Felder -- Hammer jointer/Planer

[Tom Godley]

Happen to take a spin by the DE Felder showroom last week -- Just to look at a few things. Sliding table and a combo Planer/ jointer

With all the talk about how great the Helix heads are -- how does this all stack up with the equal talk about how great the Hammer combo machines are with regular knives.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Tom, I haven't found a need for anything other than the factory cutter head.

I suggest you take a piece of whatever you would be working with to Felder and have them joint and plane it for you.

Regards, Rod.

[jason lambert]

On That machine the factory head does great, never heard any complaints. However mostly everyone that has had a sprial head has stated they would never go back to the regular head. I just ordered one and I got the sprial head for many reasons, finish is just one.

Here look at this thread,
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=139073

This is from Matt
"I am considering making the switch as well, and I can't remember reading where anyone has even had to rotate theirs yet, and if someone has, it's likely taken many thousands of bf to wear them down, and that's just one side.

Less tearout, less noise, less downtime and lower replacement cost (since it doesn't seem like they will ever have to be replaced). Don't see how you could lose... "

[Jim Becker]

Yea, a lot of folks really like spiral heads. I have to be honest, however...I happen to love the Tersa head on my J/P. Excellent results and very fast and easy changes; either to compensate for an unfortunate nick, to put a fresh edge on or to use a different formula of metal for a special need.

BTW, I've been driving by your place nearly every Saturday morning on my way to the barn after dropping the older off for her volunteer work at a cat sanctuary in Ringos. That is such a beautiful property. One of these days, I need to make the time to check it out more fully. :)

[Joe Jensen]

There are a few well established camps on helical heads.
1) Those who have them and love them ( could be that they are biased as they already spent the money)
2) Those who have straight knives and are happy. Tersa is a huge step up IMHO as setting knives ends and it's super fast to change.
3) Those who have straight and want helical.
4) I haven't found anyone on the web yet to had a Byrd and wants to go back to straight.

I started with an 8" PM60 jointer, bought new in 1990. The 1990 factory PM knives were bi-metal and fantastic from a wear perspective. In 1990 I also bought a new PM100 12" planer. It too came with the fantastic bi-metal knives. Sometime around 2000 I switched the cutterhead in the PM60 jointer to a Terminus (Tersa clone). Nice upgrade as knife changes were now just a couple of minutes. I'm a nut for sharp knives and this upgrade made that quicker. But, I still had tearout issues with figured wood, and I felt the Terminus knives dulled MUCH quicker than the original PM knives. Then I started reading about Byrd heads and sometime around 2005 or so I swapped my planer head for a Byrd. WOW is all I can say. Zero tearout. I felt the improvement was enough on figured wood that a year later I bought a Byrd for the jointer. The Terminus sat in a box on under a bench. Then in 2007 I bought an old SCMI 12" jointer and did a refurb. I put a Byrd in that one too.

I am going to get an 24" Euro planer at some point . When I do it will either come with a helical carbide head or I will add one. The cost of adding has kept me from buying a couple decent 1970s 24" SCMI planers that sold locally for less than $2500. I passed mostly because the Byrd is $3500 for one. I did try to buy one from Exfactory that was a 1990s 24" SCMI with a Byrd head for $5500 but it was sold by the time I saw it.

I'm sold, I never even look at which way the grain runs on boards now when I joint or plane.

[Tom Godley]

I was just looking.

Even with the regular set up the A3-31 is still a lot of money -- I did not even price the other head.

The sliding table saw are really nice -- really nice -- did I say nice!


Jim: As before - your more than welcome -- I try to get to it as much as I can. Just give me a call.

And stay out of the property to the left :)

[Ed Griner]

Felder offers a byrd spiral head on the hammer A3-31.I think it was an additional $750. I just wired and fired mine up this morning,so I can't help with the decision.Rod kind of convinced me,the stock cutterhead worked great. Good Luck/Ed


PS: A good person to deal with in Newcastle is Jeff Doubet. eg.