Anyone ever try to attach a power feeder to a Sawstop Floating Dust Collection Arm

[Alan Lightstone]

I have a random thought here, and something on my wish list. A number of years ago I bought a Comatic Junior Feeder to use with my router table. I never really used it, as when I purchased the Ready2Rout system there was no way to really mount it. It's not light.

It's been sitting unused for a few years. So a few options I've been mulling over:

1.) Sell the Power Feeder (Anyone interested??)

2.) Buy a Magswitch Power Feeder Magnetic Base Kit: https://mag-tools.com/products/powerfeedermagneticbasekit

And use this to mount it to my SawStop ICS. The problem is that this will cut down a limited crosscut capacity even more as I only have the 32" rails on my Sawstop.

3.) Somehow mount that around my Felder jointer (Unfortunately, I don't see any mounting options to put on the machine itself.) But that would be a nice safety option.

4.) Is this usable as a resaw feeder on my Felder bandsaw?

5.) And a really left-field option that is sounding interesting. Can the Comatic feeder be attached to the SawStop Floating Dust Collection Arm and used with the SawStop ICS? It would be another great safety feature (though perhaps less necessary with the SawStop) and would be awesome to swing out of the way and not reduce capacity.

So lots of left field options. Any thoughts?

[ChrisA Edwards]

I have a Comatic power feeder on my Shaper. Guessing it weighs close to 100lbs with stand and Motörhead.

I cannot think of a method that would be solid enough, short of steel I beams, that would allow a decent size power feeder to be suspended above my Sawstop.

[Erik Loza]

My opinion: Any power feeder will fold that overhead arm like a pretzel.

Regarding using it on your bandsaw, "yes", with a few caveats.

Erik

[Alan Lightstone]

Regarding using it on your bandsaw, "yes", with a few caveats.

Erik

Which are, Erik?

[Alan Lightstone]

My opinion: Any power feeder will fold that overhead arm like a pretzel.

Erik

Really? Sorry to hear that. The floating overhead arm seems pretty stout. But the standard plastic dust collector on it isn't terribly heavy.

[Erik Loza]

Which are, Erik?

I can't find the photos anymore but the setup we ran back in the days of the Austin shop was to mount the feeder (your standard 3-wheel Steff) to an Aigner extension table, which was mounted to the righthand side of the cast iron table on a 24" bandsaw. We would have used a dedicated bandsaw feeder but our Steff needed to work on the shaper, so had to be of the traditional design. The main caveat is that the bandsaw needs to be big and sturdy. I would say no less than 24".


Really? Sorry to hear that. The floating overhead arm seems pretty stout. But the standard plastic dust collector on it isn't terribly heavy.

Trust me: Even if the overhead arm could handle the weight, running your first board would be a TikTok-worthy event. Power feeders really want to be bolted down to a cast iron table. I hope this makes sense.

Erik

[Alex Zeller]

I have a baby 1/8hp powerfeeder that was given to me. Even it needs to be mounted very securely to something solid. It's light enough to move so I have holes in my right extension table on my PM66 and I mounted a very solid piece (maybe 5/16" thick) of L angle to the side of my jointer. To use a PF effectively you really need to put both down force and some force against the fence. I can't see an over arm dust collector having that kind of strength. I've never tried the magnetic base but I assume they work.

I'm not sure how easy you could mount one for resawing on a BS. In my mind I've always used them on the output side of the tool. On a BS you would have to do just the opposite because you would want to put plenty of force pushing the stock against the fence. You wouldn't want to push the gap created by the blade closed by having it on the outfeed side. Also I would think you would want a variable speed feeder, not the style that has preset speeds. Go too fast and you're blade is going to wander. Go too slow and it'll drive you nuts. Since you aren't going to know the exact speed until you actually start cutting you would want to set it slow and speed it up as it's cutting. Not sure which model you have.

[Richard Coers]

A mounting point for a power feeder is not just something to hang it on. The mount has to be able to take the load of compressing the springs in the feeder, AND have enough pressure to keep the wheels from spinning. Erik is right on the money with his advice.

[Rod Sheridan]

I occasionally use a feeder on my jointer.

I swing my saw/shaper around so the feeder is off the back and over the jointer out feed table.

You could always add a mounting bracket to your jointer.

Erik is correct, your overarm guard isn’t strong enough to mount a feeder on…..Regards, Rod

[Alan Lightstone]

I didn't think the overarm guard would be strong enough. Pity, it would be real convenient. I would really like it on the jointer. The bandsaw would be nice, but a jig that I built a few years ago with a great design from here does the trick, but a resaw feeder would be nice.

Even the small model feeder I have is too heavy for me to move between machines. At least with my shop layout.

The AF 32 Junior Feeder is 74 lbs, so while not a total beast like the larger models, it's still no lightweight.

Erik: The bandsaw is the Felder FB710. Still too small for a power feeder?

[Warren Lake]

with a low ceiling I used to fasten feeders to that.welded up an angle iron track that slid in another and then clamped in place, I could slide the feeder back and forth maybe 20" which saved using some of the clunky adjustments on the feeder. Faster and easier, way better mounted there when using the table saw as it wasnt bolted to the saw and not in the way of the fence