Shopfox Planer Molder

[Keith Outten]

The ability to make my own molding has been in the back of my mind for many years. An old friend of mine helped me make the oak molding for my workshop when it was built many years ago, he owned a Belsaw planer molder and although it looked crude it really did a nice job. A recent thread here at the Creek concerning a new planer/molder that Grizzly was offering got me to thinking once more about adding the capability to my workshop. What is most appealing I guess is the ability to make circular molding and arches.

This afternoon a big truck stopped by the shop and left two boxes, the picture below is the result of about 1.5 hours of assembly time. As soon as I can get my new cutters ordered and some serious play time I will report in detail the results of my efforts and the capabilities of this slick little machine. A personal project replacing the almost one hundred year old molding in my home is on the horizon. A combination of the Shopfox planer/molder and my ShopBot router may possibly produce something very unique.

Life is Good!

[CPeter James]

I have looked at these and about the only Difference between this and a Williams and Hussey is the "Made in USA" sticker. Now that all their patents have run out, there will be lots of competition, just like the Delta DJ20 clones.

BTW, there is a company in Caribou, ME that makes a grinder so you can make your own cutters. It is about $700, if memory serves me right. At the price of store bought ones, you might be ahead after not too many.

CPeter

[Richard Wolf]

I have heard alot of good things about that machine. Hard to believe you won't be pleased.
I was I needed custom molding so I could get one.

Richard

[Dick Parr]

Nice gloat there Keith, I have heard good things on this tool.

Have fun.:)

[Jim DeMarco]

I bought the woodmaster, but the same concept. I actually just got a job out of it in which I will be duplicating the original trim in an 1850's home. I am not sure about custom cutters for the shop fox / w&h. I just made a dxf file, and emailed it to woodcraft, two days later the cutter was in my machine!!
You will not be dissapointed, and every time you use it, you will think of ten more things you can use it for!

[Keith Outten]

Thanks Guys,

This seems to be a very solid machine with one of the highest quality stands I have ever seen. Assembly was a snap and the fit and finish is excellent. It came with a link belt, molding fences and clamps. All I need is to order some cutters, I may try to find the company CPeter mentioned as it would be cost effective to be able to make cutters.

.

[Fred Anderson]

Do they sell an arch, I think that's what it's called, attachment for this machine? I've looked, and drooled, on the W&H version but could never justify spending that much money since the only moldings I routinely make are for kitchens.

Thanks,

Fred

[John Miliunas]

Keith, if that thing is anywhere near as sturdy as my old W&H, you'll be very pleased, indeed! Simply amazing what it can do. I did modify mine a bit with a "sled" of sorts, so that I don't have to dink around with the metal guides mine came with. With the "sled", it "automatically" indexes off the uprights and you need only set the outer guide, which I also made up out of some hardwood. Works slick! :) Congrats and enjoy!!! (BTW, if you get that grinder, I may throw some fixture work your way!:D ):) :cool:

[Keith Outten]

Fred,

Both the W&H and the Grizzly planer/molders are capable of producing circular or arched molding. There is a small attachment to purchase that is adjustable but I don't know yet what the size limitations are.

John,

Thanks for the sled idea, keying it to the uprights for position should be a real time saver. I need to do some research on the grinder and find a source for the cutter blanks. If the numbers work I would purchase one right away as it would both provide savings and capability. Since I own a laser engraver It could cut precision acrylic guide blanks if the machine uses that type of system.

I'm also wondering if the knife angle would need to be modified to make molding from DuPont Corian. I always have a boat load of Corian scraps around my shop these days and the possibility of being able to machine it quickly is interesting.

.

[tod evans]

keith, here are some pics of a w&h on steroids. you`ll notice a home made elliptical guide that uses air cylinders instead of a spring to guide the work piece through the machine. as for cutters, give wdr sales in kc a call i think you`ll find that they`ll sell you knifes for the same money you can buy the steel. making your own knifes on a veil is a very time consuming task with a pretty steep learning curve.......but that`s up to you?

