Re: Would you buy a combo Shaper/Saw?
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As with all things, I guess its how you plan to use it.?
At our pro shop, we're constantly bouncing back and forth with setups and I know how long manual adjusting and verification takes....and the mistakes that can get made. I am reminded at least every other setup how smart the decision was because we don't make so many mistakes and it's easier to get back to a previous setup. Many times its as simple as taking a photo on the phone to reference upon return. This is super helpful on shaper setups.
All equipment is metric also, for good reason, and further prevents mistakes in measurements and setups. The ability to work in metric also means you are at 0.1mm resolution, which we have found very beneficial. 0.1mm per button tap and its easy to find perfect.
So, from another angle - ask yourself how costly can mistakes be if preventable with digital? And how precise do you need results to be?
I have the power drive on the ad941 j/p and the dumbed down version of it on the k700s.
On the ad941 i had a little bit of a hard time with the ¡°tap¡± at first but doesn¡¯t take the long to get the hang of of it, i will say that seems a bit more troubling in decimal than mm, i only use mm...
The saw, the dumbed down version as I call it is the version that has no digital readout and is for the blade up and down only - the tilt is the dial indicator, I would not recommend that configuration, when you try to dial in the exact height of the blade it¡¯s hard to get it where you want without trial and error, you would be better off with manual and a dial indicator.
From what I understand the powerdrive is pretty robust and accurate, i did inquire about the cost of replacing the board if it failed and was told it is something like $200 - $300. You should expect a good 10 years on a quality built circuit board these days and really much longer, i work in industrial controls now and we have similar build quality boards in super harsh conditions (talking unconditioned, exposed to elements in India, Africa to name a few but pretty much every location on earth and 24/7 operations) that last 10 years. A lot of boards if not all these days can also be repaired if you know what to look for, use to be that these boards were one offs now mostly a commodity item. I am not at all concerned with powerdrive level electronics...
Digi drive is a different story so someone else with experience would have to comment on that.?
I would think with the saw shaper you would want the power drive for ease of shaper setup but I am not a combo guy for saw shaper....
The k940s that is replacing my k700s will be power drive with all dro, i am an ex professional furniture/millwork maker but now hobby some commission and i think the powerdrive is basically $1500 and full dro $1500 and totally worth it over the long hall. I figure at best I have 25-30yrs left of woodworking so not alot in the scheme of things... ? [Edited Message Follows]
Well, I spent some time this week with Carl @Felder in Anaheim.? Decided on a configuration I think.? Waiting on a quote.? KF700SP if it is possible to get it in single phase with a 9' slider. I am really torn about power drive.? Carl had lots of thoughts around going manual.? The tap feature does seem annoying, but I haven't lived with it to know. What does everyone think?? For a hobby WW?? Is it something to break?? How much more is the cost (power drive vs 4 dial indicators)??? Help... PK
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