Feldor K3 Hammer

[Dan Chouinard]

Opinions please from those familiar with Feldor K3 Hammer sliding TS (or feldor products in general).
Thanks
Dan

[Rod Sheridan]

I Have a B3 Winner, couldn't be happier.

What sort of specific info are you looking for?

Regards, Rod.

[Richard Link]

I have a relatively new cf741S combo machine. Nothing but good things to say. As the previous poster stated, what specific info can we give you? General build quality is top notch and sliders in general are a big step up from the standard cabinet saw.

[Dan Chouinard]

I am in the process of getting a one man cabinet shop rolling that belongs to my father. He was a hobbyist woodworker/cabinet maker who took the two car garage and put a small addition on it making himself a shop that measures 22' by 28' or so. He is still going strong at 86 but doesnt spend much time in there any more. A couple years ago I expressed interest in using the shop and he said go for it. I have been making cabinets in there when possible, spending the rest of my time in the field doing finish carpentry. Hoping to revamp the place, get really organized and tool up as I go. He has some nice older machines in there; Delta Unisaw, Makita 2040 thickness planer, and a really sweet Dewalt radial arm saw that belonged to his father. I am getting by for now with his stuff and a router table from Jessem.

What is very clear to me is that I need to upgrade the table saw. Although his works great for ripping solid stock, it just does not cut it for sizing plywood. I am looking for a sliding TS that is suitable for a one man shop of his size. The ad for Feldor got my attention. Dont know anything about their reputation or pricing. Which of their models should I consider and roughly how much should I expect to pay?

[Larry Edgerton]

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What is very clear to me is that I need to upgrade the table saw. Although his works great for ripping solid stock, it just does not cut it for sizing plywood. I am looking for a sliding TS that is suitable for a one man shop of his size. The ad for Feldor got my attention. Dont know anything about their reputation or pricing. Which of their models should I consider and roughly how much should I expect to pay?

Sounds like a plan.......

One suggestion would be to keep the Unisaw if you can. I have a MiniMax slider and a Powermatic 66. They get about equal use, but most importantly it is nice to have a second saw so I don't have to mess with the setup in the other. There have been many times when say I have a Dado in the Mini that I find I need one more piece for some reason;), and I do not have to change setups to make it.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Dan, in my opinion you're heading the correct direction.

A slider has greater accuracy, capacity and performance than a cabinet saw.

I suggest you go the Felder USA website and register. They don't pester you, and it allows you to see prices and watch some videos of the machines in use.

There is a video that shops Sep making a desk using a full combination machine. Although your saw would either be a saw, or a saw/shaper, the video is great at showing you how a slider is actually used.

You can't go wrong with a Felder, extraordinary machinery, superb customer service and of course the machine is custom built for your exact needs.

Regards, Rod.

[Jamie Buxton]

Using a slider to process full sheets of plywood may require more floor space than you have in a two-car garage, considering that you also have other machines in the space. Also, the cost of a slider may be an issue. If you need to stay in that space, and if the slider cost is too big, consider a track saw for breaking down sheet goods. Festool and DeWalt make them. The good side is that they cost much less, and take much less room. The not-so-good side is that the slider takes less time to set up before you make the cut.

[Chris Tsutsui]

Definitely register for Felder's (Hammer's) website.

My rep sends me emails about local deals where I can get a machine for a discount because either a customer ordered it and backed out, or a customer is upgraded that machine to a bigger one.

Bottom line for me is I don't want to settle on the machine i want... I'd rather save up some money and get the one that will last me the rest of my life.

This is why i've got a lot of saving to do to get a Euro Slider with a good amount of capacity.

Hopefully in the time I'm saving I'll find an amazing deal on craigslist. :)

[Dan Chouinard]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I have been all over the felder USA site and can not find a register link. Where are they hiding it?

I have a Festool track saw. Great for cross cutting plywood or angled cuts of any kind. However, accurate repeatability is very difficult and it leaves alot to be desired when ripping 8' of plywood.

The reason I want a slider is to quickly and very accurately rip ply down to the width needed and then cross cut to length. Currently I do not see myself needing to cross cut more than 24" (famous last words right?) and hopefully there is a well built slider that will do this in the space that I have at a price I can afford.

And I will be keeping the Unisaw....

Thanks,
Dan

[Richard Link]

Just for the record, I have a 9 foot sliding table and can break down full sheets of plywood in a relatively modest two car garage. The slider is oriented diagonally and the machinery in the relative vicinity is on casters so that it can be repositioned as needed. It's not perfect but expansion in space wasn't in the cards. I also greatly decreased my machinery footprint by condensing my tablesaw, router table, planer and jointer into one machine. Don't know how your going to find a configuration where you can keep the unisaw, though. At any rate, the setup works great with some modest compromises. As for cost, well.....it's not an inexpensive approach. Would I go back to my old cabinet saw and separate jointer/planer option....nope, not even close.

