Steve Wurster
05-01-2016, 8:35 PM
I placed my order for a Hammer A3-31 J/P machine with Helix head at the beginning of April. By some stroke of luck, it arrived at Felder's warehouse in Delaware 2 weeks ago. After a premature start by the guys in Delaware, and a strange delay by the shipping company, it arrived at my house on Friday. I knew these things were packed well, but until I saw it in person I could not believe the almost industrial level of packaging. That's 785 pounds of wood and metal sitting in my garage.
336738
On Saturday, my Dad and one of his best friends came over to help me move this into my basement. His buddy has been working with trucks and/or rigging for the majority of his career, so we knew he would know what to do. We removed the framing and were left with just the main unit on its wood and metal pallet. I had already taken the boxes with accessories and the fence down into my shop on Friday and Saturday.
336741
The best access for us is through a bilco door, with a slightly greater than 45 degree downward slope. Scary to say the least. During this past week I built what was effectively a two-piece ramp; one sheet of plywood that laid on the steps, and another below it that flattened the angle and allowed the unit to come into the basement. We added 2x4s on the side for guides after the unit was put in place at the top.
336742
We put straps around the unit under the tables, secured them to a chain, and hooked that to the front of my Dad's truck. With the help of the pallet jack, we slid the unit onto the edge of the stairs until it was ready to tip. Then we just slowly moved the truck forward as gravity took over. There's my Dad's buddy guiding the process. I'm out of frame on the left, pulling on a set of straps in order to keep things aligned. The truck is coming in from the right, so if we didn't use those other straps to change the angle, the whole unit would have tipped over.
336743336740
After a little while it made its way to the second part of the ramp. The metal brackets that are the bottom of the pallet dug into the lower ramp, but some prying on the pallet with a 2x4, me pushing on the upper part with my foot, and the slow movement of the truck, let us get it all the way into the basement.
336737
From there, we got it back on the pallet jack, moved it into my shop, installed the wheel kit, and called it a success. I put the plug on that evening and verified it worked; it purred like a kitten. I also checked the jointer tables; they are incredibly flat, coplanar, and the outfeed table is perfectly aligned with the cutter head.
336739
I installed the table extension brackets and one extension table today, and tested out all functions. I got an extremely tiny amount of snipe when planing; I can feel it, but I cannot see it unless the angle and lighting are just right. I still have to install the "digital" handwheel. And of course I have to get rid of the rest of the packaging; my car is parked in the driveway, in the rain, instead of in the garage bay.
A big thanks goes out to all those on here who helped me with my decision. I'm sure I'll enjoy this for many years to come. A bigger thanks of course goes to my Dad and his buddy; the next rounds of golf are on me. And I can definitely tell you this: I'm not moving anytime soon!
336738
On Saturday, my Dad and one of his best friends came over to help me move this into my basement. His buddy has been working with trucks and/or rigging for the majority of his career, so we knew he would know what to do. We removed the framing and were left with just the main unit on its wood and metal pallet. I had already taken the boxes with accessories and the fence down into my shop on Friday and Saturday.
336741
The best access for us is through a bilco door, with a slightly greater than 45 degree downward slope. Scary to say the least. During this past week I built what was effectively a two-piece ramp; one sheet of plywood that laid on the steps, and another below it that flattened the angle and allowed the unit to come into the basement. We added 2x4s on the side for guides after the unit was put in place at the top.
336742
We put straps around the unit under the tables, secured them to a chain, and hooked that to the front of my Dad's truck. With the help of the pallet jack, we slid the unit onto the edge of the stairs until it was ready to tip. Then we just slowly moved the truck forward as gravity took over. There's my Dad's buddy guiding the process. I'm out of frame on the left, pulling on a set of straps in order to keep things aligned. The truck is coming in from the right, so if we didn't use those other straps to change the angle, the whole unit would have tipped over.
336743336740
After a little while it made its way to the second part of the ramp. The metal brackets that are the bottom of the pallet dug into the lower ramp, but some prying on the pallet with a 2x4, me pushing on the upper part with my foot, and the slow movement of the truck, let us get it all the way into the basement.
336737
From there, we got it back on the pallet jack, moved it into my shop, installed the wheel kit, and called it a success. I put the plug on that evening and verified it worked; it purred like a kitten. I also checked the jointer tables; they are incredibly flat, coplanar, and the outfeed table is perfectly aligned with the cutter head.
336739
I installed the table extension brackets and one extension table today, and tested out all functions. I got an extremely tiny amount of snipe when planing; I can feel it, but I cannot see it unless the angle and lighting are just right. I still have to install the "digital" handwheel. And of course I have to get rid of the rest of the packaging; my car is parked in the driveway, in the rain, instead of in the garage bay.
A big thanks goes out to all those on here who helped me with my decision. I'm sure I'll enjoy this for many years to come. A bigger thanks of course goes to my Dad and his buddy; the next rounds of golf are on me. And I can definitely tell you this: I'm not moving anytime soon!