Attention HAMMER K3 WINNER owners!!

[Poindexter]

[member=63345]Poindexter[/member]

Do the 79" if you can. While you're at it and you find you wont need
the 48" rip, request they change it to the 31". I first got a nice cheaper deal
on 8 month old 31x31 and well.... wooo it slid a little. Not much hoo hah.
So I called them back up, returned that one but kept the 31" rail bar etc.
I needed that setup to fit in a 9' space. A few here have put the Wixey
tablesaw dro on it. It works ok. Proscale.com seem to have better stuff.

Also, the eShop website is a disaster for information, details & descriptions
on alot of products. Request the hardcover catalog.

They put me in touch with another customer who is upgrading from a Hammer K3 to a larger Felder.  So, we're in the process of working out logistics on how to get his saw to my house.  It is a "fully loaded" 2016 K3.  Only thing it doesn't have is the Felder dado stack, but does come with the dado insert.

And I have to say that I'm super-impressed with Felder's desire to help two customers out.  I guess they know that one hook is good enough to get you for a few things down the line.  Certainly the case with the guy I'm trying to buy this saw from. 

 

[egmiii]

I know the saw your are purchasing. I checked it out on their site a few weeks ago, but ultimately decided on a Felder. I believe they gets a cut to broker the transaction, but it's a steal considering it's brand new. They figure in a few years you will look to do the same and upgrade to a Felder. The Hammer dado blade is expensive, but it's actually a modified shaper tool, which gives a better cut.

 

[Picktool]

Only thing it doesn't have is the Felder dado stack, but does come with the dado insert.

You could get the Forrest 6" Dado King to start offhttp://www.forrestblades.com/6-dado...ers-and-blade-runner-carrying-case-clone.html

The mobilty lift bar is a hassle, it works though. You may find that
to be a waste of $$. I made the bottle jack lift setup like Tom Gadwa
here did for his A3 J/P. I put one on my A3 & N4400 also. Found no need
for one to be the K3 being it isnt moved much if at all.

See [member=11290]TomGadwa1[/member] post and video on YouTubehttp://festoolownersgroup.com/other...bility-back-saving-setup/msg326642/#msg326642

 

[Poindexter]

Thanks for the suggestions from [member=11290]TomGadwa1[/member] - that is incredibly useful!  Hopefully the K3 only needs a few nudges for the first few days/weeks until I find the perfect spot for it.  But milling machines definitely get moved a lot in my garage.  Would replace my Powermatic/Dewalt milling machines with an A3 some day.

Yeah, I am definitely going to save a few coins with the Dado King over Felder's shaper tool. 

Thanks for the help everyone.  We're getting closer and closer to making this deal happen on the used one egmiii must know.  Worst case, is I order a new one on Friday. 

 

[patriot]

I'm about to give up on the Hammer.  I contacted them on 2 Mar and have yet  to hear back from them.  I also emailed one of their reps on the same day and still nothing.  I would hate to need some real customer service help if this is how they respond to their customers.

I am sitting on the fence about whether to purchase the SawStop or the 48x48 Hammer, but if I Hammer/Felder does not care about prospective customer's then I'll spend my money elsewhere.

Is this the norm for this company??

Sorry for the rant, but I'm a serious buyer and this really ticks me off.

Phillip

 

[Poindexter]

Is this the norm for this company??

No need to apologize for the rant.  That would tick me off too.  Nothing worse than trying to give good money for a good product and receive nothing but bad service. 

In my few months of dealing with Felder USA I have experienced just the opposite.  They're almost too communicative.  If I go to the website, and log-in, I get an email and a phone call.  My rep is new though.  They have their sales people assigned to territories, so it is really just the luck of the draw as to how motivated your assigned person is.  All I can say, is call back and let them know you've been forced to seek public advice here.  Hopefully that lights a spark.

 

[Picktool]

Anyone who has the K3 knows the Stop blocks on the crosscut fence
and how rickety it is. I just ordered a spring that goes under the
black knob and what a world of a difference.
Just cut it about 3/4" length.
https://www.mcmaster.com/#9663k89/=16nmfsm

Pretty smooth too.  [big grin]

 

[Poindexter]

Good to know Picktool - thanks!

I made my second F&F jig today.  The first one was just some scrap plywood and worked really well.  But I wanted something a little fancier...

The Incra clamps work extremely well.  With a little adaptor piece they'll also fit in the t-slot of the sliding table.  The handle is a replacement one for a kid's playhouse and I used some non-slip tape that is typically for stairs to help stop stock from sliding between the jig pieces.

