Hammer A3 31 "new design"

[bradley lewis]

I just purchased a new A3 31 with the new duel lift table & redesigned fence. I'm picking it up from their east cost office July 2nd (that's going to go slow). Has anyone gotten hands on with the newer design?

198153198154

BTW I'm new here, been reading and learning a ton thanks!

[Felder USA]

Hi Bradley

Thanks for the order. Do not forget to watch the setup video. Please click on this LONG link.

Link: http://www.hammerusa.com/products_videos.php?parent=a4acef83f105f771e6b2&xat_code=bab167ce26f7bea78619&key=1&region=us-us

Best Regards

Your Felder Team

[Jeff Monson]

You are going to really like your new machine!! I have a A3-31 that is a couple years old. The only areas to improve the A3-31 is the fence and the tables (neither of which are a big problem anyways). Being able to put the machine right against the wall would be a really nice space saver. A more rigid fence is a nice improvement also. Make sure you get the digital handwheel as it is worth every penny. I wrote the numbers from the handwheel that correspond with the popular thicknesses on my machine with a black sharpie (example 99235=3/4"). That way I can get EXACT thicknesses every time and very quickly.

Make sure you post some pics and your thoughts when you get the machine, you will love it.

[Rod Sheridan]

I wrote the numbers from the handwheel that correspond with the popular thicknesses on my machine with a black sharpie (example 99235=3/4"). That way I can get EXACT thicknesses every time and very quickly.




Jeff, why do you have to write down the dimension?

When I set mine to 19.20mm that's exactly what I get, is the BE system display different?

Regards, Rod.

[Jeff Monson]

Rod, For metric use that is fine. For fractional use I find it easier to have it written down, 90% of my final dimension lumber is 1/2", 5/8", 3/4" and 1" so I just have those 4 fractions written down (right below the planer bed) in correspondence to the handwheel number. I just find that works well for me, thought someone else may find it useful.

Bradley, make sure you find the Felder owners group on yahoo also. Great bunch of guys and another great knowledge resource.

[bradley lewis]

Bradley, make sure you find the Felder owners group on yahoo also. Great bunch of guys and another great knowledge resource.

Will do thanks!

[Mark Carlson]

I like the tables that go swing up together. Let us know how you like it.

~mark

[Rod Sheridan]

Jeff, my question is why doesn't the display indicate 0.75 for 3/4"?

Regards, Rod.

[Jeff Monson]

Jeff, my question is why doesn't the display indicate 0.75 for 3/4"?

Regards, Rod.

Rod, maybe my handwheel is different than yours, please compare and let me know.

198271

[Mark Carlson]

Jeff,

Your hand wheel is exactly like mine. It does need to be calibrated though. All you need to do is set your handwheel to your 3/4 in thickness (992.35 on your dial). Remove the handwheel, and turn it till it reads 000.75 and then put it back on. This manual describes the process.

http://www.felderusaonline.com/ultimate_guide/A331/hwheel_dial_calibration.pdf


~mark

[Chris Nolin]

I'll be watching this thread closely as I consider the new A3 31, myself. Please post any and all impressions of the new design! :)

[bradley lewis]

I'll be watching this thread closely as I consider the new A3 31, myself. Please post any and all impressions of the new design! :)

I'll post a full review.

[Jeff Monson]

Jeff,

Your hand wheel is exactly like mine. It does need to be calibrated though. All you need to do is set your handwheel to your 3/4 in thickness (992.35 on your dial). Remove the handwheel, and turn it till it reads 000.75 and then put it back on. This manual describes the process.

http://www.felderusaonline.com/ultimate_guide/A331/hwheel_dial_calibration.pdf


~mark

Mark, I just had a homer simpson moment. DOH!!! Thanks for the info. I had no idea.....obviously not a direction reader.

[Rod Sheridan]

Mark, I just had a homer simpson moment. DOH!!! Thanks for the info. I had no idea.....obviously not a direction reader.

Jeff, glad Mark was able to help you........I was going to post the same instructions.........Rod.

[Jeff Monson]

Jeff, glad Mark was able to help you........I was going to post the same instructions.........Rod.

