How to make Sacrificial Fences and Inserts for the Festool Kapex
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- Опубликовано: 8 авг 2024
- Fitting sacrificial zero clearance inserts and rear fences to mitre saws can greatly improve the quality of the cuts. In this video I describe the process to create the various pieces for the Festool KS120 Kapex but I do explain how to approach the task should you have a different make of saw.
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Very helpful, as soon as I will get my Kapex I will make the sacrificial fences using your advice and measures - thank you so much
Hi Peter love your videos, I've been wanting the Kapex 120 for a while and today I took the plunge and got the saw and also the Rotex RO 150 FEQ-Plus Multi-Mode Sander and a CT SYS HEPA Dust Extractor. I love the fact that Festool are not only great tools for life, but also have unsurpassed dust collection capabilities in all their tool designs. I really love the garden bench video you did and hopefully I have a few similar projects to use my Kapex and Rotex 150....thanks for all the great context you supply the woodworking community....cheers from across the pond in Canada:)
Hi Danny, I am so pleased for you - well done. Peter
I just joined the ranks of Kapex owners and I can attest to the fact that you need the zero clearance inserts for both vertical and horizontal. You can cut without it, but you'll get tear-out. I have a few tips that I learned along the way. Rather than do a lot of measuring and marking, I simply used the plastic inserts that came with the saw as a template to make the zero-clearance board in the base. You can get the length, how much the corners need to be rounded, and the position of the holes from the template. All I needed was the width. I used brad point bits as you did for the counter-sunk screws. I was just starting to think about a miter saw station, when I discovered something that the folks at Festool - they're always thinking - came up with. An MFT-3 table measures 900mm from the floor to the surface. They make something called an MFT Kapex (item# 495465,) a smaller, narrower table that measures 790mm to the top. 900 - 790 = 110, which is the same dimension as the base of the Kapex. So, if you have the stomach for laying out more money after you bought the Kapex and already have an MFT3, then if you put them side by side, the surface of the MFT3 and the top of the base of the Kapex will be co-planar. I went an extra step and lined up the fence on the MFT3 and the fence on the Kapex so that I can use the stop on the MFT3's fence for repeated crosscuts on longer boards.
Hi Bob, Many thanks. Peter
Hi Everyone, I had an error in the title of the original video - my apologies. Peter
Thanks for a good and informative video.
I will make this with my Cnc :) Been thinking a long time to do this, and now I do not have to take the time to measure :) Thanks a lot.
Best regards
TR
Well done. Peter
Thank you Peter, just what I wanted. My new Kapex is being delivered today. Peter W
Hi Peter, Excellent. Cheers. Peter
Amazing vidéo ! Précision and simplicity ! Thank you very much for its !
Glad you liked it!
Hello Peter, like everyone I enjoy your videos. About two years ago I did the sacrificial fences and inserts. I made 10 sets. I believe that will last me quite awhile. I did a screen capture of your diagram which I will use for screw holes.
My wife purchase for Christmas a great item for me to help in dust collection. That is a Rousseau 5000L Dust Hood. Some of the comments I read mentioned a performance decrease in dust collection. This should solve the problem. Amazon carries it in the states. Maybe in England as well. I checked Axminster and they do not have it listed on their website at this time.
By the way my next investment is your Parf Dog Rail Clips and Parf Super dogs. Take care and again Great Videos. Kevin
Hi Kevin, I will take a look at that dust hood. Take care. Peter
Hi Peter. Thanks for this guidance. I am about to start on my first piece of entertainment room furniture and this was on my list of tasks before I started cutting wood. I bought the Kapex because I was tired of the dust from my previous miter saw and realize that even high quality tools require some tune up to get the best performance. I will make the fences long enough for stop blocks as well.
Glad it was helpful!
Hi again Peter,
Today I made these fences and found an error in your published dimensions. My Kapex is a KS 120 REB with a date code of 2021-01; I am in the US, which shouldn’t make a difference, but might. The stock fences are different widths and the bolt holes are different distances in from the outer ends. The left stock fence is 243 mm wide and its outer hole is 60 mm from the outer end as your drawing shows. The right stock fence is 263 mm wide and the outer hole is 80 mm from the outer end, not 60 mm. Both sets of holes are the same distance apart. When both stock fences are pushed toward the center, they are symmetric about the blade.
No big deal, I am using scrap which went from the scrap pile to the garbage can (dust bin to you?). In this case, measure thrice, cut once.
