Finally! Hammer K3 - It's here!!

[HowardH]

After two years, I have finally got enough spare change to order a Hammer K3 in a week or two. I really need a 48x31 but they don't make one that way.  If I need to size plywood, which I almost never do, I have my ts75 for that.  So in order to get the 48 inch sliding table, you have to get 49" rip capacity.  Here is what I am getting with it:

1.  Mobility kit -  a must have.
2.  Sliding table support to help support the workpiece on crosscuts.
3.  Ripping edge shoe.
4.  Universal blade and a ripping blade.  

Anything else I'm missing that I should order?  What's the easiest way to get it off the pallet without additional help?

 

[tjbier]

Congrats!!!  That will be a great addition to your shop!
I'm jealous! lol.  I too will be saving my pennies for a  Hammer product.

 

[bijeshj]

After two years, I have finally got enough spare change to order a Hammer K3 in a week or two. I really need a 48x31 but they don't make one that way.  If I need to size plywood, which I almost never do, I have my ts75 for that.  So in order to get the 48 inch sliding table, you have to get 49" rip capacity.  Here is what I am getting with it:

1.  Mobility kit -  a must have.
2.  Sliding table support to help support the workpiece on crosscuts.
3.  Ripping edge shoe.
4.  Universal blade and a ripping blade.  

Anything else I'm missing that I should order?  What's the easiest way to get it off the pallet without additional help?

Congrats.  U will love the machine. I also got a 12 inch blade and an additonal riving knife for thru cuts.

I had taken some pics when I setup mine. Can send u a link if it will help  But I used my car jack to lift the end, mounted the mobility kit and then built a ramp to roll it off the pallet. I had no help so had to find a way to work alone.

 

[Timtool]

Congrats on that! I just ordered their bandsaw last week.

If i were to purchase a Hammer tablesaw i would certainly get the K3 Perform with 2500mm slidig table and an optional scoring blade for cutting laminates and veneers without chip or tear outs.  Anything less is worthless when you work with panel material frequently.

It may not be your case and you may not have the room or budget for it either.

Have you also thought of getting the version with a built in shaper? those are very practical and you can use the slider to make tenons on the shaper.

Getting it off the pallet shouldn't be a big deal, when i recieved my Robland NXTZ tablesaw/shaper with 2500mm slider we were able to pull it off the pallet and move it around without a mobile base with just 2 persons. Having a smooth concrete floor helps!

 

[ScotF]

Congrats!  I own a Hammer J/P and I love it.  Using car jacks and a ramp is the way to go -- I used jacks to get my J/P off the pallet.  I would also try and find some extra hands -- not worth the risk of injury or damaging the machine.

What configuration are you getting?  I think I would add an eccentric clamp or two for the table, a side handle a/k/a "butt bar" to help slide the table back and a longer cross-cut fence.  I think that most use the slider more than the rip fence for rips and a bigger cross-cut will support larger cuts.  Also check to make sure that there are hand wheels for both tile and raising/lowering the blade - I see to recall reading somewhere that they only supply it with one and you swap them out between operations -- not sure if this is true, but thought I would mention it...the aluminum wheels are nice and you can add a gauge it you want to get digital height or tilt (which is pretty nice). 

In regards to mobility, I would also check out Zambus casters -- these are a dream to use and allow you to spin the machine around in very tight quarters.  It does add 1/1/2-2 inches to the height, which may be an issue, but easier to use than the mobility kits sold for these types of machines.  Just a thought -- I added them to my J/P and they work great.

Congrats again on your purchase -- it will be a pleasure to use when you get it all set up.

Scot

 

[junk731]

Howard, you should venture over to the Felder Owners group and post any questions you have, there are a fair number of our members that have Hammer equipment that can help you make some of your decisions. The hardest part about moving from a tablesaw to a slider is getting away from cutting with the rip fence and using slider for most operations. Just checked the US Felder site and I don't know if your budget allows but the K3 Perform is the deal in my opinion, the outrigger with support and front fence really make a world of difference when using a slider. The extra length in the slider never hurts.

