Felder AD941: Would Appreciate Hearing Pros/Cons From Folks Who Own One...

[Izzy Charo]

Hello,
I've been looking at this as an upgrade from my DJ20 (8 inch) jointer and 15 inch Griz planer. As a hobbyist, Felder seems like a significant step up,,especially their 9-series, from my current machines. But I've read some threads in which folks have had issues with Felder, and I'd appreciate hearing from those who have had this machine. Specifically, did you pay to have Felder "commission" the machine, and if so did you think it was worth it? Were the tables flat, and is the adjustment to make them coplanar difficult? Any problems with the motorized table or digital readouts?
I realize that Felder is not in the Martin class, but neither is my budget.... I've thought about SCMI, but have been put off by stories about their customer service for machines in this price range.
Thanks for sharing your experience,
Izzy Charo
Lafayette, CA

[Michael Koons]

Izzy - I've had one for 3 years and have had great luck with it. The digital readout is dead-accurate and the motorized table works well. I did not have Felder commission it and the tables were a little out of whack, but it wasn't hard getting them aligned and coplaner.

I did have a problem with the cutter head guard scraping against my workpiece and causing an awful screeching sound, but i was able to fix that relatively easily once I identified the problem.

I personally think the fence system is a little flimsy for such an expensive tool. It flexes a little bit too much in my opinion, but I can't say it's affected my work.

Converting from jointing to planing is pretty easy and takes under 30 seconds.

Overall, I like the tool and am happy with the purchase.

[Izzy Charo]

Thanks Michael...very helpful. Did you check the infeed/outfeed tables for flatness? Looking forward to hearing other's experience with this machine, and Felder CS in general.
Izzy

[Ryan Pappas]

I just got mine delivered about a month ago. I went with the three phase option and got a phase converter. So far it has been amazing. Felder customer service has been great. I dealt with Steven and he probably got tired of hearing from me but was very helpful. I had a small hiccup as far as delivery goes but it wasn’t fully felder’s fault but they still gave me a $100 credit to use later on. Doesn’t sound like much when the machines cost so much but it was better than nothing.

[Michael Koons]

I have checked flatness with feeler gauges. Tables were flat.

[Greg Parrish]

My post might have been one of the ones you are referring to regarding my hammer A3-31. Not nearly a 9 series Felder machine but still a huge step up for my shop. To get someone to come to my shop the estimate started at $1,300. That didn’t include airfare but you basically pay an hourly rate for travel, the service etc. I couldn’t justify that cost but found a very helpful service person that provided some self recorded videos to guide me through getting my unit sorted out. I’m pretty happy with mine now and am using it with a smile. Still going through some learning curve due to differences over my last machines, and still need to do some very fine adjustment work, but overall I’m a happy camper. Good luck.

[Patrick Walsh]

My tables are out of flat to the tune of .010 or whatever. They have dips valleys and high spots all over. I’m not sure how but the machine cuts well so long as you avoid these couple areas when edge jointing boards around .75” or less.

I can’t feed two boards side by side through the planer without one getting stuck inside the machine although I can put calipers on a workpiece I fed through the right side and one o fed through the lest side and I get the same exact reading. I suspect this has to do with pressure rollers. I don’t mess with it though as the machine was adjusted this way by Felder as a result of it sending boards through at a angle and being thrown abruptly into the iside or the machine often handing up on one of the temple bolts.

The planer also makes very loud chattering screeching noises not all the time but often when planing. Supergleit does not fix it.

Sadly the machine works well enough to build stuff, not bad enough that I was able to convince Felder to replace the machine but far from what I call exceptible for a new piece of equipment.

I could mess around with the settings regarding the planer pressure rolls but I figure don’t poke a hungry animal.

[Jim Becker]

The Felder is an excellent machine and the AD941 in particular is well liked. I'm very much a fan of the J/P combo for the small woodshop where higher matched width capacities combined with space advantages can be advantageous. And the "pain of switchover" is pretty much a myth, IMHO...maybe a minute tops.

That said, there's no harm in getting a comparable quote for an SCM/Minimax equivalent from Sam Blasco...who does some of the best customer support on the planet. I've had excellent support over the years.

--

Sam Blasco
sam.blasco@scmgroup.com
512-931-1962 (shop)
512-796-3036 (mobile)
866-216-2166 (main office/parts/tech services)
www.minimax-usa.com

[Patrick Walsh]

I agree with Jim,

Sure separates are faster but but barely, a combo hardly slows me down anymore than any other function or workflow issue in a shop. If anything it gives you a second to stop and ponder what you are doing or what is next.

I was just using my AD941 and I was thinking about this thread. I had the thought or rather memory of the first few months using the machine after my previous and only experience with a planer being a Dewalt lunch box planer. Once Felder got the machine cuttting properly I was tickled pink how nice the machine was by comparison. I had also been using a 6” Yates jointer that was like 36” long with zero dust collection and straight knives.

The fact is the problems I had with my machine and how little Felder was “Really” willing to tend to them left a very bad taste in my mouth regarding the machine. In the Ned thought it is a huge step up from my previous dewalt. Yes I still get mad at tit when for instance and just this morning I found a new rise in the leading edge of the planer table that causes the stock to jump a bit. So far I can’t see it effects the cut but it is just more of the same with Felder and to be honest really disappointing as on a jointer or planer you would think flat castings would be a given. If you were gonna fail or cut corners wouldn’t you do it somewhere else.

Now compare the AD 941 in planer mode to the next 24” Class 600 series SCM machine we just got at work with dual rubber rollers and the AD941 really is a pile of comparison much like the jump from the dewalt to the AD.

What I’m trying to say is the AD941 is a pretty nice machine and would be a good machine for hobby use or a single man shop “IF” you get a good one with flat tables and it comes calibrated properly or you know how to adjust the machine yourself.

If you get a bad one like any machine it’s a giant pile you just dropped $11K on.

If I had it to do again I’d go with the Scmi machine “3” so I can get digital read out. Throw a VFD on it and be done. The fact is the SCM stuff runs simular risks but in the end if you get a bad machine form either company your gonna be stuck holding the buck in the end as neither company is gonna take the machine back. Sure Felder will stroke the problem like they actually care to fix it “until they can’t” then they will say after a long long battle “ok we will take the machine back for a 20% restock fee and shipping is on you”.

Depending where you are you can pay most SCM dealers to setup the machine should it need it just as you can commission Felder.

[Izzy Charo]

Thanks for all of the detailed input...much appreciated! I own an MM16 bandsaw that I was fortunate enough to buy lightly used, and love it,,,so I'm not adverse to the idea of a MiniMax J/P... and Sam Blasco was very helpful and responsive when I reached out to him, even though it didn't represent a sale for SCM. The issue with SCM for me is that they don't have a dealer near San Francisco, and there is a pretty sad story on either this Forum, or perhaps over on Woodnet (OP, Pondracer), about an SCM machine delivered damaged to a hobbyist, and the nightmare that followed...despite Sam's attempts to help. At least with Felder the dealer is in Sacramento, and I can examine the machine (as best I can) before accepting it... I will definitely be doing that!

[Jim Becker]

Izzy, be careful about anything absolute about the delivery story. If I'm not mistaking, there's more to it than meets the eye. Regardless, there were changes made subsequent to that relative to direct delivery terms. That said, a showroom is worth a lot for sure!