I had seen in other threads notes from people saying they had a Hammer N4400 and liked it. I'm hoping I can get some help from one of you.  I bought one and have been very disappointed with it.

I mainly bought it to resaw lumber, and the first problem I had was that with a 3/4" blade and the tracking set the way the manual instructs (with the blade teeth hanging over the left side of the crown), the blade wandered horribly and I mostly just wasted wood.  I had read advice of someone who had the problem and fixed by resetting tracking so the blade was centered in the crown. That worked much better, but when I called Felder customer support, they were pretty adamant I should reset the tracking as instructed in the manual. If anyone's either had the machine work with the tracking set as described in the manual or set the tracking to the center of the crown and not had issues, I'd like to hear it.

The second issue I notice is that the fence is not perpendicular to the table, so all the cuts are wider on the top than on the bottom, and I can't see any easy way to adjust that. 

Lastly, I have the standard guides, not the ceramic guides.  Felder suggested maybe I buy the ceramic guides if I have problems with the blade wandering. I don't really feel like throwing more money at the problem before I've tried everything else. 

Thanks in advance for any advice. 

Crowned tires are so much easier to keep a blade tracking correctly, I don't understand the flat wheel way.

Quote from: WarnerConstCo. on September 28, 2017, 09:32 PM

Crowned tires are so much easier to keep a blade tracking correctly, I don't understand the flat wheel way.

Flat wheels are easier on the blade. Less wear, less tear. More support. Less chance of compromising the teeth.

How? 

More support?

Compromise teeth?

It's a rubber tired wheel.

Resaws run on steel wheels, have for over a century.

Darcy are the steels wheels for resawing that you are referring to crowned or flat? What are the width of the saw blades being used in these resaw machines?

I have been resawing with n4400 a lot and did not have any problem. I do have the ceramic guides and they worth the money for sure.

I have watched the Snodgrass video and that's probably at least partially why I was wondering about the tracking method documented in the manual as the Snodgrass method is more or less completely opposite.  Per other responses to the thread, maybe that's because it has flat wheels.  I'll check that tomorrow. 

When the sparks are flying  the blade is  blunt  and I've seen it on my  N4400. I use  the tuff  saw  blades.
5/8" maximum   and can  slice    the full capacity  of the  N4400 without issue  on hardwoods.
I'd like the ceramic guide  set up but   for now I'll  make do and  keep using high   quality sharp blades.
I also  apply some lubricant to the  roller shaft  to ensure it turns freely.

Had mine a couple years now and its been nothing but awesome for me. Though I havent done any resawing on it.

Thanks Derek.  I was just logging on to check if people doing resawing were using an auxiliary fence and you already answered that question.  In the pictures shown, it seems your fence is affixed to the standard fence just by a slot in the rear-most wooden support, is that right?   

Based on the various feedback I received (thank you!) I both purchased the ceramic guides and I made a tall auxiliary resaw fence.  Now I seem to get cuts that are much smoother and straighter. That said, I do not seem to be able to adjust the ceramic guides so I do not get sparks.  The install manual indicates that you should back the guides off the blade if it is sparking, but I do that and it seems to spark worse.  and eventually I had them backed off more than I did for the standard guides, which doesn't make any sense.

Anyone else seen this?  Or know what I might try to eliminate the sparks? 

For what it's worth, I've had a Hammer N4400 for about 7 years now and it's one of those tools that are better than I am. I've had many a car on the racetrack that were a ton better than I and in the same way will punish you until you up your skills. This just me not anyone else.
I got the plans for the Hammer chair and it is 90% made on the N4400. I learned a lot about bandsaws and my lack of skills trying to make this chair. The chair turned out pretty well. It looks like a piece of art, but the most uncomfortable thing in the world.
I ended up taking the entire red blade guard off and put it in a drawer. This has made it easier to use. A bit more dangerous, so I really need my wits at a high level when I use it. More coffee.
I also bought a set of Carter Products bearing guides. A lot easier to set up and adjust especially when you change blades to a different size. David Best (Felder Owners Group) , another fog - a message here ? published a guide to ordering and installing these guides along with part numbers and some modifications you need to do to the Carter adapter bar for the lower guides. If anyone wants a copy, I can make a PDF and email it to you. Just PM me and include your email address.
You will need:
GP-stud347.   347 offset stud 20mmx7/16       2 each
GA-2300LH.    2300LH upper guide assy.          1 each
GA-2300RH.    2300RH lower guide assy.          1 each.
This made a big difference in how the saw performs for me and they are easier to adjust that the OEM guides. I have never used ceramic guides, so no comparison here.
Yes, Felder advice will not deviate from dogma. We don't want to have you hurt yourself. My blades ride towards the center.
And I'll never make another chair !
Doug

...and it's one of those tools that are better than I am. I've had many a car on the racetrack that were a ton better than I and in the same way will punish you until you up your skills.

That is definitely the perspective I have as well.  I sometimes feel like I'm learning to play an instrument.  But I'll get there and I appreciate the tips I've received. 

I thought I would reply once more to this thread as I finally figured out how to get rid of the sparks on my Hammer N4400, but I'm not sure what I'm doing makes sense.   The only help I got from Felder was to "look at their setup guide" and "make sure the blade is parallel to the ceramic guide."  My sparks were coming from the bottom of the ceramic disk, so I assumed the disk was tilted backward with respect to the blade, but I was not able to tilt it forward far enough to make it coplanar and still tighten down.  so what I ended up doing was sticking two small wood wedges above the guide holder as shown in the attached photo.  These rotate it so that it is parallel to the blade and now I have no sparks.  But for a $1800 saw, $350 or whatever ceramic guides, it does not seem wood shims should be necessary, but I could not get rid of the sparks any other way.    Anyone see any problems with this solution? 

Hi Prizen

My advice on the UK forum remains the same, and I repeat it here for others who are interested, and those who may wish to comment: 

My assumption would be that you need MUCH more tension on the blade. The lack of tension translates into the blade not gripping the wheel and the power is not being transferred. Plus the blade wanders, and the cut is poor. Sparks are probably coming off the guides as the blades touches it.

Note that the blade tension meter is just a guide to tension. Add more until you see minimal deflection.

Regards from Perth

Derek