Festool Roadshow

I took a day off work today (have more days left than there are working days left in the year) to go to the Festool Roadshow at Highland Woodworking. Well worth the time spent, particularly the free battery and charger ($145 list). Nice swag!

Reply to
krw
Loading thread data ...

It is a great display, we get it this coming Monday. I got a battery last year hoping for another or a discount on something. Ha. Ha.

Looking closely and seriously at the Kapex... ;~) Nope, I don't need one, cant justify one, but there times that it might be very helpful. Seems I always need to make a good clean cut when my TS is set up with a stacked dado set.

IIRC you have the Bosch glide CMS. 10" or 12"? Anything to share about that saw? I love the smoothness of the glide and up front controls but for only 2.5 times the money, LOL, the Kapex offers a lot of perks. In particular the ease of dialing in the bevel aided with counter balance so that you don't have a lot of weight to hang on to when adjusting the bevel. Dial laser indicating the wood that will disappear, small and relatively lite weight, pretty good dust collection, the angle finder/setup thingey, and lot's of good reviews. I saw a video of a 7 year old Kapex with dents and dings that gets carried to the jobsite every day, the carpenter/owner still swears by it. Apparently it fell out of his truck with no issues resulting.

Reply to
Leon

I'm looking at one, simply because it takes less room than my Bosch. I like the Bosch but if I put it on a cabinet, it's *huge*.

Me? No, I have a 12" with the rails sticking out the back (5312, I think). :-(

The dust collection on my Bosch is miserable (read: useless). It sprays splinters everywhere except into the blade safety cover and exhaust port. If I replace it, space is my primary motivation with dust collect a close second.

Reply to
krw

THANK YOU! The was my exact thoughts. The Kapex and it's stand and wings fold up to almost nothing and is very portable. IIRC the Kapex set up will make repeated cuts up to 94" with the wing extensions extended.

Oh well. ;~)

I'm right there with you on those thoughts. I want the saw to be easily moved, set up, and take up little space when not in use.

Have you seen this?

formatting link

This one shows the caps for the extensions and how it all fits together.

formatting link

And this one seems to prove the saw will hold up.

formatting link

Reply to
Leon

Tis I that has the Bosch 10" Glide. You may recall that the first one I received was faulty, leaving teeth marks as the blade spun down.

formatting link

The replacement unit (easily accomplished through Amazon) is fine.

I wish I could offer an in-depth review, but I don't have much to compare i t to. My previous CMS was a 20+ YO low-end Delta. I haven't had the need to do much (if any) in the way of compound cuts, mainly crosscuts with some 45 ° every now and then. Works just fine for that. I mainly needed the glide feature because of space limitations.

At 67 lbs, I wouldn't exactly call it portable.

Dust collection? Again, the only thing I can compare it to is the old Delta . Compared to that, it's operating room ready. ;-) I did a test just for you guys. I vacuumed all around the saw and then crosscut a piece of 1 x 8 popl ar.

On the left is with the vacuum off. There's noticeably less sawdust on the right, but the biggest difference is the cleanliness of my lungs. No spray of sawdust in my face.

formatting link

One of the first things I did was make a zero clearance insert. The two piece insert that came with the saw was a joke. The gap was at least 1/2" wide.

Based on my limited opportunity to compare it to anything other than my old Delta, I'm satisfied with the Bosch. I used a 12" Dewalt slider a few month s ago in the workshop of the farm SWMBO works at, but that didn't count. Someone used it to cut live branches, so all it did was burn it's way through the wood I was trying to cut. (There was a sheep shearing exhibitio n in the barn that the workshop is attached to. I convinced them not to evacuate when the saw set off the smoke detectors in the workshop. Seriousl y.)

Reply to
DerbyDad03

I stand corrected, and you have a tooth blade problem with several of your blades. :!) One day you will venture out and get a Forrest WWII. I switched to that blade in 1999 and have not looked back. If the stock is flat and straight I get no tooth marks, often burnished. BUT you have to have a robust saw also.

Ahh the Delta, I have one that is about that age, maybe older. It is a

12 CMS. Freaky loud and cranky. When I got my first cabinet saw and Forrest WWII I immediately retired the Delta. I have used it a time or two since. I miss having a miter saw when I need to make a good clean cut and the TS is set up for something else.

No, and an advantage to the Kapex is it's 47 lbs. PLUS it's compact size and nothing slides past the back of the saw, much like the Bosch Glide.

Thanks for reposting.

Reply to
Leon

I believe the "ChopMaster" is set up for a SCMS. Is there a 12" WWII?

Reply to
krw

I'm not sure what you are saying there. The image below is from the first glide saw I received from Amazon. The marks were there regardless of the blade used, even ones that worked fine on the old Delta. (I tried 3 differe nt blades on the Bosch just to be sure it wasn't the Bosch blade that came wit h the saw.)

Once the saw itself was swapped out, that "tooth gouge" was gone. The saw was definitely defective.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

Yes there is a 12" WWII and quite pricey. AND Yes, the ChopMaster would be the correct blade for the MS.

Reply to
Leon

Understood but you had that issue and IIRC a recent issue with some cheap blades cutting plywood.

Reply to
Leon

formatting link

Reply to
Sonny

formatting link

Reply to
Sonny

LOL, and don't think the Miter Master Saw Blade. I'm not sure if this is for a MS or TS.

formatting link

Reply to
Leon

For some reason, I've never seen that web page before. A 16" WWII! Who wudda thunk? Considering its size, the price isn't that bad, either.

Reply to
krw

Okay this is probably not what you want but it is portable and only $119.

formatting link

But it folds up.

Reply to
Markem

;~) I think it is about $2300 less than what I want to pay. ;~) I did look at one of those earlier this week. I doubt it is going to give me cabinet saw quality cuts.

Reply to
Leon

I see. Those 2 incidents were totally unrelated. One was a defective saw, the other was a cheap plywood blade. Both issues have now been resolved. :-)

Reply to
DerbyDad03

That's not what I would want either but it is a slick product. Nice design.

Reply to
krw

Good! So your are liking the Bosch glide SCMS?

Reply to
Leon

The concept is a winner, but for $119 there have to be some compromises on quality, I would think.

Reply to
Leon

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.