Hammer N4400 on the way!

[mattbyington]

Decided the A331 was getting lonely!

It’s crated up right now in Sacramento. Very excited.

Matt

 

[vkumar]

Nice.  Congratulations Matt.

 

[bertv]

I bought both at the same time… : ) No regrets! Just joy!

 

[mattbyington]

Thanks Guys! Super excited. It is being delivered tomorrow!

Matt

 

[pierwood]

Nice!
What accessories did you add?

 

[mattbyington]

[member=24708]pierwood[/member] I did get the miter gauge and I picked up a nice Lenox Woodmaster blade for resaw (The N4400 does not ship with a blade).

I, of course, got the X-Ceramic (or whatever they call it) bearings - I've heard mixed reviews. They recommended it. We'll see.

I'm not really aware of any other accessories other than table extensions which I won't get (I am very limited on space).

Are there others I'm missing?

Thanks
Matt

 

[egmiii]

Did you get the 1” Woodmaster CT carbide blade? I’m not sure if the N4400 can tension that blade properly.

 

[mattbyington]

[member=11423]egmiii[/member] ahhh no thank you so much for the heads up. That is the one I got.

Would you be willing to educate me on the best Resaw / straight cut blade? I know very little about bandsaws.

Shoot. Wish I asked first.

Matt

 

[derekcohen]

Did you get the 1” Woodmaster CT carbide blade? I’m not sure if the N4400 can tension that blade properly.

Mine certainly does. Excellent blade. I am onto my second.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[mattbyington]

Thanks Derek! So maybe it’s okay.

 

[John1102]

Matt,
Which bandsaw models were you considering and what led you to choosing the Hammer N4400 in the end? 

 

[ben_r_]

Nice! Got the A3-31 and N4400 combo myself and love it! Both from the Sacramento location too! Did yours come with the stainless bar that the fence mounts too or is it black steel?

 

[mattbyington]

[member=27619]John1102[/member] I was considering:

PM1500
Laguna 14 or 18"

I was really really leaning towards PM1500 since I've heard terrible things about Laguna's customer service.

However - once I figured out Hammer / Felder sold bandsaws - the really nice thing is that since I already have an A3 31 jointer/planer, I can do maintenance at the same time if I need to have anyone come out, the machines match each other, I'm already familiar with their reps and folks, tools, motors, I'm very happy with the service I've received, etc etc.

I am sure the PM1500 would have been great, too. But why not stick with a brand I know I love and trust based on the A3.

Aaaaaand at that folks, it was just delivered 30 minutes ago!

I had to jet back to work real quick - so, [member=58821]ben_r_[/member] I shall know the answer to your question in the next 12 hours or so when I get it uncrated

We had to take it off the pallet or it wouldn't fit in the garage.... looks to be a beast. Can't wait to get it set up.

Matt

[attachimg=1]

 

[southrider]

Check out Highland Woodworking for great info about re-sawing.
https://www.highlandwoodworking.com/bandsaw-blades-accessories.aspx

I bought a fairly expensive wide blade when I first bought my bandsaw (following traditional advice). Never could get it to work right. Bought the 1/2" blade from Highland, followed their video advice, and re-sawing is now no big deal. Now I'm not making paper thin veneers or violin cases, but for general use I love their system.

 

[derekcohen]

Matt, here are some modifications/accessories to consider for the N4400. I have had mine about 10 years. It is a single phase, 4 h.p. motor running on a 20 amp circuit.

1. This is a CNC-made aluminium insert, replacing the plastic one which warps.

2. Another CNC-made item, a mitre gauge ..

The N4400 has an atypical slot - it is much shallower than all others. I found that I could use a cheap F-clamp blade with a minor amount of side sanding ...

3. I attached a steel ruler to set the fence ...

4. I began developing a re-saw fence by attaching a high subfence made from MDF (waxed) ...

This slides onto the main fence via a groove, and was held in place by a friction fit. It now has a threaded bolt.

Several months ago I modified this fence with a design of mine that I am happy to discuss later. In brief, it avoids problems with kerf expansion by using a shortened fence ...

From the rear ...

This is a Jarrah board re-sawn using a 1" Lenox Woodmaster CT blade ...

5. Dust control is via a pipe underside ...

This should keep you out of mischief for a while  [big grin]

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Lbob131]

I like  the dust  control  method.
I have  the  N4400 also.

 

[Ambrosia]

I’m very happy with my N4400 but found the table a bit small. I used some scrap flooring to make a larger surface.

BTW, the overhead dust extraction (orange nozzle) doesn’t really work If you were wondering. I enlarged the standard cabinet port slightly so that it’s the size of the plastic hose adaptor, and dust control is not great but adequate for what I do.

Leigh

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[derekcohen]

Leigh, I recognise both your bandsaw and mitre gauge!     Note that I replaced the blade in my mitre gauge. The aluminium one that came with it is too short and creates limitations on the width of the board for cutting. Use a blade from a cheap F-clamp.

Dust control with the “pipe” is very good. Bandsaws are difficult to set up for dust extraction, and this method is the best I have found.

A larger table is a personal matter. Hammer (Felder) do offer extensions for the N4400. I have this for the A3-31, and never needed the extra length. So it lives on my K3 slider. Here it is on the A3-31 ..

I have not felt a need for extra table width with the N4400, however have wanted greater length. My solution, in place of the Hammer extensions, which I thought to be too costly when I purchased this bandsaw 10 years ago, was to add on a roller (I think that this one was designed for a drill press) ...

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[mattbyington]

[member=42863]SouthRider[/member] thanks! I might get a couple different blades. We'll see.

[member=4358]derekcohen[/member] wow, thank you so very much for such a detailed post! It took me a little while to read and understand it. So many cool things in there. The scale is something definitely missing in my opinion from the bandsaw. I'd like to do inlay work making 1/8 or 1/4 wide strips of exotics to inlay. My plan was just to use the router bit itself between the blade and the rip fence, which I probably still will do. But the scale is great and can't hurt.

I've also heard the dust extraction isn't the best so I might do something similar to what you've got going on here too.

[member=40683]Ambrosia[/member] nice! I don't have space for that but if I did, would be awesome!

Thanks everyone for the great replies!

On Friday evening I finally got the thing off the pallet and onto its (barely strong enough) mobile base. I use a PM 3500 for the A3, but unfortunately, it doesn't go small enough for the N4400 and I didn't want to cut the rails by hand.

So, I got the 2500 which is rated for 650 pounds. It works great so far.

the only issue I've had is the Brake gets in the way of the casters. I don't want to mount the casters on the side of the base since I like the streamlined look and space saving.

Has anyone removed their brake? The big yellow metal bar. I might.

Thanks!

Blade comes Thursday...can't use it until then patience is hard!

Matt

[attachimg=1]

[attachimg=2]

 

[derekcohen]

Do all the N4400s have an external brake in the USA? In Australia, and I assume Europe as well, the brake is internal/automatic.

Regards from Perth

Derek