Who uses high end Felder/equivalent equipment?
- Thread starter JeremyH.
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SittingElf
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Not all Hammer/Felder equipment is priced for Billionaires.
Hammer machines are extraordinarily good machines, and are priced at the pro-consumer market.
One of the favorites is the A3 series. I own a Hammer A3-41, and it is a phenominally superb Jointer/Planer. You will find a number of folks on FOG who own A3-31's and 41's, as well as the table saw sliders Hammer produces. The Hammer 4400 bandsaw is a strong favorite amongst a very large crowd.
There are also a lot of members here with slightly higher-end Felder equipment as well.
The really big Felder and Format4 equipment is primarily targeted at larger production shops, and generally not expected to end up in the typical hobbyist or one-man shops.
Felder is an Austrian company, and being the fact that I am a second generation Austrian American, I 'may' have a slight bias! [big grin]
Cheers,
Frank
Hammer machines are extraordinarily good machines, and are priced at the pro-consumer market.
One of the favorites is the A3 series. I own a Hammer A3-41, and it is a phenominally superb Jointer/Planer. You will find a number of folks on FOG who own A3-31's and 41's, as well as the table saw sliders Hammer produces. The Hammer 4400 bandsaw is a strong favorite amongst a very large crowd.
There are also a lot of members here with slightly higher-end Felder equipment as well.
The really big Felder and Format4 equipment is primarily targeted at larger production shops, and generally not expected to end up in the typical hobbyist or one-man shops.
Felder is an Austrian company, and being the fact that I am a second generation Austrian American, I 'may' have a slight bias! [big grin]
Cheers,
Frank
Kev
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Frank's spot on.
Hammer is nice gear and it's the kit on my list ... but there are several other brands that also play in the same league.
In Oz you're looking at the equivalent of ~20K to set yourself up with Hammer ... that'll get you:
B3 Winner Comfort Saw/Spindle
A3/41 Planer Thicknesser with silent head
N4400 Bandsaw
... that's with a few accessories and and entry level DC (though I'm not planning on Hammer DC as I have other thoughts)
I'm sure those numbers would translate to something similar or less in US dollars.
For comparison .. I've paid similar money to the price of a Hammer saw spindle to set myself up with 2x CMS's and modules and machines OF+router, TS+saw because today I simply don't have space for the large table.
Seeing Runhard cramming stuff into a small space has got me thinking that the N4400 could squeeze into my existing space though [big grin]
cheers to you [member=13588]Runhard[/member] [big grin]
Hammer is nice gear and it's the kit on my list ... but there are several other brands that also play in the same league.
In Oz you're looking at the equivalent of ~20K to set yourself up with Hammer ... that'll get you:
B3 Winner Comfort Saw/Spindle
A3/41 Planer Thicknesser with silent head
N4400 Bandsaw
... that's with a few accessories and and entry level DC (though I'm not planning on Hammer DC as I have other thoughts)
I'm sure those numbers would translate to something similar or less in US dollars.
For comparison .. I've paid similar money to the price of a Hammer saw spindle to set myself up with 2x CMS's and modules and machines OF+router, TS+saw because today I simply don't have space for the large table.
Seeing Runhard cramming stuff into a small space has got me thinking that the N4400 could squeeze into my existing space though [big grin]
cheers to you [member=13588]Runhard[/member] [big grin]
Brent Taylor
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I had a Hammer combination saw for decades, I had bought it used from the widow of my woodworking prof, he had bought it new in the early 70's. Never a lick of trouble, except when it disappeared after we moved. Even used they hold their value, but it does help to have some mechanical skills, despite what others feel they are not well suited for a tool that is used once in awhile, they are a production tool, I don't know if the newer version have less steel, but if mine sat idle for any amount of time left had to spend time with it to smooth out it operations. All in all, I would get another, smaller unit this time, I don't think I could lift the outfeeds anymore. (Sucks getting old )
stvrowe
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I do and it doesn't take millions. People spend big bucks on cars, golf, bass boats, hunting rigs, etc. for their enjoyment. Somehow, the cost of high end woodworking machinery that produces enjoyment, a useful product, and will last a lifetime is comparatively inexpensive.