29949

29950

be sure to keep us posted on the clones behavior,i for one am curious and shiraz totally ignored my offer to do a side by side comparison. so this may be the best we get......02 tod

[Paul Simmel]

I sure wish this conversation would continue… I’m in the market for a W & H, but after reading about the Sfox now I don’t know. I have a lot of Grizzly machines, and am very happy with them. But that Williams & Hussey machine is so highly renowned. I wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger on the W & H. But there is a significant price difference between the two, plus the SF is now available with multi-feed rate. After adding up, seems like about 50% less for the SF… plus you get a cord and magnetic switch. Any and all experiences with either machine would be greatly appreciated. Can someone expand on the “sled” discussed? I’m assuming it’s not a real sled, but a guide system which works better than the original rails and C-clamps? Paul

[Chris Barton]

tod,

It's about time for me to come to Mt. Home and combine some trout fishing with a tour of your shop...

[Corey Hallagan]

Congrats Keith, looks like a great machine!

Corey

[Keith Outten]

Paul,

I have ordered several sets of standard knives to get my ShopFox machine up and running. The moulding runs I have done have been excellent and the SF is built tough. Mine is the single speed model, I expect that with some species of wood it would be beneficial to have variable speed but I haven't had a problem yet. The SF is very powerfull, the machine spits out even wide profiles with ease, even in oak.

I can't help with the sled issue, I have been using wooden shims to setup my moulding runs however I can see that making custom sleds designed for each set of knives would be a time saver. The simple method is to make a set of wooden shims for each profile, you can then setup for any knife in a couple of minutes. I have done some research on the arch making attachment and it seems to be reasonably simple to operate. As soon as I can find the time I hope to take a stab at building my own arch attachment.

Earlier I mentioned how sturdy the SF cabinet/stand is. It is welded together not bolted so the stand is clearly one of the best I have ever seen that shipped with a machine. The price difference between the SF and the W&H mkes the decision easier to make in my opinion. Other than the color and the money you will save I doubt you will see any difference in performance.

I believe that I also mentioned that I ordered a set of custom knives. Aaron did the design in Corel Draw and I sent the vector drawing via email to a company that makes custom knives. It took a couple of weeks to get the knives but they were perfect and I think it is very slick to be able to use your own moulding designs.

If you have any questions that I can answer about the SF moulder let me know.

.

[Paul Simmel]

Keith,

Sorry about there being no paragraphs in my post. Went through the Quick Reply and it came out that way. And thank you very much for coming back.

That’s really great news to hear about the successes you’ve had with your moulder. I too have always had it in the back of my mind. I did a 3.5” casing run on my shaper for the last house, as well as baseboard. But I would not have considered doing larger crown, even if my spindle were larger enough.

Now there’s a new house on the horizon, and the machinery should come out of storage in about a month. During the really cold months I’ll be working in the shop doing all the cabinetry/mouldings, and that SF is looking pretty good to me right now.

I don’t know exactly what a 13/16 “ x 5.5” crown would cost me to have milled in any particular species, especially in “short” runs… but I think even the W&H would nearly pay for itself on this project alone. And with a good source for knives… well, the creativity and all.

I haven’t ordered yet , but here’s a place I found for knives for both machines. A one-man operation and seems very reasonable and very willing to talk/email: http://www.customouldingknives.com/

When you say “shims”, I’m thinking wedges. Do you mean guide rails, or tapered guides that don’t pinch the stock as it rolls through? I still can’t conceptualize the “sled” part, and hope someone will chime in on that. It’s hard without pictures. For my shaper, I have arched “rails” with a slot routed along the length about ¼ “ in from the guiding edge so there is some flex as the piece is fed through… not unlike a featherboard in its use. For the moulder, I can visualize a base with a fence on one side, and an arched rail on the other, permanently affixed for a particular width of stock?

Thanks again, Keith. I’m looking forward to learning as much as I can.

