his opinions only.

The saw can be collapsed for transport. It is light to carry and I have found it easy to move around within the workshop or in the car. To move the saw, set the mitre handle to 60 degrees, release the lever to the right of the housing and fold down. The picture above shows the saw setup and the one below it is collapsed.

Checking and Adjusting Angles: When the saw is unpacked, it is a good idea (as with all tools dependant on angle cutting) to confirm that the saw is set correctly. There are two ways this can be done. 1. Test cut at 45o or 2. Set a known 45o angle against the fence and blade and check that way. For the bevel, the same applies. I found that the mitre angle was approx 1/2 o out using a 45 o right cut and the bevel a similar amount also using a right cut. On the Kapex, angles are set by loosening the hex nuts holding the angle scale in place and adjusting to the correct settings. This is different to the Makita LS1214, which relies upon moving the fence by the required amount. Adjusting the angles was fast and easy to do, but requires the use of a hex key, which is not provided. For the bevel angle, it is necessary to adjust the two pointers on the bevel scale to set the correct angle. This photo shows one of the two bevel indicators. Care should be taken here as the pointers can move while you are resetting them, resulting in an error on one or both sides. Accuracy is crucial here if you intend doing compound mitres or very fine work. At best I believe you can get the angle down to +/- 0.2 o accuracy. The use of an angle checking device placed on the face of the blade and relating to the surface of the work piece may improve this slightly.

Checking and Adjusting Lasers: In the case of my saw, there was no requirement to alter the laser alignment; however, information from other users has shown that the first time the saw is moved by car any distance, the lasers may move out of alignment. I have no experience with this procedure, but it appears straight forward. The laser switch is located on the back of the motor housing and once turned on will remain on for 30 minutes. If left unattended it will then turn itself off.

Fences and Clamp: The fences are high and strong but have some weaknesses. 1. It is not possible to move the fences right up to the blade, the minimum gap between fences is 35mm 2. The fence and its rails are Aluminum in construction and can lock, so that they will not move without the aid of a hammer. This can be avoided by the use of dry lubricant. However, if the fences do require force to move, it is possible there is a problem with fit and Festool should be contacted for repair as the problem will only get worse. The clamp is sturdy and easily removed/replaced. It must be removed (as must the fence) to cut bevels at high angles. It is situated very close to the fence, which can cause an issue expanded upon below. Shown here, the clamp holding a work piece.

Adjustable Speed: The saw has a variable speed switch which moves smoothly between Speed Mark#1 and #6. This is extremely useful when performing some fine work and when cutting large work pieces. The speed control is located next to the laser switch on the back of the motor housing.

Standard Cuts: The rails for saw travel are mounted over the chassis, so the saw can be mounted close to a wall, or used in tight spaces. Standard cuts are performed by bringing the saw fully forward and cutting back as with most other SCMS’. Adjusting the speed of the blade to suit the material being cut results in smooth, straight cuts. I have seen no evidence of blade flexing if a speed appropriate to the work pieces is used. Attempting to cut at a slower speed than necessary may result in some flexing, but the same applies to all saws of this type. Setting up for bevel cuts is very simple, using the geared lever at right of the housing. There is no need to heft the entire saw from one side to another, though this can be done if desired. Three settings are available for tilting. 1. +45o 2. +/- 45o 3. +/- 47o The first allows movement only to the right; the second to both sides to a maximum of 45o and the third provides free movement over the entire range of the saw. Once the desired setting is determined, the position is locked using a clamp provided over the adjuster knob.

There is also provision for setting the depth of cut by engaging a small lever also to the right of the blade. The lever may be turned to regulate the depth of cut. This allows for trenching, dadoes and rebating, for example during tenoning. The action of the saw allows repeated back and forth motion so that by moving the work piece slowly across the face of the blade, cutting becomes a repetitive motion similar to moving meat though a slicer, giving a smooth finish to the cut, which needs only a clean up with a chisel. One point to note, however, is that the saw will not cut all the way through a piece if the standard fence is used.

Either the piece must be reversed and the cut repeated or an auxiliary fence put in place to allow full through cutting. If this method is used, the work piece clamp is not useable. The fences are provided with holes for mounting an auxiliary fence. For very wide pieces, reversing the work piece is necessary in all cases. This is true of all SCMS’ though. Either way, the laser guide provides for great accuracy. The photos above show a cut done with the standard fence and with an auxiliary fence respectively. Note the clean finish on the surface of the cut.

For mitre cutting, the base locks at standard angles, 15, 22.5, 30 and 45 degrees. The saw will also cut mitres on the right side to 60 degrees. Clamping of the table is achieved by depressing a lever at the front of the base. The base is released by raising this clamp.

Compound Cuts: Compound cuts are very easy to do, using the bevel adjustment rod and the mitre table. The saw set up for a 15 degrees mitre and 45 degrees bevel.

Wide and Deep Cuts: The Kapex will routinely cut to a width of 305mm and a depth of 120mm using a square cut. The depth, as with other saws, drops with the use of a bevel. The two pictures above show a piece of 25mmx200mm Sydney Blue Gum (a hardwood) cut at speed mark #1, the slowest available on the Kapex. There is no bow apparent in the upper photo, indicating that there was no blade flex.

Fine Trimming: The Kapex is very useful for fine trimming of straight, mitre, bevel and compound cuts. By reducing the speed of the saw to an appropriate level, clean slow cuts can be made. This is very useful with fine work, trimming the sides for drawers and trays in boxes for example. The three pictures bleow show a piece of pine being trimmed. The two pencil marks are 2mm apart. The saw is set at speed #1 and slowly pushed through the timber. Each cut represents a 1mm adjustment to the length of the piece.

Special Cuts: The special cutting position allows docking and trimming of work pieces up to 120mm deep. The two images below show the set up for special cutting.

Dust Extraction: The Kapex 120 generates a lot of saw dust and requires efficient dust extraction. A Festool C22 dust extraction system or equivalent would be the minimum device to provide this. No bag is supplied with the saw and this would be next to useless anyway. It would fill in seconds under normal use. Care must be taken to clean dust away from the fence rails as dust here can result in jamming and subsequent damage to the sliders

Summary: The Kapex 120 SCMS is a precise and versatile saw which is easy to use and intuitive to learn. The accuracy of laser guided cutting is ideal for fine cuts, while the ability to vary speed and cut to 300mm makes it a great addition to the tool kit of cabinet makers and house builders. Some modifications need to be made so as to allow for the full cut when trenching without the need for an auxiliary fence and to allow the work piece clamp to function at a further distance from the fence. I bought the Kapex because I wanted a saw that was light to move around and could be used for wide cuts as well as very accurate trimming. The Kapex has provided these capabilities. As it is a first generation saw, I was prepared for some “quirks”. Most of these are minor irritations and can be worked around fairly easily. I would recommend this saw for most woodworking situations.

Above and below are additional images of the Kapex.