Hammer A3 noise...

[Steve Wurster]

My Hammer A3 31 just started making this clicking noise when running; see video at link HERE. It happens in both jointer and planer mode, so it's not related to the planer rollers. The belt seems to have the right amount of tension, and if I turn the belt by hand then I can hear some clicking coming from either the motor or the pulley (not sure which). Otherwise the unit seems to work perfectly fine, and I'm still able to joint and plane pieces without problem.

Is my motor going bad? This thing is only about 3 years old, and I'm a hobbyist that doesn't put in all that much time in the shop. One would hope the motor isn't dying already. Any ideas?

I haven't yet called Felder support, but I am going to post this in the Felder Group USA Support thread here on the Creek.

[Dan Friedrichs]

Can't quite hear what the problem is. Is it that low-frequency noise that is most obvious around 0:12?

Have you tried disengaging the planer feed rollers (via the lever) to see if that changes it?

[John TenEyck]

Check the pulleys on both the planer head and motor to see if the set screws are tight and the pulleys in proper alignment. My cheap TS makes a sound like that if/when the set screw in the pulley on the arbor gets loose.

John

[Brian Holcombe]

Belts might be starting to break.

[Steve Wurster]

Can't quite hear what the problem is. Is it that low-frequency noise that is most obvious around 0:12?

Have you tried disengaging the planer feed rollers (via the lever) to see if that changes it?

Yes, it's that "rat-a-tat-tat" sound that's very prominent near the end as the cutter head is stopping. That's completely new; it never did that in nearly 3 years of ownership. And the planer rollers are not engaged here, however the exact same sound occurs regardless.

[Steve Wurster]

Check the pulleys on both the planer head and motor to see if the set screws are tight and the pulleys in proper alignment. My cheap TS makes a sound like that if/when the set screw in the pulley on the arbor gets loose.

John

I'll have to check that, however I'm not sure how this belt comes off! The tension mechanism on this thing seems strange, and a quick glance at the manual didn't seem to be much help. I'll have to look at that again. And I think even reaching the pulley on the planer head is difficult, unfortunately.

[Steve Wurster]

Belts might be starting to break.

Once I get the belt off I can take a look. Plus removing the belt will let me know if the problem is in the motor or the cutterhead, since I'll be able to run the motor on its own.

[Tim Derr]

Hey Steve,

Have the link for your video in and have a ticket into service to give you a call and see what they can do on this.

All the best

[Steve Wurster]

Hey Steve,

Have the link for your video in and have a ticket into service to give you a call and see what they can do on this.

All the best

Thanks. I think it's something at the cutterhead level. I got the belt off yesterday and the motor sounded just fine on its own (just a nice quiet hum). After putting the belt back on and running the whole unit again, I get that noise. I'm hoping it's not a bearing... but you never know!

[Brian Holcombe]

Is there a piece of wood caught somewhere?

[Steve Wurster]

Is there a piece of wood caught somewhere?

Not that I can see or hear. There's nothing stuck in the dust collector shroud that I'm aware of, especially since the noise happens regardless of the position of that shroud.

And I don't see anything stuck to the cutterhead (it's a spiral head; not much room on it for any pieces to hide anyway). Plus if I free spin the cutterhead (without the belt) then I don't get any obvious noises. There is a very faint clicking sound coming from the back part of the cutterhead when I do that, which makes me think (and fear) that it might be that bearing.

Felder support has gotten in touch with me, although I wasn't able to answer when they called. They sent me an email as well and I replied to that a little bit ago.

[john lawson]

That sounds like a 1 to 1 vibration or knock that is related to interference from the cutter head. On my Rojeck there is a piece of metal that projects from the left table (I think). It acts to bridge the gap between the two tables and is made of aluminum; that piece of metal is susceptible to being easily bent when the table is raised or lowered. Anyway, mine was bent. The other way I have seen this happen is when resetting the knife blades and allowing them to slide to far one way or the other. That knife blade winds up hitting part of the stationary part of the top.
Anyway, the first time it happened it really startled me and I finally figured out what it was. I know your machine has inserts so I would start looking for a piece of sheet metal or anything that could have been moved or bent that is now in the path of the cutter head.

[Steve Wurster]

That sounds like a 1 to 1 vibration or knock that is related to interference from the cutter head. On my Rojeck there is a piece of metal that projects from the left table (I think). It acts to bridge the gap between the two tables and is made of aluminum; that piece of metal is susceptible to being easily bent when the table is raised or lowered. Anyway, mine was bent. The other way I have seen this happen is when resetting the knife blades and allowing them to slide to far one way or the other. That knife blade winds up hitting part of the stationary part of the top.
Anyway, the first time it happened it really startled me and I finally figured out what it was. I know your machine has inserts so I would start looking for a piece of sheet metal or anything that could have been moved or bent that is now in the path of the cutter head.

I haven't noticed any interference with the cutter head. If I remove the belt and free-spin the cutterhead via its pulley there is no banging of any kind. At this point I'm thinking this is motor-related, because there is still *some* noise when I run the motor on its own (not connected to the belt). But that banging sound that is just so obvious when the motor spins down totally makes it seem like something is indeed banging around; I'm just not able to figure out where. I do wonder if this is vibration related, but, again, I can't tell where. I even tried using a stethoscope to help narrow down the source, but to no avail.

I've been in touch with Felder support and checked out a few things. I recorded a video of just the motor running and sent that to them yesterday. Hopefully we can figure out the problem soon.

[Erik Loza]

I wonder if the cooling fan has slipped off its arbor a little bit and it hitting the inside of the fan shroud? That was not-uncommon occurrence with bandsaws back in my Minimax days. Doesn't really hurt anything but makes an annoying racket.

Erik

[Tim Derr]

Curious to hear what is going on. Glad service got in touch with you.