I also had a great experience working with Karl Knapp at Felder. He really helped me to understand my options and seemed to be a real straight shooter. If you PM, I can provide you with his phone #.

[Joe Jensen]

I recently purchased a Felder KF700SP saw/shaper combo. I ordered it in October and it was delivered in early January. WOW, I couldn't be happier. I started over 30 years ago in my dad's shop as a young boy using very old Craftsman tools from the 50s. After college in 1986 I bought a used Unisaw with a Bies fence and an old 6" Sears jointer and an old 1960s 1.5HP Rockwell 1/2" shaper. In 1990 my wife gave me a new PM shop and I got a PM66 with Bies, PM26 shaper, PM60 jointer, PM141 bandsaw, and a PM100 planer. I also bought a used Dewalt 14" RAS. Fantastic tools and I used them a ton. In about 2006 my wife saw a video of the Sawstop Industrial saw and insisted I get one. The build quality of the Sawstop was definitely a clear step above my made in Tennessee PM66.

In 2008 I found a Rockwell 12" jointer made by SCMI in 1975 and I refurbished it and put in a Byrd head. WOW, the Euro tools were another step up from the Sawstop and I was hooked. Now I have the Felder and all I can say is WOW, the build quality and precision are amazing. It hard to believe, but the 9 ft slider is dialed into within a couple of thousanths across the entire travel. Cuts are glass smooth and always perfectly square.

You really need to see one in person.

Also, Carl my sales guy and the techs in Deleware have been fantastic in their help and support post sales. I can't say enough about how reachable and helpful they have been.

[Dan Chouinard]

Felder sales rep called me yesterday after receiving email requesting information. A packet of info with DVD's is on its way. Once I have digested info he will arrange for me to see one in action. This is something I am excited about, having had no prior exposure to a slider.

In the mean time, there seams to be plenty of deals on used panel saws around. Here is a thought they may have some merit or just be foolish. Given a shop of my size, approx 22' by 28', and really no interest in draging a full sheet of 3/4 plywood to the saw and lift onto slider, does it make any sense to pick up a small panel saw from Safety Speed Cut for $750? It would be much easier to load a full sheet onto a vertical panel saw and cross cut to a manageable length. This would enable me to use a slider with a smaller footprint (and smaller capacity), and perhaps keep the purchase within my budget? Does Felder make a slider that can rip 69 1/2"?

[Shawn Morley]

Although the Felder is an excellent machine I would opt for the panel saw for the moment. If you start doing full kitchens or even a whole house job you will quickly find the space to be a premium.

[Joe Jensen]

I think for kitchen cabinet boxes a panel saw is a great choice. Not the precision of a slider, but quick. On the space question, panel saws seem designed to go against a wall and the only ones I've used were up against a wall. If you are in a garage will you have an open wall, I assume you need at least 8 ft on either side of the panel saw so maybe 17' of open wall space. Of course a slider takes even more space.

[Dan Chouinard]

I just finished a full kitchen and it was no problem space wise. Did all the bases and shipped them out, then the uppers.

There are two different walls in the shop that can accomodate a panel saw. In fact I found one that I'm buying tomorrow, a Safety Speed Cut C4. This may be a temporary solution while a save enough for a slide. Time will tell, but one thing for certain is I currently waste way too much time sizing plywood and this panel deal is too good to let slide.

Feldor wasted no time getting some info here, a package was waiting for me when I got home from work. Very eager to view it but my wife is barking at me. If I want to maintain any domestic tranquility it will have to wait....

Thanks,
Dan

[Victor Philippi]

I don't own a felder machine, but I've spent a lot of time looking at them. I had the fortune of living essentially around the corner from their Deleware showroom and I visited them numerous times and am very familiar with their line-up.

As far as space concerns go, you can remove and replace the outrigger tables relatively easily. They sell a cart to hold the table for the 700 series tables, but the outrigger tables on the 500 series and hammer series are very manageable by a single guy without the cart. If you can maneuver half a sheet of plywood by yourself, manuevering the outrigger is probably easier and would be no problem.

If you get a chance to visit one of their showrooms, they usually have no problems letting you manhandle the machine to get a feel for it yourself.

Also, the videos are kind of funny to watch. The 700 series video is very informative, but it is painfully German. Their attempts at jokes and the format just doesn't translate 100% to English. Don't get me wrong, the videos are very well done and contain a lot of good information.