felder and hammer table saws- worth it?
Am considering buying a combination table saw & spindle moulder unit.
I've been looking at the following:
Hammer B3 ($6359)
http://feldernsw.felder-gruppe.at/?p...4fadb4#tblHead
Felder KF500 ($9540)
http://feldernsw.felder-gruppe.at/?p...eb850d#tblHead
Also been looking into Minimax, Jet, Powermatic, and the usual chiwanese stuff.
So to my questions:
Both the Hammer, and Felder are a hefty price for a hobbyist, but having looked at all the brands listed above, these seem to be a fair cut above the rest in terms of quality.
So if I can stretch the budget, should I do it? Or are they a waste of money? Basically, if you could... would you???
These run 4HP motors as opposed to others as low as 1.75, or 2 or a 'quoted' 3HP (which seem a bit dubious on some models). The construction is rock solid, and seem about as accurate as you can get (unless I buy an Altendorf... :-)
I don't want to just throw the money away, but the way I see it, the machine should last me my lifetime I reckon, and over that period I'll recover the extra cost over other brands, and have the additional quality along the way.
I've seen discussions here saying you shouldn't buy a panel saw if your main purpose is solid timber (as mine is). Would that be applicable in this case? Surely these would stack up against a table saw any day of the week???
Comments please.