Fritz & Franz Jig, dimensions?

[Joe Calhoon]

I agree with Chris. A simple F&F with a grippy edge of some sort is the best for all around use. My originals just use a window gasket on the edge and it works as well as a later version I made with the official F&F green edging. I have never felt the need for stops on these. I do ripping using the rip fence pulled back as a bump stop. I would find doing all my rips off the wagon awkward and time consuming. In the event that I need precision rips, usually on mitered pieces I will use the wagon with a parallel stop on the back and a stop extension on the front for narrow rips. I’m using Macs clamps in some of these pictures but the back part of F&F would grip the workpiece as well.

The grippy edge is the whole principle behind these and I think that extruded fences defeats the purpose.
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[Kevin Jenness]

I'm somewhere in the middle. I use the rip fence much of the time pulled back with the F&F jig but I have stops on the jig elements and use them especially for narrow rips where otherwise I would be using the rip fence conventionally with a push stick. I may slice a number of rips off a wide blank with the rip fence and cut the last with the F&F and stops if the falloff is minimal. I use sticky back sandpaper on the aluminum extrusions which serves well for a gripping surface.

I found myself using the jig more after I made my new version with scales and stops.

[Phillip Mitchell]

This is an interesting thread as I don’t have a F&F on my short stroke slider but have certainly wanted to make some cuts that would have been easier with a something like it in place.

Slight thread drift: Anybody do this with an older slider that had the sliding table not directly next to the blade? My sliding table is cast iron and 7.5” to the left of the blade (see photo.) I suppose that would mean a F&F jig that is wide enough to bear more than halfway in the sliding table section and also extend the 7.5” over to the blade. My sliding table is set 0.3mm above the main table. I’m wondering how well a F&F would grip a piece of stock that’s narrow enough to not bear at all on the sliding table and have to slide over the fixed table while being cut. Obviously I could clamp it down from above as it would be clamping down to the fixed table and prevent sliding...

Thoughts?

[Joe Calhoon]

Phillip,
I made a F&F for my short stroke T17. For sure these work better on a slider that is next to the blade. This one runs in the miter groove and the cross fence needs to be in the outfeed side position to work better rather than how it is shown in the picture. In the event this at some point in retirement might be my only saw I made a Tage Frid style straight line ripper and a push jig for safe narrow rips against the fence.

your saw has a miter grove in the slider and that will work better than on mine.

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[John Kananis]

Joe, I'm unfamiliar with the Tage Frid straight line ripper. Can you elaborate?

Phillip,
I made a F&F for my short stroke T17. For sure these work better on a slider that is next to the blade. This one runs in the miter groove and the cross fence needs to be in the outfeed side position to work better rather than how it is shown in the picture. In the event this at some point in retirement might be my only saw I made a Tage Frid style straight line ripper and a push jig for safe narrow rips against the fence.

your saw has a miter grove in the slider and that will work better than on mine.

BB090AD9-DE88-4416-A244-8565CC555A4C.jpg
841785B9-3A1F-4959-B631-3C47D0FE85C9.jpg
A35DA797-0976-48A5-ABE0-D751827116D5.jpg
E07108DF-E3B0-4393-BA2A-1DAA914E0BC2.jpg
19706ED9-1250-467C-8F38-C815488C7A78.jpg
D3E865CB-5BAB-44B9-B342-8C73489C45B7.jpg

[Kevin Jenness]

It's shown in Joe's 3d and 4th pics. An 8"-12" wide by 8'-10' long platform keyed to the miter gauge groove that has a forward stop with a screw poking through to engage with the blank. I got a lot of mileage out of mine before I got a long (8'6") stroke slider. It's not as accurate as a slider wagon but it will get a crooked piece within one light jointer pass of straight.

[Michael Drew]

I appreciate the conversation and sage advice from more experienced users of these machines. I have not spent much time operating my K3, but I already know that it is a game changer. I will have to knock it for what I think is a bizarre design error, and that's the on/off button location. It's positioned where I would kinda expect it to be if it were a traditional cabinet saw. It's awkward to start the saw when I'm to the left side of the slider/wagon. Puts my head in the line of fire if I reach for the button.

I think I'm going to just order some T-tracks, extruded aluminum pieces and a couple Veritas flip stops from Lee Valley that I really like. I can then play around with this stuff and figure out what configuration works best for me. I seem to always have a need for these jig parts, so I'm sure what I don't use for the F&F jig will get used for something, eventually.

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[John Kananis]

It's shown in Joe's 3d and 4th pics. An 8"-12" wide by 8'-10' long platform keyed to the miter gauge groove that has a forward stop with a screw poking through to engage with the blank. I got a lot of mileage out of mine before I got a long (8'6") stroke slider. It's not as accurate as a slider wagon but it will get a crooked piece within one light jointer pass of straight.

Thanks Kevin, I'm assuming you need to remove the outfeed table or route a miter slot all the way through it?

[Greg Quenneville]

Michael the Felder machines typically have the function selector (if installed) and the switches close to the electrical compartment, not where they make good sense from an operating perspective.

If you join the Felder discussion group in the files section there are plans to make a remote switch box with a coil cord that you can clip to your slider’s accessory rail. I think it even has all the McMaster part numbers.

Greg

[Kevin Jenness]

Thanks Kevin, I'm assuming you need to remove the outfeed table or route a miter slot all the way through it?

Yes - I had a wooden outfeed with miter slots running through.

[Joe Calhoon]

John, Kevin describes it perfectly. I used one of these for years on a Unisaw. I had routed grooves in the outfeed table. That worked for sleds also.

[John Kananis]

Good info, guys - thanks!

[Michael Drew]

Michael the Felder machines typically have the function selector (if installed) and the switches close to the electrical compartment, not where they make good sense from an operating perspective.

If you join the Felder discussion group in the files section there are plans to make a remote switch box with a coil cord that you can clip to your slider’s accessory rail. I think it even has all the McMaster part numbers.

Greg

Thanks! That would be great. I asked if I could buy a kit for this saw from Felder, was told they are not available for the Hammer line.

Where is this Felder discussion group? Is this it? https://groups.io/g/felderownersgroup

[Derek Cohen]

I appreciate the conversation and sage advice from more experienced users of these machines. I have not spent much time operating my K3, but I already know that it is a game changer. I will have to knock it for what I think is a bizarre design error, and that's the on/off button location. It's positioned where I would kinda expect it to be if it were a traditional cabinet saw. It's awkward to start the saw when I'm to the left side of the slider/wagon. Puts my head in the line of fire if I reach for the button.

I think I'm going to just order some T-tracks, extruded aluminum pieces and a couple Veritas flip stops from Lee Valley that I really like. I can then play around with this stuff and figure out what configuration works best for me. I seem to always have a need for these jig parts, so I'm sure what I don't use for the F&F jig will get used for something, eventually.

13K1208-veritas-regular-flip-stop-u-01-r.jpg

Michael, after my frustration with the start/off button, I added a paddle switch. I always planned to build something nicer, but this has worked so well, that it has remained.

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Powered...tchPaddle.html

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Lisa Starr]

My saw is an SC2C, not a Felder/Hammer machine, but I too found the location of the on/off switch a bother. After installing a ceiling mounted blade guard, I installed a 2nd On/Off station on that structure. I never use the OEM location any more.