Power feeder question

[trimguy]

@neverstopbuildn , welcome to the forum.

[scsmith42]

Keep in mind that power feeder HP is also correlated to the width and thickness of the stock that you're using.

A 1/4hp power feeder is fine for smaller stock, such as 3/4" thick, 5" wide boards.  It's a bit underpowered for 16" wide stock or oak 2x12's.

I have a 1 hp 3 wheel feeder on my 5 hp shaper, and a 1hp single wheel "copy" power feeder on my tablesaw.  The copy feeder allows me to cut radiuses in longer boards with the tablesaw.

[YellowHammer]

The thing I really like about a power feeder was the safety aspect.  No more leaning over a table saw blade.  No more fingers even close to getting cut.  Very safe.

[wildtmpckjzg]

Random thoughts.

Depends on the work your doing and the machine.

I had the 3 HP heavy duty Delta shaper with the 1/4 horsepower feeder.  It was near a perfect match.  Plenty of power and not too big with easy/fast adjustments.  A 1 HP would be massive overkill for this machine and is actually heavy enough to tip the machine over if you swing the feeder out of the way with it extended on the arm.

I'm running a big 9 HP SCMI shaper now with a 1 HP feeder on it.  No way will the 1/4 HP feeder work because the horizontal arm is too short to clear the fence.  I like that the horizontal arm is a lot bigger and can put extra down pressure on the work piece without flexing.  It is a bear to switch from holding work on the table to holding it against the fence.  The reason is because of its weight and lots of adjustments to make the switch.

I have a Delta 3 HP Unisaw that I sometimes use a 1/4 HP feeder on (like every 3 years or so).  It will bring the Unisaw to its knees if I run stock through too fast.  The rest of the time its in the way so I send it to the corner.  Try lifting a 140 pound 1 HP off the mount to get it out of the way.

I never saw a need for a 4 wheel feeder and always had 3 wheels.  Did you know that on most of them you can double the wheels like they do rear wheels on farm tractors?

Stock wheels are junk and get worse when they get a glaze.  They can be improved or reconditioned by taking them off and sanding cross ways on a belt sander using the coarsest belt you can get carpet removal orlando.  The real answer is getting new tires from Western Roller made out of polyurethane.  The can be ordered from soft to hard.

I'm thinking all of these feeders are being made by Co-Matic in the same factory and painted different colors.  Due diligence before picking a color to buy.

I was routing a profile on my table the other day, and for several reasons, I opted to climb cut.  Long story short:  The bit grabbed the stock and threw it into the wall, leaving a nice hole with the cutter's profile. I was aware this could happen, and I had my hands anchored to the table, but the grain prevented me from going the other way.  I find that I often have to climb cut to get the best possible cut. Can I do this with a power feeder?  I've never used one, and all the threads are about using them on shapers and jointers and saws.  If I attach a feeder such that it feeds the stock into the bit to climb cut, will this work?

[trimguy]

I use my power feeder to climb cut on a shaper, among other things.I would think that it would be the same on the router table. I have not had any problems doing that, that's not to say that it cannot happen. I believe somebody said it was the only safe way to climb cut.

[Dan_Shade]

I've successfully used a power feeder to climb cut.

I still take precautions to avoid injury or property damage if the shaper or router pulls the board through the feeder (could happen if a board has a thin spot).