I appreciate your honesty in reviewing this machine and your right, a lot of Hammer/Felder owners tend to gloss over the shortcomings. As someone who grew up in and is a full time woodworker I would offer the following observations. Hammer is way overpriced for what you are getting. A surface planer without a rigid fence is not a quality machine. I don't think I have ever seen a more flimsy fence assembly. It's a joke. I personally would never ever recommend a combination thickness planer UNLESS your one of the very lucky few that has acquired a Wadkin. The biggest and worst short cut in this machine is the lack of bed roller's. They say this feature reduces snipe ! Bullshit. It does lead to much greater friction and that's why you are getting feeding issues. The other reason you are going to have feeding issues is the small diameter of the feed rolls. Cheaper to make but there is nothing more irritating than a thickness planer that does not feed easily. The only thing that alleviates it a little is that silicone crap they charge an arm and a leg for. I had to use one of these pieces of junk when I was doing some sub contract work and I learned to hate this machine. The other problem you will find over time is the single column bed lift will start to loose tolerance and you will get uneven thickness. THIS will really drive you nuts. There are so many cost cutting short cuts in this machine that I would never recommend it to anyone. It's an overpriced toy for unsuspecting hobbyists. The worst part though is the bridge guard. Talk about a flimsy safety joke. Pork chop guards are so very much safer and easier to use.
Absolutely love your opening. People seem to be under this impression that because a company sends a content maker a tool for review, the review will be biased. However, IMHO, someone is more biased when they spend their own money on something. Outstanding review, and that mobility kit looks sweet. Simple to use, robust and effective.
Very honest and objective review. It's not just sales guy talk. Evrything it's there: positives, negatives, highlights. It helped me to make decision to buy Felder Hammer thicknesser.
A friend of mine has one of these. When we were running some boards through it, without ear protection, and also able to have a conversation! It is a lot quieter than many jointer!
Nice I Like To Make Stuff sticker! Great review, this seems like an outstanding unit. Would be nice to basically have two large machines in the footprint of one.
Great job Matt. I also have this machine and I love it! The silent head is definitely worth the extra cost and I highly recommend it. In fact I just hit a nail today and it took just minutes to rotate the two teeth that it affected and I was back to work.
Thanks for the great review. Despite my reservations about the fence design, after inspection at Felder I convinced myself that the fence is adequate - especially on the A3 41 which I ended up buying. Also bought the Mobility kit and precision handwheel. It’s due to be delivered today!
Thanks for taking the time to do this review, it was a very large part of my decision making process. I just finished setting up my A3-31, it really is a beautiful piece of kit. Even better, the day after I bought mine the price jumped by a Grand, nice bonus. I agree with you on the value offered by these machines, by combining the two functions in one machine you only have to invest in one high quality cutter, it's a no brainer if you're a part timer hobbyist in a residential neighborhood, it really is super quiet. Cheers
RL Simpson I ended up paying $5400 Canadian Pesos for my machine at Ultimate tools in Burnaby, the guys there are great. I also highly recommend the dial gauge, it's a must. Even if I had more space and could have two machines, I would want this machine, the cutter head is a G-wiz bit of kit.
thanks. I ended up going with the 12" version. The 16" just felt too big for my shop once I got my hands on it in person. I reserve the right to change my mind some day :)
So, before the order went too far, I upped to the 16" version, also with the silent power head. I just set it up today. I'm thinking of making or buying a nesting or bellows type cover for the blade guard to replace that sheet metal. For me, it's about space behind the machine. My shop is tiny. Photos www.flickr.com/photos/psychlist1972/albums/72157677010951444 Need to move the two machines into final position and true everything up. My planer before this was the DeWalt DW735, which sounded like a jet engine. I couldn't have the shop door open when using it, unless I wanted to wake up the neighbors (most of my woodworking seems to happen at night). Thanks again for the review. You definitely played a part in my choice here.
Yes Matt I can't take all the credit for that tip. When I got mine I thought there was a problem with the roller feed as I had to push the timber through but a Felder tech support person suggested a wax or lubricant.I still use it on a regular basis and it also stops the beds getting rusty ( I do live in the rainy UK ! )
The hobby club I just joined has one of these. Doing RUclips homework. Great Vid.. Thank you. Not sure if you figured this out in the 5 years since posting this vid... but I saw the solution (on another RUclips review) to the issue you mentioned (rollers not engaging) while in planar mode at timestamp 16:31. There is a lever to the lower left of the crank. Pull it out for jointer. Put it in for planar. Other guy said it engages those rollers.
Matt, thank you for such an articulate and objective review. Thoughts of purchasing this exact machine is on my mind and you have persuaded me towards purchasing one. The recommendation to have a Felder tech calibrate the machine made the difference as I felt a bit uneasy about doing that specific task. Again, thank you and great job. For someone who had never done this before, I recommend you reconsider your day job and look into doing web videos with sponsors and all of that jive. I would watch you review a toaster. Sincerely.
I invented a "Parallel Guided Power Saw" you can see on you tube. Do you wish to manufacture my saw? I may license it to you for free. I will give you all the information you need. My saw has the board sitting on the table and move the saw over material. Also the length of the shop is just half of what you need for your saw. Also the system may carry any other tools such as; router, drill press, grinder, and so on. For drill press you can do wholes anywhere on 8x2 ft without to move the board. The length of cut may be any. A 18 ft cut is easy to do. Everything is very simple and accurate.
Thanks for the review! As with most accessories, the mobility kit seems a bit pricey for what you get and I am considering a DIY solution. Could you measure the axle diameter for the 4"(?) back wheels?
this is an awesome review. i have been debating this 16 inch version or the 12 inch. i have a pretty small shop so I think the 12 inch would fit best. Will you be doing a shop tour in the near future?
Nice review. I had looked at the hammer/felder stuff previously and ruled it out due to cost. After hearing such good reviews though from you and everyone who owns anything by felder group I am definitely reconsidering.
Can you tell me exactly with links which plug connector and outlet you used to connect this machine? I see the cable that came with this machine is very short... Thanks
Very nice review. I am considering buying this A3-41 and this make it easier. I am just curious about the setup you have for the remote controlled dust collector. Is it something publicly available or home built? Thank you once more.
Fantastic review, Matt! very thorough and well explained. Absolutely great job with this video, man, i mean it. I'm seriously looking at acquiring your machine's little brother, the A3 A31 (12 inch) combo machine. i hope you don't mind me asking.... now that you have had this machine close to a year.... what are your current thoughts on the fence? When you went over the "fence" part of the video you demonstrated the wobbly rocking motion.... does it wobble left to right (end to end) or does it wobble bottom-up, bringing the fence out of 90 degree square to the table? thanks for the time you put into making this Video, Matt!
I think a big part of the wobble was a loose fastener - a friend was over and noticed the wobble and found the loose bolt - tightened it up, and it's so much better now.
I own the A3-31 and it is a great machine. The fence has some flex, but my boards still come out square. I think the flex is more in the lateral direction while still remaining at 90 degrees to the table. I don’t know if that makes sense, but the machine still works well. I will also mention that the infeed and outfeed rollers can be adjusted, so if you have any issues with “gripping” you can lower them for better contact.
I've had the A3-26 for about 2yrs now and completely agree with the above also. It's a wonderful machines to use, especially with the Spiral Cutter Block. It's VERY quiet indeed. I also noticed that there was some "play" in the fence, but it's soon remedied with the tightening of the bolts at the rear of the fence, which set the extremes of angles. There is some "flex" in the fence, but only laterally and it does stay in true 90deg position. Just 2 days ago, I was at a trade show in the north of England and met some of the UK Felder team and saw their C3 Combination Machine (Saw, Spindle Moulder and Planer/Thicknesser) and it has a really long fence. I did notice that the "flex" in the longer fence is more accentuated on the longer machines, but their team did say that it was purely down to the longer beam holding the fence. Kinda makes sense really.
On a lark, I put a Craigslist add up a couple of days ago to gauge the value of my A-31. I paid $5700 Canadian Pesos last year and priced my unit at $5200. I had 6 response within a day. It holds its value extremely well.
I'm getting mine soon! I've heard somewhere that feed rollers problem can be solved by applying some lubricant to the table, like Super Glide from Felder. I think it might be your case because you mentioned that it becomes worse with smoother milled pieces. Hopefully, you already resolved that by now.
Hey Matt - this was a great review of the A3-41. Really helpful and well put together. Not sure if you have done more videos but would love to learn more about how you have your shop laid out. I am coming from a 6" grizzly jointer and a lunchbox planer... would like to ditch both for a combined unit. Thanks again.
