Thank you, your video really helped me out. That's a great idea, attaching the clear cut guides to a jig that mounts to the rio fence. Outstanding idea, thanks again.
Preston, For my Hammer C3-31 combo I went thru a similar evolution and ended up quite happy with 1/2” (13mm) laminated bamboo plywood, a really nice material that approaches the strength of aluminum in some ways and is very still. Also tried woven strand bamboo (flooring) which was not as stiff. I suspect the bamboo is as stiff as the Phenolic BB sandwich you are using. Also with respect to your comments re: CNC I use a Shaper Origin which makes this easy and repeatable.
How do you like the Jessem clear cut stock guides you have mounted on your table saw fence? I know this question has nothing to do with your video, but I'm have a set of those guides and I'm waiting on delivery of my k-3 winner and I wanted to get your opinion on the guides.
How do you like your k3 winner, I'm about to purchase one, I've been trying to find videos that demonstrate the different types of cuts and jigs you can make for the saw. I like the idea of the slider and not being behind the piece while your cutting. Are you happy with it? If you had to do it again, would you purchase a sliding table saw?
dwight Garcia, The Hammer K3 (700 lbs) is a great hobbyist machine. I especially like the short stroke slider on my 48 x 48. I get all the crosscutting benefits that I want from a slider with the ripping capability of a cabinet saw. The 4 hp machine has plenty of power for ripping the most dense hardwoods. In addition, the 12 inch diameter blade capacity allows for a 4 inch blade height. Traditional 10 inch cabinet saws (SawStop, Powermatic, and Grizzly) are limited to 3 inch blade height. In general there is nothing this machine can't do for you that traditional cabinet saw can't. The machine has great dust collection and the over blade dust collection is standard. My previous saw was the SawStop professional series (350 lbs). It was a great cabinet saw, but like every cabinet saw the crosscutting capability is limited. Sawstop currently has a slider attachment, but these sliding attachments are always too far from the blade (can't use it to crosscut small pieces) and come with an unstable leg support which is just a safety hazard. Also, SawStop requires that you saw off your guide rail at home for the installation, which is ridiculous. The Cons: 1. the cross cut fence end stop (also called flip stop) is designed poorly, which was the biggest disappointment for me. This stop requires a shop made replacement. Marius Hornburger has a video on RUclips (search "Marius Hammer K3 flip stop) on how he addresses the flaw. I will be posting a video shortly with my solution. 2. The sliding table did not come to me calibrated well. It was not running parallel to the blade and it was not even or almost even with the table. The sliding table was about a 1/16" higher than the cast iron table. You really want .003 inches higher, if not dead flat even. Nor was my sliding table on a parallel plane with my cast iron table. I was able to complete these adjustments on my own, but it took several hours due to my inexperience. My sliding table is now dialed in perfect. 3. The rip fence lacks adjustment capability. If you want to adjust your ripping angle then you have to tweak the metal guide rail. 4. The saw only comes with one hand wheel that is shared between the blades height and angle adjustments. 5. There are hardly any after-market (third party) accessories to compliment your saw purchase. Most accessories (if not all) are designed for traditional cabinet saws. 6. Not a lot of online resources/videos on sliding table saw operation. 7. Zero clearance inserts are hard to come by for the sliding table saw unless you make your own. 8. Buying saw blades is more difficult. The big box stores and Amazon.com don't sell European arbored blades. Despite these down sides I would definitely buy this saw again and I expect I will move up to the Felder line eventually. This saw is a premium hobbyist machine and a great introduction to sliding table saws. Hammer fit and finish is top notch compared to their rivals at this price point. I also own the hammer A3-31 and it is another great and accurate machine, so I have a lot of confidence in what they make.
dwight Garcia, I used 3/4" phenolic Baltic birch plywood. It's very thick. I then routed out the necessary sections to get a nice flat finish. I recently got some equipment to do some project videos. It will be a while before I can revisit this project, but I will definitely look into it. I have been really happy with the results.
an alternate method is to purchase the dado insert from Felder. Extend the slot and then remove the side next to the slider - that is the thin section which you mentioned broke off when you made it in plywood. Replace the section with an aluminium section: i.postimg.cc/G2MQDN4X/3.jpg Mine is attached with screw that are tapped into the insert. i.postimg.cc/q7xQJg4V/1.jpg Note that this only works for vertical (90 degree) cuts. Keep the original insert for angles. Regards from Perth, Derek (www.inthewoodshop.com)
Hey Preston, can you send me a picture of your jessem clear cut stock guides mounted to your table saw fence on your k-3 winner. I'm going to mount mine on my slider and I wanted to see how you mounted yours. Thanks
Thank you, your video really helped me out. That's a great idea, attaching the clear cut guides to a jig that mounts to the rio fence. Outstanding idea, thanks again.
Thank you Preston, looking forward to the video.
dwight Garcia,
Video is up. Just check out my channel. It should be the most recent one.
Hey Preston - thank you for making this video. How thick of phenolic are you using on your final version?
I am using 3/4” material, it’s just what I had.
@@prestonhoffman5695 Thank you!