Paul

[James Manning]

Keith,

Thought I would say hello to all,

and see if I could add to this thread as I have not posted but one time before back when I got my MM bandsaw. I have had the single speed SF like yours since mid last year. I just built a new house and bought it to run all the trim with. Well job schedule and health set me back and I ended up having it done. I have since ran mouldings on mine and have been extremely impressed with the quality of this machine. After trying to set the guide rails up straight to the cutters I saw Norm run some moulding on his W&H and it looked like he attached the wooden guide rails to a 1/4 piece of ply and then c-clamped it to the table, I tried this and it works
great. I plan on making this setup for all my cutters.

Also I see that lately people have been following along while others have been building new shops. I hope to start construction on my stand-alone 24x32 shop this week, I will grab some photo's as we go along and post them.

[Paul Simmel]

James,

>>> After trying to set the guide rails up straight to the cutters I saw Norm run some moulding on his W&H and it looked like he attached the wooden guide rails to a 1/4 piece of ply and then c-clamped it to the table,

Did you index your base to the two uprights somehow? And, any sort of laminate on the bottom for a “slicker” ride?

Thanks,

Paul

[Keith Outten]

Paul,

I would guess that paste wax on the quarter ply would be slick enough but I just purchased a couple of the slick UHM cutting boards to make a couple of sleds. I don't know how long they will last but I expect a long time since there doesn't seem to be a lot of friction.

As soon as I can get a drawing done I plan to make my UHM sleds on my ShopBot router and machine a key for the sled to the rails. This way I can just slide the sled on the cast iron bed and clamp it down and be ready to go in minutes. I expect my sled bases will work on the W&H machine as well since they are just about identical. If someone with a W&H would provide the diameter of the posts and center to center dimentions I can verifiy whether my sled will fit both machines.

.

[Paul Simmel]

Thank you, Keith. :)

[John Weber]

Seems sort of sad an importer like Grizzly can basically contract an Asian company to manufacturer a copy the W&H machine. I wonder if it will have a long term effect on W&H or not. I doubt Grizzly can provide the technical expertise W&H does, or maybe they can just call them when they have questions.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I don’t see much innovation or benefit. If W&H thought it was in there best interest to produce the machine overseas I guess they could have done it as well, but instead choose to keep the skills, workforce, and quality in the US. I’m glad Keith was able buy a machine he likes. However, very soon we may not have a choice of an American designed and built machine, but only an imported copy.

I’ve seen some very good innovation come from imported equipment, SawStop comes to mind, as does some of the newer Powermatic machines. Just wondering where the path we are on will lead.

John

[Keith Outten]

John,

I heard that the patent had expired on the W&H machine. ShopFox added a larger motor and a killer stand to their machine with a varible speed option. The price of the W&H was just too steep for me, otherwise I would have bought one twenty years ago.

.

[Bob Dodge]

John,

I wouldn't worry too much about W&H. They have a well-established reputation, and use top-grade components. However, that also translates to "cost". I just don't see the Shop-Fox and the W & H targeted to the same market. I'm sure there will be some overlap, but I'm equally certain most well-established pros would choose the W & H for the implied added refinement and durability.

I'm not saying the Shop-Fox is inferior, I'm just pointing out that the components are not the same. The W & H will come with either a Baldor or Leeson motor for example. The W & H accepts 1/4" tooling, and the knives are superb. Output is glass-smooth. I've never seen the Shop-Fox, other than over the internet, so I can't comment. I'm assuming the S-F also accepts 1/4" tooling. I will be paying close attention to Keith's results. I've been looking for a molder for a while now, and very undecided on which way to go.

Bob

[Paul Simmel]

John,

I’m a consumer.

Bob,

The tooling specs are exactly the same… only steel quality may become an issue depending upon who supplies knives… but that isn’t peculiar.

In general:

I do not have any guilt purchasing the machine nor the cutters from anyone, anywhere, who will exact the same or better ‘standard’. This is life.