 

[Picktool]

Cool... looks nice! Ditto on the tape... I have to put some on mine.

Will be finishing a quick slap together pneumatic clamps for the slider.
Hopefully this week. Looks promising.

 

[patriot]

Is this the norm for this company??

No need to apologize for the rant.  That would tick me off too.  Nothing worse than trying to give good money for a good product and receive nothing but bad service. 

In my few months of dealing with Felder USA I have experienced just the opposite.  They're almost too communicative.  If I go to the website, and log-in, I get an email and a phone call.  My rep is new though.  They have their sales people assigned to territories, so it is really just the luck of the draw as to how motivated your assigned person is.  All I can say, is call back and let them know you've been forced to seek public advice here.  Hopefully that lights a spark.

Thanks for your post.  Things have only gotten worse since my last post.

I contacted David Brooks, who is mentioned (with high regard) in this thread, and he contacted me this past Monday, March 3.  He was very helpful and together with Jesse Maynerich (Felder Senior Sales Representative) provided several videos and were in the process of answering several questions that I had.  During all of this I wanted to know what s/h costs were for the K3. When Mr. Brooks learned that I lived in New Mexico he said he could no longer assist me because I lived in the CA sales area.  He said he would send the CA sales rep all of my questions and the CA rep would take it from there. Fine.

Shortly thereafter, I received a 'form' letter followed up by a telephone call from the CA rep.  I apologized for needing all of the info and the new rep (I won't mention his name at this time because I have an email going to Felder Sales in Austria) and he said he understood perfectly.  To be clear, this phone call was on Monday, March 3.

As of yesterday I had not heard back from the CA sales rep so I sent a message to the Dallas Felder office and wouldn't you just know it?  I suddenly received a response from the CA rep whose letter began with - "Thank you for your time on the phone today."  Today?  I was  beside myself. This was followed by " ... and let me know if you have any questions."  Adding insult to injury he attached a contract for me to sign.

To put it mildly - I'm one million light years beyond livid.  I am also seriously considering the Hammer N4400 bandsaw in addition to the K3 and it really makes me mad that I am dealing with an inept sales rep.

Going off topic slightly - the s/h cost of the K3, as noted in the contract, was $700. SawStop advertises s/h to anywhere in the USA as $250.  As best I can tell the shipping weight of both machines is about the same, so I do not understand the excessive K3 s/h cost.

At this point in time I am not sure what I am going to do.  My wife keeps telling me I need to chill out over the weekend and go from there.  I have friends who live in El Paso and are willing to have Dallas ship these power tools there, but I have no idea if that s/h cost would be any less.  $700 seems excessively high to me.  El Paso is about a 30 minute drive from where I live so this makes sense to me.

Thanks for hearing me out. All comments or suggestions are most welcome.

 

[bkharman]

Is this the norm for this company??

No need to apologize for the rant.  That would tick me off too.  Nothing worse than trying to give good money for a good product and receive nothing but bad service. 

In my few months of dealing with Felder USA I have experienced just the opposite.  They're almost too communicative.  If I go to the website, and log-in, I get an email and a phone call.  My rep is new though.  They have their sales people assigned to territories, so it is really just the luck of the draw as to how motivated your assigned person is.  All I can say, is call back and let them know you've been forced to seek public advice here.  Hopefully that lights a spark.

Thanks for your post.  Things have only gotten worse since my last post.

I contacted David Brooks, who is mentioned (with high regard) in this thread, and he contacted me this past Monday, March 3.  He was very helpful and together with Jesse Maynerich (Felder Senior Sales Representative) provided several videos and were in the process of answering several questions that I had.  During all of this I wanted to know what s/h costs were for the K3. When Mr. Brooks learned that I lived in New Mexico he said he could no longer assist me because I lived in the CA sales area.  He said he would send the CA sales rep all of my questions and the CA rep would take it from there. Fine.

Shortly thereafter, I received a 'form' letter followed up by a telephone call from the CA rep.  I apologized for needing all of the info and the new rep (I won't mention his name at this time because I have an email going to Felder Sales in Austria) and he said he understood perfectly.  To be clear, this phone call was on Monday, March 3.

As of yesterday I had not heard back from the CA sales rep so I sent a message to the Dallas Felder office and wouldn't you just know it?  I suddenly received a response from the CA rep whose letter began with - "Thank you for your time on the phone today."  Today?  I was  beside myself. This was followed by " ... and let me know if you have any questions."  Adding insult to injury he attached a contract for me to sign.

