Straight Line Sled for Woodmaster

[greg wood]

Does anyone have any pictures of a straight line sled for use with a wood master planer/molder that they could post. A video would be even better. :) I'm particularly interested in how it holds the board as it passes though.

Thanks

[Warren Lake]

I just make a base out of 3/4 Melmine then put a piece of solid on either side of the moulding that acts as a guide. when you turn the cutter down depending it may run into the wood. I drilled holes in the table and use four bolts that come up from the bottom that hold the melmine in place. The melmine has threaded inserts in it. Probably have some photos just not sure where but will look.

[greg wood]

Warren,
Any luck with those photo's? I'm not following completely.

Thanks



I just make a base out of 3/4 Melmine then put a piece of solid on either side of the moulding that acts as a guide. when you turn the cutter down depending it may run into the wood. I drilled holes in the table and use four bolts that come up from the bottom that hold the melmine in place. The melmine has threaded inserts in it. Probably have some photos just not sure where but will look.

[Warren Lake]

Hi Greg

sorry forgot found photos at the time then lost in the wash in too many directions. Here is one it wont be exactly like your machine. I bought this with a bent shaft and welded head. Took that off got precision shafting had a corrugated head made and doubled up on the bearings. Its still not a very strong set up and runs hot so I would not recommend doing what i did. If it was a heavier machine sure it would be fine. I wanted to be able to use currugated I had and not be a slave to someone elses knife system. Its getting a bit tired with never ending tooling head and knife redesigns though understand the reasons. You see a melmine false table it bolts from below. Then simple solid wood to act as a guide for the part, its adjustable. Use solid wood so depending on your knife you can cut into it if need be. With the gear motor speed control on that you can dial in what you want and get very clean results. Old guy called it mickey mouse and it is but when I handed him a piece of birdseye out of it he turned red and was surprised

and you will have to scallop out the solid for the rollers depending on the profile id say for most of them, you could make your guide pieces thinner as well id prefer to keep them thicker. I think ive done testing on two passes verses one and from memory I only remember doing it last times in one pass. If you want to get fancy then joint more off your back side so you have taken tension off there then it will be more balanced when you remove the material from the profile side.



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[John C Cox]

So your variable width "slot" guide is fixed to the bed and you run your work piece through the slot between the 2 pieces of wood - and the cutter head profiles it? Its basically a wooden fence on both sides.

[Warren Lake]

I have one for every profile which is probably overkill just bolt it in and adjust the knives to it by scraping sound. probably varies a hair between summer and winter I can go from 15 percent humidity to my all time personal best of 94 percent. Think ive seen some clouds forming. The cuttter head profiles the wood but bites into the pieces on either side in most cases as there is a thickness of knife overhanging on the pointy side the wood is not cut to the end of the knife so there is still overhang there. you can see how the knife has bit into the wood from the photo. The melmine is attached to the bed, the wood is attached to the melmine and adjustable just as the knives are side to side.

[Mel Fulks]

That looks good ,Warren. TWO knives and good sharp points on the knife grind....hope someone at Georgia Pacific learns something from that! I once worked for a guy who had a one knife set up that would walk across the floor .... I refused to use the "Veguhmatic".

[Rick Potter]

I inherited an RBI planer/molder from my dad, and it is set up pretty much the same way. Melamine table with moveable guide boards. sorry, no pics.

[Warren Lake]

Vegamatic :) Yeah when I got this bent shaft and welded head it truly did walk about, kind of like a roto tiller. The guy was brilliant who owned it, a scientist but also a world class alchoholic. I dont do long runs have done some baseboards but mostly custom short run stuff, store bought stuff isnt as smooth its all run for land speed records. The irony is when its your own stuff you will have less sanding when you run slower so its no slower to run slow. The two knives well 90 percent of the moulding heads ive seen at auctions only had two knives so I didnt see a point in four. As far as one geez I hear old guys did that one balance knife that didnt project. If so then i cant see how it was balanced. Even if it was made so the weight was the same by making the knife wider in the head it still would not project out.

Greg here is an old still shot from my old tape video camera low rez. its a better look at the bases. At first I just clamped the wood but it was easier to make a dedicated jig it goes on and off fast and locates the same each time.

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[Mel Fulks]

The machine was actually made to run with one knife. Each knife came with a specific counter weight. Think they also made a two knife version that didn't 'walk off the job'.

[Warren Lake]

Mel

what kind of machine was that and if they have a balance knife why do they vibrate so much? since ive never seen the one knife thing you have me wondering.