K 700S Final Thoughts
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- čas přidán 30. 05. 2024
- It’s been a year now since I took delivery of my Felder K 700S Sliding Table Saw. I’ve had time to form some solid opinions of it.
I had originally thought I would keep my SawStop (which is a very good saw) but it was a tight fit for both saws in my space. I eventually decided to sell the SawStop and rely upon my new slider alone. I have no regrets in doing so.
It’s a wonderful machine and joy to use! It oozes a feeling of precision and is incredibly well built. Sometimes as I walk by, I give the sliding mechanism a push - just to feel the smooth operation.
If you are contemplating placing an order for a Felder Slider, there is one important thing to keep in mind though . Felder has many configurations, and the components are not all compatible with the various accessories.
After my purchase, I wanted to add DRO’s to both the outrigger fence and the rip fence. Neither were compatible with the way my saw was configured. To be fair I was quite emphatic when ordering my saw that I would still be using my Sawstop for ripping - so the fence was not a priority. But I changed my mind.
Not a big problem though…
For the rip fence I simply used a Mighty Mag with a dial indicator to zero in quickly and accurately - just as I did with the SawStop.
For the outrigger DRO I found a 3rd party unit from Lamb Tool Works. It is incredibly accurate and easy to use. I love it! If there’s much interest, I will do a separate video on it.
lambtoolworks.com/dro-flipstop
I believe I made a good decision to buy this machine. Knowing what I know now I would not hesitate to purchase it again. I would, however, keep in mind future accessories and order accordingly. - Jak na to + styl
Hi Darrell. Always love a good slider video. The beauty of the adjustable dado stack (it is a modified adjustable groover with 10mm pin holes added) is that if you have a shaper with a 30mm spindle, it can also be used on that. Steve
Thanks Steve, I hope things are going well with you! I wish my shaper had a 30mm spindle but it doesn't.
Hi Darrell...thanks for your review. I'm contemplating buying this same saw and currently have a SawStop. I build mostly cabinetry and some furniture. From all I've gathered the slider is perfect for sheet goods, but it's not so clear to me if it's not as quite as easy to use for the kind of cuts you do with wood when building furniture and just generally smaller parts. If you ever had time to film a video showing how you make some of the traditional cabinet saw cuts on the slider ... I'd be quite interested 😊
Hi Andy, That sounds like a good topic. In the meantime do a search for "Fritz and Franz" jig for using a slider for small parts
Awesome review, watched both parts , thank you for sharing!
thank you!
Thanks for your honest and thoughtful review…..makes me wish I had this saw!
thanks,Craig
Hey Darrell, just found you a few minutes ago and really liked your video. I have had the KF 700 S in my shop for over three years now. I’ve had several issues with my On/Off switch on the slider but otherwise love this saw.
I’m now a subscriber and looking forward to your content.
thanks, Rich. Were you able to resolve the issues with the off on/off switch?
@@DarrellPeartFurnitureMaker partially. The on switch works on my slider, but the off switch has been disabled. So I use the off switch on the main cabinet. Which works out OK it’s at the completion of my cut as a rule. However, it would be nice if the saw worked the way supposed to. I’ve been talking to tech-support on multiple occasions, and finally I just gave up.
Hi Darrell, thanks for the video and sharing your experiences with it! Like you, I own a lot of Felder equipment... My K700S (also a 4HP) is much older with lots of use and held up nicely. Watch for the 'gumming' (as you call it), because my angle crank has a spot between 5 and 20 degrees where it is very difficult and I haven't really figured out how to rectify - blade height adjust is just fine. I've considered the pneumatic clamps and take your recommendation since I work by myself as well and have not bothered trying to automate the fence positioning with any digital aids, but your approach is very sound. I do cut a lot of dense hardwood and watch for the motor controller to require adjustment to the load detection as time goes on - mine has required Felder service twice. Keep posting as you have time because there are a number of us Felder users who enjoy/benefit from shared experiences. Best, Mike
Hi Mike, Thanks - its' good to hear about your experience with the K700S.
Darren, I concur 100%. I love my K700S as well. Those “dado cutters” you mentioned, Felder calls them Adjustable Groove Cutters. Pricy indeed, but very nice to have. I have a box from Mac with a set of his Air Tight Clamps. Cannot wait to get them installed. Thx for the video.
thanks - you're gonna love the air clamps!
Thanks for the great update!! I’m going to order a K700S next week and trying to find out which options I want. It’s easier said than done. Little things, like the differences between the fences is impossible to find out from Felders online recourses.
I’d love to see a video in the Lamb dro unit!!
I would suggest asking a lot of questions of the rep. The K700S is a wonderful machine but I agree the Felder online info is lacking. Stay tuned - I might do a video on the Lamb DRO.
Hi Darrel, Purchased my K700S before finding your channel. Nice to hear such a thorough and positive review. It's arrived and is in place put the Tech won't be out for a week or so to set it up. I can't wait to make my first cuts with it. I was thinking of keeping my old 5hp Unisaw just for ripping, but now not so sure. My shop is limited in space like yours. Anyway, thanks for the great videos!!