Thanks Jay! I keep postponing doing a shop tour because there's always something more I'm going to do to the shop! Maybe this is the inspiration to finally get it done.... maybe ;-) I lived with a lunchbox planer and a 6" jet jointer for years, this is a pretty amazing upgrade!
Hey Matt - I was also looking at the Jet JJP-12, 12” Planer/Jointer 3HP 1PH 230V. I assume that you looked at this one as well. You think the $1500 price premium is worth it? Thanks for your feedback
Jay, I only looked at it briefly. I really wanted the 16" width which wasn't available from Jet. And to be honest, I got to the point where I just wanted to get the best machine I could afford and have no excuses but my lack of skill :-)
Thanks for the review, it was excellent. I've had my local Felder rep out (in the UK) & have been given a quote for the machine. Quick question: is that fence a real problem with regards to staying square? (as I need to be able to machine 6' lengths of oak with confidence).
The fence on these are not a problem. He could have tightened it up if he wanted to there are adjusters on it. I would suggest going and seeing one in action to get a feel for it.
I have a minimax cu300 smart and i deal with any fence flex by using a 100 lb mag switch magnet that I've installed in a small square piece of hardwood i place on the backside of jointer fence. Minimax provides a solution for the flex that i do not like so I just used the mag switch - which i really like - it will not move until you turn the magic switch.
I just took delivery of C-341 which is the combo with the 410 mm (16") bed with the silent power knives. Luv the machine, the build quality is exceptional. However, I agree on the Fence. It took me over 3 hrs to get it 90 degrees and square to the table. Even then I had to make modification so the it would actual get to 90 degrees. It would not get past 88 degrees at first. The quality of the plane finish is fantastic. Overall, I am please with the purchase or am I just justifying my very, very expensive purchase. Time will tell....
Hello Matt, thank you so much for the video. I'm having problems withthe feed rolls. I have to push very hard to be able to pass the wood. How can they be adjusted? Thanks you very much.
have you tried waxing the table? I found it was actually friction with the table that made it difficult to push through. I got a spray called "supergleit" from Hammer/Felder that works well, but I'm sure plain old paste wax would work just as well.
Great review. I've had the A3-26 for about 2yrs now, but still interested to hear other peoples feedback. I love your comment at the beginning regarding people trying to justify the price. It's a really valid point. Interesting you comment about the cutter guard sticking out when surfacing wide boards. I hope I'm not preaching to the converted, but you know there's a toggle/clamp at the base of the cutter guard arm (I hope this makes sense) that allows you to completely release the arm and swing it right round and underneath the planer bed when you don't need it? You've located the screw knob that sets the height of the guard, so look directly down from there about 3 or 4" and there's a toggle-like clamp that when lifted and released, disengages the guard arm and the whole arm can swing freely anti-clockwise out of the way?
Great review. I got a Jet jpt 310 (european name) without the spiral cutter a couple of months ago. It's built almost identical to this machine, would not be suprised if they where built on the same fabric lol...Mine does not have a lifting system, that is something I really would like to have.
Awesome review - you covered all the main points in great style. As to working with a combo as opposed to stand alones, I find it to be a non issue, if only you adapt your work flow to it, meaning square up your reference face and edge on the jointer, before converting into planermode, and you've got all 4 sides covered. Of course - if you run a lot of stock for various projects, or more than one guy is jointing/planing, then the stand alones will come out on top, but you'll need some serious bulk running through, for that to be an issue.
Hi Matt, thank you for the great review. I just placed an order for the A3-31 yesterday. I understand that the dust port is 5 in. How do you connect? Do you use an adaptor or did you find 5-in hose?
Nice review Matt. I bought this unit as well, similarly equipped. I have the same complaints about the fence. I think he fence is pretty "meh" for a $6k machine. It is good to see you found the bolts were loose because that was my first thought while watching your video. My bolts were snug and there is zero wobble. However I dont totally trust the fenced, and I dislike the extended blade guard in the back. I suppose it does the job, but is just very flimsy for such a bulky piece of equipment. I am looking into potential upgrades for the fence. Have you seen the Felder version of the fence in person? It seems more beefy and I bet it could be retrofitted onto the Hammer. Other options are building fence support and angle adjustment form 80/20 extrusions and linear bearings.
Yeah, no woodworking tool is perfect, but this works as well as anything else I have in the shop. Well, I mean it's a lot better than the lathe! The dust chute is some metric size, but a 5" flexible hose fits fine.
Hi Mano! You don't have to change the knives very frequently - I've been using it for over a year and I've turned 3-4 of them so far... where something nicked the blade (probably a staple in the end of a board)
Hi Matt Thanks for an interesting video. One point, when using the thicknesser it is necessary to move the lever underneath to the left of the wheel or it won't feed properly as the drive rollers are disengaged. Also another poster has said they had difficulty feeding timber. It does make an enormous difference if the beds are waxed. I use a liquid wax (which hardens) by Liberon but I am sure there others in the US.
thanks! I do have the drive rollers engaged but I have had some trouble getting wood to move through and was going to clean and wax the bed for the planer (ok, "thicknesser" :-) )- I just haven't planed any wood recently. It's on my list, though!!
Matt, i'd love to know, with the infeed extension you've got on the jointer, how easy is is to align it parallel to the infeed table or does it come pre aligned? thanks.
Hi Rhys - it's not a problem at all - to begin you have to get the rail on the front position properly - it was some number of millimeters that I can't recall. Then the leg is adjustable. So I just use a long straight edge (from Lee Valley) and use that to fine tune the extension. Never really had a problem with it.
I really liked the part where you turn off the lights and intimately caress the wood by the light of the setting sun. I wish your half-human/half-hardwood hybrid- freak progeny all the best.
Great review. Thank you for taking your time to do this review. I am in process of weeding through which Hammer or Felder system I should get. Did you look at the Felder AD 531 when you bought the Hammer? You wouldn't happen to know the difference between the Felder and Hammer would you?
Hi James - I didn't look at the Felder. My friend Mel (who I made this video for) ended up with the Felder AD941 - the big difference there was a motorized table. I don't know much about the AD531 - doesn't look too different from the Hammer. Have you called them? They're super helpful on the phone. LMK what you learn!
Hello Matt, Thanks for responding. I have been talking with Felder and plan to go to their Delaware showroom in the next week or two. I hope to get some good answers in person. The guy I talk to on the phone seems to take my questions and round them into their sales packages speech. So, I often get off the phone with them and have many unanswered questions, however, I get the full just put 20% down today speech lol, what can you do? Anyway, I know the AD531 has nice options like the comfort guard and the Mortising upgrade is way more stout and also has a base on roller option which Is why I am considering going with the Felder. I am sure there are other differences and will let you know when I find out. O yeah, your taco shirt is awesome, I live be that motto. Take care
Matt, excellent review. Did you look at the Felder 500 and 700 series versions in addition to the Hammer series? Do you think there is a hugely significant difference in quality to justify the jump in price over the Hammer? I.e., what do you feel you're giving up in opting for the Hammer A3 series over the Felder 500 and 700? For some time, I have been eyeballing the Felder 500 (or possibly 700) series, but I'm happy to take a closer look at the Hammer series.
I never looked at the Felder stuff (beyond a brief flirtation with one of their bandsaws). A friend just ordered the AD941 - but I couldn't rationalize that price level... but heck, you could say the Hammer is already in irrational price territory, so who am I to talk? The big advantages of the AD941 seemed to be longer jointer tables and a motorized lift for the planer bed.
I visited their showroom in Sacramento and was able to compare Hammer and Felder side by side. Both are great and they have identical capacities. But, there is a big difference between them. The Felder weighs about 500 pounds more than the Hammer. Honestly, the Hammer looks like a toy next to the Felder. That said, I bought the exact same machine that Matt reviewed in his video and it was delivered just today! I will definitely do a video after I've used it for a while.
Hi Matt. Nice to see your channel. Can I suggest getting a cheap lavalier (lapel) microphone? There's a lot of echo from your shop which that would largely get rid of. A cabled one is fine, if a bit of a nuisance, otherwise a cheap radio one gives you much better mobility. I look forward to more of your honest reviews and other items. BobUK.
Hey, Matt! Now that you've had the machine for several years, I'd love to know how the beds have held up. Have you had to recalibrate them again since your original purchase so that they're co-planer?
Hi Joel, it's still great! I move it around a bit, but not a ton. Definitely open and close the tables a lot. Everything's still co-planer. I'm working through a ton of black locust right now for a dining table and it's coming out pretty nice. Really difficult wood, and a bit of tear out, but not terrible. The grain is just nuts. Biggest learning for the tools is lubricating the tables. I'd say I'm so happy with it that I'm now salivating over other hammer tools... friend is getting a sliding table saw and I'm jealous!