We are a very small shop, 2 men, 2400 sq. ft. We decided on Felder and Format4 for several reasons. Our old shop ( that was hit by a flash flood ) had an Altendorfh and we've owned Martin and the like. Felder (hammer, Felder, Format ) IMO offers a good value across all three lines and was easier for us to deal with, relative to the other large pro / industrial manufactures. After our shop was destroyed I contacted Felder USA in Delaware. There they had a K975 on the showroom floor that we demoed and left with, fully assembled and calibrated.
We were back up and running in days. We returned to them a few months later for a Format4 63 planer. Some of the large names didn't even return my call for weeks let alone have equipment readily available, it was an easy decision here!
We were back up and running in days. We returned to them a few months later for a Format4 63 planer. Some of the large names didn't even return my call for weeks let alone have equipment readily available, it was an easy decision here!
Tayler_mann
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I do not yet own any stationary equipment (only Festool and the rest of the tools I never use anymore), however, I made my decision that I will only do the professional thing and buy Hammer. I have seen all the new Powermatic equipment and the only ones worth a damn are the artisan series. With that being said they already cost more than the Hammer's for most everything in that series. I also have seen the horror that these previously American made in Taiwan machines can cause. A colleague of mine bought the 8" helical head and received a faulty machine. It took Powermatic 3 months on top of the 3 months it had already taken him to get it to decide to replace it. Than when they decided to replace it they were another three months behind. When my Hammer rep called in which they will he asked me what my business was, the plans I had, and what tools I forsaw in my future. The customer service I recieved from Hammer is already above and beyond any that my colleague recieved from Powermatic after he had purchased a 600 lb paper weight. That is my rendition of the company.
Kev said:
If it had not been for the fact that my current shop is in my small basement, I would have gone with a larger Felder BS. I figure that when I have a larger shop I can add a 2nd larger BS along with other machines. The Hammer N4400 seems to be well made though.
I also would have bought an A3-41 if I could have moved it down in my shop, but that was not really possible. I was also able to get the Delta DJ-20 from work and some of my employees help me move it and the BS in my basement. I hope that they will help me move it out when the time comes. [eek]
WarnerConstCo.
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Stuff is just not heavy enough or built beefy enough for me.
Going to be hard pressed to get my 5500 pound Buss 4l planer away from me.
It would make a Felder wet itself.
Going to be hard pressed to get my 5500 pound Buss 4l planer away from me.
It would make a Felder wet itself.
gsdvorak
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Frank,
Do you have the spiral cutter block on your A3-41? If so, is it as quiet as advertised? Also, they claim a 20% reduction in power consumption too. Also, how difficult is lifting that large cast jointer bed up to use as a planer?
I am moving to a larger shop later this year and was looking at the Powermatic to replace my aging Delta DC-380; however, the A3-41 has me reconsidering. The Hammer jointer/planer combination is more expensive, but it looks like there is increased value as well.
Gerald
Do you have the spiral cutter block on your A3-41? If so, is it as quiet as advertised? Also, they claim a 20% reduction in power consumption too. Also, how difficult is lifting that large cast jointer bed up to use as a planer?
I am moving to a larger shop later this year and was looking at the Powermatic to replace my aging Delta DC-380; however, the A3-41 has me reconsidering. The Hammer jointer/planer combination is more expensive, but it looks like there is increased value as well.
Gerald
SittingElf
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Hi Gerald,Gerald_D said:
Yes, I have the Silent Partner spiral cutter, and YES it is far quieter than any straight blade cutter by a long shot. I also think it cuts cleaner than traditional blades.....near glue ready!
Lifting the bed for planing is a snap. The bed is spring loaded and doesn't take any more effort than lifting a gallon of milk! [smile]
It is a really, REALLY good J/P, and I couldn't be more pleased. You will not regret purchasing if you decide on it....I guarantee!
Cheers,
Frank
