OK it has been a year since I upgraded the A3 31 and I'm still very happy with the upgrade. Initially I did not check the alignment and was happy with the way everything worked. But I had this nagging thought that the A3 might be out of alignment. Thus, I checked and it was a bit off, I assume it was off with the old head. But, it was a bit off. Well, how hard can it be to correct this???? So I did a lot of research and discovered that good information was near impossible to find. But I did find a YouTube video by
Preston Hoffman (
). It was helpful but has some holes (at least for me). So, moving forward I started the process. I spent several hours and touched LOTS of screws and bolts, now it was really off.
I ask my son who has great mechanical skills to help me. We spent a good 6 hours trying to get it adjusted and finally, I though we had it. In that I'm an old fart and was VERY tired I called it a day.
The next day I tested with a scrap 2x4 and discovered it was NOT correct. I contacted Felder, they were quick to respond but it was difficult to get complete answers, Possibly, I was at fault. Support gave me some Felder links to several videos (on the folder website, but you can find them on YouTube as well). The first issue I had with the videos was determining what order to watch them in. Per support there was no recommended order. I disagree with this statement. The 2nd issue with the Felder videos, there is NO discussion of what the guy is doing. He makes a lot of hand movements but for me, they were a HUGE challenge to gain meaningful knowledge. I watch a few SEVERAL time, expecting the light to shine brightly.
A few more exchanges with support and a copy of a PDF which had several images but almost no TEXT explaining things. Finally I discover the 1st critical step was to get the outfeed table coplaner to the cutting head. First I measured the distance between the outfeed table top and the cutter head (ensure you don't include a cutter) and adjusted (SEVERAL) times the four adjustments (two on the front and two on the back) on the front and backside of the outfeed table. Sometimes a small adjustment would have a HUGE impact. After cycling through the adjustment SEVERAL times I arrived at what was coplainer. At least 4 hours!
The next HUGE challenge was to raise the outfeed table to the correct height. This required making several 3mm marks on a scrap 2x4, that was square on all sides, setting the board on the outfeed table with the 3mm marks end just hanging over the cutter. OK so far I thought I was going in the correct direction. I could turn the cutter head clockwise and when the cutter ever so lightly touched the board and move it 3mm toward the infeed table. To raise/lower the table it is necessary to loosen a 10mm bolt on the front locking assembly and use a 17mm (I had to use a crescent wrench, the 17mm was a tad big) to adjust the slide backward or forward.
Tha sounds simple enough but I could not get the darn table to budge! After more research, I discovered that the grease that Felder used had become glue and prevented the outfeed table to slide. I applied some penetrating oil to the front and back slides and let it set for about 30 minutes. Now with a LOT of force I could adjust the outfeed table up/down. I played with this about 3 hours before I was satisfied with the adjustment. SEVERAL times I would lift the tables, make an adjustment, lower the tables, lock the tables, and measure how far the wood with the 3mm marks would move. I must have cycled through this adjustment at least 20 times.
So finally, I was ready to adjust the infeed table!!! I placed a 6 foot level on the outfeed/infeed tables only to discover that the far right end of the infeed table was about 5mm low. Most likely I messed it up. After about 2 hours, I was no closer to having success I called it a day.
The next day, I started ALL over at the start. Measured and adjusted the outfeed table so the distance between the right edge of the outfeed table and the cutter head was equal on the front and back sides. This also required adjusting the front two castle bolts and the back two setscrews. Two hours later I was happy or so I thought!
Now for the infeed table. Use the 6-foot level, first, make the infeed table coplanar with the outfeed table, and another 2 hours cycling through the adjustments.
Now, I was ready to adjust the height of the infeed table to the same level as the outfeed table, which would take at least another hour.
I then tested with the scrap 2x4 and it seemed to be good. I called it a day!!! But I still need to confirm all is good. I had enough for the day!!
In a nutshell! My best guess, IF I did everything correctly it would take 6-8 hours to calibrate the unit unless you are super lucky!
The main issues I encountered.
- Lack of super good documentation, Preston's is the best but has a few holes.
- Hammer support was helpful but could have been MUCH better.
- Not understanding the real first steps, ensure that the outfeed table is coplanar to the cutter head
- The grease used by Felder on the slides is the PITS.
Would I do it again?? Cutter head upgrade YES! Calibration, most likely yes, but hopefully with a better understanding.
Will I create a better document? Highly unlikely, it requires a lot of effort.
Good luck to others who decide to do this.