John

 

[woodguy7]

Post some pics when you get it. My new hammer f3 spindle moulder is due to arrive in 4 weeks & can't wait.  Don't have any Hammer machines but do have a Felder so keen to seen the comparisons.

Woodguy.

 

[HowardH]

I thought about getting the B3 model with the shaper but I have about $1000 tied up in a router table/cabinet (jointech system including the digital router lift and PC7518 motor) and it works great.  I saw the prices of the shaper tooling  [scared] [scared] [scared] and thought it was crazier than Festool pricing.  I also have a drawer full of router bits.  I haven't heard that the handwheels are extra.  I'll have to ask Carl about that one.  I wish I had the room and the budget for the Comfort edition but I rarely, if ever, will rip full size panels. I like to do hardwood projects so I 'm not getting the scoring unit right now.  I like the idea of the sliding table handle tho!  I originally had planned on getting the professional SS but the Hammer slider is a much more robust machine.  How long does it take to get one? 

 

[ScotF]

They typically build these machines to order -- it will take on average 3 months to arrive.  If they have something in their warehouse, then it will be much quicker.  Carl is a great guy and I know him very well -- he actually lives and works close to where I live so I have had several opportunities to meet him in person and he will go above an beyond to help you.  On the shaper, you can add a high speed router set-up and from what I have heard, folks that use a shaper never look back on a router table.  Personally this is the direction I would go if I were buying one...

Remember -- you can add accessories at any time, but options you need to order at the time of build as they cannot be added later so I would get the length of slider you want, add scoring if you think you will want/need it in the future and get the motor power, etc... the way you want it.  You can add the other stuff later.

Scot

 

[Timtool]

On the shaper, you can add a high speed router set-up and from what I have heard, folks that use a shaper never look back on a router table.  Personally this is the direction I would go if I were buying one...

Remember -- you can add accessories at any time, but options you need to order at the time of build as they cannot be added later so I would get the length of slider you want, add scoring if you think you will want/need it in the future and get the motor power, etc... the way you want it.  You can add the other stuff later.

Scot

true that, give it a good think because many options are only available in factory installment. $1000 more isn't peanuts, but when you think that for that money you are adding a brand new quality shaper to your shop, combined with the slider it turns into a tenoner. It's something to think about seriously.

As Scott wrote you can get a router bit arbor for the shaper aswell.

Now personally i use my router table whenever possible, it's more rapid and easy to set up and less dangerous. And router bits usually cost 5 to 10x less than their shaper variant. But some operations are just too demanding in power that only a shaper can do it.

You could also ask what models they eventually have in stock and if you can get those faster with a discount,

 

[HowardH]

So I'm talking to LOML tonight and I mention that the Felder version (K500) is out there too, but it's a bit more expensive.  She then tells me I might as well get the Felder so that way I can get the very best!  [big grin] [big grin]  I emailed Carl for a quote and I'm waiting on his reply.  Is it worth it?  Is the X-roll that much better?  What about build quality?  This is a lifetime investment and since I don't own a boat or motorcycle, it's going to be my big hobby purchase.  It won't kill me financially but I don't want to necessarily throw away money either. 

 

[bijeshj]

So I'm talking to LOML tonight and I mention that the Felder version (K500) is out there too, but it's a bit more expensive.  She then tells me I might as well get the Felder so that way I can get the very best!  [big grin] [big grin]  I emailed Carl for a quote and I'm waiting on his reply.  Is it worth it?  Is the X-roll that much better?  What about build quality?  This is a lifetime investment and since I don't own a boat or motorcycle, it's going to be my big hobby purchase.  It won't kill me financially but I don't want to necessarily throw away money either. 

I did try out the Xroll and it was much smoother than the Hammer slider. But the K500 still has the internals of the Hammer. I believe the larger K500 model has the felder trunnion.