[Bob Dodge]

Paul,

Thanks for that reply. I'm presuming that the "indexing" is identical too, would you know if that is correct? Would the W & H knives be interchangeable? When I called W & H a few weeks ago, they told me they use M-2 steel. I'd probably order a few "blanks", and have them machined locally.

I'm going to look around for a Shop-Fox distributor in Canada. I appreciate your post Paul, and enjoy your new machine.

Thanks,

Bob

[Bill Simmeth]

If someone with a W&H would provide the diameter of the posts and center to center dimentions I can verifiy whether my sled will fit both machines.
Keith...

The W&H posts are 1-5/8" diameter. Center-to-center on the posts is 6".

If your sleds fit, I'd like to learn more about them.

[John Shuk]

How many of us are using IBM branded computers? They pretty much invented the pc. I'm using an Apple tho ;) . There is a reason patents expire.

[brent lenthall]

When I was in the market for a molder, I looked closely at the SF and W&H. I was also interested in the variable speed option with the SF. In the end a couple of things swayed my decision to go the the W&H.

1. Reliability. Talking with my knife supplier (sells SF and W&H). He said , "The Shop Fox is half the money and half the machine". This supplier mainly works with small to mid size custom cabinet and millwork companies. He referenced several SF machines had problems with the feed drive. Also, the variable speed on the Shop Fox is an unproven design. I believe the variable speed option by W&H is close to the one that has been offered by Shmidtt(sp?) for a while.

2. Resale: I looked on ebay and in the local market for a W&H molder. When they were available used, they brought top dollar. On ebay 20 year old machines with a couple of sets of knives were selling for $1,200 +. For a $1,800 machine, that's very good.

In the end, I bought a 2 yr. old machine with the elyptical jig and 15 sets of knives from a cabinet company that upgraded to a multi head machine. With many WW machine purchases you can find imports with different paint that are made in the same factory as Powermatics, Delta, etc. However in this case I don't think it's an apple to apple comparision when the W&H is still being produced in the US (for over 50 yrs.) by the company that designed it.

FYI/Disclamer: I'm not a buy US only guy. I drive a Toyota and have several tools in the shop made in Taiwan. I have seen the SF molder in person (IWF show in Atlanta) and it looks like a beefy machine.

[lou sansone]

best wishes on a nice addition to the shop. Like the others have said... I am very interested in the results.

lou

[Paul Simmel]

Bob,

>>> I'm presuming that the "indexing" is identical too, would you know if that is correct?

The knives are identical according to the machinist I posted upon earlier, who grinds these knives for both SP and W&H. Please see: http://www.customouldingknives.com/

>>> Would the W & H knives be interchangeable? When I called W & H a few weeks ago, they told me they use M-2 steel. I'd probably order a few "blanks", and have them machined locally.

Firstly, I’d not worry about steel quality and just order your knives from whomever you ultimately decide to go with.

From the above website:

“All Moulding Knives are made from M2 HSS and are
finish ground and balanced to within .1 gram of each
other. Corrugated knives are available in higher grades
such as T1 and V3N.

From what I have been able to determine, and rightfully so for their ingenious machine, W & H has been and probably still is GOD in terms of a small moulder. They were rightfully granted their patents, and they rightfully produced this machine under patent protection. And bless them for the above… and I’d pull the trigger on a W&H machine in a heartbeat… and was fully prepared to do so for several years… but if the Shop Fox is a clone I’m going to gravitate to the less-than-half price and spend the extra thousand on something else.

Like I said, I’m a consumer. This machine has always been in my plan, regardless of price. But I’m not going to spend $2500, plus $285 for crown knives when I can get the same quality machine for $1200 and custom profiled knives for $165.

Bob, you’re in Canada. Can’t get Grizzly up there?

http://www.grizzly.com/products/G0488

I am going to order the SF machine, and try the above linked knife supplier with no guilt or reservations. I anticipate my new house will have some wonderful 5.5” –6.0” crown.\


And yes,

>>> There is a reason patents expire.

Paul

[Keith Outten]

Keith...

The W&H posts are 1-5/8" diameter. Center-to-center on the posts is 6".