I have an A3-31. I have had it for a few years and love it. However when pushing large and long stock I really hate the finish of the tables. I have not found a product that helps with the friction on tables that do not have any polish to them.
hey Steve - see the convo in the comments with givreycham... I had similar problems - cleaning and waxing the beds makes a HUGE difference. I used a spray product from Felder called "supergleit" but paste wax seems to work, too. Paste wax and supergleit if you really want to go for it! :-)
Great Review!!! I ordered a A3-41 with the silent cutter block Feb 7th 2017. I was wondering if you could measure the base WxL for me and from the floor to the top of the jointer table and then the thickness of the jointer table at the end. I called Hammer and I have gotten 3 sets of different measurements. A friend of mine is going to build me a heavy duty 4 swivel castor mobile base. Thanks
somehow I didn't get a notification about this comment - sorry! First, congrats on the purchase!! base dimensions: 23 5/16" deep x 27 3/16" wide (in back. front is narrower at 24 3/4"). floor to top of jointer table is hard to call - there are adjustable feet and my floor isn't perfectly flat... so roughly 34 3/4". But I'd wait for it to be in the shop before relying on that. table thickness: 2 3/4" heavy... plus 1/32 or 1/16" ish.
Hi , i have the a3 31 overall it is ok ,however mine caught on fire after about 18months .after speaking to hammer they came and replaced the compassitor (they seem to know the problem straight away which is concerning )they tried to blame the fire on me for not pressing the start button for long enough,however when i told them that no machine should catch fire from pressing a start button the sales man agreed but would not put in writing.I have been a woodmachinist for 36 years and used many planers ,i wouldn't buy another .I did like your presentation well done i will look out for more from you.
Hey Morgan - wow that is nuts. I was looking at going with this unit given it's Austrian heritage and better tolerances than the Jet JJP-12, 12” Planer/Jointer 3HP 1PH 230V. Did you end up keeping your A3-31? Or going with something else?
I have the A3 41 and have to say it's been a good machine. However mine is a 415v 3phase machine so no capacitor issues at all. I wonder if they have had a dodgy batch of capacitors or they are not big enough? I had capacitor problems with a single phase table Saw and that capacitor would get hot and fail to start the motor if you don't hold the start button until the buzzing stopped so maybe there is something in what they say. Better starter system needed from Felder maybe?
Hi, the single phase machines do not have a centrifugal switch or starting capacitor in the motor. The starting capacitor is still required, it's external to the motor.The issue with the start button is that there are 2 contacts in the button, one latches the run contactor on, powering up the run winding of the motor. The second start button contact closes the start contactor (non latching) which engages the start capacitor.Once the machine is almost up to speed, the operator releases the start button, opening the start contactor.So yes, on a single phase machine, the operator can damage the capacitors by not following operating procedures.The great thing about this system is that you never have to take the motor out of the machine to service the centrifugal switch or capacitor, both the capacitor and the start contactor are easily accessible.
Thanks for the great review, Matt. I ordered an A3-41 in December. Itjust arrived today and I can't wait to get it running. What part was broken on your machine? Was it obvious what was broken and did it occur during shipping?
hey man - congrats on the new machine, I don't know what you're upgrading from, but I'm sure you'll love it. On my machine, there was an eccentric bolt (?) that had sheared off. It was right by the handle that you turn to lift the tables up... I couldn't get the tables to lock down and I ran some stuff across the machine and it see-sawed on the cutter. I actually didn't have a tight grip on the board and it SHOT across the shop, taking a chunk out of my (hard maple) work bench! As far as the broken bolt, I believe it happened prior to shipping - you've seen how the machine ships - nothing can happen to it in shipping! I think it was a bad day at the plant in Austria when they made my machine - like a Friday before a long weekend. There was the broken part, the wrong mobility base, the wrong dial indicator.... Pretty uninspiring quality control! But regarding the broken part, the machine had been sitting in my garage on the pallet for 6 months waiting for the shop to be built, so it was sort of my word against theirs, and there was no way to prove I'd just turned it on for the first time... In the end, they paid for the parts, I paid for the labor. The technician was great, definitely a well trained professional, but it was stupidly expensive. I even paid for his driving time from his prior appointment in the Bronx! They're definitely a business that's running for the professional market, not the hobbiest... so it has positives and negatives.
Hi. .Good reviewer matt. Just curious, Do you need to raise and lower the table on every change from surface to thickness to fit the hood when surfacing?
Hi Giolla - technically, "it depends" but practically, yes. In jointer mode, the dust shroud is down and the planer tables are 200mm (nearly 8") down. So if you're planing ridiculously thick wood, you don't have to move the planer tables when you convert. Practically, because no one I know is planing 8" thick wood, you have to crank the table up to user the planer. And when you want to go back to jointing, you've gotta crank it all the way back down to 200mm+.
Hey Matt, thanks for posting the video. Debating on one of these machines myself, the main drawback for me right now is that it has to be drug down to a basement. Movers didnt have too many issues w/ a 600 lb jointer and planer individually, but a 1000 lb combo machine is a whole other ordeal. Just curious, do the jointer tables "easily" remove from the unit? Im guessing they're a couple hundred lbs which would make getting it down to the basement way easier. Concerned that getting these back on and coplanar was part of your issue w/ the machine.
Hi Marcus, thanks for the note. It's definitely a beefy machine and I'm glad I didn't have to get it into a basement. I attached wheels to the pallet when it arrived and struggled to get it across our gravel driveway with 4 guys! We ended up rolling it on a few pieces of 3/4" plywood. I've seen a person on facebook slide it down wooden ramps to get it into the basement - I assume some sort of pulley system was used at the top. Personally, I wouldn't want to remove the tables - I don't think they come off and go back on that easily - not while remaining co-planer. I didn't remove my tables and still had a problem!
Thanks for the feedback. I have a request in for a call from them to discuss the technical details a a bit more, always appreciate real world user feedback though!
Thanks for an informative and frank video.and an honest appraisal of the A3 41 Machine’s strengths and weaknesses. I am currently close to buying the A3 31 but this video has left me disappointed with the unexpected cheap fence design. The fence is unacceptably flimsy in the support bracket and no better than on much cheaper Chinese machines. It seems to and a step down from the rock solid cast iron fence on my humble Jet 8” jointer that I planned to replace with the A31. I am starting to think I will follow Plan B and upgrade the Jet with a Byrd cutter and buy a Powermatic 15” Thicknesser and save some money.. SCM seem to do fences properly and will explore this option as well.
The fence is not an issue on these machines since it is a small fence. He could tighten it up as well so as to stop the play. I would suggest you go and see one in action before you buy so as to settle your nerves. The fence on these can also be replaced down the line as it will take abuse over a long period of time. They are the type of machine that you can get serviced, replace parts and keep for a long time.
Hi thanks for the feedback. And yes I did inspect and decided I could live with the fence. In other respects the machine ticks the boxes. I still think at the price point a better fence would make the machine more attractive to professional users.in a production setting.. Just waiting to get 3 phase connected and look forward to using the beast!
Matt, please do more videos. Count me in as a new subscriber. We're eager for you to give us a shop tour and let us see what you're working on. I do suggest you look at getting a wireless mic. That will improve the audio quality immensely.
That would work fine. I love well-narrated voice-overs. By the way, that's some mighty impressive duct work. I'm eager for you to tell us all about what's on the other end. I can't wait to get rid of my old Delta and Harbor "Fright" 5 and 30 micron bag models and replace them with a big cyclone that seriously sucks down to 1 micron or better.
I went from a 1.5hp PSI canister dust collector to a 5HP ClearVue CV1800 with a 16" impeller... Terrific upgrade (but not cheap!). The duct work (nordfab) was actually more expensive than the DC.
Awesome review.. thanks! If anyone has some alternate machines that are in the same quality realm, can you please reply to this comment.. thank you all!
Does the working height of the planer bother you? As in do you feel like you have to be hunched over to use it? Is it too low, especially when running heavy pieces?
it's not ideal. I'd love to have separate machines with a planer a bit higher - but that's the sacrifice you make. I'm still young (enough?) that the height isn't killing me. Just but a ton of 12/4 black locust through last week - that stuff is HEAVY. And I was mostly fine.
Great review, I bought the A3-31 about a year ago and could not be happier. Mine came perfectly calibrated straight off the pallet and it's been good ever since. The Fence took a bit of getting used to but I'm all good with it now. Are you thinking of getting an extension on to the outfeed table as well? It makes for a very impressive jointer! Sorry to hear about the broken part and the issues you had getting it back to factory settings- glad the Felder techs were able to help out. They've been very helpful where I live too. I'm now looking at the hammer N4400 bandsaw- hopefully santa will bring me that one ; )
Hey Matt, looks like you're using Nordfab ducting, am I right? Also, how is your airflow with those 90 degree turns, and what dust collector are you using? Thanks in advance.