 

[ScotF]

The 500 series is a huge step up from Hammer.  The Chasis is the same, but in addition to the X-Roll (huge improvement over the Hammer slider) you get the new style tilt/raise lower mechanism that does not need maintenance for life -- they introduced it on the 700 and 900 series machines a couple of years ago and the newer 500 series now have it -- this is another huge benefit IMHO.  Other than that, the motors are the same across all lines, including the 900 series and Format series.  The grinding of the surfaces is going to be similar between the Hammer and 500 -- on the 700 and up you get a smoother grind.  You can add more options to the higher series than you can with Hammer.  If you can swing it, I would certainly go that route.  Also, I would buy the biggest stroke you can fit in your space -- again, you cannot easily add a new table later if you want longer and this is the single biggest thing I have read about from users wishing that they had more capacity.

Good luck and don't rush your decision -- this is a huge purchase and one you want to take your time on to get things configured just right.

Scot

 

[bijeshj]

Unless the specs on the felder site is not correct - the K500 shows the Hammer internals
http://www.felderusa.com/us-us/products/table-saws/table-saw-k-500-professional-details.html

the K500S which is the larger model has the felder trunnions. but it is much bigger. I agree that if you have the space this is probably the better machine.
http://www.felderusa.com/us-us/products/table-saws/table-saw-k-500-s-details.html

 

[junk731]

Howard

And you thought Festool was a slippery slope. I have owned a 2007 K500 with a 98"  slider and the main reason I originally bought it was because of the X-roll. The rest of the internals were Hammer with Felder fence and accessories. I now have a K700S with 126" slider because of the amount of panel cutting I do. Last year Felder introduced a new K500S with the internals of the 700 series. All the other K500's have Hammer internals. The main concern with any slider is the amount of space needed to operate them properly. The K500S I owned needed a 20' x 13' area to be able to cut a 4'x 8' sheet of material, I know your not planning on much panel work but just trying to give you an idea of the footprint the saw needs. Just my opinion, but if your not doing this professionally the Hammer will more then fill your needs and the money saved could be put towards accessories and saw blades.

John

 

[tiralie]

I now have a K700S with 126" slider because of the amount of panel cutting I do.

John:
When I grow up I want to be you! [big grin]
The 700s and the F700Z shaper...NICE!
Tim

 

[HowardH]

One of the big things I like about the Felder has nothing to do with the internals but the configuration.  I wanted the Hammer in a 48 x 31 configuration.  They don't make it that way and Carl suggested I cut off the fence bar to shorten it.  No way am I going to cut a brand new bar!  [blink] [scared]  If you want the longer slider, you have to get the wide table.  From what I can see from the Felder, you can get the 51" slider and the 31" rip capacity.  I do very, very little panel work as a hobbiest and as I have said before, my Festool ts75 is my panel break down tool of choice.  It appears from all the comments that even tho it shares a lot of internals, it's still considered a substantial step up, especially with the sliding table which from what I can tell, it's the heart of the system.  Still waiting to hear from Carl on pricing but I'm ready to pull the trigger either way once I hear from him.  I have no issue at all with getting the A3-31 as my next purchase.  It's truly all I need and the Felder version is really expensive!

 

[Kev]

I think I'm actually glad that I'll never have the room for anything like this sort of gear. It'd be the end of my wedded life!

I've been cruising the Felder site ... drool!

 

[mouppe]

Still waiting to hear from Carl on pricing but I'm ready to pull the trigger either way once I hear from him. 

I hope he doesn't read the fog or your price just went up considerably!

 

[HowardH]

me to!  [big grin]  I have an telephone appointment with him tomorrow morning to go over the final design.  I'm ordering a 51" sliding table and 31" rip capacity, the mobility kit, and an aluminum extension for the sliding table that will be used for crosscut support, the micro adjustable rip fence and the rip shoe.  Not bothering with the dado set up as it's a $1300 proposition, including their dado head,  and I already have an OF1400 if ever need to dado anything.  I plan on taking a boat load of pictures detailing the setup.  Hopefully, there will be one in the states or it will be a loooooooooong wait!  :'( :'( :'(