Combination Planer/Jointer

[RichieP_MechE]

Anyone have one or used one before? There is a Hammer A3 31 in great condition for sale near me locally and I am pretty intrigued by it. I've never owned a jointer or planer but have used a Grizzly planer and jointer at my day job before. The Hammer is a 12 inch machine, seems like plenty for the joiner but maybe a little limiting on the planer side (though lunchbox planers are a similar size and it seems like folks get a lot done with them). I have limited floor space for large equipment so that's why I'm interested in a combo machine as opposed to separate ones.

 

[MikeK]

I have the SCM FS 30 G with Tersa knives and couldn't be happier with it. When I ordered it, the Tersa knife version was in stock at the distributor's warehouse with a two-day delivery. If I wanted the Xylent version (spiral carbide cutters), the lead time was six to eight months. The cost of the Xylent version was about 750 Euros more than the Tersa version.

I would have been happy with the Hammer A3 31 if I could have found one, but in my experience, Felder is not hobbyist friendly. I started down the Felder/Hammer path when I was shopping for a sliding saw. The lead time for the K3 Basic was 90-120 days after full payment and I had to make my own arrangements for transportation, installation, and commissioning. Instead, I bought the SCM SC2C saw from a local distributor. The delivery time was one week and the price included delivery, installation, and commissioning. The price was about the same as the K3.

I know the spiral and helical versions of the combination machines are all the rage in the US, but in Germany I have never seen one in use. All of the professional shops I visited over the past 15 years use the Tersa knives because they are less expensive than a set of carbide cutters, easy and fast to change, and don't require any adjustment. I can change the three knives in my machine and be operational in just under one minute.

The FS 30 G is the smaller version of the FS 30 C and is perfect for my basement shop. When not in use, it fits in the corner at the end of my mitersaw workstation. My version doesn't have a mobility kit, so I made my own using commonly available material from the local hardware store.

Regardless of which machine you buy, you will likely need a robust chip/dust extractor. I can fill a 35-gallon collection bin in about ten minutes when I'm processing a lot of lumber.

 

[zimman]

I have the SCM FS 30 G with Tersa knives and couldn't be happier with it. When I ordered it, the Tersa knife version was in stock at the distributor's warehouse with a two-day delivery. If I wanted the Xylent version (spiral carbide cutters), the lead time was six to eight months. The cost of the Xylent version was about 750 Euros more than the Tersa version.

I would have been happy with the Hammer A3 31 if I could have found one, but in my experience, Felder is not hobbyist friendly. I started down the Felder/Hammer path when I was shopping for a sliding saw. The lead time for the K3 Basic was 90-120 days after full payment and I had to make my own arrangements for transportation, installation, and commissioning. Instead, I bought the SCM SC2C saw from a local distributor. The delivery time was one week and the price included delivery, installation, and commissioning. The price was about the same as the K3.

I know the spiral and helical versions of the combination machines are all the rage in the US, but in Germany I have never seen one in use. All of the professional shops I visited over the past 15 years use the Tersa knives because they are less expensive than a set of carbide cutters, easy and fast to change, and don't require any adjustment. I can change the three knives in my machine and be operational in just under one minute.

The FS 30 G is the smaller version of the FS 30 C and is perfect for my basement shop. When not in use, it fits in the corner at the end of my mitersaw workstation. My version doesn't have a mobility kit, so I made my own using commonly available material from the local hardware store.

Regardless of which machine you buy, you will likely need a robust chip/dust extractor. I can fill a 35-gallon collection bin in about ten minutes when I'm processing a lot of lumber.

How did I know you were in Germany without you telling me you were in Germany. Nice shop!
Zim

 

[loganb]

Played with a Hammer, used the SCM version at work before...wouldn't hesitate to buy either if in good shape and price was reasonable. A combo machine like that is on my wish list....go for it!

 

[paulsomlo]

I have a 12" Minimax with Tersa cutterhead - no complaints, but you do want to plan your work so that you're not going back and forth between planer and jointer.

 

[MikeK]

How did I know you were in Germany without you telling me you were in Germany. Nice shop!
Zim

Thank you! Could the clue be the 400V 3-phase power distribution common in all houses here?

 

[zimman]

Thank you! Could the clue be the 400V 3-phase power distribution common in all houses here?

