Another Hammer edited with pics.

[Slappy]

Does anyone have any experience yet with the silent power spiral cutter on their jointer?
I ordered a Felder shaper and after a long think went for the spiral cutter, especially for the noise reduction and ability to switch the damaged cutters separately. I often damage my knives long before they are worn so i am left with these lines on my work that add up until i get them sharpened.

How easy is it really to maintain and how does it react when you pass allot of pine through it? Does it clog up with resin?

If the above is a concern then think about that the silent power head has many individual small square block cutter & that each one needs cleaning when the whole head unit gets gummed up.  chip one cutter you simply turn it a 1/4 turn  BUT then you have un-matched that single one  to the rest of the cutters . Another complaint about these style of  heads  is that the cutters get the corners worn down/nicked long before the carbide is no longer sharp . Again leaving lines in the surface .
the machines that have the Tersa heads have an advantage that the knives are quick change  a minute or 2  per knife , double sided knives , most important is there are 4 different metal knives that are available ( you can easily & quickly fine tune the knife to the species of wood you are working )
clean up of the head is easy as well .
there is no adjustment to to be made with  Tersa knives  the knives self set when the machine powers up . there are no screws  that need to be  loosened or tightened . 
not choosing a side here on machines just explaining the differences .
Tersa heads are low noise like a silent power head is .

 

[Timtool]

I wonder why Felder is so keen on pushing this technology then, i haven't been able to find bad reviews of actual silent power owners. Obviously the choice of cutter head is permanent and a possible $8.000 mistake if you are not satisfied in the end. i'm only 28 but this is a tool that i would like to use to the end, as there is nothing better for me on the market.

I bought a 2-piece shaper cutter 3 years ago with the same 14mm carbide cutters on it, it does goo up with resin but that just makes it dirty, it doesn't seem to alter it's performance.
In 3 years time of really extensive use, as it is my only rebate, groove and tenon cutter at the same time, i have switched the cutters around for the second time about a month ago.
Only the most exposed "trim cutters" on top had damaged corners (and i suspect it comes from manipulating the cutter on cast iron tables or lowering it by accident against the table) so i am fairly impressed and sold on the technique.

 

[Slappy]

a independent review of the cutter heads

http://www.woodshopnews.com/component/content/article/63-archives/496129

this helps explain the differences between the spiracle head vs the Tersa head
it is personal choice & how you want the machine to be in your shop bottom line .
Felder , I feel just doesn't want to pay for a license on  the Tersa head Or Byrd head    their silent power head is take off of the Byrd head

 

[SittingElf]

Straight blade changes on the Hammer takes about 45 seconds each, without having to adjust for hours.



The carbide inserts on the Silent Partner can be rotated in about 15 seconds start to finish....of course that's for each, but one wouldn't expect to rotate all at the same time. There is simply no reason to do that.

The other BIG advantage of the Silent Partner over their blades, or for that matter, any other manufacturer's blades is the roughly 50% reduction in noise!!  That is a real figure based on independent tests of decibel level comparisons. For me, that is a BIG deal, because like my fingers, I have to protect my hearing in order to continue my day job.

Here's a really well done independent evaluation and test of the Silent Parter. (Choose your language from the first page)
[attachthumb=#]

I think you would have a very difficult time finding more than one or two people who have the spiral head that wish they had gone with blades. Just my  [2cents]

 

[Timtool]

I also think it will be unlikely that you will ever need to change all cutters at once, simply switch the damaged ones when needed. The ones on the left side are likely to wear much slower than the ones on the right by example. Knife changing has never really been an issue for me, i don't know how poorly engineered the one was that the author from the woodshop news article used as a comparison, but my cutter has normal sharp enable blades and changing them all takes 15- minutes top without having to remove any protection. My real problem is always that when i install new ones even though i am super cautious about inspecting the wood for grit or staples, i will always nick them within a week, then i shift the knives left or right to make the line less visible but still... it's why i am never keen on installing the new set of blades because i am afraid i will damage them.

If the main advantage of tersa or the felder 2 sided knives is install speed, then i will pass. Winning even a few hours a year is nothing compared to the ability if having a clean surface all year long.

When you change a carbide cutter however, you need to clean the cutter thoroughly and the place where it sits, removing all resin. So 15 seconds is probably on a new unused head, which never occurs in real life. It probably takes several minutes depending on how dirty the block is. I will be ordering some resin dissolver from felder, i already have their supergleit product and it is top notch.

 

[wrightwoodwork]

Resin remover from felder is unnecessary just use say paraffin or white spirits that's all it is and just put in a spray bottle

 

[ajones]

Tim

I would think that the ends of the cutter block would have been reverse engineered to fit their standard product, it may or may not revolve  at the same speed, so it might be geared differently?

 

[NYC Tiny Shop]

TomGadwa1, would an extension cord with a built-in circuit breaker work nearly as well?

Also, can the Hammer A3-31 be broken down into a few more manageable parts inorder to carry up stairs? (Today is Sunday, if no answer, then I'll ask a tech at Hammer.)

