Spindle moulders

[marcros]

I was having a look at the hammer spindle saw combo on their site and on YouTube. Looks a good bit of kit, albeit well over budget! It made a feature if the spindle tilting backwards to allow chamfering at any chosen angle.

Is this a feature of all/most spindle moulders? What happens to all used hammer kit? A few months ago I was after a big bandsaw so I set up an eBay search. I bought a big axi one instead, but since then I must only have had 2 hits on "hammer bandsaw" since. There is the odd combination machine listed but surely the kit isn't that rare?

 

[heimlaga]

Well.....I do not know what happens.......
However I know of an all cast iron unit of far superrior quality from a maker with far better reputation which is for sale much below the prize for similar Hammer machines which are in fact Felder's low budget line. For some reason many buyers have the brand names Robland and Hammer stuck in their brains and run past the rest not notising the good deals that may turn up at times.

Most elderly spindle moulders do not have a tilting spindle. Combinations rarely have it to my knowledge. My Stenberg combination from 1957 does not have it and for my semi-professional use I can make most chamfers by setting the chamfering knives at different angles in my euro head. When I find a chamfering head for a decent prize secondhand I will buy it to speed up production a bit as it would be easier to set rapidly.

Just my thoughts........ do your own choices according to your needs not mine........

 

[RogerS]

Personally I prefer a spindle to tilt forwards as that lets you cut deeper profiles. I don't think that a backwards tilt will do this ...but I could be wrong!

 

[Peter Sefton]

I think the Hammer saw/spindle is a good combination, keeping the planer separate is always a good idea if possible.
Hammer/Felder kit doesn't come on the second hand market much as people tend to keep them but you can look here http://www.number-1-mm.co.uk/en/en_GB/index.htm.l
The tilt can be useful but not essential, I prefer the backward tilt as I like to keep the cutters covered by the timber acting as an extra guard.

Cheers Peter

 

[Jojo]

I agree felder are excellent machines but they actually own hammer they are just a other range they produce. You will find a few machines on both eBay and gumtree if you keep an eye open

Joh

 

[deema]

Hammer and Felder seem to have a good reputation. I have not personally used them, however I have seen them and looked at their construction. Wood working and aluminium in my humble opinion are not good bed follows for any really serious usage. I have in making up my collection of machines spent a good deal of time talking to machine brokers. You will often find Wadkin, Robinson, and modern day Sedgwicks for sale second hand at dealers that will after 50 years usage still have capacity for another lifetime of making bits. I have not seen many modern day machines with aluminium parts for sale. Why? Well aluminium is light, easy to machine and extrude, but has very poor wear characteristics compared with cast iron.

I would recommend a vintage machine, with a variable angle block. Significantly cheaper, and will last for ever.

 

[marcros]

Are there any vintage machines that combine spindle with saw though?

 

[Peter Sefton]

Are there any vintage machines that combine spindle with saw though?

Not that I have ever seen, its true Wadkin and machines of that vintage were built like battle ships, but this was also their down fall they will still be around 50 to 80 years after manufacture but technology moves on dust extraction, noise levels, braking. I still have one Wadkin and have had and used many over the years and remember them with affection and admiration but some users require smaller, quieter single phase kit.

 

[G S Haydon]

Bandsaw, surface planer, circular saw, spindle moulder and borer? A truly universal woodworker

 

[Peter Sefton]

It may need a small modification to the band saw guard to be used in my training workshop.
Cheers Peter

 

[G S Haydon]

To true Peter, not something I own but a very fun historical piece.

 

[deema]

All I can say is wow, what a beautiful machine, and truly well done on the restoration.

 

[marcus]

Second hand combined saw-spindles are (in my experience of trying to find one for myself) like hen's teeth. I looked for about two years and gave up. New ones aren't that common either. Rojek used to do a compact one, but that wasn't on sale in the UK last time I looked. Beyond that you is was looking at makes like Minimax and Robland, which were more than I could afford, but decent quality kit; I would choose minimax over Hammer if the prices were similar....

Strange to me that their aren't more about as they seem like a no-brainer for the smaller professional workshop.

 

[marcros]

There are a few new ones to the market now- scheppach have launched one (may be something else rebranded) and kity did one, although model details are nigh on impossible to track down. The scheppach isn't cheap though- I would be persuaded to go secondhand for less money and get the minimal etc.

I have decided to build a bit of a combo machine for now. It isn't the same thing by any means, but the kity 618 will cut to 95mm with the max blade and runs off a 13a plug. I am going to make a beismeyer fence and put a router lift in the extension. Total outlay will be c£5-600 (350 without the router lift) but it will keep me going for a few years, and should do everything I need it to. It isn't a spindle, but will do most of what I want it to.