Woodworking tools like table- and bandsaws are extremely useful and versatile, but they generally have the distinct disadvantage that they make no distinction between the wood and the digits of the person using the machine. While solutions like SawStop were developed to make table saws sense flesh and try to not cut it, [James Hamilton] makes a compelling argument in a recent video for the use of power feeders.
These devices are placed above the table and feed the material into the machine without having to get one’s digits anywhere near the machine. Other than the safety aspect, it also means that the material is always fed in at a consistent speed, which is great when using it with a router table. Most of these power feeders are portable, so a single unit can be moved from the table saw to the router table, with [James] showing how he is using MagSwitch magnetic clamps to ease the process of moving between machines.
With the 1/8 HP mini power feeder that he’s using, the 4 magnetic clamps appear to be enough even when cutting hardwood on the table saw, but it’s important to make sure the power feeder doesn’t twist while running, for obvious safety reasons. On [James]’s wish list is a way to make moving the power feeder around more efficient, because he only has a single one, for cost reasons.
Although these power feeders cost upwards of $1,000, the benefits are obvious, including when running larger jobs. One might conceivably also DIY a solution, as they appear to be basically an AC motor driving a set of wheels that grip the material while feeding. That said, do you use a power feeder, a SawStop table saw or something else while woodworking?
Matthias Wandel has made a power feeder before. Might be worth learning from his experiments before making your own.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tPiaduBZHRU
Yeah I always think of Matthias’s version when it comes to working on a budget. Its a wonderfully simple design.
Its part of what has inspired any of my own power feeder designs for production runs.
It is worth noting that Hamilton is a professional woodworker who has employees working with him. In that kind of environment, it makes more sense to buy something like a power feeder than build one.
That said, plenty of his videos show shop-built jigs and fixtures.
I quit watching Stumpy Nubs years ago, almost all his videos are advertisements. When they are not its usually a rehash of very basic things.
Putting this on a mag lock base kind of takes the safety out of this, it doesnt have to twist more than a tiny bit before shooting a sheet of plywood at your face, and a kickback has more than enough power to break the magnets free…
Also 8HP motor, good lord that’s more than our Bridgeport at work (might wanna check that cause the biggest one they sell @ grizzly is 1HP, most are a quarter)
1/8 is what he mentioned
I started watching his videos years ago and have learned so much from him. Ads are usually at the end which is when I usually switch off. He’s one of the good YouTubers.
Two things that pucker my arse with the unit.
First one is the drive wheel and the support point (ball joint) are not in a direct line with the travel force.
The ball joint is offset from the drive wheel. This makes the drive unit try to push itself in an arc and thus twist out of alignment with the lumber travel.
Someone else can nitpick the cantilevered arm rig, if you feel inclined.
2nd issue? As much as I like the ease of positioning a ball joint clamp? (photography)
This is a dusty operation and a small amount of dust will make the ball easy to slip.
Most people will just simply over torque the clamp screw/knob rather than stop and clean it.
Along with leading to bent clamps that twist and slip… which Kills parts at the least, wounded workers at the worst case.
This over tightening tends to end up causing indentations in the clamping surfaces that the two parts tend to slip back into. Thus you begin to get alignment aggrivations.
But you need to watch for grooves and ridges in ALL types clamping devices, be they simple slots in a frame, C-clamps on a table top, or the ball unit above.
All that said? Oh yes yes yes, I definantly like the idea of trying to get our fingers away from the cutting or pinching areas of our handy gadgets when we can!
[Please don’t take this comment to mean I have anything against SawStop. In fact, I know someone who still has a finger they would have lost.]
The article mentions that power-feeders are expensive, but so is a SawStop, and their approach to safety is more expensive each time it saves your finger because their must-replace, fail-safe cartridges are expensive.
My question is this: is the power-feeder approach applicable to casual/occasional, non-production woodworkers? Are power-feeders so time-consuming to set up, or difficult to get right, that people will just skip it? I’m thinking about the user-experience (UX) here. If I had space in my office/garage for a table saw, I’d buy one in a heartbeat.
Bah. If you have enough space for one large enough to meet your material-handling needs, then CNC machines rule. Not cheap, but way, way more affordable than significant personal injury. My scary old tablesaw was the first machine to go. Some types of CNC cuts—bevels, for example—can require a bit of ingenuity (and an investment in various router bits), but Ingenious is our middle name ’round here, right?