Hi Evan, Before you let the Unisaw you might consider doing as I did - rely on the Felder for everything for a while and see how it goes.
How much did you pay for yours? Interested in this.
Hi Evan. I kept my Powermatic and set it up in int opposite feed direction. Initially I staggered them so that the extension table to the right of the blade on my KF 700 S was the outfeed table for my old saw. I’m now in a bigger shop and have more width than depth in my current setup. For my work this works out great. I typically don’t mention other channels out of respect to the one I’m commenting on but if you’ve found a furniture maker in New Mexico with a Hammer and a Delta saw, you’ll get an idea of what I mean.
Great review! Succinct and honest. FWIW, I do think the 4" dust line will help. Though working with sheet metal is *not* my favorite thing, minimizing the flex hose is also a plus. I've been planning to move the release for the blade guard around to the front; just reduces the nuisance factor one more little notch when it gets in the way.
thanks, Ron - I am on my way in a few minutes to get some 4" hose.
Hey Darrell, love your shop! Awesome video, thank you for doing it. I am ordering a saw this week, If you had 3 phase would you have gone to say the 5.5 or 7.5 HP motor? Do you think the 4 HP is powerful enough for just about anything a one man small shop can put through it? I'm debating about installing a rottary phase converter so I can go with the 7.5 motor. I currently have a 3 HP sawstop PCS, which seems to be fine but it's also a smaller blade than the K 700 S. Thanks again for the great videos!
Hi Jim, I actually have a rotary phase converter but it is so noisy I only use when absolutely necessary. I am quite happy with my 4hp motor - it does all I ask it to. I think it sort of depends on the work you are doing. If I were ripping a lot of very thick hardwoods, I might have opted for a larger motor.
Thank you for you response, much appreciated as always!
Just wanted to let you know I put a fiama Dro on my 700s rip fence a couple of months
ago. It works great and is pretty easy to install.
thanks, that's good to know!
czcams.com/video/Y4BU1pLqTmU/video.html
I used a Chinese DRO which cost less than $100
Thanks Darrell for this final video. I just received my used K740S and with sadness I discovered same issues with the accessories. Impossible to add genuine DRO nor dado from Felder.
So, I would appreciate to see how you add your DRO.
Best wishes for 2024 !
I assume you mean DRO for the rip fence? I have given up on adding a DRO to the Rip Fence. Unless I come into a large unexpected pile of money - in which case I will buy the knuckle that will accept the DRO.
@@DarrellPeartFurnitureMaker yes but I found substantial information on Lamb Tools website. Thanks !
Hi Darrel,
If you had the chance to do it all over again, would you go with Felder or Lamb tool DRO? Is the lack of micro adjustments on the DRO bothers you?
Thanks for the detailed review
I would prefer the Felder DRO with the fine adjustment feature. But it’s not an option for my machine. I’ve gotten used to using the Lamb DRO though and am happy with it.
Darrell, a few comments. First regarding the fine-tuning of the main fence. The knuckle on mine looks very much like yours, with the exception that it has a fine-tuning knob on it. Makes me think that there must be some sort of adapter you could get from Felder. PM me if you want to know the parts number for my knuckle and fine-tuning knob. Please note though, that mine - like yours - doesn't have a DRO on it. Second, I was able to purchase an 8" dado bladeset by DadoKing from Felder that has served me well over the years. Your trencher is far superior in so many ways... but alas, is out of my price bracket. Third, I, too, like the small fence that fits onto my K700S. Lastly, have you considered adding a sub table that nests between the outrigger frame sets? It's something I've seen others add and am considering it.
HI Marty, It was good talking to you this afternoon. I called Felder on my knuckle and was told it will not accept the fine-tune knob nor the DRO. I would sure like to have both of those items!
I have seen those sub tables for the outrigger - its on my ever-growing list!
JFYI. Lots of distortion/crackle in the audio in this video. Maybe low battery on the mic or just gain up too high.
The Felder dado/grooving blade is really really nice. I love mine. It cuts so much better than any dado stack I've ever had, and it has inserts you can replace. Plus, you can use it on the shaper if you have one. I have an F700Z, but I admit I've never used that stack on it.
But yeah, that groover set costs as much as a US saw :P
(I have a K700P)
Oh, and I have ripped 8/4 hard maple on mine (4hp). No problems with the right blade.
Hi Pete, Yes - I need to work on my sound quality. I wish my shaper had a 30mm spindle. I've only used the grooving set a couple of times - I was amazed how well it cuts!
Hello Darrell, I would like to read the opinion of you and the community, which sliding saw could you recommend, the K 700s or SCM nova si400, thanks in advance. Blessings for all.
So but I don’t have any experience with the SCM saw so I can’t give a qualified comparison.
Thank you, I love your videos, I watch them almost every day.
What's the cost on something that professionals?
@7:40 you bent over to turn the machine off doesn't the on off controls on the slider work.
Yes - all the on/off controls work.
ONLY MARTIN