Wakahisa Shinta
04-07-2015, 1:03 PM
Recently, I asked for advice about uncrating a Hammer K3 Winner TS. Since then, the saw was delivered and set up. The freight company put the crate right outside my garage door, after traveling my up-sloping drive way of about 20 yards. If I wanted it, the delivery gentleman would have put the crate in the garage.
Uncrating was not too difficult as the saw came in section and parts. I used an engine hoist and lifted the main unit to the its location slowly. Setting up took me two afternoons, but I were taking my time. The setup videos featuring Harry on YouTube is very helpful, especially his tips on laying out all the nuts, bolts, and washers.
Fully assembled, this saw is completely stationary. The sliding table is smooth without play. The cast iron table is nicely machined. The extension wings (2) are heavy and flat. There were some missing washers, but nothing I couldn't replace by digging through my hardware box. The saw assembly rises and tilts smoothly. Though the travels feel smooth, I can feel the heft of the assembly while turning the wheel. The fence rail is a solid round bar whose weight surprised me the first time I picked it up. If I didn't need it for the saw, I could use it for building some muscle. The fence doesn't flex after lock down. The riving knife is huge and aligned perfectly with the blade.
This one comes with an outrigger and an additional aluminum fence. So, I have two aluminum fences and two flip stops for the sliding table. Setting up the outrigger takes less than a minute. Disassemble it takes the same amount of time.
The one thing that impresses me the most is that all the bolt and screw holes align perfectly. No parts needed extra persuasion with a dead blow hammer. Things fit where they were meant to be. Nirvana!
More surprise! I called Felder's tech support to ask about wiring. It was a simple question that only takes about a minute. Instead, the tech adviser and I had a very long conversation about the machine, operation of a slider, tips on making jig, electrical requirements, etc. That was beyond my expectation and was load of fun!
All in all, this saw is worth every penny I spent on it, so far. Before deciding on it, I contemplated the usual suspects of American style and felt a current Unisaw was plenty of saw for me. My wife disagreed and decided to stretch our budget. It looks to be a lifetime investment.
Uncrating was not too difficult as the saw came in section and parts. I used an engine hoist and lifted the main unit to the its location slowly. Setting up took me two afternoons, but I were taking my time. The setup videos featuring Harry on YouTube is very helpful, especially his tips on laying out all the nuts, bolts, and washers.
Fully assembled, this saw is completely stationary. The sliding table is smooth without play. The cast iron table is nicely machined. The extension wings (2) are heavy and flat. There were some missing washers, but nothing I couldn't replace by digging through my hardware box. The saw assembly rises and tilts smoothly. Though the travels feel smooth, I can feel the heft of the assembly while turning the wheel. The fence rail is a solid round bar whose weight surprised me the first time I picked it up. If I didn't need it for the saw, I could use it for building some muscle. The fence doesn't flex after lock down. The riving knife is huge and aligned perfectly with the blade.
This one comes with an outrigger and an additional aluminum fence. So, I have two aluminum fences and two flip stops for the sliding table. Setting up the outrigger takes less than a minute. Disassemble it takes the same amount of time.
The one thing that impresses me the most is that all the bolt and screw holes align perfectly. No parts needed extra persuasion with a dead blow hammer. Things fit where they were meant to be. Nirvana!
More surprise! I called Felder's tech support to ask about wiring. It was a simple question that only takes about a minute. Instead, the tech adviser and I had a very long conversation about the machine, operation of a slider, tips on making jig, electrical requirements, etc. That was beyond my expectation and was load of fun!
All in all, this saw is worth every penny I spent on it, so far. Before deciding on it, I contemplated the usual suspects of American style and felt a current Unisaw was plenty of saw for me. My wife disagreed and decided to stretch our budget. It looks to be a lifetime investment.