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Monster power feeder

PostPosted: 05 Aug 2018, 06:56
by RogerS
Given that I'm going to be running loads of mouldings etc I decided to get a power feeder. The new Co-matic is a lovely bit of kit but a bit out of my price range especially as I wanted to use the power feeder on the planer and table saw as well as the spindle moulder.

After much deliberation, I decided on a Maggi Steff with a humungous 1030mm arm. In theory, you swing it out of the way when you want to cut sheet stuff, wide boards on the table saw. Yeah, as if. This thing weights a ton.

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When it arrived I discovered it was three-phase ( a little bit of information missing from the listing!) but luckily for me not a problem. ;)

I wound it out to the table saw and then discovered a fundamental flaw in my plan. It's just too damn heavy for the wee Hammer tilt-table support which flexes due to leverage at the end of that long arm. That flexing then throws the feeder vertical support out which throws out the angle of the rollers and the available adjustment axes on the feeder are more limited than my old feeder sadly. A couple of Heath Robinson solutions would be either a ratchet strap pulling the support back to the vertical or a bit of timber wedged underneath the arm on the feeder side to lift it back 'true'.

An academic exercise though as thinking it through a bit more I've come to the conclusion that using a power feeder on a table saw could be a bad idea. Seems to me that if you are ripping down a large sawn 9 x2 length of timber then the table saw is the one machine where you need to listen to the sound of the cut and adjust the feed rate accordingly. The last thing you need is a power feeder trying to ram a board through when it's starting to bind against the riving knife due to tensions being released due to the cut.

Looking forward to using it on the planer though.

Re: Monster power feeder

PostPosted: 05 Aug 2018, 07:45
by Mike G
Looks to me like you're setting up for production runs, Roger. Is this just for stuff for your house, or are you (re-)opening a business?

Re: Monster power feeder

PostPosted: 05 Aug 2018, 12:16
by RogerS
It's just stuff for the house. At the last count it was fifteen doors for the house plus architraves. The moulding of same will be of the period and so probably multiple passes with different cutters and also probably built up from several pieces to get the width/profile.

Then there is skirting board for all rooms - at the last count well over 200 m and ditto for the profiling. Then there is the orangerie and last but not least replacement door and windows for the garage aka studio aka workshop. Then we shall see. My philosophy has always been to sell on tools once they have earned their keep and there is no further need for them.

Re: Monster power feeder

PostPosted: 05 Aug 2018, 12:39
by 9fingers
RogerS wrote:It's just stuff for the house. At the last count it was fifteen doors for the house plus architraves. The moulding of same will be of the period and so probably multiple passes with different cutters and also probably built up from several pieces to get the width/profile.

Then there is skirting board for all rooms - at the last count well over 200 m and ditto for the profiling. Then there is the orangerie and last but not least replacement door and windows for the garage aka studio aka workshop. Then we shall see. My philosophy has always been to sell on tools once they have earned their keep and there is no further need for them.


Did you end up with a surplus inverter Roger or maybe you never actually ordered one for the Hammer? That could be pressed into service as variable feed speed and possible torque control for your feeder to maybe make it useful for the saw too?

Bob

Re: Monster power feeder

PostPosted: 05 Aug 2018, 16:36
by RogerS
9fingers wrote:
RogerS wrote:It's just stuff for the house. At the last count it was fifteen doors for the house plus architraves. The moulding of same will be of the period and so probably multiple passes with different cutters and also probably built up from several pieces to get the width/profile.

Then there is skirting board for all rooms - at the last count well over 200 m and ditto for the profiling. Then there is the orangerie and last but not least replacement door and windows for the garage aka studio aka workshop. Then we shall see. My philosophy has always been to sell on tools once they have earned their keep and there is no further need for them.


Did you end up with a surplus inverter Roger or maybe you never actually ordered one for the Hammer? That could be pressed into service as variable feed speed and possible torque control for your feeder to maybe make it useful for the saw too?

Bob



Yes, I do still have the inverter that I bought for the Hammer but intend to sell it. Your idea is an intriguing one but the Hammer doesn't lend itself to a power feeder on the table saw. It's because of the lousy fence that only fixes at one end. Now if it was my old Dewalt then that would be a different story. So if you don't have the power feeder perfectly parallel to the fence then it will most likely force the wood into the fence causing the rip to go all over the place.