Thanks for the concern and help (as usual), its a good thing I'm not an old dog...I learned a new trick today.

[Chris Tsutsui]

I also have the A3-31 "digital" scale and I find that a $10 harbor freight digital caliper comes in very handy when you want to measure the thickness of your work piece because it will give the dimensions in decimal inches format.

[Ben Hatcher]

I think Rod should get kickbacks from Felder for being such a loyal supporter of their products. It seems like every table saw or slider thread on here has a chime in from Rod about how much he loves his Felder. He's gotten me convinced enough to at least check them out when I upgrade.

[bradley lewis]

They emailed me to let me know it's arrived in DE. Every penny I'm saving in shipping I'm putting back in accessories. As recommended in every A3 thread I've read I'm getting the hand wheel/read out combo, hose adapter, and 1hr labor to drill m12 holes in the feet for me ( I'm already going to have a lot on my hands solo moving this from DE to my shop in MD). I have a set of foot master GDR-60s casters on the way, found them at a great price on ebay. The team at felder has been great, they were wiling to schedule some nice souls to show up on a Saturday morning as I was unable to pick it up M-F...

[Larry Edgerton]

Rod, For metric use that is fine. For fractional use I find it easier to have it written down, 90% of my final dimension lumber is 1/2", 5/8", 3/4" and 1" so I just have those 4 fractions written down (right below the planer bed) in correspondence to the handwheel number. I just find that works well for me, thought someone else may find it useful.

Bradley, make sure you find the Felder owners group on yahoo also. Great bunch of guys and another great knowledge resource.

When I am in the shop my mind is full of other details, and I work in fractions as well, so to avoid clutter in my head I glued a conversion table that is in 64ths to my planer. It came with the Microfence, but I have seen them other places. I design parts by PHI so I am always using odd fractions, so it is a lifesaver for my cluttered mind. Thought about working in metric, but I am too old to switch.

Larry

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Larry, my issue with Jeff's statement was that he had to write down 99235 = 3/4".

His display wasn't calibrated, it should read 0.750 for 3/4", he has since calibrated it............regards, Rod.

P.S. I decided I was too old to not go metric, got tired of fractions that had no real relevance to my work, does it really matter if I make an apron 3/4" thick or 20mm thick to make the math easier?

So I went metric and haven't regretted it. Of course we could both use a story stick and have no measurements and probably be fine as well.

[Jeff Monson]

His display wasn't calibrated, it should read 0.750 for 3/4", he has since calibrated it............regards, Rod.



Still working on that one Rod, I have the wrong dial in my handwheel, when I crank up the planer bed the counter goes up instead of down!! Waiting to hear from Felder on what they are going to do as it is 3 years old. It never made any sense to me why it did that, that is why I came up with my numbering system. With Mark and your help I'm going to get this working like it should.

[David Wong]

Another accessory worth having is the 400mm table extension. You can buy 2 table connection rails so you can move the extension from the jointer to planer bed. The extension is kind of expensive and a bit of a pain to move, but makes longer board operations much easier.

[bradley lewis]

Another accessory worth having is the 400mm table extension. You can buy 2 table connection rails so you can move the extension from the jointer to planer bed. The extension is kind of expensive and a bit of a pain to move, but makes longer board operations much easier.

Only so much money to spend this go round and although I would love the tables they will need to wait.

[bradley lewis]

Well I received the A3 today (plan to pick it up fell through). I have it all set up, on casters ready to go. I do have a few questions for the other owners... The tables have deep groves in them, the planer table is even more pronounced with what looks like pitting (no rust) is this normal? I wiped the tables down with rags, the rags got shredded. I'll post a picture later tonight. This may be normal, but it seams like a real pain to clean/protect.

[C Scott McDonald]

My K3 has deep machine marks on the cast iron top in the form of swirls kinda. It was a pain to clean but once waxed the wood sails over it effortlessly.

Love to see some pictures.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Bradley, yes that is normal and it works just fine.

Give it a few coats of paste wax and try it out............Rod.

[Mark Carlson]

Theres a texture to my tables that you can feel. Not rough though and looks like a finger print. Not smooth like my general 650 tablesaw tables or my powermatic 54a jointer table. It wouldn't rip a paper towel or rag. Easy to clean and wax.