Carl
Hi Carl, Yes, things must have changed. A good warning for people to check before they start to make their own. Cheers. Peter
Picking up my new Kapex on Saturday, will also make sacrificial inserts.
Thanks
Hi Stephen, Lucky chap. Cheers. Peter
Brilliant idea Peter, thanks for sharing
Hi Peter, Many thanks - I just made another set (for another friend - that is the problem putting stuff on video) without having to talk to camera and it took just 2 hours which included getting the stock cut to size. Cheers. Peter
Hi Peter, I remember watching this a while ago before I bought a Kapex. Just making my zero clearance insert now. Everything is the same on the REB version except mine was only 7mm thickness. Thanks.
Ollie.
Hi Ollie, Thanks for the update. Cheers. Peter
you probably dont care but if you are bored like me during the covid times then you can stream pretty much all the new movies on instaflixxer. Been streaming with my brother recently xD
@Soren Landon yea, I've been watching on Instaflixxer for since december myself :)
You are a true gentleman thank you for sharing.
Hi Claude, Many thanks. Peter
Very nice- did this for my own Kapex as soon as I got it... except I cheated just a bit. My dealer had some plastic bottom zero clearance inserts. They work well, too. It all goes to pot on the bottom piece, though, when you have to do some compound miter cuts where the blade angle is changed. And even on the back pieces when something as simple as cutting anything but a 90% angle is required. For common non- square cuts, I have a couple of extra fence and insert pieces to use to back up the blade.
Hi Lawrence, I am not sure in which of my videos I have shown "ad-hoc" zero clearance pieces in order to protect the ones that are there. It is a useful idea. Ordinarily the bevel cuts do degrade the lower zero clearance piece. Peter
Thanks Peter, nice job buddy
According to ELIEZER S YUDKOWSKY "Precision is a virtue" I'm inclined to agree! lol.
Always enjoy your videos Peter, even if they are not entirely applicable to me( I don't own a Kapex mitre saw), they are still worth watching!
Cheers
tony
Hi Tony, That is very kind of you. Cheers. Peter
Hi Peter, a flaw in my plan, 20 mm thickness means I can’t use the hold down clamp which comes with the KS 120. So I have made the fences with 9mm plywood. This seems successful for now. One change I had to make was with the right hand fence. The fences are not mirror images of each other. The left hand one is exactly as per your video. But the right hand one has holes at different distances. The first hole from the right is 80mm in not 60mm. Mine is a 2020 machine so perhaps they changed the fence dimensions.
Nevertheless it is a very clever addition and break out is eliminated. Thank you.
Hi Brian, Many thanks for this. Cheers. Peter
Yes these sacrificial fences can be a good idea but they are also a pain when you want to make angled cuts in whatever plane. I find it easier to leave them off but use machined parallel strips as back-ups to prevent tear out - works for me.
Thanks for the great tip
Hi Peter, I put mine on the day after I bought the saw. I have replace them a few times and, as you can now see, they are so easy to make. Cheers. Peter
Merci pour le plan!
De rien. Peter
Good idea thanks.😊
Thanks Paul. Peter
I just purchased a Kapex 120. I love to watch all of your videos. Please let me know how I can get the plans for the zero clearance insert and the sacrificial fences. Thank you.
Hi Robert, I have no plans for the zero clearance inserts or sacrificial fences. However, if you find something else that I have made then in order to get plans or to contact me via email I need your email address. RUclips no longer has a private messaging service and so in order to get in touch you need to place a comment on this or any other video with your email address. The RUclips software should identify and send it to the spam folder for The New Brit Workshop. Nobody will be able to see your email address except you and me. I will then delete your comment so that it does not end up in the public domain and I will then send the plans. Were we to do this the other way around then my comment, with my email address, would appear for all the world to see. Peter
Just a thought, I am going to sharpen the end of some m4 bolts (Or whatever fits), cut them short enough so that only 2 mm is proud of the hole and then push the insert over the top. This should give clear positions of the screw holes without relying on measurements.
That should work and you could give yourself some wiggle room by having the holes in the inserts slightly on the large side. Peter
Thanks Peter for another informative video. I made the same for my Kapex and like Blackemmons discovered that it reduces the dust collection capabilities a bit but they are still worth doing. Presently, I am trying to prototype a shroud for the Kapex to contain the dust that is not picked up by the Festool Vacuum System. If you have any ideas, on this issue, please share. Whilst watching you make the inserts and sacrificial fences I was wondering if these would be great items to make on the X-Carve? How many bits would you need to use in order to cut out these pieces, round over the edges and drill the holes? PS. You have lucky friends :-).