Preston, For my Hammer C3-31 combo I went thru a similar evolution and ended up quite happy with 1/2” (13mm) laminated bamboo plywood, a really nice material that approaches the strength of aluminum in some ways and is very still. Also tried woven strand bamboo (flooring) which was not as stiff. I suspect the bamboo is as stiff as the Phenolic BB sandwich you are using. Also with respect to your comments re: CNC I use a Shaper Origin which makes this easy and repeatable.
Thanks for the insight! You mind sharing where you got the 1/2” bamboo stock?
Hey Brian, do you have the svg file for your insert? I also have a shaper and have been wanting to create one.
How do you like the Jessem clear cut stock guides you have mounted on your table saw fence? I know this question has nothing to do with your video, but I'm have a set of those guides and I'm waiting on delivery of my k-3 winner and I wanted to get your opinion on the guides.
They work great. They were just as well on the K3 as they did on my Sawstop.
Hey Preston, Nice clearence insert, do you have the DXF files for CNC for me? Thanks and best regards Richard vom Austria
I’m looking to buy a hammer myself. The k3 79x48. Do you sell these throat plates?
I don’t. I think I would if I owned a CNC, but I don’t really have the means for production.
How do you like your k3 winner, I'm about to purchase one, I've been trying to find videos that demonstrate the different types of cuts and jigs you can make for the saw. I like the idea of the slider and not being behind the piece while your cutting. Are you happy with it? If you had to do it again, would you purchase a sliding table saw?
dwight Garcia,
The Hammer K3 (700 lbs) is a great hobbyist machine. I especially like the short stroke slider on my 48 x 48. I get all the crosscutting benefits that I want from a slider with the ripping capability of a cabinet saw. The 4 hp machine has plenty of power for ripping the most dense hardwoods. In addition, the 12 inch diameter blade capacity allows for a 4 inch blade height. Traditional 10 inch cabinet saws (SawStop, Powermatic, and Grizzly) are limited to 3 inch blade height. In general there is nothing this machine can't do for you that traditional cabinet saw can't. The machine has great dust collection and the over blade dust collection is standard.
My previous saw was the SawStop professional series (350 lbs). It was a great cabinet saw, but like every cabinet saw the crosscutting capability is limited. Sawstop currently has a slider attachment, but these sliding attachments are always too far from the blade (can't use it to crosscut small pieces) and come with an unstable leg support which is just a safety hazard. Also, SawStop requires that you saw off your guide rail at home for the installation, which is ridiculous.
The Cons:
1. the cross cut fence end stop (also called flip stop) is designed poorly, which was the biggest disappointment for me. This stop requires a shop made replacement. Marius Hornburger has a video on RUclips (search "Marius Hammer K3 flip stop) on how he addresses the flaw. I will be posting a video shortly with my solution.
2. The sliding table did not come to me calibrated well. It was not running parallel to the blade and it was not even or almost even with the table. The sliding table was about a 1/16" higher than the cast iron table. You really want .003 inches higher, if not dead flat even. Nor was my sliding table on a parallel plane with my cast iron table. I was able to complete these adjustments on my own, but it took several hours due to my inexperience. My sliding table is now dialed in perfect.
3. The rip fence lacks adjustment capability. If you want to adjust your ripping angle then you have to tweak the metal guide rail.
4. The saw only comes with one hand wheel that is shared between the blades height and angle adjustments.
5. There are hardly any after-market (third party) accessories to compliment your saw purchase. Most accessories (if not all) are designed for traditional cabinet saws.
6. Not a lot of online resources/videos on sliding table saw operation.
7. Zero clearance inserts are hard to come by for the sliding table saw unless you make your own.
8. Buying saw blades is more difficult. The big box stores and Amazon.com don't sell European arbored blades.
Despite these down sides I would definitely buy this saw again and I expect I will move up to the Felder line eventually. This saw is a premium hobbyist machine and a great introduction to sliding table saws. Hammer fit and finish is top notch compared to their rivals at this price point. I also own the hammer A3-31 and it is another great and accurate machine, so I have a lot of confidence in what they make.
Preston Hoffman How thick (in mm) is your board? If you'd record a video making one of these inserts it would be awesome 👍🏻
dwight Garcia,
I used 3/4" phenolic Baltic birch plywood. It's very thick. I then routed out the necessary sections to get a nice flat finish.
I recently got some equipment to do some project videos. It will be a while before I can revisit this project, but I will definitely look into it. I have been really happy with the results.
an alternate method is to purchase the dado insert from Felder. Extend the slot and then remove the side next to the slider - that is the thin section which you mentioned broke off when you made it in plywood. Replace the section with an aluminium section: i.postimg.cc/G2MQDN4X/3.jpg Mine is attached with screw that are tapped into the insert. i.postimg.cc/q7xQJg4V/1.jpg Note that this only works for vertical (90 degree) cuts. Keep the original insert for angles. Regards from Perth, Derek (www.inthewoodshop.com)
Hey Preston, can you send me a picture of your jessem clear cut stock guides mounted to your table saw fence on your k-3 winner. I'm going to mount mine on my slider and I wanted to see how you mounted yours. Thanks
Dwight, I will try to post a video of my setup shortly.
Preston Hoffman thank you.
I use a pin router set up to get the router pattern on the underside
What motor has your hammer k3 4hp or 5,5hp
Jonas Kriegl,
4 hp, single phase.
Thanks.