~mark

[bradley lewis]

Rod and Scott thanks for the feed back.

200918

Just off the pallet, 2x4's and me were all that were used. Lift gate service got it dropped in the middle of my shop.

200916

The fence is giving me trouble. I'm sure it's easy but the instructions are useless for this process. It shows different hardware then what packaged with my machine. I plan to call felder CS tomorrow, they have been great so far... I'm sure they will have me set in no time.

200919

200917

You can see its a very small foot print, I can park it very close to a wall and have full use.

200915

What type of rag should I use to buff this type of table it's shredding everything I try and just giving me fits...


Overall I'm very happy. It's a quality machine, as you can see worth more then the sum of the rest of my tools. I have not calibrated anything yet or even started it yet, I was in a race to get it off the crate and on casters before my 4 year old got home (comp day).The casters are Foot Master GDR-60S so far I love them.

[Dave Lehnert]

What is the price of that unit?

A combo is on my long list.

[Bob Landel]

In my effort to fine tune my A3-31, do any of you guys know what the flatness acceptable mic range of the table should be for the length and width in either mm or inches? (I hope my runover sentence made sense.)

[David Wong]

I acquired my A3 31 used and the tables were covered with rust, so I had to scrape and sand the tables down. You should ask Felder if you should knock down the sharp edges of the machined grooves in your table with some fine sandpaper or a 3M conditioning pad (I used the maroon ones). I am sure it will not hurt anything but it would be better to check with them.

One other issue I have with my A3 31 is with the dust collection hood when in thicknessing mode. I don't know about the newer models, but there the suction from my cyclone is too strong, so it partially opens the deflector flap in the hood. This causes chips to not be collected properly. This issues has been discussed on the Felder forum. I use a small block of wood to prop the flap in the proper position. I have not gotten around to implementing a more permanent solution.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi David, have you tried partially closing the blast gate on your line to the machine?

It works for me.............Rod.

[Jeff Monson]

Bradley, Looks like a great machine, congrats! My tables looked the same as yours, when I first got mine. I took a few sheets of 220 on my ROS and went over all the cast surfaces, to knock down some of the sharper edges. Then go to town with clean rags and mineral spirits until the surfaces are really clean. I use strictly paste wax on my A3-31, I had some feed issues with the planner when I used a spray type lubricant.

[Curt Harms]

I acquired my A3 31 used and the tables were covered with rust, so I had to scrape and sand the tables down. You should ask Felder if you should knock down the sharp edges of the machined grooves in your table with some fine sandpaper or a 3M conditioning pad (I used the maroon ones). I am sure it will not hurt anything but it would be better to check with them.
Jet JJP-12s have the same corrugated tables. Mine were a little rough when running a paper towel over them but I was able to get the oil off and some paste wax on. I'd be inclined to try the abrasive pads or fine silicon carbide sandpaper. Just enough to knock down any sharp edges.


One other issue I have with my A3 31 is with the dust collection hood when in thicknessing mode. I don't know about the newer models, but there the suction from my cyclone is too strong, so it partially opens the deflector flap in the hood. This causes chips to not be collected properly. This issues has been discussed on the Felder forum. I use a small block of wood to prop the flap in the proper position. I have not gotten around to implementing a more permanent solution.

I haven't seen a Hammer A3-31 but I had a problem with the Jet hood doing the same thing. There is a diverter flap which changes position when switching from jointing to planing. My jointer dust collection was perfect, planer dust collection was really bad. I found out that if I switched modes without turning the suction off, the flap didn't move; it stayed in jointer position when planing. There are 2 sets of holes in the Jet hood. I could put a dowel through one set of holes which was on top of the flap and held it in its proper position. The dowel trick wasn't necessary once I learned to shut the blast gate or turn the DC off. I don't know if this is applicable to the Hammer or not but the problems seem similar.

[David Hawxhurst]

In my effort to fine tune my A3-31, do any of you guys know what the flatness acceptable mic range of the table should be for the length and width in either mm or inches? (I hope my runover sentence made sense.)

if i understand your question right the factory says .003-.004" is acceptable. but give brian a call in the DE office and he can confirm it.