To put it mildly - I'm one million light years beyond livid.  I am also seriously considering the Hammer N4400 bandsaw in addition to the K3 and it really makes me mad that I am dealing with an inept sales rep.

Going off topic slightly - the s/h cost of the K3, as noted in the contract, was $700. SawStop advertises s/h to anywhere in the USA as $250.  As best I can tell the shipping weight of both machines is about the same, so I do not understand the excessive K3 s/h cost.

At this point in time I am not sure what I am going to do.  My wife keeps telling me I need to chill out over the weekend and go from there.  I have friends who live in El Paso and are willing to have Dallas ship these power tools there, but I have no idea if that s/h cost would be any less.  $700 seems excessively high to me.  El Paso is about a 30 minute drive from where I live so this makes sense to me.

Thanks for hearing me out. All comments or suggestions are most welcome.

Thanks for the update. I have been keeping an eye on this as I have been thinking about a Felder (or hammer) slider, the bandsaw and J/P at some point. I didn't pull the trigger on the anniversary sales last year due to a new house purchase, but wish I did.

I have had the level of attention that others have posted where they overly call, email, etc. One time they talked to my wife even!  She called out "Honey, are you still interested in the slider?  It is on sale for just under 12k for everything!"

I really hope they sort it out for you as I really have my heart set on things.

Cheers. Bryan.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tms0425]

That is strange. I had great follow up from sales throughout the anniversary sale days. I considered the Hammer C3 combo special and a Felder bandsaw which could have combined shipping costs, but it was still pricey. I deal with freight fairly often and couldn't really understand what they were doing to be so costly.

I ended up with a very nice used Minimax CU300 Smart combo machine with 8.5' slider close to me in Ohio I just couldn't pass up. Unfortunately I may be forced to sell it now due to a move to smaller space  [sad] Both Minimax and Hammer/Felder sliders are great machines so hang in there.

 

[curiousdork]

Questions from a n00b: could I do all of the work of a track saw, miter saw, and table saw on this?  Would I be able to dimension lumber to rough and final sizes?  Is this good for small'ish pieces? 

I'm debating not getting a miter saw (sorry kapex 120, but if the price is right on the felder, the felder wins) and, instead, replacing all the things a miter saw gives me with a Hammer K3.  Would the sliding format (with an outrigger) be good enough for straight line rips?

Thanks!

 

[egmiii]

Questions from a n00b: could I do all of the work of a track saw, miter saw, and table saw on this?  Would I be able to dimension lumber to rough and final sizes?  Is this good for small'ish pieces? 

I'm debating not getting a miter saw (sorry kapex 120, but if the price is right on the felder, the felder wins) and, instead, replacing all the things a miter saw gives me with a Hammer K3.  Would the sliding format (with an outrigger) be good enough for straight line rips?

Thanks!

I'll state the obvious, you can't beat a TS55/Kapex in the portability department. Bringing the saw to the work piece can be a huge advantage. Who wants to drag a 20 foot piece of crown all over the jobsite getting the perfect fit! But, to answer your questions, I'll assume you are a hobbyist and will be producing pieces in a shop environment.

The short answer is yes. I'd say anything under 10-12 feet can be done on a Felder just fine. Crosscutting larger pieces might get awkward. You obviously will need a planer to surface rough lumber, but straight line ripping a live edge and making it parallel is easy. A Fritz and Franz jig will allow you to work with very small pieces. "Extreme Woodworker" Steve Rowe has a great youtube video on the jig.

If you have the space, go for it!

 

[RussellS]

could I do all of the work of a track saw, miter saw, and table saw on this?  Would I be able to dimension lumber to rough and final sizes?  Is this good for small'ish pieces? 

I'm debating not getting a miter saw (sorry kapex 120, but if the price is right on the felder, the felder wins) and, instead, replacing all the things a miter saw gives me with a Hammer K3.  Would the sliding format (with an outrigger) be good enough for straight line rips?

