Felder ad741

[doctor Bob]

Hi,
Has anyone got this felder PT, I'm thinking about buying one just want to know if there is anything I should be looking out for. It will be a secondary machine as 90% of my sawn stuff goes through a 4 sider.

Thanks

Regards Bobby

 

[HOJ]

No experience of this particular machine, but I am looking to get away from a combination unit, its a pain swinging the top over every time I need to use the thicknesser, or vice versa.

I am looking for a stand alone thicknesser, for when I relocate to my new workshop, which is another story.

 

[doctor Bob]

Separates for me would be a waste of money, every thing goes through the 4 sider apart from when we are doing worktops and I have really wide boards and need a perfect edge. Not really enough space as well, even though I have 3500 sq ft it's very "full"

 

[Mark-numbers]

Bob - I went to the felder open day a couple of weeks back. In all fairness the Felder machines are robust and solid (hence why I have bought a Profit H08)

Hammer not so much.

Be aware if you aren't already - once you register an interest they set the salesmen on you, and they can be quite relentless although they are lovely guys to be fair.

 

[PAC1]

Choose the cutter block carefully. The standard is 2 knives for any use that is! There are three main choices Four knives, Tersa or silent power. I went with Tersa the advantage is speed of setting up. I can change the blades in 5 minutes. You can also keep a set for when you might damage a blade. I keep the best of an old set. You might also want to think about getting the motorised lift on the thicknesser (be sat down when you ask the price). It is a PITA to wind from 180mm - 200mm (needed to allow the Planner mode) to say 25mm and then back down.. Also get table extensions. If you are planning anything over 8' infeed and outfeed extensions are welcome.
Another option if it is not your main machine is the mortiser accessory.

 

[Doug B]

As Mark said they are solid & robust, the only thing I didn't like on the one I used a few times was the lever adjustment on the depth of cut when surface planing, I found it hard to adjust accurately but then I'm used to the adjustment wheel on my Wadkin which for me is far easier to use.

The four knife block left an excellent finish & I'm guessing you'd go for Tersa as standard.

 

[HOJ]

It is a PITA to wind from 180mm - 200mm (needed to allow the Planner mode) to say 25mm and then back down..

On my PT I tapped and trapped a 6mm bolt into the middle of the hand wheel, and use a 10mm socket chucked in my cordless drill, on slow speed, to wind the thicknesser bed up and down , saves a lot of arm ache and a cheaper solution.

 

[custard]

I've got that P/T as part of a universal (at least i think it's that one, about 405mm wide?). The main option to get is the motorised rise and fall for the thicknesser table with the digital read out. I use a lot of difficult timbers and the results are terrific from the four knife planer block that I use. It's also a big help being able to run a 0.1mm cut on the thicknesser without getting marks from the drive rollers like you do on many thicknessers.

 

[PAC1]

It is a PITA to wind from 180mm - 200mm (needed to allow the Planner mode) to say 25mm and then back down..

On my PT I tapped and trapped a 6mm bolt into the middle of the hand wheel, and use a 10mm socket chucked in my cordless drill, on slow speed, to wind the thicknesser bed up and down , saves a lot of arm ache and a cheaper solution.

HOJ was that on a Felder? because on most Felders the hand wheel incorporates the thickness gauge if you put a bolt in the centre of the hand wheel you lose the gauge and so cannot set the thickness to the nearest 0.1mm. A brilliant idea though.

 

[Peter Sefton]

Bob I have had the A741 in my workshop for a couple of years, I opted for the surfacer only although for most people the under/over would be a better option.

The surfacer has been very good I have the Felder quick change four knife block, it takes between 5 to 15 minutes to swap out the knifes. Half that time is getting the kit organised and cleaning the resin or dust off the block.

My only negative comment is that the infeed adjuster is to clever and flimsy. It's a plastic housed double lined viewer which only takes one good knock with a 4"x2" to knock off.

The fence can be a little tricky to adjust back to 90 degrees after doing angle work but I only do this for demo purposes, we have better bits of kit in the shop for chamfers.

Iv'e had the Hammer 410 under over for ten years and it's been very good so I am sure the AD741 would be even better.

Cheers Peter

 

[HOJ]

PAC

No, not on a felder, mounted the digital gauge behind the hand wheel on the machine I use.