If your sleds fit, I'd like to learn more about them.

Thanks Bill,

My ShopFox is the same dimention as the W&H so the sleds should be interchangeable. I will get back to you ASAP with a Private Message.

.

[Alister Orme]

I've been quietly poking around the internet to get opinions on these machines and the price and delivery window was to good not to pull the trigger.

With the circle jig,one set of knives, delivery and the variable speed I was still under 1400 dollars and two weeks sooner on delivery than the nearest seller.

I didn't realize that shopfox was separate from Gizzley and ended up getting this from and ebay dealer based in Florida.

From the little bit of moulding I've put through it it seems great and the variable feed is neat.

The casting in one spot is a tad gumpy....but doesn't really bother me.

Todd Evans can your circle jig do complete circles and ovals like the "bonyman" any chance of some close up shots of it??

This is one of the few spots that had any info on these.

Alister.





http://www.orme.com/badgerpond/IMG_0202.JPG
http://www.orme.com/badgerpond/IMG_0203.JPG

[Keith Outten]

Alister,

Congratulations on your new ShopFox Moulder/Planer. I am envious of the variable speed feature, mine is the single speed model. Ya have to admit the SF is a real nice machine and is very well built, I expect you will enjoy it for many years to come.

Also, welcome to The Creek :)

Keith

[James Manning]

Alister,

Welcome to SMC from one newbe to another, also I have the single speed SF like Keith's. Does anyone know if the variable speed is available
for purchase for the single speed version?

[Paul Simmel]

James, at least in the Grizzly catalogue, there isn't an option for this that I can see other than the whole machine.

[Paul Simmel]

Am I right... the various stock jigs referred to earlier are indexed to the two uprights?

Thank you.

[Alister Orme]

Charles gg schmidt and co have the "feed master pro " in their catalogue...runs about 450.00 and is designed for the Williams and Hussey.
0-19 feet

[Dave Bureau]

I may be wrong here but couldn't you use a vari speed box like they have for routers. just plug the machine into it. they must have one for 220 volts.

[Bob Dodge]

Bob,

Bob, you’re in Canada. Can’t get Grizzly up there?

Paul

Paul,

I finally found some Canadian Shop-Fox distributors. There's one just north of Toronto, and one in Montreal. I'm still waiting to hear the Montreal dealer's price-quote. So far, it doesn't look good. The lowest price I've gotten to date, is $1695 for the basic machine(no variable-feed). Apparently, King Canada has the same or similar unit, and they want $1800. for the basic machine. At that price, I'd go with the W & H instead. Another option would be to drive to Muncy Pennsylvania, and pick-up the Shop-Fox in person at the Grizzly Warehouse. I'm roughly the same distance away from both W & H, and Grizz, but it's still quite a drive either way.

I'm just wondering about the packaging of this machine. Are the components in different boxes? ( Machine and stand) I'd hate to tow a trailer all that distance, and was wondering if I could get the machine into the back seat and trunk of the car. I'm presuming the stand is not fully assembled.

Bob

[Alister Orme]

The Stand is assembled in the larger box, with the motor .
The truck is 3/4 ton for scale.

http://www.orme.com/badgerpond/IMG_0191.JPG

[Bryan Cowing]

Paul,

Thanks for that reply. I'm presuming that the "indexing" is identical too, would you know if that is correct? Would the W & H knives be interchangeable? When I called W & H a few weeks ago, they told me they use M-2 steel. I'd probably order a few "blanks", and have them machined locally.

I'm going to look around for a Shop-Fox distributor in Canada. I appreciate your post Paul, and enjoy your new machine.

Thanks,

Bob
King Industrial is importing the machine and Marks Machinery in the Ottawa area sells it
http://www.marksmach.com/ clik on specials when the page opens50058

[Paul Simmel]

After almost three months on backorder, I finally took delivery.

Guys, where are you getting your knives?

Assuming a single-pass is recommended because the in feed roller/s will have plenty of surface to push the piece, still… anyone have luck doing multiple passes? I’m going to eventually have a fairly large crown to run which will likely require hogging some of the belly out first.