[David Wong]

Hi David, have you tried partially closing the blast gate on your line to the machine?

It works for me.............Rod.

Hi Rob,
I actually connect a flex hose directly from my cyclone to the machine - no ducts, but I will add a gate to the hose. Thanks for the tip.

[Bob Landel]

David Hawxhurst thanks, you got my question right. I will also ask Brian.

Thanks.

[bradley lewis]

How long do you have to hold the green button before it will spin up? I've held it 30s and all I see/hear is a "hum" from the motor.

[Bob Landel]

Bradley, When Brian from Felder/Del came up to adjust my machine, he held the botton for about 5-10 seconds max. Just until the motor rev's up.

[bradley lewis]

Bradley, When Brian from Felder/Del came up to adjust my machine, he held the botton for about 5-10 seconds max. Just until the motor rev's up.

The cutter head never moves, just a hum from the motor. I'll give them a call on Monday, see if I missed something. I ran my own 10' long 12/3 from the A3 first I removed the short one, and just matched up black/white/green.

[Mark Carlson]

My A3 wouldn't start after I tried to start it the first time. I had to turn the stop button so it popped out. I didn't get the hum though, so your issue is probably something else. The other wierd thing is that I don't need to hold the starter button down when I start my machine. I know others report this.

~mark


The cutter head never moves, just a hum from the motor. I'll give them a call on Monday, see if I missed something. I ran my own 10' long 12/3 from the A3 first I removed the short one, and just matched up black/white/green.

[David Wong]

The A3 31 has a safety power cut-off switch that makes sure the dust hood is in place when in thicknessing mode. Perhaps the safety switch is broken so it always disengages the power. I had this problem and had to replace the switch. Sorry, I cannot remember if the motor hummed or not. I temporarily bypassed the switch until I could order a new one from Felder.

[bradley lewis]

Thanks for all of the help everyone. I was able to get the unit up and running BUT...

201253

To get it running I must manually throw the switch in the above pitcher and...

201254

the next step is to manually throw this one. As soon as I close the circuit the cutter head spins up fine and runs ( I let it go 1 min) fine. The box that is pictured is the source of the hum... This should be easy to fix, once I call on Monday.

[Bob Landel]

Bradley, Mark is correct, yes you do have to turn and "pop" the stop switch to allow you to turn on the motor. By the way since my breaker is a 30amp, 220 volt, I wired using 3 wire #10. Motor should not humm prior to turning on.

David, holding the "on" switch until motor reaches full speed is in Hammer owner manual and is their advice. You really don't notice much of a difference if you don't.

[Alan Ganek]

Bradley, did you get the new A3-31? If so, how do you like it? I've considering one myself. Did you get the helical head or straight knives? Also, have any of you gotten the mortising attachment? I'm thinking about that as well. Thanks.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi, sounds like an interlock switch issue.

The top contactor is the run contactor, the bottom contactor is the start contactor.

If all the interlock switches are closed (in correct position) when you push and hold the start button the top contactor will latch on, powering the run winding of the motor.

A second contact in the push button closes the start contactor, powering the start winding in the motor.

Once you release the push button the run contactor stays latched, the start contactor drops out, de-energising the motor start winding.

I would check the safety lockout switches for the jointer bed and dust hood, as well as the locking e-stop button.................Rod.

[bradley lewis]

Hi, sounds like an interlock switch issue.

The top contactor is the run contactor, the bottom contactor is the start contactor.

If all the interlock switches are closed (in correct position) when you push and hold the start button the top contactor will latch on, powering the run winding of the motor.

A second contact in the push button closes the start contactor, powering the start winding in the motor.

Once you release the push button the run contactor stays latched, the start contactor drops out, de-energising the motor start winding.

I would check the safety lockout switches for the jointer bed and dust hood, as well as the locking e-stop button.................Rod.

Thank you, for the very informative reply.

[Bob Landel]

Rod, your the best!

Stay tuned. I fired mine up for a project for my son. Got some bad results in the planer mode. Lots of chatter and then "locking" of pieces ....not feeding. This was on an 18"long 2.25 thick piece.

I had to stop for a family gathering. I will report later.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Bob, on my A3 the feed problems are always caused by the operator.

