Machine Upgrade Questions

[Rod Sheridan]

So I saw the Hammer A3 31 and am pretty excited about it and the owner is going to hold it for me so I can pick it up Saturday morning.

It was brand spanking new without a single scratch. Everything was factory packaged still and it even had the wax paper on the cast iron and there was no rust and not a spec of sawdust.

It came with the original shipping list, manual, and a box of misc parts. It has the mobile arm and caster package as well. It actually isn't that hard to move around with the included arm dolly.

On the packing list it said that it comes with the digital readout and aluminum wheel, but I honestly couldn't find it... I only saw the black wheel on the machine. Any insight on this? Perhaps it's in a different box or hidden some place safe on the machine during shipment?

I'm just going to give her $2250 for it and not try to negotiate any lower than the asking price because really there were no surprises on this brand new unit and I feel bad that her husband passed away and now she is selling his tools.

So my idea so far is to get the 2 ton shop crane at Harbor Freight on Friday. Use it to load and unload the machine into the back of a van. So i'm wondering if I should wrap the ropes under the base of the machine, or should I also wrap around the cast iron wings?

If I pay a mover, it's like 25 miles away so I would expect to pay like $100 anyways and I think I can wrestle this with a little help from my brother in law.

Thanks for the advice here.

Good decision Chris, you will be very happy.

The digital hand wheel is shipped loose, it's in one of the accessory boxes.

The manual will show you the lifting points for the machine, use them.

They also include a bolt and nut so that you can move the machine with a pallet jack, once it's off the pallet, once again read the manual.

Do not lift or move the machine via the jointer tables.

You will need a 15 or 20 ampere circuit for the machine, I use a 15 ampere circuit with mine.

One odd thing is that the motor doesn't have a centrifugal starting switch, you have to hold the start button until the machine is up to speed. The motor however is a capacitor start/capacitor run design.

Enjoy your new machine........Rod.

[David Wong]

The digital planer wheel and mobility kit are $500's worth of accessories. You scored a fantastic deal!!

[John Harden]

Chris, congratulatons on the bargain!!!! David is right. The mobility kit, bar and digital counter for the height adjustment handwheel are $500 worth of options, so great score!!

Felder is having their Fall sale, so if you're interested in adding table extensions, now is a good time to buy them. You'd need the F coupling to go with it.

I bought the wide aluminum one that will live on the outfeed side of the planer and a cast iron one for the outfeed side of the jointer.

Have fun with the new toy and let us know how you like it once it's installed and running!!!!!

Regards,

John

[Chris Tsutsui]

Yeah, more good news, I just got a call from the seller this morning who said he found the un-opened box with the aluminum wheel/digital gauge.

So I guess the A3 comes with the OEM black wheel attached, and the new wheel and gauge comes boxed separately.

Rod, I have a 20AMP 220V line in my garage that I use for my Laguna Bandsaw. I measured the socket with a MM and it showed 249-251V actual... Do you think this is safe to use on the A3 even though the voltage is higher than 220V?

I'm considering taking off the two cast iron extension wings for easier transportation, but I don't know if it's going to be difficult removing them from the hinges. I'll read the manual before i move it to see where to strap it up. I'm going to see if the 1-ton HF shop crane will work with this thing.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Chris, my machine is rated 207V to 253V, so you should be fine.

Don't remove the jointer tables, they're not that simple to re-align.

Regards, Rod.

[Dick Sylvan]

On the packing list it said that it comes with the digital readout and aluminum wheel, but I honestly couldn't find it... I only saw the black wheel on the machine. Any insight on this? Perhaps it's in a different box or hidden some place safe on the machine during shipment?

The digital handwheel and readout are probably packed separately. I have the C3-31 and it came that way. The digital readout takes a little getting used to, but once you get it "synched" up, it is extremely accurate and allows you to repeat a specific thickness very easily. But the digital, if you have to....it's worth the price. The mortising attachment is around $800 or$900. I hope to use mine for the first time this weekend on a door project. Never had any snipe problems with the planer.

[Chris Tsutsui]

Thanks Rod, looks like I'm ready for Sat now.

I can't gloat yet until it's actually in my garage though.

I will definitely take a look at the fall sale item accessories, thanks for the heads up. The extensions will come in handy... I've had to joint a 10-12 foot long boards on my Delta 6" jointer. I had to use two outfeed and one infeed support. After wrestling with this experience I decided that the 6" delta was not meant to do such tasks... It will be a little sad to sell it because you really become attached to it after you spend 1.5 hours getting the blades perfect...

As far as that Mortiser goes, I saw the video on the mortiser add-on and it reminds me of the multi-router.

Last night I had to convince my wife that this tool is a stout investment and that I will make nice things with it and the tool itself can resell with little or possibly no depreciation. Another condition is I can't complain anymore while shopping with her and see that her Costco bill exceeds $200.

[Rod Sheridan]

Well Chris, you're now going to spend 1.5 minutes per knife getting them perfect, so you won't become very attached to your new jointer.

Regards, Rod.

P.S Standard Euro single phase cords will have green/yellow for ground, probably blue and brown for line 1 and line 2.

[Mike Wilkins]

Congrats on the great deal on a nice machine. I also agree on the purchase of a combo machine for space reasons. I have another companys' version of the Laguna Platinum J/P, and the 12" jointer capacity has come in real handy.
Don't fret too much about the length of the jointer tables; I have jointed 8' boards with no problem at all, and my tables are 60" with no extensions. The Felder/Hammer machines have the option of purchasing adapters and extensions to give you more length, which can be added any time.
Now you can sell your old jointer and planer and use the proceeds to get some more lumber.