advice and maybe a small gloat

[jeffss]

Been looking for a power feeder for only a week and came upon this. Even though I sold my phase converter with my old saw I felt I should not pass it up. 2 for $800. Now do I sell one and buy a converter? Rotary or static? Do I sell 2 and buy a single phase? Do I need a full 1hp for a small shaper? They did not come from a wood shop. A business needed to run some stock, used them , then stored and just now sold.

[Huxleywood]

VFD is your answer, how you pay for it is up to you.

[CARYinWA]

I bought a Jet for $300 and run it off a VFD.  I find a VFD a pain in the butt.  No place to mount it  so it is in a box at the end of a cord.  I would sell both and buy a single phase one provided you really only need one.  I am probably in the minority.

[timbrframr]

Wow, that's a very good deal. Not sure what your plans are for your shop, but I own three feeders and use them all! One on each shaper and a floater for the bandsaw or the table saw.

Get a decent VFD and you'll be just fine. Many of them have the ability to run remote controls (not radio controlled, but with a small wire) so the main box can be on the wall and out of the way but you still have control over the important functions right at your machine.

Now if you decide to invest in a whole shop phase converter then you've opened up a whole new world of machine options for you which you'll love.

B

[Stwood_]

I think I would go with a static. I've had 2 static boxes on various machine over the years and had good luck with them.
Seems I have a 1/2? hp static box come to think of it. I had it for my bandsaw sharpener.

[Tapper]

Wow, that's a very good deal.  Not sure what your plans are for your shop, but I own three feeders and use them all!  One on each shaper and a floater for the bandsaw or the table saw.  

Get a decent VFD and you'll be just fine.  Many of them have the ability to run remote controls (not radio controlled, but with a small wire) so the main box can be on the wall and out of the way but you still have control over the important functions right at your machine.  

Now if you decide to invest in a whole shop phase converter then you've opened up a whole new world of machine options for you which you'll love.

B

This is your answer. Only one HP will be "Duck soup" with a VFD.

Doug

[Huxleywood]

The other benefit to running a feeder via a VFD is variable speed that lets you really dial in knife marks/chip load.

[timbrframr]

Huxleywood makes an excellent point I forgot to mention. The VFD will help you find the "sweet spot" with respect to feed rate. This applied to the spindle moulder esspecially but also the bandsaw and table saw too.

[Huxleywood]

One thing I forget to address is exactly how small is your shaper?  I tend to think of a small shaper as 3hp but if you have one of the really tiny shapers a 1hp feeder may make it unstable when spun around out of the way.

[MichaelS]

Looks like it's in the background of one of those photo's Huxley, if I'm not mistaken, it is one of the tiny units (3/4-1hp) and care would be needed to mount it effectively.

Killer deal though OP!

Michael