Just wondering.

Paul

[Keith Outten]

Paul,

I purchased several sets of knives from Grizzly. I also orderd a custom set of knives from Charles G.G. Schmidt.

http://www.cggschmidt.com/
.

[Marcus Lawrence]

I have also ordered the shop fox moulder - it should be here in the next week or 2. I am pretty anxious to try it out - I have a lot of crown to do and have been looking at the best way to do the bevel back cut for it using this machine. I have found that you either order a crown bottom set of knives for each profile or I found that cggschmidt has a left and right (38 and 52) set of knives. It would seem that having individual left and right knives would be more versatile but also more painful to setup, and I am curious if anyone has used this method, or is it just better to get the matching bottom and top together.?

I will post on my experiences with the machine once it comes in and I have a chance to play with it. Initially I plan to run a bunch of crown and a bunch of base molding for our house, so I hope all goes well.

[Paul Simmel]

Marcus,

If you are referring to the knives on page # 22 of the Schmidt catalogue… it’s my opinion that these are probably inserts for a vertical spindle like that on a shaper. I don’t see how these could be used on the SF (or W & H) molder.

My plan is to rip the top/bottom bevels on a TS prior to running the profile. The stock can be fed flat for the 38-degree side, and fed on-edge for the 52-degree side.

Of course if there is a matching knife available to cut the back and the two beveled sides in one pass… if $$$ is not an object… then this would be the way to go with one step less and more consistency.

What size crown are you going to run? Have you gotten any prices?

[Alister Orme]

williams and hussey make a multipass attachment, Haven't heard if it is a straight bolt on for the shopfox or not...but it is tempting!

http://stores.piamedia.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=WNH&Product_Code=MPRK-6&Category_Code=MOLDER-ACC&Product_Count=9 (http://http://stores.piamedia.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=WNH&Product_Code=MPRK-6&Category_Code=MOLDER-ACC&Product_Count=9)

[Paul Simmel]

Keith,

Thanks.

BTW, do you have any idea if the W & H multi-pass roller accessory will fit the SF? Or, any insight into whether or not SF offers a multi-pass option?

Anyone:

Have you attempted multi-passes with the stock setup? How did it go? What sort of profiles, etc.

Thank you,

Paul

[Tom Cowie]

Very nice machine Keith,

I looked at some Shop Fox equipment last weekend, I was impressed with the construction, Very solid and well made..

Enjoy the new tool !

Tom :)

[Keith Outten]

Paul,

Sorry but I don't know if the W&H multi-pass roller is compatable with the ShopFox. Considering that the SF is almost identical I would not be surprised if the MP roller worked perfectly.

Tom,

The ShopFox molder/planner is a solid machine and a super value considering its capability. I have to say it is a real thrill to see beautiful moulding coming from the machine with almost no effort. The base cabinet is probably the best quality I have ever seen, it is welded not bolted together.

.

[Paul Simmel]

Thanks, Keith.

Other than the variable speed… are you at all interested in anything which would allow you to do multi-passes… or are you just fine?

I haven’t run anything yet, and wont be able to for a while. Until I started reading here I had no concerns about “multi-passes”.

I’m going to be running a 5.5” crown on my first run.

I can only imagine how busy you are being a Moderator… but when you have a chance, could you please tell me what size/s mouldings you have run, how deep, etc? Did you have to hog-off material, etc., or have you successfully run everything to date in one pass?

Thank you,

Paul

[Keith Outten]

Paul,

My use of the ShopFox molder has been small moldings so far. I haven't had the need for large molding or have I used any lumber that is dense or extremely hard to machine. I would be concerned about large crown molding, mostly becaise I haven't made any and don't know what to expect. For up to 4" oak molding the SF will produce quality molding with no effort in one pass. If it will do larger molding with ease I would not be surprised.

