Felder AD941

[rljatl]

Boy, I like that hinged extension on the back of the fence and on the Euro guard.  I could sure use those on my A3 31.  Wonder If I can make or adapt something?

 

[Llama]

Boy, I like that hinged extension on the back of the fence and on the Euro guard.  I could sure use those on my A3 31.  Wonder If I can make or adapt something?

That's why I made the short video... I didn't know it did that on the back! The Hammer has a flimsy sheet metal that gets in the way... I almost didn't put it on because I didn't realize how clever this one was.

The comfort Euro guard in the front is flat out amazing. I got power run to the machine tonight, and was able to run some 12" wide cherry boards through it... Flawless! I could not be more impressed with this machine.

 

[Llama]

I made this rough live video the other day. Didn't have DC hooked up because I was missing an adapter. I now have it! I'll be making a proper video soon. It's a long video, and there is some banter with some of my friends in the chat Rough live video! Only the first 20 minutes or so are the action, the rest is just more banter with a few questions in between.
=124

 

[bertv]

I was racking my brain about an adaptation of a Hammer A3 I have seen, where the guy automated a lot of the things that keep the A3 in the semi-pro range & I found it at last. It's in French, but the images speak for themselves:

 

[Llama]

It's a neat idea, but it really doesn't elevate the base machine to a higher level. More convenient than the hand wheel.

 

[rljatl]

I was racking my brain about an adaptation of a Hammer A3 I have seen, where the guy automated a lot of the things that keep the A3 in the semi-pro range & I found it at last. It's in French, but the images speak for themselves:

Looks like you could take the handwheel off and use a cordless drill to power the stock drive shaft.  A Wixley digital setup would provide the precision.

Actually, the manual handwheel does not seem much slower than the AD941.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[Llama]

Actually, the manual handwheel does not seem much slower than the AD941.

It's really not a huge difference in time from what I've seen in other videos.

 

[rljatl]

Actually, the manual handwheel does not seem much slower than the AD941.

It's really not a huge difference in time from what I've seen in other videos.

Except, the handwheel is too low for those of us with arthritic knees and hips.  [emoji20]
A cheap hydraulic stool on wheels from Harbor Freight helps though.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[RussellS]

Boy, I like that hinged extension on the back of the fence and on the Euro guard.  I could sure use those on my A3 31.  Wonder If I can make or adapt something?

That's why I made the short video... I didn't know it did that on the back! The Hammer has a flimsy sheet metal that gets in the way... I almost didn't put it on because I didn't realize how clever this one was.

The problem with the hinged rear cover is it does not provide any benefit.  Yes it looks good.  But if you watch the video you see it does not bend at the hinge and drop down until the fence is pushed completely back.  So the entire cover is sticking out the back before it bends and drops down.  If it had 2 or 3 hinges in it, then shorter sections could fall down as the fence is pushed back.  And save you room behind the machine.  With just the one hinge, NO space is saved behind the machine at all.  You have to take up ALL of the space with the cover, BEFORE the hinge activates and the cover drops.

 

[Llama]

The problem with the hinged rear cover is it does not provide any benefit.  Yes it looks good.  But if you watch the video you see it does not bend at the hinge and drop down until the fence is pushed completely back.  So the entire cover is sticking out the back before it bends and drops down.  If it had 2 or 3 hinges in it, then shorter sections could fall down as the fence is pushed back.  And save you room behind the machine.  With just the one hinge, NO space is saved behind the machine at all.  You have to take up ALL of the space with the cover, BEFORE the hinge activates and the cover drops.

That is the benefit of the hinged guard. When your fence is completely back it does not hit anything. And when putting the jointer table up it will not hit anything causing it to break. There are actually three hinges on the guard, perhaps I did a bad job of capturing that.

Most of the time, the fence is all the way back anyway, so the guard is in the "down position" where as on other designs that is not the case. Is there room for improvement, sure.. always is.

 

[jcalberto]

Hi Guys,

I just placed an order to the same AD941 and will get delivery until end of December.  One question I have is regarding any additional upgrades or options you all might of added.  I am still able to make some changes and I am not debating if I should get the 3phase option or stick with the 4hp single phase?

Thanks,
Albert

 

[egmiii]

I hope you ordered it with power drive, spiral cutter block, and comfort guard. If so, the single phase motor has plenty of power. Going out on a limb here, but I'd assume the single phase would also have higher resale value since most hobbyists don't have 3 phase power.

 

[jcalberto]

Thanks for the feedback.  You make a great point of keeping single phase for higher resale.  Regarding the other options, they were all standard on my 941 order. 

 

[Llama]

The only thing I'd want to add to my AD941 is a power feeder. It will be mine!

 

[egmiii]

The only thing I'd want to add to my AD941 is a power feeder. It will be mine!

I've only had mine up and running for just over a week, and I think I started researching power feeders the second night. You just can't beat the finish and safety aspects.

 

[mshull]

Hi.  Just bought an AD941 to replace my Hammer A3.    I have my Hammer on a standard rolling frame, so I can move it in any direction.  The Felder and Hammer "Rolling Carriage" move the machine sideways, and requires a huge amount of shop space to turn.  I need to move my machine the direction of the tables, so the Rolling Carriage doesn't work well for me.

Here is my question.  The frame of the AD941 is like an H near the ground.  (See attached picture.)  It has two sides that rest on the floor and a raised middle.      If I make a frame under the entire middle, with wheels I can jack up and down to lift the sides just off the ground, is the middle section strong enough to support the weight of the machine?

In other words, what I want to do is to build a lifting frame under the full center portion of the machine to move it a short distance on a concrete floor, and then set it back down on its regular feet when I use it.  Is there enough structure under the middle of the machine to do this?

Also, I'm donating my Hammer A3 to my brother.  Does anyone have advice on installing a Byrd segmented cutter head on a Hammer A3?

Thanks,

Mark
Palo Alto, CA

[attachimg=1]

 

[egmiii]

Yes. It’s thicker steel with extra reinforcement welded on. But I’d suggest using a narrow pallet jack instead. One fork goes under the machine and a second goes under two sections of threaded rod screwed into the back of the machine. It’s very heavy, and if lifted by just the narrow section in the middle, you could risk a tip if lifted just a hair too high.

 

[mshull]

I was thinking of just using 1600 lb rated leveling casters under the center frame to lift it 1/4" in or so.    Just enough to move it.  I could put the entire machine on the leveling casters, but they are 4.5" tall, plus 2" for a platform, and that puts the planer up too high.    So, I'm trying to figure out a way to move it forward and backwards the long way easily.  This is only a few feet from a storage position in the garage to a use position.

[attachimg=1]

 

[RussellS]

Does anyone have advice on installing a Byrd segmented cutter head on a Hammer A3?

Hammer offers a spiral cutterhead for their jointer/planer combo machines.  Plus $800 or $900 from the 31 or 41 straight knife models.  Looking at the Byrd website, it seems they charge $800-900 for 12"-16" cutterheads.  So I don't see any economic reason for installing a Non Hammer cutterhead in the machine.  Just call up Hammer/Felder and order the official made to fit cutter from them.  They would probably even have instructions on how to install it.

 

[egmiii]

It’s not as simple as calling Felder and ordering a new spiral block. Wish it was. They claim the machine is not upgradable. I believe Hermmace (spelling?) makes a kit and I’ve read they are very good to deal with.