On the back of the saw is a place to wrap the cord and store the Allen wrench, and a handle for carrying the saw is molded in. Again, it’s small details like this that users appreciate.

Trenching (dados & rabbets), most SCMS have this feature. On the Kapex the trenching depth of cut is pretty precise and easy to set. While it won’t produce furiture grade results, it can make field expedant dados and rabbets for paint grade work or rough framing. This photo to the left the green trenching knob/lever (green arrow), push it down and twist it to set the depth of cut.

The motor on the Kapex is controlled by MMC eletronics, this keeps the saw at speed while under load, controls the soft start, thermal overload protection and variable speed. The MMC eletronics are also responsible for the somewhat unusual sound of the Kapex, sort of a growling sound. If you happen to own one of Festool’s TS plunge cut saws this sound will be quite familiar. In the picture to the right is the variable speed control, on/off switch for the lasers, dust port and at the bottom of the picture is the trenching lever.

The Kapex: Accessories

With the MFT/Kapex out of the way we’ll look at the other Kapex accessories, the saw blades, crown stops and clamping kit. With the Festool extension wings not yet released in North America I’ll show you the Sawhelper extension wings.

The clamping kit is used to secure the Kapex to a MFT or any work table. The kit includes two bolts and two fastening knobs. The bolts fit the recesses in the saw’s base and the knobs screw on from below the MFT or table.

Crown stops, used to hold crown molding in position or nested. The crown stops attach to the V-grooves in the saw’s base. One locking knob mounts the crown stops and a knob lock the stop to set the distance of the stop to match the crown’s spring angle. Without the stop portion one the crown stops act as small extensions.

Saw blades, the heart of any miter saw. Festool offers four saw blades for the Kapex, two for wood, one laminates and one for non-ferrous metals.

One nice thing Festool has done is stamp the specs right on the blade (tooth design and count, rake angle and gullet spacing). This information is needed for the sharpening service to bring the blade to specs and to produce the best possible finished cuts.

Festool has a color code for its saw blades for different materials. Each blade has a colored ring on it to designate the material it is intended to be used for. Yellow is for wood/soft plastic, red is for laminate and blue is for non-ferrous metals/acrylic/hard plastic. All of the Kapex’s blades are 260 mm diameter, 30 mm arbor bore, 2.5 mm kerf; carbide tipped and come in a reusable cardboard sleeve for storage.

Universal blade: for wood/soft plastic, 60 tooth alternating top bevel saw blade, teeth have a -5° rake. This is the blade that comes with the Kapex, it’s a nice general purpose saw blade for both soft and hard woods. Cut quality is good with little tear out. Good results with soft plastics. Recommended speed setting 3-6.

Fine tooth blade: for wood/soft plastics, 80 tooth alternating top bevel saw blade, teeth have a -5° rake. This blade is sold as an accessory, for high quality cuts in all woods. Cut quality is excellent with very little tear out. Very good results with soft plastics. Recommended speed setting 3-6.

Laminate blade: for laminate, 64 tooth triple chip saw blade, teeth have -5° rake. This blade is sold as an accessory, used for solid surface, laminate flooring and other composite materials. Varying cut quality depending on material. Recommended speed setting 3-5.

Aluminum/plastic blade: for non-ferrous metals/acrylic/hard plastic, 68 tooth triple chip blade, teeth have a 0° rake. This blade is sold as an accessory. Varying cut quality depending on material. Recommended speed setting 2-4.

Page Six.

The Festool Kapex, Page Five.