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Hammer C3 -31 combination micro review

RogerS

RogerS

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Went long to Felder today to have a look at a Hammer C3-31 combination machine - the smallest one.

Solidly made, that's for sure.

Three motors, Bob. I have a question out with them as to whether or not a neutral is needed. But you intimated that three motors and an inverter was tricky. Incidentally, the spindle has two modes - forwards and reverse - is that an issue ? No separate motor if you choose the scribe option.

The planer beds are of the hinged type and I'm not sure I'm that much of a fan of them TBH. Never convinced that the beds will come back to the right place. I also would need to go back to the gym as they weigh a ton. You have to remove the fence for the moulder as well.

The fence isn't too bad..aluminium but lacks the rigidity of my Sedgwick. You have to remove it and place it at the other end of the machine when it's time to rip. And vice versa. I'm not sure how much of a fag that will end up being. Guess it's down to organising the workflow.

The fence for the spindle also is very solid and weighs a ton. But the dust extraction port is very close to the fence if you've just been planing which means that you probably will end up taking the fence off. That in itself isn't too bad but you need to always have somewhere to put it.

Juries out at the moment. They offered for me to go and see a customer with one which I think is worth while. Need to get my head round using it 'for real' as it were.
 
Multiple motors is not much of a problem provided only one is used at a time, which I think will be the case with this machine.
The reversal will be achieved by swapping incoming phases. When using an inverter this is fine provided the inverter is turned off before the direction is changed.

Bob
 
You can at least haggle with them on price Roger.

I believe you can get spring assist for the tables which helps with lifting, whilst ever I used one I never had a problem with table alignment although I didn't care much for the lever that controls depth of cut in planer mode.

Moving fences is a faff the trick is to buy a second fence but obviously that's more kerrching & I didn't like the slight sideward movement in the fence when planing, it didn't affect the outcome but was a niggle.

The saw & spindle I couldn't fault in fact after using the C3-31 on & off for a couple of years I decided to buy Hammers saw spindle combination machine & ive not regretted it once.

Personally having used a couple of combination machines if I were in the market I'd go for a planer thicknesser & a saw/spindle you could place them back to back so wouldn't take up much more space than a combination machine & most of the slightly annoying things common to all combi's would be negated.


Of course separate planer & thicknesser is more preferable & of course spiral blocks but one thing at a time :eusa-whistle:
 
Doug":9mfnz70x said:
You can at least haggle with them on price Roger.
Click to expand...

I never pay list !

Doug":9mfnz70x said:
I believe you can get spring assist for the tables which helps with lifting, whilst ever I used one I never had a problem with table alignment although I didn't care much for the lever that controls depth of cut in planer mode.
Click to expand...

Spot on there Doug. I'd forgotten that...it really is crap. The guy said it needs 'commissioning". Which was what he said every time I commented semi-negatively. If that is the case then I'm not impressed that they 'demo' an uncommissioned machine.

Doug":9mfnz70x said:
Moving fences is a faff the trick is to buy a second fence but obviously that's more kerrching & I didn't like the slight sideward movement in the fence when planing,
Click to expand...

Yes again. I picked up on the sideways movement of the fence. My Sedgwick is rock solid.
Doug":9mfnz70x said:
The saw & spindle I couldn't fault in fact after using the C3-31 on & off for a couple of years I decided to buy Hammers saw spindle combination machine & ive not regretted it once.

Personally having used a couple of combination machines if I were in the market I'd go for a planer thicknesser & a saw/spindle you could place them back to back so wouldn't take up much more space than a combination machine & most of the slightly annoying things common to all combi's would be negated.
Click to expand...

That makes an awful lot of sense Doug.... Cheers, mate.
 
Mmmmmm.....decisions, decisions. I'm coming around to thinking that I need to sell the Sedgwick MB as I can see no way of running it up at the new place given the paucity of the available supply. I'm prepared to wait and see just how bad it is as far as daily living goes and very reluctant to shell out so much money for a new supply. However, given the starting current of the Sedgwick (80A), I cannot see how it would ever start with all the chances that the motor would simply stall and the God of Smoke be invoked.

I don't need such a large planer/thicknesser any more and so a smaller one would suffice. I still have my Delta thicknesser although that's a little bit graunchy and has nasty little brush motor. And where we are the catchment area of potential purchasers has to be larger than where we are going.

And the same could be said for the Dewalt table saw...a DW746..I have never used all the extension tables and I don't intend to start using it for cutting sheet material - much preferring to use a sheet of Kinsgpan on the floor and the Festool TS55 with guide rails.

So I'm thinking both should be put up for sale.
 
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