molder VS shaper

[James Evans]

i am in the process of a major remodel on a home that i purchased. I am going to be redoing the maple floor with an inlay. making the trim, and building all the cabinets. I am looking for some input on what to buy. a molder, probably a woodmaster unit, or a larger shaper? what do you think? Thanks, Jamie

[guy knight]

a molder is more versatile but it cant do raised panels or cabinet door profiles

[James Evans]

i do have a router that i have used for raised panels in the past, and am very comfortable with that. Trim is my major reason for buying.

[Rod Sheridan]

If you're making baseboards etc, then a molder is easier to use.

If you're making flooring, you can do that on a shaper with a feeder, and of course you can make raised panel doors, rails, stiles etc.

I don't own a molder, I have a shaper with a power feeder as I make cabinets, although I've made flooring with mine.

Do not under estimate the amount of work it takes to make flooring and trim, or the mountain of waste you will generate. Good dust collection is a must for either machine.

I'm sure you're aware that you'll have to joint and rip and possibly plane the material before you can feed it into a shaper or a single head molder.

Commercially the wood goes from a gang rip into a multi head molder, where it comes out the other end completed. You'll have to do each of those steps for each piece, then go on to the next step.

Unless I can't find something available commercially, I can't justify the cost of doing it myself because of the material and tool costs.

Have fun, it can be a lot of work and money, as well as rewarding.

Regards, Rod.

[Robert Parrish]

Go for the Woodmaster it will do almost everything you need to do. Baseboard, flooring, crown etc.! I plan on ordering the Woodmaster 18 this afternoon.

[James Evans]

I just received the new brochure this morning that is what got me thinking even more. I have used one in the past and loved it, but acces to it has been cut off, divorce. so time for one of my own. Thanks for the input, Jamie

[David DeCristoforo]

If you are going to need a lot of "flat" mouldings like baseboards, door casings and crowns (which are typically milled "flat") the moulder will be a better choice. These are difficult to mill on a shaper. But for everything else, the shaper wins hands down. I would disagree with the comment that the moulder is "more versitle". I think it's exactly the oppisite. The shaper is a much "more versitle" machine.

[Brad Shipton]

So you too want the house to take over your life:)

They are not interchangeable machines. If you were planning on raised panels for your cabinets, you cannot make the end rail cuts on a moulder, nor will it be easy to make the raised panels. You can make trim on a shaper (yes I have done this), but you will be limited by the "under the nut" capacity of the shaper unless you break down the trim section into multiples. A 4" under the nut shaper with reasonable HP can be had for ok $$, but if you want 5" or 6", you will be into an industrial model that will most likely need 3ph power and cost you a bundle. You will also need a power feeder for the shaper.

The advantage to the moulder is the fact that it makes more than one cut at a time (3sides pretty common), has a wider capacity, functions as a planer, and the models you are looking at will do wider sections.

IMO the profiling is not the biggest part of the job. Turning your 4/4 stock into blanks is the bigger part of the job.

Brad

[Jim Dailey]

James,

I have had a shaper w/power feeder for decades. This is the perfect tool for most edge work. This is my "go to" tool for stile & rail and raised panel doors. Although you can with a power feeder do work with machining the "face" wood of stock. This is best done with a molder.

I also own both a 25" Woodmaster and a Williams & Hussey.

The W&H could do raised panels because of it's open arm design, but this is really better on a shaper.

Flooring can be done on a shaper (I STRONGLY suggest a power feeder for both safety & quality of finished product) once stock is straight lined & cut to width. You will want to do the back cut first before the tongue & grove. However the easiest wood be on a Woodmaster with the new three side set up where you mount two routers on the outfeed table. Flooring can be made on a single pass with the Woodmaster cutting the back relief & one router cutting the tongue & the other cutting the grove. I have purchase this attachment but have not got it set up yet so as of yet I can not give you any direct feed back. And of course the Woodmaster can gang rip stock for flooring, molding etc.

As with just about any operation in wood working there are multiple ways to achieve the same result.... Budget, scope of project, available shop space, etc. will put you in a direction....

Do you know Tim Suick in "A" Town?

jim

[Dave Bureau]

I think both is a good choice:D

[James Evans]

Thanks again for the input.

Jim antigo is a small town, and in my line of work i get to know just about everyone.

I am not looking to do large scale flooring, just some end matching for a possible inlay pattern. and i have the router for the rail, stiles, and panels. and a 15" grizzly planer. just looking mostly at making trim.

[Neal Clayton]

the post above about waste is no joke either.

in a 6 hour day i can make ~200 gallons of sawdust cutting moldings on that woodmaster you're thinking about getting.

for floors and moldings it's the better way in comparison to a shaper. for doors and windows and cabinets and such the shaper would be preferable, but there are always shapers around for sale, molders are rarer to find used, at least around here.

[Robert Parrish]

I just called Woodmaster to place my order for a 718 when the guy told me it would be $395 for shipping! I think that is excessive and I am rethinking my purchase.

[dirk martin]

Jim, did you get your router(s) attachemnt to your woodmaster all set up? How do you like it?