How much do you take off per pass when planing (rotations of the crank)? Just got mine and it does not pull the wood through at a consistent rate. It sputters through. Can't tell if I'm trying to take off too much or too little? Thanks.
Did the technician do anything to adjust or sort the snipe? I have the 31 and get lets say a bit more than occasional snipe, not always but often.. Also, I had to wax the tables as well and that solved the feeding issue. Noticed you had the numeric read on the planer height adjustment.. is that accurate?
Pat Bohannon the tech double checked everything on the planer and I couldn't tell you if he adjusted anything... my impression is that he didn't. I haven't had a bit of snipe, I I wish I knew what to tell you. As far as the digital read out, it's perfect. They initially sent me the wrong one (went the wrong way!) but with the replacement it's perfect, lines up with my digital micrometers perfectly.
Thanks for the fast reply I am going to purchase the digital read out. One last question re: the extension table. Is your extension table flush with in-feed table on the jointer? My table is not flush where it meets the table, it is maybe 16th" below the table. To get it absolutely flush I have to shim it up slightly. Being a novice, I am just not sure if these extension tables are to be in an exact plane as the in-feed and out-feed that they are attached too.
my infeed table is flush. it sounds like your mounting rail isn't installed properly - I recall there being a certain, specific, measurement between the mounting rail and the top of the table. I just checked the PDFs I have on the computer and it's no on there, so it must be on the printed manual I have out in the shop - double check the instructions and your actual measurement. the first time I set it up I wasn't that focused on it and then I noticed that the tables weren't even and I went back and fixed it... one of those times you need a small metric ruler!
I am at the point of buying this machine and I get a very good offer for € 3.800 including silent power cutter, 5,5pk motor, digital clock and mobile base (tax included, transport excluded). But the fence in your video made me a little scared. So I watched at the fence on the felder AD751, which might be my final choice, and essentially it has the same construction but heavier. So, I watched over and over and if you look very close, the 'wobble' is caused by the connection between the fence and the 45° support (2'11"). I have the impression that some of the bolts there are not fixed as they should. The fence is in fact connected to the infeed table front, runs parallell to the infeed table. This part stays firmly in place. Then there is the connection to the 'angle positioner'. This is secured by the black handle. This connection also seems (you mention only kept in place with this handle) sturdy.
Reinout - you're right. A friend noticed this and fixed it when he was working in my shop. Good luck with your purchase and thanks for your note on the wobble!!
Very disappointing that it required that much calibration, for the price of the machine I would expect it to be dead on. Did they send the tech out to get it right or did you have to pay for the trip?
Hi Dustin - my tables were not co-planar - there was a broken part that moves the outfeed table up and down. They sent me replacement parts and manuals but I wasn't able to fix it myself and had to have an engineer come out to fix it. The machine had been sitting in my garage for 8-10 months so they couldn't tell if it was something I did or how it shipped, so I ended up having to pay for the visit. Not cheap ($500+) but the machine is incredibly well set up now.
thanks for the response i heard that in your video but wasnt sure it had to to with the tables maybe i missed it lol by the way great video ive been debating on the same machine and your review has answered alot of questions for me
A lot of people complain about not being able to get their tables coplanar and about each table not being milled properly within proclaimed tolerances. Have you checked for these as well? Especially the first complain is kinda bread and butter on these machines as it means any wood you pull through then gets to get a curve which then potentialy multiplies with every other operation in the workshop.
You said you don't have 3phase electrics, but these machines work with 3phase plugs, I am a little confused, I've been looking at the same model as you but don't have 3phase only 240v (uk) and was told by felder that they would struggle to work without 3phase.
Hi Phil, in the US they have single phase 220/240V machines. 3ph is only for professional level machines here, it's really rare to have 3ph at a residence here. In my town, it's rare to even have 3ph at the pole in the street.
@@MattKummell I have commercial metal working equipment. An electronic 3 phase converter can be purchased for individual machines or for a whole shop. The mechanical versions are very noisy. 3 phase if more efficient and produces more power for the buck. I'm in Arizona USA.
awesome. Only problems have been operator error - nicked teeth on cutter head. Had a bit of trouble when rotating the cutters - if there's anything under the cutter head, it's obviously not going to sit right... so good to blow it out with compressed air or something.
@@MattKummell I got mine a couple weeks ago. Only trouble I’m having is finding a 120mm to 100mm adapter for the dust collection. Where did you find one?
Derek Braithwaite totally understand. A friend came over and noticed that there were loose bolts on the fence, we tightened them and it’s a lot better. (I’m not sure why the Felder technician who was put didn’t fix this but I’m glad it’s working better). On the indeed topic - the table needs to be lubricated. I got a product from Felder called supergleit and it’s amazing now. I’m sure a paste wax would work just as well.
thanks for the clarification Matt. Would you mind telling me how the spiral cutter handles knots. I have a Scheppach Plana 4.0 which does a perfect job apart from knots which tear out so I sand them first so they are lower. I use Waxilit 22-30 P to wax my table which I buy quite reasonably on Ebay. Is the planer much quieter than a planer with conventional cutters.
When the cutter heads are sharp, it almost doesn't matter what direction you feed the wood, it comes out perfectly. I've been putting a lot of black locust through it lately and I'm getting some tear out... softer hard woods (maple, cherry, walnut) are still fine, but it's probably time for me to rotate my cutter heads after 1.5 years! As for the noise, the machine is quiet. My prior planer was a Ridgid 13" lunchbox and this thing it so much quieter and the noise is actually not as grating. Of course the cyclone dust collector makes up for the quieter jointing and planning!
I appreciate your honesty in reviewing this machine and your right, a lot of Hammer/Felder owners tend to gloss over the shortcomings.
As someone who grew up in and is a full time woodworker I would offer the following observations.
Hammer is way overpriced for what you are getting. A surface planer without a rigid fence is not a quality machine. I don't think I have ever seen a more flimsy fence assembly. It's a joke.
I personally would never ever recommend a combination thickness planer UNLESS your one of the very lucky few that has acquired a Wadkin.
The biggest and worst short cut in this machine is the lack of bed roller's. They say this feature reduces snipe ! Bullshit. It does lead to much greater friction and that's why you are getting feeding issues. The other reason you are going to have feeding issues is the small diameter of the feed rolls. Cheaper to make but there is nothing more irritating than a thickness planer that does not feed easily.
The only thing that alleviates it a little is that silicone crap they charge an arm and a leg for. I had to use one of these pieces of junk when I was doing some sub contract work and I learned to hate this machine.
The other problem you will find over time is the single column bed lift will start to loose tolerance and you will get uneven thickness.
THIS will really drive you nuts.
There are so many cost cutting short cuts in this machine that I would never recommend it to anyone. It's an overpriced toy for unsuspecting hobbyists.
The worst part though is the bridge guard. Talk about a flimsy safety joke. Pork chop guards are so very much safer and easier to use.
this is indeed a really good review. You show us the complete machine with already a lot of experience with te machine. A big thanks to you :)
Absolutely love your opening. People seem to be under this impression that because a company sends a content maker a tool for review, the review will be biased. However, IMHO, someone is more biased when they spend their own money on something. Outstanding review, and that mobility kit looks sweet. Simple to use, robust and effective.
I love objective reviews. This gentleman doesn't have an agenda, he just wants to share his experience with a purchase he made. Kudos!
Very honest and objective review. It's not just sales guy talk. Evrything it's there: positives, negatives, highlights. It helped me to make decision to buy Felder Hammer thicknesser.
excellent! I hope you enjoy it!!
A friend of mine has one of these. When we were running some boards through it, without ear protection, and also able to have a conversation! It is a lot quieter than many jointer!
nice and honest review. i really love the idea behind the hammer machines. very precise looking machines. i would love to have the a3 31.
Nice I Like To Make Stuff sticker! Great review, this seems like an outstanding unit. Would be nice to basically have two large machines in the footprint of one.
Crafted Workshop yeah, exactly my thinking. I have a good sized shop but it's still really nice to preserve space!
Great video!! Excellent. You really helped me to make up my mind on which machine to buy.
Thanks
Thanks for the video! I really enjoyed it. You shared a bunch of good info... That is a lot of cranking.
Thank you for the review. Well done. Beautiful machine and shop!
William Bloodworth hilp
Great job Matt. I also have this machine and I love it! The silent head is definitely worth the extra cost and I highly recommend it. In fact I just hit a nail today and it took just minutes to rotate the two teeth that it affected and I was back to work.
Tim Fuller thanks Tim. Good to hear about your experience with the nail - up and running again that quickly!