Once he gets out the paste wax and waxes the planer table, the feed problem is resolved.....LOL.

Of course if you watch the Felder videos, you'll know that Sep (SP?) always lubricates his planer with SuperGleit.....Us mere mortals use paste wax.........Regards, Rod

[bradley lewis]

Embarrassing update:

I called Felder today and talked with Mike in their service department. After hearing my story he was sure the machine was not getting the 230v it needs. He ran through a variety of causes (bad wiring, failed switch, ect.) then asked me to dust off my fluke mm and get some readings. After about 1 min I had realized only one of the supply legs was hot, I had incorrectly wired the plug end of the supply. After correcting my mistake I rechecked the readings and everything looked good. I walked up to the machine took a deep breath and hit the green button... the cutter head was at full speed in 1-2seconds. I plan to start a new thread with my review in 2-3 weeks if any body is interested. Thanks.

[Rod Sheridan]

Great news, yes we would like to hear about your new machine once you've had some time to try it out.........Regards, Rod.

[Martin Melderis]

Yes please Bradley. My "new design" 2011 A3 31 will be arriving in a few weeks I'm told, so it's too late for me to change my mind now, but anything that I can gain from your experience would be useful. Maybe you could post on this thread to let us know when you start your new review post so that those of us that have subscribed to this one, get notified that it's posted. Thanks, Martin.

[Sean Kinn]

Me too...Mine is due in mid September, and I'm itching for any more information and pictures to keep me from going nuts in the meantime ;-)

[Bob Landel]

Just noticed my reply above is out of place. I posted it three days ago!


Rod Sheridan, I waxed up and all seems okay in the planer mode.... at the least .... better. I need to keep the cast iron surfaces well maintained. I didn't realize what non use and a little time does to a iron surface.

Thanks Rod.

[Rod Sheridan]

You're welcome Bob, I often have the same problem, don't use for a month or two, then it needs waxing...........Rod.

[Kelly Colin Mark]

Does anyone know what the differences are between the "new" A3-31 and the older design ?

I ask because I paid for my A3-31 last year, it was ready for probably 9 or 10 months ago, and I am only now ready to take delivery. My dealer told me I could probably get the new or old design, and that he would prefer the old design if only because he is always worried about problems with new designs.

So I am wondering if I should go with the new design or stay with the tried-and-true.

thanks !

[Martin Melderis]

From what I've been told, the fence has been improved by adding a center support and it is now positioned more towards the outfeed table (more centered) than it was in the previous model. It now has dual lifting tables as opposed to the old separate tables, it has an improved lock on the planer lift and the jointer height adjustment control has been improved. There may be more differences that I'm not aware of and hopefully someone who actually has the machine can chime in.

BUT, according to my dealer the castings on both the planer and jointer tables are lighter on the new model. The Canadian Hammer site still has the video of the old model, while the US site has the video of the new model. I opened both videos at the same time and went back and forth and compared the two, and I would say that my dealer is correct and the castings are substantially lighter on the new model, although I don't know how or if that will affect the performance of the machine.

AND, if you live in Canada, be forwarned that the new model is not approved by CSA (UL equivalent) yet. I found that out the hard way. I too had ordered the old model and had already paid my non-refundable deposit when I stumbled on a woodworking thread that informed me that a new model would be available very soon, and that it had improvements to the fence, which was the only thing that bothered me about the old model. So I contacted my dealer and changed my order to the new model. My check for the balance for the machine and accessories was cashed on July 19th.

On July 27th I was advised by the BC dealer that my new A3 31 would be arriving in Winnipeg Manitoba the next day, and that as soon as it was CSA inspected and approved, it would be on its way to my shop in BC. On August 8th, I was advised that the machine had failed the CSA inspection and that the factory was in the process of sourcing CSA approved switches.

So that was a month ago now, and the dealer can't even offer a guess as to when I will be receiving my machine. He says that finding and replacing the switch shouldn't be a big deal, but he has no idea when the next CSA inspection will happen. I'm not impressed to say the least.

