In need of advise from Williams & Hussey Molder owner/operators

[Don Buck]

I got an early Christmas present yesterday when I purchased a used Williams & Hussey Model W7S molder at a contractor's going-out-of-business sale. I couldn't try it at the sale but it looked in very good condition and when I brought it home I plugged it in to see if the motor was working it tripped my 115v 20 amp circuit breaker. I cleaned off the motor plate to discover it draws 23 amps. I'm in the midst of wiring my new shop and will be putting in many 30 amp 115v and several 220v circuits so I will be ready to handle the power requirements. The power cord and switch look shoddy (12 gauge curcuit wire and a 115v single pole "light" switch. I will replace with a proper cord and switch, perhaps purchasing from W&H with some other parts as I discover what needs replacing & updating.

Never having seen a W&H in action (other than video) I have no experience with the machine. I tried to open the "hood" to inspect the inside but to my suprise I could only open the hood about 30 degrees as it seem to be jamming at the pivot (see photo). It looks like the unit once had a retention stud & nut and the stud seem to be broken off about 1/3" below the hood. Perhaps this is hanging up. Is there any other logical reason for the hood to hang up? I may have to get my drill and extractor active over the long weekend...

Looking from below, I see a drive chain that looks like it has some slack (again, see photo). Is this normal?

The infeed and outfeed rollers have some grooving but don't seem to be in too bad of shape.

Questions -

Any comments on the hanging hood?

Any idea of the vintage of this unit?

Any suggestions on what to inspect and adjust before trying it out?

Lastly, if I replace the switch, would it be best to convert to 220v while I was at it? I don't plan to take the unit off-site.

Thanks in advance and Merry Christmas!!!

Don

[Carroll Courtney]

First thing I would do is to find out if the motor is good by removing the belt and see if the motor will spin free hand.If so,I would then wire in a good switch and see if the motor (by itself) turn on without tripping the breaker.If it does trip the breaker then you know its the motor and not the molder itself.Then if it is the motor I would check the wiring in the j-box making sure all is good and check to see if the capacitor does not look like its swollen and wiring is good on it.Nice molder by the way Don---Carroll

[Jim Galvin]

Don

There is a pin that holds the hood on, looks like the head broke off (a large black knob). The pin gets pulled out to remove the hood which allows the change of knives. The pin is pulled out on the open side of the molder ( not the side with the columns).

I run mine off 220 volt and yours molder looks like mine which I purchased 1988.

Jim

[Mark Bolton]

As Jim stated, what looks to you like a hinge pin is actually a removable rod. The hood doesn't swing up, you pull the pin (you will need pliers as Jim mentioned knob is gone) and loft the hood free and set it aside.

I would make sure your motor is wired for 110 as ours is 220 also.

The slack in the chain is also correct. There is a nylon wear ring in there that often wears out and creates a little more slack but it's fine to have te slack.

If you call Jim at w&h he is great about helping and you can dl all manuals and parts diagrams from the site.

I may have missed it but what did you pay? I am sure I will be jealous.

Mark

[Brian Ross]

Agree with what everyone else is saying. I have one that I purchased in 93 and it is a great little machine. I replaced my gears with a set that W & H sell that slows down the feed rate. The slower the feed rate the smoother the finish, in theory anyways.

Brian

[Bill ThompsonNM]

I've got one from about 88 also, looks similar. I just upgraded to the variable speed feed dc motor.. nice attachment. You'll find that Wand H gives great support and can answer all sorts of questions about what you've got. 220 volt is definitel a plus, you'll do best with a 2-3 hp motor since you can get some blades that cut a lot of wood....
Look at their catalog and downloads, etc. there are some new options that you can upgrade.. such as multipass moldings... variable speed feed, a new table, etc.

[Don Buck]

Thanks to all for your replys. I wasn't going to gloat but as I have been asked, I paid $200 for the
W&H complete with factory stand.

[Bill ThompsonNM]

$200 is worth a gloat! Every now and then I see a W&H Moulder-planer at some absurdly low price. Of course I already have one and two would be gluttony. They are one of the american companies still cranking out good equipment with great support and parts. The price has certainly gone up over the years, but the quality hasn't decreased at all. You'll find 3-4 companies that sell or custom make blades for moldings. My last purchase was a custom made blade to make 1/2 inch beadlock stock.

[Mark Bolton]

Wow, 200 bucks, that is nuts. We purchased one a few years ago, in really good shape with a pretty decent library of knives and factory stand and I think we paid about 1700 for the lot. The knives were a good part of the total but we still weren't anywhere near 200 for the machine and stand.

Great work, you will really appreciate it when you put it to work.

Mark