Yes and it's absolutely spotless clean. I'm German descent and spent some time in Stuttgart. Loved every minute.
Zim

 

[SaintPanzer]

I have an old Inca 570 with Tersa Heads.

I also have a separate 15 inch Grizzly planer, so I normally just use the Inca for jointing. The Grizzly planer has the spiral carbide blades.

Biggest advantage of the spiral blades is they are a little quieter, and they require less power than the straight blades. Biggest advantage of the Tersa heads is speed in changing. This is not only important to keep them sharp, but I can change the blades based on wood type. They now make a spiral cutter head for the 570, but I haven't felt the "need" to change.

That said, if I didn't have a planer, I could make the combo machine work. Certainly, if I didn't already own the planer, I would have looked for a Hammer. I originally bought the planer to supplement my since sold 6 inch Delta jointer. Here is the important point that I've learned:

Jointing a board flat (or reasonably flat) on the jointer is critical. I'd rather have a wide jointer and a similarly sized planer than the narrow jointer and really wide planer that I had. The 15 inch planer that I have is nice, but I don't normally put that wide of a board through it. Matching the jointer size is much more useful to me.

I like my Inca, but if a Hammer had come along at a good price at the time, I would have bought one. I was also looking at the similar Laguna set up. It just turned out that the Inca popped up at a good price near my house, and it happens to match my Inca 2200 table saw and 360 band saw. As far as the "going back and forth" goes, yes, plan ahead. I have to do that anyways because right now I have a small shop, and I have to spend time disconnecting the dust control hose, and then wheeling the machines around and reconnecting the hose instead of just flipping tables. Probably takes the same amount of time. Someday I'll have a big enough shop that I won't have to do that... but not today.

 

[MikeK]

Biggest advantage of the Tersa heads is speed in changing. This is not only important to keep them sharp, but I can change the blades based on wood type.

I do the same with my machine and bought a two sets of M+, HSS, carbide, and chrome knives to cover any type of wood available to me. So far, the chrome knives that came with the machine are still cutting everything I pass through them and I haven't needed to flip them over.

As far as the "going back and forth" goes, yes, plan ahead. I have to do that anyways because right now I have a small shop, and I have to spend time disconnecting the dust control hose, and then wheeling the machines around and reconnecting the hose instead of just flipping tables. Probably takes the same amount of time. Someday I'll have a big enough shop that I won't have to do that... but not today.

My shop is in the fully enclosed basement and managing workflow is important. I partitioned my shop into two areas, each about 25 square meters. One area is for the powered tools that require the large dust collection, and the other for the smaller powered and hand tools. With the exception of the SC2C, all of the large machines are on wheels that can be moved out of the way for storage or moved into the other area when I need maneuvering room.



Not shown in this image are the FS 30 G in the corner, the Laguna 16-32 drum sander, and the Electra Beckum TF904 shaper (spindle moulder depending on geography). I can move all of the machines on wheels into the other shop area if needed, but the bandsaw and router table don't interfere with the saw.

 

[SaintPanzer]

Tools on wheels are awesome, I rely on them for almost everything. Right now I'm working out of a single bay in a garage, so figure about 25 feet by 10 feet. It's a bit tight.

Tersa has a table that recommends blades based on wood type, I have that mounted on my machine. If the specific tree I'm working on is not listed, I just compare its Janka hardness. My understanding is the "harder" blades may get some tear out on softer woods. I've mainly been working on cherry lately, so haven't bothered to make any changes. The M+ seems to be working for me.

 

[BTL-A4]

Anyone have one or used one before? There is a Hammer A3 31 in great condition for sale near me locally and I am pretty intrigued by it. I've never owned a jointer or planer but have used a Grizzly planer and jointer at my day job before. The Hammer is a 12 inch machine, seems like plenty for the joiner but maybe a little limiting on the planer side (though lunchbox planers are a similar size and it seems like folks get a lot done with them). I have limited floor space for large equipment so that's why I'm interested in a combo machine as opposed to separate ones.

You sound like the perfect candidate for a combo machine. I have a smaller Grizzly jointer (6") and a Craftsman 12" planer. The jointer is on a mobile base which is very handy. I have to wrestle the planer from a shelf onto a table to use it and go back and forth with the dust collection. Though, I usually joint everything, then plane it to avoid the back and forth with the DC. Whatever you get, put it on a mobile base, they are worth the money.