[David Hou]

A few used A3-31 units have popped up around my area in the last several months and I was interested in hearing from those who own the "newer" redesigned units with the new fence and the dual lifting system. Though the dual lifting system seems to improve the overall footprint a little which is important to someone like myself with a small "shop", I'm wondering how much these two improvements would be worth to those of you who have experience with it. The newer fence system seems the more worthwhile improvement of the two.

I'm trying to decide between a new and one of these older used units so would appreciate any insight that you might be able to provide! Some of these are listed between 20-40% off current newer list prices for a point of reference all with low board feet milled.

[John Piwaron]

Why have "a few" of those machines become available? Is there a problem with them? Most likely not, but inquiring minds would like to know.

It's an interesting looking machine, but it appears to weigh about as much as my Unisaw. I was just wondering how such a machine would get into my basement shop. I'd have to have a *very* good reason to even consider replacing my aircraft carrier (Delta DJ-20). Is it possible to disassemble much of the machine in order to move it?

[David Hou]

John - I don't think there is anything inherently wrong or bad about the older style units. Several folks here have them and I've only read good reports to the most part. From my discussions, folks selling them have more to do with personal issues or basically the bad economy forcing a sale.

It is possible to remove the tables but generally not recommended. Though heavy, the overall footprint is still fairly small - just a bit bigger than most 6-8inch jointers so for someone like myself where space is at a premium, it is a worthwhile purchase. There is another thread discussing methods of moving this unit into a basement shop and which others here have also done.

[Curt Harms]

Why have "a few" of those machines become available? Is there a problem with them? Most likely not, but inquiring minds would like to know.

I'm just guessing but perhaps the purchasers found that combo machines were not for them. If one has the room for separates and are more used to that workflow this type machine may not fit their working style.


It's an interesting looking machine, but it appears to weigh about as much as my Unisaw. I was just wondering how such a machine would get into my basement shop. I'd have to have a *very* good reason to even consider replacing my aircraft carrier (Delta DJ-20). Is it possible to disassemble much of the machine in order to move it?

I don't have the Hammer, I have the Jet JJP-12 with straight knives. I have a basement shop with an exterior 'bilco' door entry. The Jet weighs 500 lbs.+ I removed the jointer tables both to make it lighter and also to remove the temptation to use them for lifting. I reattached the tables after moving and didn't do any readjusting. YMMV may vary on that. With the tables removed the base is quite compact but still weighs probably 350-375 lbs. I rented an appliance cart and had a couple friends to help. It was pretty easy going down. Coming back up now, if necessary could be another story. Also bear in mind that I have precast concrete steps. To move something like this down wooden interior steps might require addition supports and bracing.

[John Piwaron]

I only recently acquired my Unisaw. It's the new design with both hand wheels on the front. When it was time to bring it in, I took the handwheels and top off. And the motor out. Even so it was still pretty heavy. I'd guess the base was still 300lbs. It went straight down the stairs on an appliance dolly. The DJ-20 went down in it's crate. The stairs are wood. But I don't think I'd want to take a 600lb object down them. That seems like too much for the stairs as they are.

Hammer/Felder do make some things I'd like. But that's a future consideration. If only they'd open a store in Chicago or Milwaukee.

[Ryan Mooney]

Felder started pushing north american sales better a couple years ago it seems like, so I'd expect like anything people buy stuff and find they don't use it so much as they thought or need some cash. Happens with any tools once there are enough of them around.

Unless I had a MUCH larger shop (for big separates) you could pry my A3-31 from my cold dead hands (unless someone wanted to trade for an A3-41 or an AD741 :D, I'd also take the spiral head, not that I dislike the quick change knives, but... it does look pretty sweet). Even then a 12" jointer is pretty nice, a wider planer may someday be in the cards, but no time soon. I really like the features of the newer model, fence seems pretty good and the tables are pretty easy to raise/lower (although the latch to hold them up is a possible finger pincher if you aren't careful). I've never seen or used the old model though so can't make a reasoned comparison.

There are some people who have moved them down stairs (I've seen the pictures, google search around). Usual setup is to fasten it to a skid and winch it down. Looked kind of adventurous to me (the wider and heavier the skid the better I'd say for balance). Its a bit on the top heavy side so removing the tables should help some, haven't tried that personally.