Thanks for the great review. Despite my reservations about the fence design, after inspection at Felder I convinced myself that the fence is adequate - especially on the A3 41 which I ended up buying. Also bought the Mobility kit and precision handwheel.
It’s due to be delivered today!
Brian Rowland get friends to help take it off the pallet!!
Thanks for taking the time to do this review, it was a very large part of my decision making process.
I just finished setting up my A3-31, it really is a beautiful piece of kit. Even better, the day after I bought mine the price jumped by a Grand, nice bonus.
I agree with you on the value offered by these machines, by combining the two functions in one machine you only have to invest in one high quality cutter, it's a no brainer if you're a part timer hobbyist in a residential neighborhood, it really is super quiet. Cheers
Thanks man! I hope you enjoy it! And awesome news on the pricing!!
If you don't mind sharing - what was the price for the A3-31 when you ordered?
RL Simpson
I ended up paying $5400 Canadian Pesos for my machine at Ultimate tools in Burnaby, the guys there are great. I also highly recommend the dial gauge, it's a must.
Even if I had more space and could have two machines, I would want this machine, the cutter head is a G-wiz bit of kit.
Thanks. I think my mind is made up. I'm going to go with the twelve inch. I think my grandsons grandson will love working with this machine.
Great review! This was really helpful.
Very helpful review. Thanks!
Great review. Exactly what I wanted to know about this machine.
good to hear - happy to answer other questions you might have! thanks for watching!
thanks. I ended up going with the 12" version. The 16" just felt too big for my shop once I got my hands on it in person. I reserve the right to change my mind some day :)
So, before the order went too far, I upped to the 16" version, also with the silent power head. I just set it up today.
I'm thinking of making or buying a nesting or bellows type cover for the blade guard to replace that sheet metal. For me, it's about space behind the machine. My shop is tiny.
Photos
www.flickr.com/photos/psychlist1972/albums/72157677010951444
Need to move the two machines into final position and true everything up.
My planer before this was the DeWalt DW735, which sounded like a jet engine. I couldn't have the shop door open when using it, unless I wanted to wake up the neighbors (most of my woodworking seems to happen at night).
Thanks again for the review. You definitely played a part in my choice here.
Congrats Pete!! I'm sure you'll love it! Keep me posted with your progress!!
Yes Matt I can't take all the credit for that tip. When I got mine I thought there was a problem with the roller feed as I had to push the timber through but a Felder tech support person suggested a wax or lubricant.I still use it on a regular basis and it also stops the beds getting rusty ( I do live in the rainy UK ! )
The hobby club I just joined has one of these. Doing RUclips homework. Great Vid.. Thank you. Not sure if you figured this out in the 5 years since posting this vid... but I saw the solution (on another RUclips review) to the issue you mentioned (rollers not engaging) while in planar mode at timestamp 16:31. There is a lever to the lower left of the crank. Pull it out for jointer. Put it in for planar. Other guy said it engages those rollers.
Matt, thank you for such an articulate and objective review. Thoughts of purchasing this exact machine is on my mind and you have persuaded me towards purchasing one. The recommendation to have a Felder tech calibrate the machine made the difference as I felt a bit uneasy about doing that specific task.
Again, thank you and great job. For someone who had never done this before, I recommend you reconsider your day job and look into doing web videos with sponsors and all of that jive. I would watch you review a toaster. Sincerely.
I invented a "Parallel Guided Power Saw" you can see on you tube. Do you wish to manufacture my saw? I may license it to you for free. I will give you all the information you need. My saw has the board sitting on the table and move the saw over material. Also the length of the shop is just half of what you need for your saw. Also the system may carry any other tools such as; router, drill press, grinder, and so on. For drill press you can do wholes anywhere on 8x2 ft without to move the board. The length of cut may be any. A 18 ft cut is easy to do. Everything is very simple and accurate.
Great review. Well done.
Good review! I'm looking at this machine also.
What size breaker does the machine require? Love the shop!
Great review. Well don’t and fact based. Thank you
Great review thanks very much. What is the overall length and width of the machine?
Great detailed video.
Thanks for the review! As with most accessories, the mobility kit seems a bit pricey for what you get and I am considering a DIY solution. Could you measure the axle diameter for the 4"(?) back wheels?
this is an awesome review. i have been debating this 16 inch version or the 12 inch. i have a pretty small shop so I think the 12 inch would fit best. Will you be doing a shop tour in the near future?
Thanks for sharing with us. Excellent review
Thanks for sharing your experience. It's very useful, but unfortunately I can't afford such machine.
Nice review. I had looked at the hammer/felder stuff previously and ruled it out due to cost. After hearing such good reviews though from you and everyone who owns anything by felder group I am definitely reconsidering.
Great vid !!!!!!
Good review!
Can you tell me exactly with links which plug connector and outlet you used to connect this machine? I see the cable that came with this machine is very short... Thanks
It’s true he has warned us about the internet. Great role model.
Very nice review. I am considering buying this A3-41 and this make it easier. I am just curious about the setup you have for the remote controlled dust collector. Is it something publicly available or home built? Thank you once more.
I believe you can lift the guard right up and around if you want, so it doesn't have to be in the way.
Fantastic review, Matt! very thorough and well explained. Absolutely great job with this video, man, i mean it. I'm seriously looking at acquiring your machine's little brother, the A3 A31 (12 inch) combo machine. i hope you don't mind me asking.... now that you have had this machine close to a year.... what are your current thoughts on the fence? When you went over the "fence" part of the video you demonstrated the wobbly rocking motion.... does it wobble left to right (end to end) or does it wobble bottom-up, bringing the fence out of 90 degree square to the table?
thanks for the time you put into making this Video, Matt!
I think a big part of the wobble was a loose fastener - a friend was over and noticed the wobble and found the loose bolt - tightened it up, and it's so much better now.
I own the A3-31 and it is a great machine. The fence has some flex, but my boards still come out square. I think the flex is more in the lateral direction while still remaining at 90 degrees to the table. I don’t know if that makes sense, but the machine still works well.
I will also mention that the infeed and outfeed rollers can be adjusted, so if you have any issues with “gripping” you can lower them for better contact.
I've had the A3-26 for about 2yrs now and completely agree with the above also. It's a wonderful machines to use, especially with the Spiral Cutter Block. It's VERY quiet indeed.
I also noticed that there was some "play" in the fence, but it's soon remedied with the tightening of the bolts at the rear of the fence, which set the extremes of angles. There is some "flex" in the fence, but only laterally and it does stay in true 90deg position.
Just 2 days ago, I was at a trade show in the north of England and met some of the UK Felder team and saw their C3 Combination Machine (Saw, Spindle Moulder and Planer/Thicknesser) and it has a really long fence. I did notice that the "flex" in the longer fence is more accentuated on the longer machines, but their team did say that it was purely down to the longer beam holding the fence. Kinda makes sense really.
On a lark, I put a Craigslist add up a couple of days ago to gauge the value of my A-31. I paid $5700 Canadian Pesos last year and priced my unit at $5200. I had 6 response within a day.
It holds its value extremely well.
@@skyetube1 I do searches all across CL and they all sell super fast...
hi Matt. thanks for the video. can it handle heay piece of wood...let say 5cm thick and 2.2m without having to calibrate?
I see ther 230 V 4.0 HP is an option but i dont see what the standard moter is anywhere? Any Idea?
I'm getting mine soon! I've heard somewhere that feed rollers problem can be solved by applying some lubricant to the table, like Super Glide from Felder. I think it might be your case because you mentioned that it becomes worse with smoother milled pieces. Hopefully, you already resolved that by now.
Hey Matt - this was a great review of the A3-41. Really helpful and well put together. Not sure if you have done more videos but would love to learn more about how you have your shop laid out. I am coming from a 6" grizzly jointer and a lunchbox planer... would like to ditch both for a combined unit. Thanks again.
Thanks Jay! I keep postponing doing a shop tour because there's always something more I'm going to do to the shop! Maybe this is the inspiration to finally get it done.... maybe ;-)
I lived with a lunchbox planer and a 6" jet jointer for years, this is a pretty amazing upgrade!
Hey Matt - I was also looking at the Jet JJP-12, 12” Planer/Jointer 3HP 1PH 230V. I assume that you looked at this one as well. You think the $1500 price premium is worth it? Thanks for your feedback
Jay, I only looked at it briefly. I really wanted the 16" width which wasn't available from Jet. And to be honest, I got to the point where I just wanted to get the best machine I could afford and have no excuses but my lack of skill :-)
should it be run on dedicated 15a? don't got a lot of space left in the box and have to consider running higher amps and putting them in sequence
Thanks for the review, it was excellent. I've had my local Felder rep out (in the UK) & have been given a quote for the machine. Quick question: is that fence a real problem with regards to staying square? (as I need to be able to machine 6' lengths of oak with confidence).
