Thread: Combination Jointer/thicknesser???

Looking at the Hammer/Felder webpage, the current price on the A3/31 jointer/thicknesser looks very reasonable - $3950 (inc. GST)

I have the JET JPT-310 (in 3-phase), and although its a nice enough machine the finish and attention to detail are nothing like as good as the Hammer machine. Current price on the JET is around $3200, so the A3/31 is a pretty good buy IMHO.

Probably worth the extra $750 just to get the automatically indexing cutterhead/blades on the A3/31......

I don't know about the Asian combos, but the euro stuff I've used is pretty good. I've had separate machines and combos. Now days I would even look a separates unless I had really deep pockets and heaps of room.

About 8 years ago we got a Mini Max FS35 combo when we moved into a smaller factory. The Mini Max has been switched between buzzer and thicknesser more times than I care to remember - it doesn't take more than 30 seconds or so - to switch over. It takes old age to forget how many times.

After a while, we learned to work more methodically, which greatly diminished the number of random changeovers. When preparing stock for say a set of 12 dining chairs, we'd first crosscut down to size, then use an edging shoe on the sliding tablesaw to rip an edge straight. This is far more efficient than using the buzzer at this early stage, and more than good enough to ride against the rip fence.

If you don't have room for a sliding tablesaw, an MDF plank with a home-made edging shoe running in the miter slot, or along the rip fence works just fine too.

Too many home woodworker fuss too much about getting stock dead square, flat and parallel at the roughing out stage. Just leave everything a bit oversize in all dimensions so you can later correct for any twisting, cupping or bending you introduced by cutting the wood. Just don't skimp on good setup when you bring everything down to final dimension later.

One more tip. If you are having difficulty getting flat and square stock off the buzzer, throw away you mobile base. It doesn't take much of a height difference between the 4 corners to flex the frame a little. A little out is all the frame needs to be for jointing hell. We had this issues at first, so we ditched the mobile base. Used the combo as a template and spray painted around the feet, and used a pallet trolley to move it to exactly the same sweet-spot on the floor, or out of the way as needed.

Very wise words indeed TMC. I have fallen victim to getting all timber dead square in the very first instance only to find it has moved when I come back to the project a week or so later.

KR Engineering resized the pallet on my A3-31 for me ( no extra charge) so it could be used to move the machine around the workshop. However I have since found out in the manual, that the machine is designed to be moved with a pallet jack without a pallet, with the addition of a couple of strategically placed M10 x55 bolts on the outside ( for the second prong of the jack). I bought a new pallet jack for $349 as I thought it will always come in handy.

TMC's point on the machine flex is again words from the wise. The Hammer mobility kit is not actually a base however - probably for the reasons described by TMC. The machine is moved by a special wheeled jack and once in position it is lowered onto the adjustable feet. However, if the floor is uneven there will be a need to do a proper setup for this. Perhaps the Hammer people could do it for you if you go down this route.

It's not as simple as buying a machine and going to work is it? The question of options, transport and setup are all difficult decisions. At the moment I am looking at picking up and transporting myself but when you consider the potential for a concrete floor that may well not be perfectly flat and or level I wonder about the wisdom of this. As I'm out of town a bit Richard advised that many country buyers have installed themselves so I will probably go that way unless he advises otherwise. I will query about adjustment for level and also the effect on machine setup. At the moment I'm busy making more room in the shed, an ongoing saga.

Elleff,

A essential part of machine ownership is being able to maintain the machine yourself. This is especially true of buzzer/thicknesser combos. Each time you switch from one function to another is an opportunity for the machine to go out of alignment. Say you accidentally dropped the tables when switching back to buzzing mode, you would almost certainly need to readjust the tables. Same if you buy a batch of planer knives that are little off-spec, and do not sit at the same height as the outfeed table.

If you are going to buy the Hammer, ask your dealer to get their machine specialist to give you a rundown on basic maintenance and setup in the showroom. Take some notes directly in your owners manual. You'll be surprised how easy it is. You will have learned some new skills and become more self-sufficient.

I've epoxied shims to the feet of my combo so it sits dead level on its designated in-use spot. When not in use, it sits on the pallet truck, well out of the way. I've had no alignment issues since adopting this system.

Originally Posted by Too Many Clamps

Elleff,

If you are going to buy the Hammer, ask your dealer to get their machine specialist to give you a rundown on basic maintenance and setup in the showroom. Take some notes directly in your owners manual. You'll be surprised how easy it is. You will have learned some new skills and become more self-sufficient.
.

Even better, point your video camera at him as he does it. I've found mine surprisingly good at recording all the sounds in the area.