Steff 2034 Roller or 2038CI Belt Power Feeder

[Jeff Finn]

I'm purchasing a new power feeder for a new 5HP shaper. After all my research and reading other forums on this site, I've settled in on purchasing a nice Steff 1HP unit. I've got an option to get a 2034 that has 3 rollers or the 2038CI which has a belt drive for the same price. Does anyone have experience with belt drives? Is there a disadvantage to the belts? I like the spec of the 2038 in that is has 8 speeds. I'll primarily use the feeder for making doors or trim moldings. Can I turn a belt drive unit vertical vertical against the fence? I've read some articles that people really like the belts for feeding short pieces but I don't think that will be an issue for me as the smallest doors I make are typically about 12".

[J.R. Rutter]

I have a 2034 that I converted to belt drive with a Western Roller kit. It does a good job with rails. I have not tried it on the panel shaper. The belt does not exert a whole lot of pressure between rollers, but it does ease the transition and avoids abrupt movements that can cause short parts to lift into the cutter. I am not familiar with the 2038CI, but it looks just like the setup that I have: a triple groove aluminum wheel with poly belts running in the grooves. Yes, you can turn it so that it runs along the fence. The belts do get stretched out over time and need to be replaced. This may be a function of hours of use though, so if you use it hard enough to wear out belts, then replacing them is not a big deal.

[Stephen Cherry]

Of course, JR is a hard act to follow on anything shaper related. But I woud say that I would go for the 2038 for the extra speeds. Even though the 2034 is the 4 speed which has four speeds, you need to change some gears around to use them, so for someone like me, it really has only two that will be used, fast and slow with the switch. The 2038 will have 4 speeds without getting out a wrench. Plus, even if the belt does not work for you, I'm pretty sure you could just get some western roller rollers and use it that way. If the other feeder is not new, it may need rollers anyway. In my limited experience, the original rollers are not that great compared to the aftermarket rollers. Plus, a little wax helps also.

[Jeff Duncan]

I do have the belts.....I just haven't ever used them;>) They came with one of my feeders so they're sitting on the shelf for the day when I need them. I don't know if there's any real disadvantage to them, but one thing that comes to mind is on certain operations where I've had the wheels straddling the cutter. Can't do that with the belts...well without chewing them up anyway! Now there may be ways around this, as there's always more than one way to accomplish something, it's just one thing to keep in mind.

Oh and I'm also a fan of more speeds, especially at the lower end.

good luck,
JeffD

[Jeff Finn]

Thanks Guys. I ended up getting the Steff 2038 belt feeder. It seems to work very well so far for the few jobs I've thrown at it and i'm impressed with how well it holds the parts. I do like the added speed flexibility. Thanks for the recommendations!