Got her delivered this morning! Delivery was easy as could be.
BCD49C2B-0EC0-4768-B16F-0D9F1A15881B.jpg
And here’s the plug. Says 20a, but the plug looks like its fairly new, so might be a replacement.
1AA2F879-55D4-4D46-8D15-0F53CBD29D6A.jpg
Got her delivered this morning! Delivery was easy as could be.
BCD49C2B-0EC0-4768-B16F-0D9F1A15881B.jpg
And here’s the plug. Says 20a, but the plug looks like its fairly new, so might be a replacement.
1AA2F879-55D4-4D46-8D15-0F53CBD29D6A.jpg
That 20 amp plug looks suspect. I found a spec on this machine that listed it at 4.8 hp that is 220 30 amp circuit territory. There should be some specs listed on the motor plate, 4.8 hp is about 3.53 kW.
On this subject, having assembled many twist lock power cords by hand, and given how ridiculously expensive the twist lock cord ends are now, I was happy to find that you can just buy twist lock extension cords now on Amazon with molded on plug ends, brilliant!
Yea, that's the wrong plug for a 30 amp machine. The 30 amp version "looks" almost identical, but is slightly different in size and will be marked as 30 amps.
That machine looks GREAT!! Congratulations!!!
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
Yeah, I was quite suspect at that plug, hah. My electrician confirmed it's not the correct plug. He'll be replacing it Monday. I'm spending the weekend cleaning the machine, and repainting the welds on the added casters. Excited to get this setup and put to good use!
Be sure to tin (harden) the ends of the wires, that go under the lugs in the plug, with rosin core solder. Just putting the stranded wires in there is not a really good, long term solution, especially if the plug gets moved around much.
Tinning the wire is a bad idea and tinning ground wires is prohibited. A 220v 30 amp circuit can easily get hot enough to melt solder, a clamped tinned wire connection might seem tight until the solder is melted then the wire may fall right out. Ditto for soldering on crimp connectors vs crimping. Tinning wires is fine in electronics where there's not enough current to melt the solder.
If you're looking for a good solid 8" jointer with a helical head, I would recommend the Jet 8" (HH model). Mine is about 5 years old. I did have a problem with the cooling fan on the motor but the company that owns Jet sent a local third party company out to service and nothing else has gone wrong. It does a great job both edge and face jointing. I rarely encounter boards wider than 8" so I find I can face joint just about all the boards I buy. If I need to flatten something wider I have found a place that will drum sand or plane it for a reasonable price. So, I highly recommend the Jet. I don't believe you get that much more with the Powermatic - same company - little better fit and finish - more cutters on the head which didn't seem to make much difference when I tried them before buying.
The combo machines are very desirable, but with a basement shop, I just couldn't get it down into my shop without problems.
I have never regretted buying the Jet. Even an 8" jointer greatly improves capability to flatten and joint boards square.
Having sais all of that, I always recommend buying the widest jointer you can afford. If you don't already have a good planer, then a combo machine may be a great choice.
Congratulations. That's a great looking machine.
Thanks, everyone! Had her up and running today. Everything is running great.
I posted up my DeWalt 735x on Craigslist and it seems its going to sell pretty quickly. Going to miss that thing a bit, hah. Hopefully my arm doesn't fall off from cranking this thing up and down
Speaking of which. I really want to automate the crank. I've seen a few threads on the subject, but not sure anyone succeeded at it. Any info would be greatly appreciated!
The solution to the "Cranking" thing...batch process lumber.
Some folks have been able to utilize a cordless drill/driver to raise and lower a planer bed...it's a matter of getting something on the center of shaft that you can drive with a socket.
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
The cranking is pretty annoying, but it's a small price to pay.
Bumbling forward into the unknown.
I use my Festool tracksaw to get that straight smooth edge. If shop space is an issue then seriously consider this as an option.
Steve,
I use my Makita track saw for that all the time. Works like a charm! Though I do need to buy a longer track sometime soon.
As for the FS41, I had contacted SCM about the Euro style guard, and they said it's no longer being produced. So I guess I'm stuck with the pork chop. Not that big of deal, but I was interested in testing out the euro style one. Oh well.
I think the FS41 Elite bridge guard is made in France by a third party, not SCM. I believe it's the same as the one as the Hammer A3-31.