The fence on these are not a problem. He could have tightened it up if he wanted to there are adjusters on it.
I would suggest going and seeing one in action to get a feel for it.
I have a minimax cu300 smart and i deal with any fence flex by using a 100 lb mag switch magnet that I've installed in a small square piece of hardwood i place on the backside of jointer fence. Minimax provides a solution for the flex that i do not like so I just used the mag switch - which i really like - it will not move until you turn the magic switch.
I just took delivery of C-341 which is the combo with the 410 mm (16") bed with the silent power knives. Luv the machine, the build quality is exceptional. However, I agree on the Fence. It took me over 3 hrs to get it 90 degrees and square to the table. Even then I had to make modification so the it would actual get to 90 degrees. It would not get past 88 degrees at first. The quality of the plane finish is fantastic. Overall, I am please with the purchase or am I just justifying my very, very expensive purchase. Time will tell....
Do you still like the combo machine? Do you find that both functions provide accurately milled wood?
Hello Matt, thank you so much for the video. I'm having problems withthe feed rolls. I have to push very hard to be able to pass the wood. How can they be adjusted?
Thanks you very much.
have you tried waxing the table? I found it was actually friction with the table that made it difficult to push through. I got a spray called "supergleit" from Hammer/Felder that works well, but I'm sure plain old paste wax would work just as well.
Any issues with the extension table? Do you use it on both sides and have thought about the short table for out feed of planer?
Great review. I've had the A3-26 for about 2yrs now, but still interested to hear other peoples feedback.
I love your comment at the beginning regarding people trying to justify the price. It's a really valid point.
Interesting you comment about the cutter guard sticking out when surfacing wide boards. I hope I'm not preaching to the converted, but you know there's a toggle/clamp at the base of the cutter guard arm (I hope this makes sense) that allows you to completely release the arm and swing it right round and underneath the planer bed when you don't need it?
You've located the screw knob that sets the height of the guard, so look directly down from there about 3 or 4" and there's a toggle-like clamp that when lifted and released, disengages the guard arm and the whole arm can swing freely anti-clockwise out of the way?
Are those extension tables still available? Can't find them listed on any Hammer/Felder websites
Great review. I got a Jet jpt 310 (european name) without the spiral cutter a couple of months ago. It's built almost identical to this machine, would not be suprised if they where built on the same fabric lol...Mine does not have a lifting system, that is something I really would like to have.
Dieter Schneider would love to see more about your machine - I don't think we can get that one here!
Matt Kummell
Might do a video about it
Nice job
What did the tech charge for the tune up?
Awesome review - you covered all the main points in great style. As to working with a combo as opposed to stand alones, I find it to be a non issue, if only you adapt your work flow to it, meaning square up your reference face and edge on the jointer, before converting into planermode, and you've got all 4 sides covered. Of course - if you run a lot of stock for various projects, or more than one guy is jointing/planing, then the stand alones will come out on top, but you'll need some serious bulk running through, for that to be an issue.
Hi Matt, thank you for the great review. I just placed an order for the A3-31 yesterday. I understand that the dust port is 5 in. How do you connect? Do you use an adaptor or did you find 5-in hose?
yeah, 5". I have a 5" drop from my DC (I run a 6" main). I found 5" clear hose at Lee Valley. 10' for less than $50, I think.
Nice review Matt. I bought this unit as well, similarly equipped. I have the same complaints about the fence. I think he fence is pretty "meh" for a $6k machine. It is good to see you found the bolts were loose because that was my first thought while watching your video. My bolts were snug and there is zero wobble. However I dont totally trust the fenced, and I dislike the extended blade guard in the back. I suppose it does the job, but is just very flimsy for such a bulky piece of equipment.
I am looking into potential upgrades for the fence. Have you seen the Felder version of the fence in person? It seems more beefy and I bet it could be retrofitted onto the Hammer. Other options are building fence support and angle adjustment form 80/20 extrusions and linear bearings.
Thanks for the review, how is the dust capture, is it efficient on both mode?
Yeah, no woodworking tool is perfect, but this works as well as anything else I have in the shop. Well, I mean it's a lot better than the lathe! The dust chute is some metric size, but a 5" flexible hose fits fine.
Do you have to change the knives really often ? Thanks for the review, really helpfull
Hi Mano! You don't have to change the knives very frequently - I've been using it for over a year and I've turned 3-4 of them so far... where something nicked the blade (probably a staple in the end of a board)
Have you noticed sniping on the thicknesser?
Hi Matt
Thanks for an interesting video. One point, when using the thicknesser it is necessary to move the lever underneath to the left of the wheel or it won't feed properly as the drive rollers are disengaged. Also another poster has said they had difficulty feeding timber. It does make an enormous difference if the beds are waxed. I use a liquid wax (which hardens) by Liberon but I am sure there others in the US.
thanks! I do have the drive rollers engaged but I have had some trouble getting wood to move through and was going to clean and wax the bed for the planer (ok, "thicknesser" :-) )- I just haven't planed any wood recently. It's on my list, though!!
I sprayed some supergleit (a cleaner / lubricant from Felder) on the thicknesser tables today - huge difference, great note, givreycham!
Matt, i'd love to know, with the infeed extension you've got on the jointer, how easy is is to align it parallel to the infeed table or does it come pre aligned? thanks.
Hi Rhys - it's not a problem at all - to begin you have to get the rail on the front position properly - it was some number of millimeters that I can't recall. Then the leg is adjustable. So I just use a long straight edge (from Lee Valley) and use that to fine tune the extension. Never really had a problem with it.
I really liked the part where you turn off the lights and intimately caress the wood by the light of the setting sun. I wish your half-human/half-hardwood hybrid- freak progeny all the best.
Great review. Thank you for taking your time to do this review. I am in process of weeding through which Hammer or Felder system I should get. Did you look at the Felder AD 531 when you bought the Hammer? You wouldn't happen to know the difference between the Felder and Hammer would you?
Hi James - I didn't look at the Felder. My friend Mel (who I made this video for) ended up with the Felder AD941 - the big difference there was a motorized table. I don't know much about the AD531 - doesn't look too different from the Hammer. Have you called them? They're super helpful on the phone. LMK what you learn!
Hello Matt, Thanks for responding. I have been talking with Felder and plan to go to their Delaware showroom in the next week or two. I hope to get some good answers in person. The guy I talk to on the phone seems to take my questions and round them into their sales packages speech. So, I often get off the phone with them and have many unanswered questions, however, I get the full just put 20% down today speech lol, what can you do? Anyway, I know the AD531 has nice options like the comfort guard and the Mortising upgrade is way more stout and also has a base on roller option which Is why I am considering going with the Felder. I am sure there are other differences and will let you know when I find out. O yeah, your taco shirt is awesome, I live be that motto. Take care
Matt, excellent review. Did you look at the Felder 500 and 700 series versions in addition to the Hammer series? Do you think there is a hugely significant difference in quality to justify the jump in price over the Hammer? I.e., what do you feel you're giving up in opting for the Hammer A3 series over the Felder 500 and 700? For some time, I have been eyeballing the Felder 500 (or possibly 700) series, but I'm happy to take a closer look at the Hammer series.
I never looked at the Felder stuff (beyond a brief flirtation with one of their bandsaws). A friend just ordered the AD941 - but I couldn't rationalize that price level... but heck, you could say the Hammer is already in irrational price territory, so who am I to talk? The big advantages of the AD941 seemed to be longer jointer tables and a motorized lift for the planer bed.
I visited their showroom in Sacramento and was able to compare Hammer and Felder side by side. Both are great and they have identical capacities. But, there is a big difference between them. The Felder weighs about 500 pounds more than the Hammer. Honestly, the Hammer looks like a toy next to the Felder. That said, I bought the exact same machine that Matt reviewed in his video and it was delivered just today! I will definitely do a video after I've used it for a while.
Hi Matt. Nice to see your channel. Can I suggest getting a cheap lavalier (lapel) microphone? There's a lot of echo from your shop which that would largely get rid of. A cabled one is fine, if a bit of a nuisance, otherwise a cheap radio one gives you much better mobility. I look forward to more of your honest reviews and other items. BobUK.
Hey, Matt! Now that you've had the machine for several years, I'd love to know how the beds have held up. Have you had to recalibrate them again since your original purchase so that they're co-planer?
Hi Joel, it's still great! I move it around a bit, but not a ton. Definitely open and close the tables a lot. Everything's still co-planer. I'm working through a ton of black locust right now for a dining table and it's coming out pretty nice. Really difficult wood, and a bit of tear out, but not terrible. The grain is just nuts. Biggest learning for the tools is lubricating the tables. I'd say I'm so happy with it that I'm now salivating over other hammer tools... friend is getting a sliding table saw and I'm jealous!
