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Thread: Jonter/Planer Combo

  1. #31
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Southwestern CT
    Posts
    1,392
    I have a 3hp Cyclone with a 14"+ impeller. Longer shavings on wider boards from my 16" (straight blade) can create problems. I posted a few weeks ago about an issue that required a teardown and cartridge clean out. Reducing cut with the wider boards seems to avoid the problem. The issue was a clog in the cyclone housing itself ... so no alarms went off indicating an issue. Could be a cyclone design issue which you wouldn't encounter with the Oneida. However, as Dave mentions, I don't think you can go wrong with more HP and a larger and better designed impeller producing more CFM. And with more CFM you can use larger pipe getting same velocity. Another advantage is you can "turn down" the speed to 50hz - maintain required velocity - and drop the "noise" volume pretty significantly.
    Last edited by Bill Adamsen; 02-25-2015 at 7:28 AM. Reason: added "noise"

  2. #32
    Bill,

    That adds up. Fact is the dust port collectors on the MM machine are more narrow than the Hammer. Combine that with fine shavings created with the spiral cutter on the Hammer and you are going to get better dust collection. Add a underpowered or poorly designed dust collection system and of course you are going to have problems.

    Thank you for being honest and open with your experience.

  3. #33
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Edmonton, Canada
    Posts
    2,479
    I have a FS350 MM J/P (same machine as Jim). I don't get snipes usually but if you are planing a long (say 8-10') board you better support it at the out feed (like lifting it) or else it is hard to not get snipes.
    As for DC, I find the machine has a reasonable DC in planer mode but not so much in jointer. The issue is the dust hood can't get too close to the head and therefore I typically have a bunch of shavings on the planer bed when I have done a load of joining. BTW, I have a 5HP clearvue cyclone.
    Overall I'm happy with the machine.

  4. #34
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Saddlebrooke, AZ
    Posts
    530
    I've owned a Hammer A3-31 with the power head option for almost 2 years now....an excellent machine with flat tables...I have used it for a few projects and it is a very nice machine. We are snow birding right now in AZ and are planning on moving here later this year so I am going to be putting all of my power woodworking equipment up for sale once we get back home in a month or so...
    "Your beliefs don't make you a better person...your behavior does."

  5. #35
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,675
    Quote Originally Posted by Patrick Walsh View Post
    How about with dust extraction do you still have clog problems.

    One of the things the Hammer rep os claiming is that although the minimax machine has two dust ports thus not having a mess of hoses the ports are smaller and like to clog.

    Anyone having trouble that is running a Minimax machine with clogging. How is the dust collection overall.

    Dust collection is one of my biggest motivators for going with a modern machine vrs a vintage cast iron beast. I hear the Hammer is great in this department. Good enough is good enough but there is nothing like a machine that collects dust well.
    I've never, ever had a clog at the machine, at least with my current cyclone system. My original cyclone was smaller and didn't have the "opmph" to move the chips fast enough when working a wide board. But that was many years ago...never a clog since.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  6. #36
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    SF Bay Area, CA
    Posts
    15,332
    Yep, nary a clog with my FS41-Elite and it is a bit wider than Jim's machine but I have a more or less homemade-ish cyclone and honestly haven't a clue about the specs. All I can say is that it sucks and has never clogged AFAIK. I once accidentally sucked up a rather large thick towel and as I raced to turn it off, I envisioned it furiously tangled around the impeller choking it off and burning out my motor and bearings. The towel had quietly dropped into the dust bin with little disturbance.
    Wood: a fickle medium....

    Did you know SMC is user supported? Please help.

  7. #37
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    New York, NY
    Posts
    2,203
    No clogs with my Tersa head FS41 Elite either. I did remove those weird fin things inside the dust nozzels though. Can't imagine what purpose they're supposed to serve. My only gripe about it is the crappy pork chop guard. The Euro-style one is an extra $325 if ordered separately.

    The Tersa head is fine btw. I don't feel i'm missing anything not having a spiral one.

    Great machine, wouldn't hesitate to buy it again.