If not, I may go with Peter Parfitt's suggestion and get the Rikon 25-010. It weighs 160 lbs.  I've read many complaints about the fence, so I'm still "on the fence."

Yes, when the planer broke and I tore my shoulder (the end to hand planing), I farmed out my wood to be flattened and thickness planed. But, I haven't been very happy with the results and the added cost.  Also, unless I use the wood immediately, some boards will twist or cup again.  A jointer and planer are essential tools. A combo machine is a space saver.  I thought of making a flip table for a benchtop thickness planer and jointer, but having an 8"jointer,or bigger, is essential for my builds.

Still looking for a solution...and a new shop space.

 

[RKA]

NYC, can you update here when you find more info on how you could get this thing up/down a staircase?  (Safely)

 

[sl_1800]

Well my new machine is here now!!  I'm amazed at how little to no snipe is occurring.  My old Rigid lunch box planer would destroy the first and last 3 inches of every board no matter what I tried to do to stop it, this is going to be such a joy to use.

 

[NYC Tiny Shop]

NYC, can you update here when you find more info on how you could get this thing up/down a staircase?  (Safely)

According to someone who owns one in NYC, the Hammer can't be taken apart easily inorder to move up stairs...it would have to be dismantled and then reassembled.

 

[TomGadwa1]

I would contact some Piano Movers and see if they could move the HAMMER for you. I am sure that a Grand Piano is in tthe same weight class as a HAMMER A3 31 unit! These guys have the needed dollies and such to move massively heavy items up stairs. Think upright Piano.

 

[Slappy]

NYC, can you update here when you find more info on how you could get this thing up/down a staircase?  (Safely)

According to someone who owns one in NYC, the Hammer can't be taken apart easily inorder to move up stairs...it would have to be dismantled and then reassembled.

how many flights up are you ?

 

[NYC Tiny Shop]

NYC, can you update here when you find more info on how you could get this thing up/down a staircase?  (Safely)

According to someone who owns one in NYC, the Hammer can't be taken apart easily inorder to move up stairs...it would have to be dismantled and then reassembled.

how many flights up are you ?

4 flights
Tom, I called two piano movers...they said, no. Good idea, though.

 

[Slappy]

Ouch ! that's a lot of stairs  [eek]

call a safe mover , they are set-up to move iron the piano guys are not set-up to move iron
piano & safe movers use different equipment .
You might start thinking (if you havn't already )  about moving to a industrial / residential loft that has a freight elevator

 

[Knight Woodworks]

Tiny Shop,

If you haven't already done so, try a regular moving co.  I knew a plumber in Boston who, when he needed to install cast iron tubs, would hire a moving co to pick them up, drive them to the site and carry them up as many flights as needed.

FWIW

John

 

[NYC Tiny Shop]

Two more moving co's said no. With these narrow stairs and tight turns, it would be a difficult task with a good chance that it might not make it. 

Today, after deciding that the Rikon had a chance of not withstanding the rigors that I'd put it through, I ordered the Dewalt 735X, Dewalt caster stand, a Wixey gauge, and soon a Byrd Shelix cutterhead.  This week, I'll make a jointing sled...a far cry from buying a Hammer, but there really isn't room for one here...unless, I can convert it into a "jointer-bed sleeper?" ... Would just have to remember to pull the plug!

If I ever find an affordable new space, then I will just get a dedicated jointer.  I always liked the idea of having separate machines for each task, anyway.

 

[RKA]

That's exactly the combo I've been reading up on over the last few days.  My predicament isn't quite as difficult as yours, but just the same, it doesn't seem realistic.  I haven't completely crossed the hammer off the list, but jumping on their current sale would be premature.  I'd love to hear your feedback once you get the Byrd head installed.  Now I just have to stop looking at that A3 listing on CL in Brooklyn...

 

[NYC Tiny Shop]

That's exactly the combo I've been reading up on over the last few days.  My predicament isn't quite as difficult as yours, but just the same, it doesn't seem realistic.  I haven't completely crossed the hammer off the list, but jumping on their current sale would be premature.  I'd love to hear your feedback once you get the Byrd head installed.  Now I just have to stop looking at that A3 listing on CL in Brooklyn...

Yes, the Dewalt is a powerful machine that is a proven workhorse, whereas the Rikon is rated as good for a weekend amateur - with a poor fence, mediocre dust collection, plastic gears, and $50 blades that can only be ordered from Rikon dealers. The Dewalt has a smaller footprint, two speeds, good dust collection, and with the Byrd Shelix, it is the best-in-class.

I spoke with the owner of the Brooklyn Hammer...he's looking to get a 20" planer and an older large cast iron bed planer, like a Yates.  If someone has the space, this is a great way to go. 

 

[Jphelps327]

Just received my A3 41 over the weekend. This machine is a work of art.  Set the machine up, no calibration needed  Opted foe the out feed tables, digital hand wheel and silent cutterhead.  The instructions were spot on except for the digital hand crank.  Can't figure it out, no instructions were sent for install and calibration.  Can anyone help a brother out.  James