I have an A3-31. I have had it for a few years and love it. However when pushing large and long stock I really hate the finish of the tables. I have not found a product that helps with the friction on tables that do not have any polish to them.
hey Steve - see the convo in the comments with givreycham... I had similar problems - cleaning and waxing the beds makes a HUGE difference. I used a spray product from Felder called "supergleit" but paste wax seems to work, too. Paste wax and supergleit if you really want to go for it! :-)
Great Review!!! I ordered a A3-41 with the silent cutter block Feb 7th 2017. I was wondering if you could measure the base WxL for me and from the floor to the top of the jointer table and then the thickness of the jointer table at the end. I called Hammer and I have gotten 3 sets of different measurements. A friend of mine is going to build me a heavy duty 4 swivel castor mobile base. Thanks
somehow I didn't get a notification about this comment - sorry! First, congrats on the purchase!! base dimensions: 23 5/16" deep x 27 3/16" wide (in back. front is narrower at 24 3/4"). floor to top of jointer table is hard to call - there are adjustable feet and my floor isn't perfectly flat... so roughly 34 3/4". But I'd wait for it to be in the shop before relying on that. table thickness: 2 3/4" heavy... plus 1/32 or 1/16" ish.
Hi , i have the a3 31 overall it is ok ,however mine caught on fire after about 18months .after speaking to hammer they came and replaced the compassitor (they seem to know the problem straight away which is concerning )they tried to blame the fire on me for not pressing the start button for long enough,however when i told them that no machine should catch fire from pressing a start button the sales man agreed but would not put in writing.I have been a woodmachinist for 36 years and used many planers ,i wouldn't buy another .I did like your presentation well done i will look out for more from you.
it caught fire? that's insane!! do you keep a fire extinguisher in the shop?
Hey Morgan - wow that is nuts. I was looking at going with this unit given it's Austrian heritage and better tolerances than the Jet JJP-12, 12” Planer/Jointer 3HP 1PH 230V. Did you end up keeping your A3-31? Or going with something else?
Hi Jay, did you end up buying the Jet? or the Hammer? and how do you find it?
I have the A3 41 and have to say it's been a good machine. However mine is a 415v 3phase machine so no capacitor issues at all. I wonder if they have had a dodgy batch of capacitors or they are not big enough? I had capacitor problems with a single phase table Saw and that capacitor would get hot and fail to start the motor if you don't hold the start button until the buzzing stopped so maybe there is something in what they say. Better starter system needed from Felder maybe?
Hi, the single phase machines do not have a centrifugal switch or starting capacitor in the motor. The starting capacitor is still required, it's external to the motor.The issue with the start button is that there are 2 contacts in the button, one latches the run contactor on, powering up the run winding of the motor. The second start button contact closes the start contactor (non latching) which engages the start capacitor.Once the machine is almost up to speed, the operator releases the start button, opening the start contactor.So yes, on a single phase machine, the operator can damage the capacitors by not following operating procedures.The great thing about this system is that you never have to take the motor out of the machine to service the centrifugal switch or capacitor, both the capacitor and the start contactor are easily accessible.
Thanks for the great review, Matt. I ordered an A3-41 in December. Itjust arrived today and I can't wait to get it running. What part was broken on your machine? Was it obvious what was broken and did it occur during shipping?
hey man - congrats on the new machine, I don't know what you're upgrading from, but I'm sure you'll love it. On my machine, there was an eccentric bolt (?) that had sheared off. It was right by the handle that you turn to lift the tables up... I couldn't get the tables to lock down and I ran some stuff across the machine and it see-sawed on the cutter. I actually didn't have a tight grip on the board and it SHOT across the shop, taking a chunk out of my (hard maple) work bench! As far as the broken bolt, I believe it happened prior to shipping - you've seen how the machine ships - nothing can happen to it in shipping! I think it was a bad day at the plant in Austria when they made my machine - like a Friday before a long weekend. There was the broken part, the wrong mobility base, the wrong dial indicator.... Pretty uninspiring quality control! But regarding the broken part, the machine had been sitting in my garage on the pallet for 6 months waiting for the shop to be built, so it was sort of my word against theirs, and there was no way to prove I'd just turned it on for the first time... In the end, they paid for the parts, I paid for the labor. The technician was great, definitely a well trained professional, but it was stupidly expensive. I even paid for his driving time from his prior appointment in the Bronx! They're definitely a business that's running for the professional market, not the hobbiest... so it has positives and negatives.
Matt Kummell Thanks Matt, hopefully mine wasn't built on a Friday! BTW, I also have a friend named Mel with a Felder 9 something jp.
Never trust a Mel Morris with a Felder. I think that's the first rule of fight club or something
Matt Kummell Hahaha, There can only be one Mel with a top of the line Felder, and he's a great guy!
Hi. .Good reviewer matt. Just curious, Do you need to raise and lower the table on every change from surface to thickness to fit the hood when surfacing?
Hi Giolla - technically, "it depends" but practically, yes. In jointer mode, the dust shroud is down and the planer tables are 200mm (nearly 8") down. So if you're planing ridiculously thick wood, you don't have to move the planer tables when you convert. Practically, because no one I know is planing 8" thick wood, you have to crank the table up to user the planer. And when you want to go back to jointing, you've gotta crank it all the way back down to 200mm+.
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Hey Matt, thanks for posting the video. Debating on one of these machines myself, the main drawback for me right now is that it has to be drug down to a basement. Movers didnt have too many issues w/ a 600 lb jointer and planer individually, but a 1000 lb combo machine is a whole other ordeal. Just curious, do the jointer tables "easily" remove from the unit? Im guessing they're a couple hundred lbs which would make getting it down to the basement way easier. Concerned that getting these back on and coplanar was part of your issue w/ the machine.
Hi Marcus, thanks for the note. It's definitely a beefy machine and I'm glad I didn't have to get it into a basement. I attached wheels to the pallet when it arrived and struggled to get it across our gravel driveway with 4 guys! We ended up rolling it on a few pieces of 3/4" plywood. I've seen a person on facebook slide it down wooden ramps to get it into the basement - I assume some sort of pulley system was used at the top. Personally, I wouldn't want to remove the tables - I don't think they come off and go back on that easily - not while remaining co-planer. I didn't remove my tables and still had a problem!
Thanks for the feedback. I have a request in for a call from them to discuss the technical details a a bit more, always appreciate real world user feedback though!
Thanks for an informative and frank video.and an honest appraisal of the A3 41 Machine’s strengths and weaknesses.
I am currently close to buying the A3 31 but this video has left me disappointed with the unexpected cheap fence design.
The fence is unacceptably flimsy in the support bracket and no better than on much cheaper Chinese machines. It seems to and a step down from the rock solid cast iron fence on my humble Jet 8” jointer that I planned to replace with the A31.
I am starting to think I will follow Plan B and upgrade the Jet with a Byrd cutter and buy a Powermatic 15” Thicknesser and save some money..
SCM seem to do fences properly and will explore this option as well.
The fence is not an issue on these machines since it is a small fence. He could tighten it up as well so as to stop the play.
I would suggest you go and see one in action before you buy so as to settle your nerves. The fence on these can also be replaced down the line as it will take abuse over a long period of time.
They are the type of machine that you can get serviced, replace parts and keep for a long time.
Hi thanks for the feedback. And yes I did inspect and decided I could live with the fence.
In other respects the machine ticks the boxes.
I still think at the price point a better fence would make the machine more attractive to professional users.in a production setting..
Just waiting to get 3 phase connected and look forward to using the beast!
Matt, please do more videos. Count me in as a new subscriber. We're eager for you to give us a shop tour and let us see what you're working on. I do suggest you look at getting a wireless mic. That will improve the audio quality immensely.
how about I just film some stuff and do a barry white voice over when I edit the video? haha! I can't stand being in front of the camera!
That would work fine. I love well-narrated voice-overs. By the way, that's some mighty impressive duct work. I'm eager for you to tell us all about what's on the other end. I can't wait to get rid of my old Delta and Harbor "Fright" 5 and 30 micron bag models and replace them with a big cyclone that seriously sucks down to 1 micron or better.
I went from a 1.5hp PSI canister dust collector to a 5HP ClearVue CV1800 with a 16" impeller... Terrific upgrade (but not cheap!). The duct work (nordfab) was actually more expensive than the DC.
Oooh! A Bill Pentz-y 5 hp ClearVue and Nordfab? That combo definitely sucks -- in a very good way. : D FIRST CABIN stuff.
Awesome review.. thanks! If anyone has some alternate machines that are in the same quality realm, can you please reply to this comment.. thank you all!