  8. #38
    Quote Originally Posted by Peter Kelly View Post
    No clogs with my Tersa head FS41 Elite either. I did remove those weird fin things inside the dust nozzels though. Can't imagine what purpose they're supposed to serve. My only gripe about it is the crappy pork chop guard. The Euro-style one is an extra $325 if ordered separately.
    My understanding is the Euro guard doesn't meet USA safety specifications and conversely the USA style pork chop guard doesn't meet EU safety standards, so that's why SCM only sells the Euro guard separately from the machine for USA bound machines.. By the way the Euro guard is a great upgrade and well worth the $325, put one on my machine three years ago and threw the pork chop away..

    Just as a point of reference, both the Martin T54 jointer and T45 planer come with Tersa knife heads standard...
    Last edited by Robert LaPlaca; 02-27-2015 at 4:36 PM.

  9. #39
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    SF Bay Area, CA
    Posts
    15,332
    I tossed the pork chop long ago and put the Euro on and soon I removed that as well. I guess I'm flirting with disaster here but both guards are annoying in their own rights but the pork chop is especially bad.
    Wood: a fickle medium....

    Did you know SMC is user supported? Please help.

  10. #40
    Quote Originally Posted by Chris Padilla View Post
    I tossed the pork chop long ago and put the Euro on and soon I removed that as well. I guess I'm flirting with disaster here but both guards are annoying in their own rights but the pork chop is especially bad.
    You need to check out the SUVA guard, that Martin outfits its machines with.. The bridge guard folds down, so it reduces how much the bridge guard is in the way..

  11. #41
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    SF Bay Area, CA
    Posts
    15,332
    Thanks, Robert. Another guard to buy and install and then remove! LOL

    There is that metal guard plate on the other side of the fence that one day, I damaged somehow maybe flipping the table up for planer operation or back down for jointer...don't recall. I bent the shizoo out of it and so guess what? It also got removed and is now with the pork chop and Euro guards! You just know that one day I'll be posting how the Tersa blades won in fight between it and my flesh. sigh
    Wood: a fickle medium....

    Did you know SMC is user supported? Please help.

  12. #42
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,675
    I'm definitely a fan of the Euro guard...a "pork chop" on a wide jointer is a royal pain in the you-know-what! "I" consider the Euro guard safer since it's always over the cutter head, with the exception of during an edge-joint (which I never do having a slider...) and then only the amount necessary for the board to pass by along the fence. The "pork chop", while not "unsafe" does leave a little more cutter head exposure when flattening at the beginning and end of cut and you don't have the utility of dragging the board back over top smoothly like you do with the Euro/bridge guard.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  13. #43
    I purchased a FS30 in 2011 from Eric Loza and have few complaints. There is no snipe, I use a 1 1/2 hp dust collector with no problem. The pork style guard is poorly made and when switching from joining to planing I broke it, customer service was responsive and delivered a new one last week, the same as the original unfortunately. I have the European guard but have never gotten use to it. The tersa blades are easy to change, reasonably priced and do a great job.

  14. #44
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Silicon Valley, CA
    Posts
    989
    For folks who already have the FS30 or A3-31, how far do they stick out from the wall?
    (I'm thinking through how I might store them well in my current garage/shop; seems like some of them have a rail projecting out the back to help support the fence)

    thanks,
    Matt

  15. #45
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Lexington, KY
    Posts
    283
    Quote Originally Posted by Matthew Hills View Post
    For folks who already have the FS30 or A3-31, how far do they stick out from the wall?
    (I'm thinking through how I might store them well in my current garage/shop; seems like some of them have a rail projecting out the back to help support the fence)

    thanks,
    Matt
    For the FS30, just measured, you need 13 inches from the wall. What gets you is the guard sticking out of the back of the fence, that needs 8-10 inches if the fence is pushed back for a full width cut. And the other gotcha is if you choose to leave the fence mounted when you lift the tables. The fence is five inches tall or so, so you need additional clearance for that. If you choose to unmount the fence every time, then 8-9 inches will do it, otherwise 13-14 inches.

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