Need info, installing a Byrd Shelix head on a Hammer A3-31

windfall

New User
RT
The documentation is super helpful should I decide to go for it, many thanks for putting it together John.

The folks at Felder have me a bit concerned about getting tables aligned with a new cutter head, they claim it will be extremely challenging and why they don't offer the cutter head separately/non factory installed.
I did have to tweak the table alignment when I first got the machine and it took a long time to dial it in. Hesitant to have to do that again, but I sure do want the byrd head....
 

Dee2

Gene
Staff member
Corporate Member
please, can the attachment in post 10 be placed in the Resources forum.
 
OP
OP
J

jgt1942

New User
John
The documentation is super helpful should I decide to go for it, many thanks for putting it together John.

The folks at Felder have me a bit concerned about getting tables aligned with a new cutter head, they claim it will be extremely challenging and why they don't offer the cutter head separately/non factory installed.
I did have to tweak the table alignment when I first got the machine and it took a long time to dial it in. Hesitant to have to do that again, but I sure do want the byrd head....
I did NOT have any issues installing the Shelix head, however be aware that there are differences in the A3-31 depending on the year of MFG. I did a quick check on the alignment after installing the new head and it looked good to me. However, sometime in Jan my son is going to help me double-check everything. I just did a quick check and I think the head is a VERY small amount low. At this time I do have an issue with the feeder roller and it needs to be adjusted. It does not apply enough pressure to always draw the board through and often I need to push it through. I've waxed the bed thus there should not be any issues with the slickness. The past couple of months I have been using it a lot and think I also need to rotate the cutters. The Pecan wood I ran through did not feel as smooth as I think it should,
 

chris_goris

Chris
Senior User
Mark, Hammer recommends against any aftermarket head and does not offer their Quiet head as an upgrade. You can get the Quiet head only when purchased with the A3 unit. They want you to purchase a new machine.
Thats just poor customer service.
 
OP
OP
J

jgt1942

New User
John
please, can the attachment in post 10 be placed in the Resources forum.
Gene, is this something I should do? I have no objection.
I managed to determine how to do it. I had a difficult time determining how to attach the PDF. If I did something wrong, please let me know.
 

bowman

Board of Directors, Webmaster
Neal
Staff member
Corporate Member
Gene, is this something I should do? I have no objection.
I managed to determine how to do it. I had a difficult time determining how to attach the PDF. If I did something wrong, please let me know.
John, you did an excellent writeup of your process. You attached and uploaded perfectly.
 

drw

Donn
Corporate Member
John, I can only repeat the word "WOW", your documentation is extraordinary; but given the complexity of the upgrade you would have to have extraordinary determination to attempt the task! I recently upgraded my DeWalt 735 to a Byrd cutter-head, it was child's play compared to the Hammer machine. Thank you for posting, I am sure your effort will prove to be a valuable resource!
 

Dee2

Gene
Staff member
Corporate Member
Gene, is this something I should do? I have no objection.
Have to do? - No!
Helpful for others to do? - I'm thinking yes. At least I think it would make a great resource.
And, thank you for doing this.
Sorry for the delay, I'm been traveling and wifi challenged.
 
OP
OP
J

jgt1942

New User
John
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.
 

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