Finally! Hammer K3 - It's here!!

[ScotF]

Very cool, Howard...I cannot wait to hear more about it!  I love the Felder/Hammer stuff -- I use one of their dust collectors and I have the Hammer J/P and it is great.  As I said before, Carl is a great guy to deal with and he will not stear you wrong.  The dado set-up that Felder uses is pretty remarkable and the cutters are not like a traditional set.  I would strongly consider adding this, even if you hold off on buying the tooling as it cannot be added later.  I know it adds to the cost, but on a machine like this to me a few extra dollars spent will be long forgotten.  Of course, you need to make the right choice for you and your style of work too.

Scot

 

[HowardH]

I've been trying for 3 days to get in touch with Carl and when he finally called me back, he wasn't ready to talk to me.  We made an appointment for today on the phone and he never called me.  Very strange.  I'm in sales and if someone told me they were ready to spend $6000+ I think I'd put a star by that appointment in my calendar, don't you think?  ??? ??? ???  Maybe on Monday but if I don't hear from him by then, I'll call the east coast rep.  Someone there will want to take my money...

 

[upscale]

Very strange.  I'm in sales and if someone told me they were ready to spend $6000+ I think I'd put a star by that appointment in my calendar, don't you think?   ??? ??? ??? 

I wouldn't be too upset Howard. New Year's eve is usually when family and friends take precedent. I suspect he planned to call you but just got caught up in the hustle and bustle of doing too many things at once.

 

[flair woodworks]

Do you get a cam-action hold-down for the sliding table with the saw?  They are really nice to have, and I believe most come with one.  Two would be sweet for odd situations, but one is often enough.

 

[woodguy7]

Howard, that's very interesting that your rep never called you back !
I called Felder 3 days before they shut for the holidays.  I need a new digital hand wheel for my planer/thicknesser so he was going to go & check on the price (they want £79 for a part that that shouldn't have failed) but he never called me back.  I have already placed my order & paid the deposit on the hammer F3 & it will be arriving in 3 to 4 weeks.  I wonder if I was still on the fence about the spindle would he have called me straight back.  He was calling me every other day before a placed the order  [scratch chin]

 

[HowardH]

It's ordered!  Carl had some deck problems but we got together today.  As its turns out, the Felder version was double the Hammer K3! [scared] [scared] [scared] [scared]  So I went ahead and ordered the Hammer with the dado prep, rolling carriage, rip shoe and extension table.  We are talking on Tues to discuss shipping times, etc and anything else I may have missed.  I even cleaned up the garage to make room for it! 

 

[tbellemare]

That's quite impressive, Howard!

I think you'll enjoy it, you're getting quite a machine.

Tom

 

[HowardH]

Delivery in over 2 months! [crying] [crying] In the meantime, I've ordered a new MFT 1080 plate that I'll be using more as a work and assembly surface than to cut on.  Too bad Festool doesn't make that plate with the inserts like the MFT3 to attach the plate to the frame. 

 

[woodguy7]

Over 2 months is good.  If my spindle moulder arrives at the end on January then that will be 14weeks.  12 weeks is normal I think.

 

[HowardH]

Lord grant me patience and I want it right now!  [big grin]

 

[junk731]

Good to hear you got your saw ordered. It typically takes 8 to 10 weeks for the saw to be built and shipped to NA. Then they have to process it and make arrangements for shipping. Have you looked into the delivery aspect yet and how your going to unload and initially move the saw? I ordered my shaper at the end of October and its slated for delivery in 2 wks. The only Felder I was able to get right away was my FB600 which happened to be in stock, mainly because of the very few options available for it. Have you visited the Felders Owners Group yet?

John

 

[HowardH]

I'm supposed to get liftgate service into my garage.  From there I plan on attaching the mobility kit while it's still on the pallet.  If that doesn't look like it's going to work, I guess I can go rent a pallet jack for a hour or two.  I have been out to the other FOG but it's not nearly as user friendly as this FOG!  ;D 

 

[junk731]

I noticed your post and I agree the format leaves a lot to be desired but its also free to the group. The group does have a lot of knowledge and I believe if you ask for Hammer setup pdf's, John Renzetti will be able to help you out. He is also one of the founders and a moderator of the board.  Have you ordered any blades with the saw or are you going to get your existing blades bored and pin holed? I believe Delaware Felder stocks the Forrest dado set thats already drilled and pinholed for around 400.00.

John

 

[HowardH]

Carl upgraded both of my blades over the stock versions as part of the package.  He did suggest looking at the Forrest 6" dado king dado set instead of the Felder.  $350 vs. $1000.  That's crazy.  I don't have any plans to get a dado blade for the foreseeable future as I'll use my 1400 router for that purpose.  It's going to be fun to be able to build my incra style cutting boards again.  I should ask him about the fine adjustment option for the fence.

 

[HowardH]

Was out in SOCAL this past week on spring break and decided to meet Carl Knapp, the Felder/Hammer rep.  Very nice guy but no big iron to look at.  I was informed my machine finally made it to the U.S. this past week after a 2 and half month wait.  All they need to do is get the round fence bar shortened to my 31" rip capacity order and put it on the truck to Texas.  I figure sometime the middle of next week I should be receiving my call to open the garage door!  [tongue]  I'll be taking  pictures as soon as it arrives.  So much for my mostly clean garage. 

 

[jacko9]

Howard, the Forest Dado King set is a really nice dado set and much quieter than any router.

 

[DaniHall]

That's quite amazing, Howard!

I think you'll appreciate it, you're getting quite a device.

Tom

 

[HowardH]

I'm excited!  I got a call from the shipping company yesterday and it's arriving in town today but they can't get it delivered until Monday sometime.  [crying]  I was told by Felder to open the box and take copious amounts of pictures to document any possible damage while the freight guy was there.  I was going to do that anyway but great advice.  I have a couple of big sales pending so if they work, an A3-31 is next in line.  [tongue]  Kapex right after since I need to rebuild my deck.  What a shame...

 

[bwiele]

That last post reminds me of when my MiniMax combination machine was delivered.  It was a local liftgate service company that was delivering it, and the guy had to be 70 years old.  The machine on the pallet was deeper than the lift gate and hung off the back.  I was watching the delivery, holding my month old son.  I was standing back.  When the guy started to lower the lift gate, it jerked into motion, and the whole thing tipped, slipped off the lift gate, landed on the corner and then rolled, knocking me to the ground (still holding my son) and pinned my foot underneath it!  With the weight, and my son still in my arms, I was helpless to do anything.  The driver was still standing in the truck in disbelief.  I calmly told him he had to get down here to help me.  He was too old to jump down from the truck, so he had to ride the lift gate down!

Foot was bruised, not broken.  I declined to keep that machine.  They sent another evenutally.  Note to self: stand back more than you think you have to!

 

[HowardH]

Well, we are glad you were ok.  The shipping invoice lists the machine at 750 pounds.  I will be standing well back!  I have heard Felder does an exceptional job of shipping their products but the Felder rep told me this morning there has been a rash of delivery damage lately.  I'll be watching with a keen eye.