Hi Kim, An interesting project to reduce the dust still further. Do share your findings with the rest of the world please. I would not use the X-Carve for something like this as it would take forever - too many toolpaths and too slow! I am very lucky to have such good friends who help me so much. Peter
I build a large shroud for my Makita LS1216. It contains the dust within the shroud but still need to clean the dust from the inside of the shroud and from all over the saw. I've placed the Kapex 120 in it and the sacrificial fence keeps the Kapex from maintaining its excellent dust extraction. Hence having to clean the shroud just as much. And the saw even more. It's just the nature of the beast.
Hi Peter Another great video. I'm just about to order the KS120 (sold the KS60) what type of timber do you use for the fence?
Hi Brain, I just had some odd ends of cedar but anything will do as long as it is stable. Cheers. Peter
Hi Peter, the time has come to copy this for my Kapex - what thickness of wood did you use for the fence and did you use planer thicknesser to ensure it was flat? Many thanks for your great videos again
Hi Stuart. I did use a P/T and got it to 8 mm. Peter
Great tip , thank you , what wood did you use ?
You can use any stable wood. I used some very dry (and flat) cedar but anything will do. Peter
Hello Peter, your video is very clear and exhaustive and soon I will build these martyrs for my Kapex. a question: these guides will avoid, when cutting off small pieces and perhaps very hard wood, the throwing of the piece? thanks Alessandro
Hi Alessandro, They will help to eliminate off cuts flying around. Letting your saw blade come to a stop before moving it out of the cut will also help a lot. Cheers. Peter
@@NewBritWorkshop thanks Peter, in fact I noticed that this last measure is very effective but often haste is a bad advisor :-) thanks again alessandro
Hi Peter, and many thanks for your videos. Why not reproduce the center sacrificial insert with a router and a cutter to copy (with top bearing. Excuse me, I don't khow the english word ) and why not overlay the two inserts (the Festool and the new one) to trace the screw holes?
Hi Nicolas, Yes, that would work but it would take longer than just measuring and sawing. The hole positioning would work quite well. Cheers. Peter
Nice
Thanks
Hi peter when you were makeing a bessy clamp rack i notice you grab the festool router table ,have you ever thought of putting wheels on the festool router table.?
Hi Shane, I had thought about it a long time ago but castors would add height and I would then lose my 900 mm height standard in the workshop. When Festool produce a router equivalent of the CSC SYS table saw I would consider a rolling cart. I am making on e now for the CSC SYS. Cheers. Peter
Good for using only for straight cuts, any mitre or bevel cuts will ruin the kerf or am i missing something? Good video - thanks.
It does make a small difference but not worth worrying about. Peter
Great job as usual Peter. Is the thickness of the fence pieces also 7.5 mm? They look thicker in the video.
Hi Ed, At the rear they are 10 mm thick. Peter
Thanks Peter. A month or so into Kapex ownership and now ready to make some ZCIs.
Did you notice a large difference in terms of dust collection?
Not large difference but a tiny dash more dust but nothing compared to my old Dewalt. Peter
Hi Peter. I made one of these for my Kapex. I surely get perfect cuts, but it seriously degrades the dust collection for me, so I can't leave it on all the time.
Hi Andrew, I cut the back edges of mine off at an angle so that, looking from the front, one sees a squat "V". This improves dust collection but, of course, reduces the height that the zero clearance bit works. Peter
@@NewBritWorkshop Thanks Peter, I was even thinking of ventilating the lower area with a forstner bit to see if that might help.
Hi Peter - do you know are the dimensions the same for the KS60?
Hi Dave, No they would be completely different and I would recommend that you make up the one that I showed in the KS60 film. Peter
Hi Peter, just acquired a KS 120 and now making the insert/ fences. Is the the thickness of the fence critical? I have an off cut of oak 20mm thick. Would this be ok or should I trim it down to 7.8mm ? Thanks Brian
Hi Brian, Technically it is not critical but it will reduce the length of a cross cut. Peter
Hi Peter. Unless I'm making a dumb mistake, these sacrificial fences and inserts will need to be removed if you want to do bevel cuts?