Marius Morosanu minimax have some some combination machines that seem to rival this. Or you can look into Hammer’s big brother Felder.
Hi Matt, does your machine have the 4.0 kW (3 phase) or 3.0 kW (single phase) motor?
single phase
Does the working height of the planer bother you? As in do you feel like you have to be hunched over to use it? Is it too low, especially when running heavy pieces?
it's not ideal. I'd love to have separate machines with a planer a bit higher - but that's the sacrifice you make. I'm still young (enough?) that the height isn't killing me. Just but a ton of 12/4 black locust through last week - that stuff is HEAVY. And I was mostly fine.
Haha. Your intro sounds very familiar. Will you be shooting videos in your backyard as well? :)
I’m looking strongly at the 16”
Great review, I bought the A3-31 about a year ago and could not be happier.
Mine came perfectly calibrated straight off the pallet and it's been good ever since. The Fence took a bit of getting used to but I'm all good with it now.
Are you thinking of getting an extension on to the outfeed table as well? It makes for a very impressive jointer!
Sorry to hear about the broken part and the issues you had getting it back to factory settings- glad the Felder techs were able to help out. They've been very helpful where I live too.
I'm now looking at the hammer N4400 bandsaw- hopefully santa will bring me that one ; )
Hi Marisa! I'm definitely thinking about extensions - on the jointer outfeed and planer outfeed... I'm running out of accessories to buy! ;-)
Marisa, did you also consider the 16 inch version? I am debating between the two.
Hey Matt, looks like you're using Nordfab ducting, am I right? Also, how is your airflow with those 90 degree turns, and what dust collector are you using? Thanks in advance.
yes nordfab. I have a clearvue 5hp with 16" impeller. Pulls great, have had zero problems.
@@MattKummell Thanks so much Matt.
How much do you take off per pass when planing (rotations of the crank)? Just got mine and it does not pull the wood through at a consistent rate. It sputters through. Can't tell if I'm trying to take off too much or too little? Thanks.
Generally .1" with the planer. try waxing the table - that's been the problem for me in the past.
@@MattKummell Thanks.
These are machined not ground cast iron.....needs wax heavily
Thanks for the review video, I found it very helpful. Have you experienced any snipe with the planer?
Thanks Todd - zero snipe.
Did the technician do anything to adjust or sort the snipe? I have the 31 and get lets say a bit more than occasional snipe, not always but often.. Also, I had to wax the tables as well and that solved the feeding issue.
Noticed you had the numeric read on the planer height adjustment.. is that accurate?
Pat Bohannon the tech double checked everything on the planer and I couldn't tell you if he adjusted anything... my impression is that he didn't. I haven't had a bit of snipe, I I wish I knew what to tell you. As far as the digital read out, it's perfect. They initially sent me the wrong one (went the wrong way!) but with the replacement it's perfect, lines up with my digital micrometers perfectly.
Thanks for the fast reply I am going to purchase the digital read out. One last question re: the extension table. Is your extension table flush with in-feed table on the jointer? My table is not flush where it meets the table, it is maybe 16th" below the table. To get it absolutely flush I have to shim it up slightly. Being a novice, I am just not sure if these extension tables are to be in an exact plane as the in-feed and out-feed that they are attached too.
my infeed table is flush. it sounds like your mounting rail isn't installed properly - I recall there being a certain, specific, measurement between the mounting rail and the top of the table. I just checked the PDFs I have on the computer and it's no on there, so it must be on the printed manual I have out in the shop - double check the instructions and your actual measurement.
the first time I set it up I wasn't that focused on it and then I noticed that the tables weren't even and I went back and fixed it... one of those times you need a small metric ruler!
I am at the point of buying this machine and I get a very good offer for € 3.800 including silent power cutter, 5,5pk motor, digital clock and mobile base (tax included, transport excluded).
But the fence in your video made me a little scared. So I watched at the fence on the felder AD751, which might be my final choice, and essentially it has the same construction but heavier. So, I watched over and over and if you look very close, the 'wobble' is caused by the connection between the fence and the 45° support (2'11"). I have the impression that some of the bolts there are not fixed as they should.
The fence is in fact connected to the infeed table front, runs parallell to the infeed table. This part stays firmly in place. Then there is the connection to the 'angle positioner'. This is secured by the black handle. This connection also seems (you mention only kept in place with this handle) sturdy.
Reinout - you're right. A friend noticed this and fixed it when he was working in my shop. Good luck with your purchase and thanks for your note on the wobble!!
Once it was calibrated did it stay calibrated or did you have to fix it at any point? If so how often?
It's stayed calibrated - I haven't had to do a thing.
Very disappointing that it required that much calibration, for the price of the machine I would expect it to be dead on. Did they send the tech out to get it right or did you have to pay for the trip?
I have the A3 41 and I do pull the fence tight over the table before I lift the tables as it does not do that guard any good.
was your tables coplaner and setup good when arrived or did it take alot of setup for table
Hi Dustin - my tables were not co-planar - there was a broken part that moves the outfeed table up and down. They sent me replacement parts and manuals but I wasn't able to fix it myself and had to have an engineer come out to fix it. The machine had been sitting in my garage for 8-10 months so they couldn't tell if it was something I did or how it shipped, so I ended up having to pay for the visit. Not cheap ($500+) but the machine is incredibly well set up now.
thanks for the response i heard that in your video but wasnt sure it had to to with the tables maybe i missed it lol by the way great video ive been debating on the same machine and your review has answered alot of questions for me
A lot of people complain about not being able to get their tables coplanar and about each table not being milled properly within proclaimed tolerances. Have you checked for these as well? Especially the first complain is kinda bread and butter on these machines as it means any wood you pull through then gets to get a curve which then potentialy multiplies with every other operation in the workshop.
What about delivery and getting 900# into your shop? Price? I have to buy in the USA and bring it across the border into Mexico....
You said you don't have 3phase electrics, but these machines work with 3phase plugs, I am a little confused, I've been looking at the same model as you but don't have 3phase only 240v (uk) and was told by felder that they would struggle to work without 3phase.
Hi Phil, in the US they have single phase 220/240V machines. 3ph is only for professional level machines here, it's really rare to have 3ph at a residence here. In my town, it's rare to even have 3ph at the pole in the street.
@@MattKummell I have commercial metal working equipment. An electronic 3 phase converter can be purchased for individual machines or for a whole shop. The mechanical versions are very noisy. 3 phase if more efficient and produces more power for the buck. I'm in Arizona USA.
Now that you’ve had it for a few years, how is it holding up? Any regrets or things you would change?
awesome. Only problems have been operator error - nicked teeth on cutter head. Had a bit of trouble when rotating the cutters - if there's anything under the cutter head, it's obviously not going to sit right... so good to blow it out with compressed air or something.
@@MattKummell I ordered one a few weeks ago, won't get it until October.
@@danielrightler9382 Had it finally arrived? How is it going?
@@eMRimas I got it a couple weeks ago. It’s a nice machine. Haven’t had much chance to use it yet.
@@MattKummell I got mine a couple weeks ago. Only trouble I’m having is finding a 120mm to 100mm adapter for the dust collection. Where did you find one?
Man, had to have the Felder tech come out and set up the machine! That does not sound good to me.
An interesting useful review. I was thinking about buying one but the dodgy fence and slipping in-feed has put me off.
Derek Braithwaite totally understand. A friend came over and noticed that there were loose bolts on the fence, we tightened them and it’s a lot better. (I’m not sure why the Felder technician who was put didn’t fix this but I’m glad it’s working better). On the indeed topic - the table needs to be lubricated. I got a product from Felder called supergleit and it’s amazing now. I’m sure a paste wax would work just as well.
thanks for the clarification Matt. Would you mind telling me how the spiral cutter handles knots. I have a Scheppach Plana 4.0 which does a perfect job apart from knots which tear out so I sand them first so they are lower. I use Waxilit 22-30 P to wax my table which I buy quite reasonably on Ebay.
Is the planer much quieter than a planer with conventional cutters.
When the cutter heads are sharp, it almost doesn't matter what direction you feed the wood, it comes out perfectly. I've been putting a lot of black locust through it lately and I'm getting some tear out... softer hard woods (maple, cherry, walnut) are still fine, but it's probably time for me to rotate my cutter heads after 1.5 years! As for the noise, the machine is quiet. My prior planer was a Ridgid 13" lunchbox and this thing it so much quieter and the noise is actually not as grating. Of course the cyclone dust collector makes up for the quieter jointing and planning!
thanks for the information.
so we need a Felder tech to come over and calibrate it after all, just like with sliding saws and probably all of their machines, oh well...
Hi sir we are interesting in that machine where I can buy that machine
May contrye bangladesh ken i tek masin
The machine is great and the downsides are minor at best...if you ask me.