Pinions on Hammer thicknesser table

[Andrei Georgescu]

I turned the crank of the thicknesser too much on my Hammer C3 31 and busted the small conical pinion at the end of the crank shaft. Ordered a spare from Felder and discovered I'm not as strong as I thought I was. These things are made of plastic.
Do all Hammer machines come with plastic pinions?
377258

[Dan Friedrichs]

My C3-31 also has a plastic one (although it's a very hard plastic). I assume it's designed that way on purpose as a "sacrificial failure" part.

[Rod Sheridan]

Yes, it's the "shear pin" in the elevation mechanism................Rod.