Hi Chris, Yes, either removed or moved a bit. For mitre cuts one or the other just needs to be moved a dash. Cheers. Peter
Please excuse my ignorance but, could someone please explain to me the increments on the festool tape measure? The one with imperial and metric. I am trying to use it to cut my piece out for the fence. NOthing on it is even close to the measurements at 14:40 of this video.for fun I was gonna do a small metric project but, the points on this tape don't measure up to anything presented here. .49 of the smallest increments on it for the height only adds up to 2 inches 49 on the next larger marks is about 19 1/4 inches. What don't I get?
Hi William, The tape rule's body is 2.5" (or 64 mm) from back to front. When you extend the tape to measure something you would have the hooked end of the tape on the end of the piece to be measured. You then pull the tape out and mark the length you need next to the desired unit on the tape rule - you have inches on one side and mm on the other. If you are measuring into a frame, say a window, then you can use the scale shown through the window. This scale takes account of the 2.5" or 64 mm width of the body of the tape rule. That is why, when the tape is fully retracted, the scale will show 2.5" or 64 mm in that window. Peter
I made a rear fence but found it interfered with dust collection.
Hi James, You are right but it is a choice that you would make based on experience. If the small reduction in dust extraction is important then do not use them but if the support and break out reduction is important then go for it. Peter
Any chance I could buy some of these from you?
Hi Daniel, I am sorry but I do not make them for sale. Peter
Why not use the existing throat plate as a template for shop made plate?
Hi Paul, yes, you can do it that way. Cheers. Peter
Can I be your friend & you make one for me please Peter? I’ve got the KS60 😉
Anyone wonder why for $1600+ US that zero clearance inserts are not part of the purchase or even available for sale?
Dear Peter, I finally got my Kapex this afternoon - your hints and measurement are very usefull... as allways, I think I have to stop watching your videos. It´s getting quite expensive 😉😆
Hi Martin, In my latest Workshop Notes video you will see the fantastic mitre cuts that you can achieve with the Kapex. I would recommend that you get the fine tooth blade. Peter
Currently I ran out of money and first I have to build a kind of Kapex-station. It will be a kind of hanging platform between two mft3s, I saw this solution on fog
Way too much fiddling about. As demonstrated the tolerances for the zero clearance bottom plate are too tight. I've noticed the Festool Kapex clamp is very narrow compared to the Makita clamps. The thicker the fence backing the less room you have to adjust the clamp. So a 16mm thick fence backing will NOT allow the clamp to extend down at all. So 10mm for pine. I found trying to fabricate a flat 10mm pine to these sizes to be incredibly frustrating. And I would suggest a thiner bamboo sheet. Maybe 6mm. With Screw heads to match. Either from a supplier or from a big box store that sells drawer box inserts. The fence backing doesn't need to be parf accuracy nor CNC made. Just make them 120 high and 280 wide. the fences are NOT the same shape. However, the overall dimensions are the same. Hold each piece up to the fence and trace the fence outline and the holes on the back. Draw a horizontal line at 40mm (45mm max) from the blade side on both to clear the flexible dust port or help with extraction. You could leave it higher and drill dust extraction holes. Use a jigsaw to trace the line. Drill holes and counter sinks as instructed. Hint: Line up the drill bit with the centre point. Clamp the work piece in place. Drill the thru hole first. Change the bit for the counter sink. Drill the counter sink. That way the holes are centered exactly. Then move to the next hole. hth
Peter, Did you get my comment(original posting) on the Kapex dust collection with the zero clearance fence and do you find the same issue?
Thanks. JimE
Hi Jim, Yes I did and I did reply but I then had to take that video down and replace it as there was an error in the title. You are quite right that the rear sacrificial pieces do inhibit the dust collection but only once the blade enters the rear fence. The effect is not too bad at all and still leave the Kapex head and shoulders above the competition. Cheers. Peter
Thanks Peter.
I guess it only makes sense if the boot on the back of the saw is behind the fence when cutting in front of the fence there will be pick up issues. That being said, it still does a great job and I'm not trading to anything else. JimE
Please send me your plans
Hi John, In order to get plans or to contact me via email I need your email address. RUclips no longer has a private messaging service and so in order to get in touch you need to place a comment on this or any other video with your email address. The RUclips software should identify and send it to the spam folder for The New Brit Workshop. Nobody will be able to see your email address except you and me. I will then send you the plans or get in touch by email and delete your comment so that it does not end up in the public domain. Were we to do this the other way around then my comment, with my email address, would appear for all the world to see.
Sorry if it sounds stupid, but why not just trace around the original? Guess working the corners is not the best way.
That would work but maybe not quite as accurate. Peter