Help With Jointer/Planer Selection........

[Mahogany Man]

Morning Everyone,
I am in the market for a Jointer/Planer Machine.
I have a stand alone jointer and planer now, but I am setting up another shop for my son.
He will get the "old" 1950's Vintage Delta stuff, which was completely restored by my boys and I a few years back, and
is in exceptional operating condition.
I do not feel like restoring a couple machines again, the parts hunt is time consuming, and so is the rebuild, not any cheaper either from my experience.
I am considering the Hammer A3-31, or possibly the Felder AD-531 . 12" is an acceptable size for me I think.
I will still have access to the old larger machines if the need arises.
I am downsizing my shop to "hobby" status I guess.
Does anyone have any experience with other brands that are available?
What are the pros and cons of these machines?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
John

 

[Peter Kelly]

You might look at Minimax too. I did check out the AD-731 and the A3-31 at the Felder showroom in Delaware. I'm sure the A3-31 is a capable machine but I can't say I was overly impressed with the build quality of it. The fence felt sorta dingey, the castings looked crude and it had just a really lightweight feel all around. Their mid-range AD series machines are quite a bit more expensive but the overall fit and finish is much nicer. As they say, you get what you pay for.

In the end, I picked up a Minimax FS41 Elite for less than an AD-531 when it went on SCMI's end of year clearance sale. I was also a bit put off by the 6-month lead time to get anything from Felder. Minimax can ship almost anything in their catalog within a few days of purchase.  

 

[Kev]

Choice in Oz is a little different and I haven't yet taken the plunge (lot's in front of this). My tentative target is the Hammer A3-31 as a good price, performance, quality compromise. Felder here (and a few others) are just out of the park price wise and the "brand badged" Chinese gear is of dubious quality IMO.

I'm thinking probably Hammer bandsaw too.

 

[ScotF]

I own an A331 that is going on 6-7 years old and it has performed very, very well for me.  The new style is even better with the single lift table and the new choices in cutter head.  I do not think that there is much difference between the two machines to justify the increase in price -- the 5 series utilizes many of the same components and parts as the Hammer series.  I think that you do not see a huge jump in performance until you step up to the 7 series.  They all have the same motor and chasis, etc...  I think you might get a little more refinement in the 5 series over the Hammer, but again, I would not hesitate to recommend it.  There are several other members here who have one too.

MiniMax makes great machines and I would not hesitate to look at one of their units too.  You can get a Tersa style head with their units which is nice.

I think that for the size/price you get a lot of value in a J/P combination machine.  The only real drawback is if you have to keep switching operations -- if you plan well it is not a big deal, but kind of tiresome to keep flipping between the two operations when you mess up and need to mill new parts or something. 

Scot

 

[GreenGA]

Do any A331's ever go on the used market.

 

[Stokely]

You can pry my A3-31 from my cold dead hands. As a qualifier, I don't say that about anything else. Awesome machine.

I've seen some on sawmill creek, but generally far and few between.

 

[Nick C]

I just ordered a Hammer A3-31 from Felder. It is due to arrive in late March. I saw one at the Baltimore woodworking show, where I received a comprehensive "guided tour." At 600+ lbs., I thought it was beefy enough. I ordered mine with the spiral cutter block, two extension tables, and the digital thickness gage. I already have the N4400 bandsaw, and the same extension tables can be used on both machines. I also got the mobility kit, and the mortising table. It comes with a 4HP, 230V, single phase motor. I liked the spring-assisted hinges for lifting the jointer tables to convert to planer mode. I thought it a lot of machine for a decent price.

 

[Mahogany Man]

Nick,
Have you taken delivery of your machine yet?
I have been waiting to see how it worked out for you!
Thanks,
John

 

[kevinvandeusen]

Excited that mine is coming tomorrow!