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Power feeders

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Author: Carl Duguay
Illustration: Len Churchill

A power feeder (a.k.a. stock feeder) is designed to feed stock securely at a constant speed on woodwork­ing machinery. It can be installed on a wide variety of machines, including table saws, shapers, spindle routers, edge sanders, router tables, jointers and bandsaws. These workshop accesso­ries are particularly useful when you’re making a lot of repetitive cuts. A con­sistent feed rate and uniform pressure will speed up production and result in an improved quality of cut, virtually eliminating chattering or burn marks on stock. The feeder does a much bet­ter job of holding down long and more flexible stock, and feeding it at a steady rate than you can achieve manually with push blocks and featherboards. And it’s also considerably safer, keep­ing your hands away from blades and cutters.

A power feeder can be set up to hold stock up against the fence or down against the machine tabletop. For best results, position the feeder slightly toed-in to the fence to pre­vent drifting away from the blade or cutter. The feeder can be bolted to the machine top or secured using a Magswitch Power Feeder Mount, which enables you to easily move the feeder from one machine to another.

Power feeders are typically rated by motor power. A 1/8 HP unit, referred to as a baby or mini feeder, will generally have a low feed rate and is best suited for light-duty work on table saws and router tables under 2 HP. A 1/4 HP unit is a good choice for machines up to about 3 HP. Both of these units are available with 120V motors. Units that are 1/2 HP and larger will typically require a 220V or larger power supply.

Motor: 1/8 to 1 HP, 110V to 460V, 1- to 3-phase
Drive: Belt or chain
Feed speed: 6.5 to 72 feet per minute
Vertical movement: About 10″
Horizontal movement: 10″ to 18″
Rollers: Typically, 3 or 4; synthetic rubber or polyurethane
Price: $480 – $2,900

Get the Most Out of Your Power Feeder

Keep things slick
To reduce friction and help stock glide more easily, regularly apply a silicone-based lubri­cant or paste wax across machine surfaces and fences.

Angle it
When setting up the feeder, angle it so that the outfeed end is about 1/4″ closer to the fence. This will ensure the feeder pushes stock up against the fence as it’s feeding.

Use support
When milling long stock provide proper support at the infeed and outfeed end of the table saw.

Suck it up
If you do a lot of milling, rig a dust port over the table saw or on the roller side of the table saw to keep dust from clogging up the rollers.

Published:
Last modified: October 19, 2024


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