Information on Woodmaster

[Ron Bass]

Does anybody have any information on the woodmaster machine. It is a multipurpose machine that gang rips and makes moulding also sands. I live on some property and have access to my own trees, all oaks, I have had some cut by a local man who owns a portable sawmill.I have got a trailer load of wood for about $100 and have plenty of trees left.I am looking to further process it by planing or getting a moulder and making some finished moulding.I looked at the site for the woodmaster and it seems to do it all and at not too high a price. I see grizzly and other make cheaper machines but this one does it all in one pass. Thanks to all for any input.

[Ted Shrader]

Hi Ron -

Welcome to the Creek! A great place to hang out and exchange ideas.

Sorry I can't answer your question, but I'm sure there is somebody here that can. Seems like this was discussed some a little while back. Have you tried a search?

Welcome,
Ted

[Aaron Heck]

You can call and get on their mailing lists for the sales flyer and they will also send you a DVD about the unit. I've been eyeing the 718 for a while. Haven't pulled the trigger just yet, tho.

[Steve Clardy]

Good machines. Great service. They do also finance machines.
I have the 18" combo, but use it only for molding.
I really like the variable speed.

[Rick Haigh]

I have had the 718 for about four years now and I think it is a great machine:). I have used all four features (gang rip, sander, planer and molder).

I really like the planer, sander and molder. The first time I used the gang rip, it was hard to get the boards to run through straight. Switching between modes is very straight forward and well thought out. It does not do everything in one pass as you stated in your post.

I have made about 500lf of molding and it does a really good job. The adjustable feed rate really makes this machine work well.

[Ernie Kuhn]

I've got the 712 model with all four setups. I bought the machine new in 1990 and it has been a consistent performer ever since. I use it a lot to clean up rough sawn wood and to thickness plane highly figured woods, mostly black walnut and big leaf maple. I couldn't be happier. A short time ago I posted kudos for Woodmaster since I'd lost my 14 year old manual and needed a new one. It was shipped, prepaid, within 3 days, at no charge to me. Excellent service.
By way of comparison, I asked Sears for a copy of my contractor's saw manual. They told me I would have to order it and how much it would cost. Within 6 months, I will be in the market for a cabinet saw, do you think I am going to consider Sears'
Woodmaster, excellent.
Ernie

[Joseph N. Myers]

Ron,


I've had the 718 4-in-1 for 4 years now and just use it for planing wood over 12" (I have 2 other bench top planers that do a good job and are a lot faster). I have a 16/32 Performax drum sander so I don't need the 718 for that. I am getting ready to do make some molding so have been search the web for general information.

In general, you could get away with seperate machine with limited width but if your getting into processing rough lumber, best to gear yourself for wider stuff. You'll find a lot of request for wide lumber, i.e., greater that 12". Hint: for the wider wood, have it cut "very heavy", i.e., instead of 1-1/8" for 3/4", make it 1-1/2". This is really help if you get cupping and besides, lots of time, you'll want the wider boards more like 7/8".

1. Check the web (not just this forum) for general comments on the WoodMaster. You'll find that most comments are favorable but some issues with dust collection and snipe. Dust collection can be fixed with duct tape and snipe can be reduced with fine tuning but still will get some.

2. Couldn't find the prices tonight but did find them for someone a few weeks ago. I could be off a little but think I'm close; double check me though. The 1,600 is about right for the basic unit but to get the other 3 features (sanding, molding and gang ripping), the price will be in the 2,400 range. There are a couple of other things you should get, i.e., extra accessary shaft, which will bring the price to around 2,600.

And the post about how helpful WoodMaster is is right on. Their are one of the better one out there for customer service. And most of the "used" parts, i.e., sanding paper, planer blades, molding blades, etc., are sold by different companies so your not just stuck with them.

Regards, and good luck, Joe