A sliding table saw such as the Felder models, can do everything a miter saw and track saw can do.  The slider can be up to 10 feet long.  You can then use the slider to straight line rip an edge on a board.  And the sliding table allows you to cross cut anything.  But with the slider you push the wood through the saw instead of pulling/pushing the blade through the wood.  The slider has a crosscut table that can be adjusted to any angle and hold any size wood.  And the blade can be angled to any angle so you can get any compound miter you want.  As for dimensioning lumber, you can cut it to final size.  But planing and jointing are not quite the same.  For smaller pieces, the big slider may not be quite as convenient as a light, easily maneuverable sliding table.  For dimensioning plywood, some prefer to leave the plywood on the ground and move the track saw over the wood.  With the slider, you do have to lift the wood onto the slider.  But the slider has a scoring blade so it can cut cleaner cuts.  You can also stack 4-5 layers of plywood on the slider and cut all at the same time.  Quicker than cutting 2-3 at once on the track saw.

 

[patriot]

[member=11423]egmiii[/member]

Was searching for the 'Extreme Woodworker' you mentioned and wondered if this was the ExtremeWoodworker you were referring to?

The woodworker I found does great work. I think he said his name was Steve.

Thanks!

 

[stvrowe]

[member=11423]egmiii[/member]

Was searching for the 'Extreme Woodworker' you mentioned and wondered if this was the ExtremeWoodworker you were referring to?

The woodworker I found does great work. I think he said his name was Steve.

Thanks!

Questions from a n00b: could I do all of the work of a track saw, miter saw, and table saw on this?  Would I be able to dimension lumber to rough and final sizes?  Is this good for small'ish pieces? 

I'm debating not getting a miter saw (sorry kapex 120, but if the price is right on the felder, the felder wins) and, instead, replacing all the things a miter saw gives me with a Hammer K3.  Would the sliding format (with an outrigger) be good enough for straight line rips?

Thanks!

I'll state the obvious, you can't beat a TS55/Kapex in the portability department. Bringing the saw to the work piece can be a huge advantage. Who wants to drag a 20 foot piece of crown all over the jobsite getting the perfect fit! But, to answer your questions, I'll assume you are a hobbyist and will be producing pieces in a shop environment.

The short answer is yes. I'd say anything under 10-12 feet can be done on a Felder just fine. Crosscutting larger pieces might get awkward. You obviously will need a planer to surface rough lumber, but straight line ripping a live edge and making it parallel is easy. A Fritz and Franz jig will allow you to work with very small pieces. "Extreme Woodworker" Steve Rowe has a great youtube video on the jig.

If you have the space, go for it!

Thanks for the compliments, that is me.  For shop use, I seldom use the track saw and Kapex in the shop as the slider is much more accurate.  Of course you cannot drag your slider to a worksite so that is why I keep the portable tools.  With Fritz and Franz jig, I can cut blocks as small as 1/2" cubed and can rip thin strips (I have gone as narrow as 1mm).

Steve

 

[Poindexter]

Bringing this nearly-3-year-old thread back to the top because I think I'm going to jump on the slider bandwagon too.  Would love to hear what accessories other K3 owners think are worth getting.

I was Googling some things about the K3 and this thread popped up. Fun!

My K3 is about to celebrate 2 years With me. It has become the heart of the operation far more than the previous cabinet saw ever was.  The accuracy is hard to ignore.

My biggest gripe (if it is even a gripe) is the ripping capacity. Unlike many, I pull most of my lumber out of the forest a year or three before it gets into the woodshop. After felling, slabs are typically milled between 9 and 16 feet as I rarely know what project the lumber will be used for at that time.  I mill things long to account for cracking in the drying process or a project that might require longer boards. The problem I’m running into is the K3 can only handle a rip, on the slider, of roughly 6.5 feet.  “The problem” is easily solved by ripping boards off the fence - cabinet saw style. Slabs get their initial cuts with the TS75 on the floor or forklift because they’re too damn heavy.

Being the opportunist I am, this “problem” has turned into a good excuse to begin the hunt for a larger slider... and that’s exactly what I sold the wife on

So, after seeing this thread it got me thinking that 2 years later I’m talking to Felder again looking for another table saw upgrade. At this pace I might beat their R&D department before 2030. 

P.S.  take this post as high endorsement of the K3.

 

[IndyWoodworker]

I am glad to hear so many good things to say about the K3 Winner.  I have both the N4400 bandsaw and K3 winner 48 inch slider in crates or partially un-crated as in the case of the bandsaw.  I have had the best experience with FELDER in the Maryland office.  Although I am on my 3rd salesperson, it still has been a good experience. 

Hopefully in the next few weeks my new shop will be completed and I can move all my equipment into it and begin setup.  I have both Festool and now FELDER equipment.  I guess I am on a roll.  Maybe in the next few months I can talk more about my experience with the FELDER Hammer product line as I get the equipment installed and running.