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Thread: Hammer C3 31

  1. #1
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    Default Hammer C3 31

    It seems I have inherited a pre 2005 C3 31 (a green one) through a deceased estate donation to our woodcraft guild. So far I am its only user, and I absolutely love it to bits... mostly.

    Issues I am having at the moment are
    a) The guide rail and bolts for the fence attachment to the planer went missing. How does one get spare parts information in Australia. I tried looking up the Hammer site for spares, and the Felder site, but those guys need a serious lesson in site design, or something. Has anyone got experience, and point me in the right direction? (Chris Parks?) To get a replacement I have to go thru a committee system, get funds approved etc etc

    b) I absolutely hate the ancient rip fence, which isn't much of a problem as the unit has the biggest slider, but I would really like to update the fence with something a little more fit for human habitation than the clunky 3 handle + triangular extrusion beast that came on it. Personally I prefer a beismeyer style, (which would be consistent with our sawstop machine) perhaps the https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L60mYFghTEo

    . Any advice on successful after_market fence conversions on a C3 would be appreciated.

    c) We have the powermatic planer and thickesser both with helical heads. in our machine room. I anticipate that when one of them breaks down we would want to use the C3 planer/thicknesser, but it has straight disposable knives and I cant see our guild wanting to move backwards. At some stage I will need to establish the cost of either replacement knives or conversion to the "silent spiral head", but as mentioned above, Felder do not seem very big on their spare parts/accessories information/price lists. If it were my personal machine I would be giving upgrading pretty serious emphasis, but information seems rather thin on the ground, and a conversion of the C3 might not be as high a priority for the guild as a whole

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  3. #2
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    Default

    I am not familiar with the early machines but your only source of supply is Felder at Penrith. I always call on the phone and I doubt I have ever looked at their website more than a couple of times and a phone call will get you a human being to speak to. I have never had an issue with getting spare parts or support though it is common for the parts to have to be imported or at least the stuff I have asked for which were not common items.

    I presume the rip fence is one that has two positions, one high and one low for angle cuts and the US style fences as a rule do not do that, a photo of it would confirm this. If you are going to change the head I suggest Holbren in the US would be the best supplier as I have little faith that any local supplier would have the knowledge or hardware from what I have seen. I have been involved in two locally sourced change overs both not what I would call hugely successful and one could have caused serious injury if luck had not prevailed.
    CHRIS

  4. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by T91 View Post
    It seems I have inherited a pre 2005 C3 31 (a green one) through a deceased estate donation to our woodcraft guild. So far I am its only user, and I absolutely love it to bits... mostly.

    Issues I am having at the moment are
    b) I absolutely hate the ancient rip fence, which isn't much of a problem as the unit has the biggest slider, but I would really like to update the fence with something a little more fit for human habitation than the clunky 3 handle + triangular extrusion beast that came on it. Personally I prefer a beismeyer style, (which would be consistent with our sawstop machine) perhaps the https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L60mYFghTEo

    . Any advice on successful after_market fence conversions on a C3 would be appreciated.
    FWIW, I strongly suggest that you DO NOT fit a Beismeyer style fence to your machine.

    I've used the style of fence you are complaining about and believe that, used properly, they are safer on a slider than a Beismeyer style fence.
    When cross cutting the fence should not go any further past the blade than the gullets at the leading edge.
    When ripping the fence can go to the middle of the blade

    However, when ripping -- why are you using the slider when you already have a SawStop?
    Typically your slider would be fitted with a dedicated cross-cut blade -- so would require a blade change to rip anything more substantial than board material.
    regards from Alberta, Canada

    ian

  5. #4
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    Hi Ian,

    Typically I am using the rip fence as a stop when I am ripping the edge off long/large panels. Today it was to resize a series of re-purposed chipboard panels to put in the steel racking in our new container (ripping off 60mm to get rid of a nail populated edge, on request, then resizing in 2 dimensions). This job of ripping the edge off re-purposed panels comes up regularly, and I find the current fence to be an absolute PainInTheButt to slide left and right on the rail. I also find the 3 handles foul each other, and the lock handle in tucked away in an inconvenient location. I'm not saying that the fence does no function well. What I am saying it that it is a pain to adjust on the rare occasion that I need to use it. Normally I would do any ripping where I use a rip fence for its intended purpose on the sawstop, just as normally I would use the miter saw for cross cutting, unless I had a reason to use the C3 & outrigger.

    For genuine rip work like taking a live edge off material coming out of the horizontal band saw, or straightening the edge on a longish timber, I use the edging shoe and a clamp. For shortish Rip/Cross cuts I intend using the Fritz/Franz jig (when I have constructed one). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0PyFjtSHrE

    When cross cutting typically I am using the flip stop on the miter fence. For long pieces where actually I need the stop to the right of the blade, I simply use a mag switch well forward of the infeed side of the blade.

    The purpose in updating the standard rip fence is that I have seen that the later C3 models have a long cam lock lever, similar to the saw stop, and If I am going to be familiarizing other members with the machine, it would be nice to have a consistent modern set of controls rather than a finger biter, particularly as this fence is supposed to flip to the other end of the machine as the planer fence

    I've attached a couple of photos of the machine. The edging shoe I have stored at the front of the slider in the photo, normally I'd use it at the other end.

    Cheers

    Brendan
    Attached Images Attached Images

  6. #5
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    I put a couple of photos in the reply to Ian, but I have just realized they don't do a decent job of showing the fence controls. I will get better more detailed photos on Thursday and post them


    cheers & thanks for the info

    Brendan

  7. #6
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    Brendan, one thing I would be definitely doing is familiarising potential users with the Frits and Franz jig for holding pieces on the sliding table. Given an F&F jig and using the rip fence solely for a measured stop these saws become very versatile and safer that a Sawstop in that there can be no kick back during ripping operations. The table most probably could do with a few clamps because of its length where shorter sliding tables such as mine do not need clamps as a rule just the F&F jig which is a clamp in reality.

    Ian's point is a good one, when using the rip fence (which I don't often do) the fence should not go past the arbour centre line at any time and no US cabinet fence does that. This is a major safety point to prevent kick back and major injury from it. It is also convertible to being either high or low as needed if cutting small dimensioned stock etc. Felder have done a lot of educational videos on Youtube along with a lot of other people and those might be useful.

    Some photos and a review Review of Hammer B3 Combination Machine

    Rip Fence extrusion changed New Rip Fence for the Hammer B3 / K3

    I wonder if this will fit FELDER e-shop | HAMMER® Circular saw rip fence | purchase online
    CHRIS

  8. #7
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    Thanks Chis,
    that fence FELDER e-shop | HAMMER® Circular saw rip fence | purchase online is precisely the sort of thing I am thinking of from a user point of view, but in any case all that information was fantastic, and gives me something to give to the machinery committee member

    thanks heaps

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