How Do I get correct hold down pressure on stock feeder

[Johnnyy Johnson]

I have a 3 hp Delta Shaper with a 1 hp Delta stock feeder. Yesterday I was doing some test cut to learn how to set up. I was using a one inch board and was unsure how much pressure to allow the head to push down on the board. I would take a hold of the board and I could move it some while it was moving through. I turned the handle and lowered until the board would not move anymore. I still lowered the head and at that point I could feel the head drop a little as the board would move through. It would drop each time the board would come out from under the roller as it went through. What is the trick of the trade for knowing how hard to push down on the board. Also, the head is so big that I cannot get a feather board to help hold the board to the fence. Any suggestions on that?

Thanks
Johnny

[William Schmitz]

1/8 of deflection of the wheels will be plenty. Also, you should angle the head slightly towards the fence (say 1/4 inch over the length of the head) to keep pressure on the fence. You will not need a featherboard.

When you are using the feeder in the vertical position, you angle the head towards the table, to keep the stock firm to the table.

[Johnnyy Johnson]

Thanks William...I got the head angled correct but do not understand the 1/8 deflection. Do you mean only 1/8" of the roller needs to touch. I need to know how hard to crank the head down on the board.

Thanks for any help
JJ

[Johnnyy Johnson]

Will...Is the deflection you are talking about, the amount that the roller will be pressed up when the head is lowered?

[Rod Sheridan]

Yes, the wheels should deflect upwards, the manual for my feeder suggests 3 to 5mm.

Since I presume you don't have a manual, if you can't find one, send me a PM and I'll e-mail you the manual for my Hammer HC-308 feeder to give you some ideas.

Regards, Rod.

[David DeCristoforo]

In most cases, the lowest tangent of the feeder wheels should be 1/4" below the face of the stock. You should not be able to stop the movement of the stock through the cut by holding it back. There are instances in which you will need less or more pressure. Over time, you will get a "feel" for it.

[Jim Bowers]

The bottom of the rollers should be 1/8 inch closer to the table surface than your stock is thick. This will give you close to a 1/8 inch deflection. I know this depends on the roller material but this will get you real close to start. All the advice given so far is correct and very good. Also you can download a copy of the operators manual at Delta Tools.

[Johnnyy Johnson]

Thanks..I have the manual but it tells everything about setting it up except that. I think there will be some trial and error involved.

[Jeff Duncan]

Remember also that there are other variables involved, for instance...
let's say I'm profiling cabinet door parts, I'm good with 1/8" of deflection with poly wheels. Could probably even get away with less, not a lot of resistance there. Now if your using stock rubber wheels you may find you need a bit more pressure.
On the other hand if I'm running a wide profile, like a molding, where I'm really hogging off material I'll get closer to 1/4" deflection. You've got the cutter making a lot more contact. so a little extra pressure from the feed wheels is added insurance IMHO.
It doesn't take a whole lot of pressure to run most things so you should be fine by adjusting the rollers (by sight, don't adjust with the board under the rollers), about an eighth to start, if you see the workpiece slipping you can tweak it a bit. Also forget about feather boards, those have no real function once your feeder is adjusted properly.
Lastly if you can move the board easily as you describe you may have burnished wheels. Are you using the original rubber? They tend to lose grip over time and make life more difficult. New Poly rollers have a much superior grip and will really hold the stock.
good luck,
JeffD

[Peter Quinn]

The down pressure has pretty much been covered, I go with between an 1/8" to a heavy 1/4" depending on the size of the cutter I am spinning. I don't use a feather board on the shaper. A feather board provides hold down pressure and kick back resistance, but the feeder will already handle these things for you if properly set up. I do have a few backer boards for some critical set ups with small parts that resist the cutters pressure away from the fence. You can suffer some chatter even with a well set feeder if the parts are narrow or the cutters are large. A solid block clamped to the table from edge to edge set parallel to the piece being shaped can provide a solid backing that will improve the quality of cut even with a feeder. The backer must be thinner than the work being fed to accommodate the down pressure of the wheels.

A back fence is also a valuable off take on the same concept. Run a search on back fence for some interesting set ups. Nothing eliminates chatter like a back fence! And it can accurately dimension stock.