I can say that the 3" and 4" wide molding I have run has been effortless for the machine. One of the 3.25" moldings was made with custom knives that had a series of 5 coves across the face which cut red oak like butter. I have also run 4" red oak edge to edge base molding that was a snap with no strain on the machine at all. In fact the SF molder makes very little noise which surprised me since I have had an opportunity to help a friend make a truck load of oak molding with a different manufacturers machine which was loud enough to wake the dead.

My concerns about having to make multi-pass molding runs may be unwarranted as the SF seems to be very powerful. From comments here about multi-pass fixtures I expect there must be situations that I am not aware of that require multiple passes, otherwise the fixtures probably wouldn't exist.

In my near future is the necessity to run some Corian architectual molding. This I am told is not a big deal but I have been a bit hesitant to try it yet.

The variable speed function may end up being a non problem for me as I don't think variable speed is often required for the kind of work I do. I have a very old Grizzly 15" planer that is a one speed model. My planer is so old the bearings have to be manually oiled before each use. The planer is an incredible workhorse and I have run thousands and thousands of linear feet of lumber through the machine. Years ago I sold lumber that I kiln dried myself to local woodworkers and the 15" Grizzly is the only planer I have ever owned. If it died today it wouldn't owe me a penny, in fact I am surprised it runs every time I start it up these days knowing how hard I have run/abused the planer through the years.

.

[Paul Simmel]

Keith,

Thanks so very much for taking the time to answer so comprehensively!

It’s funny you bring up the Grizzly 15” planer… I too have one, the 2 hp. It is my experience with that machine (a real workhorse) which leads me to believe that this 2 hp moulder should certainly handle my 5.5” crown in one pass.

I will find out soon enough.

Thanks again,

Paul

[Dave Tinley]

Keith-
How has your moulder worked out?
Still running good ?

Thanks
Dave

[Eric Larsen]

Don't forget Grizzly for knives. They have a couple dozen knife sets that are excellent values. One of their 4.5" baseboard sets was exactly what I was looking for. Prices range from $17 to $80.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/category.aspx?key=160070

(I'll put away the Griz cheerleader outfit now.)


http://www.customouldingknives.com/ for custom knives.





Thanks Guys,

This seems to be a very solid machine with one of the highest quality stands I have ever seen. Assembly was a snap and the fit and finish is excellent. It came with a link belt, molding fences and clamps. All I need is to order some cutters, I may try to find the company CPeter mentioned as it would be cost effective to be able to make cutters.

.

[Keith Outten]

Keith-
How has your moulder worked out?
Still running good ?

Thanks
Dave

Dave,

Oh Yeah, the machine is just awesome and it won't be long before it gets another major workout as I get back to working on the inside of my home. The planner/moulder is on sale right now at Grizzly so the deal has gotten even better.

This has been my distraction this summer, a total rehab of our 85 year old barn.

.

[David Tiell]

Dave,

Oh Yeah, the machine is just awesome and it won't be long before it gets another major workout as I get back to working on the inside of my home. The planner/moulder is on sale right now at Grizzly so the deal has gotten even better.

This has been my distraction this summer, a total rehab of our 85 year old barn.

.

Keith,
I took advantage of the sale from Grizzly, (opted for the variable speed:D)and received mine Wednesday. Hvaen't even had a chance to assemble it yet, but looking forward to that first test case.

I've seen references to people making the elliptical attachment. Did you ever get one? If so, from where? And if you made one, any chance you could post some pics and give us an idea how you did it? Oh, and the sleds you mentioned earlier in the thread too!

Thanks,

Dave

[Keith Outten]

David,

I'm in the same boat as you I guess. I would like to see one of the elliptical jigs, they look like they would be simple to duplicate.
I have the drawings for the sled completed and ready to machine but I got off on another job which lead to another job...it happens to me often. When i get the first one made I will post some pictures.

[Dave Tinley]

David,

I'm in the same boat as you I guess. I would like to see one of the elliptical jigs, they look like they would be simple to duplicate.
I have the drawings for the sled completed and ready to machine but I got off on another job which lead to another job...it happens to me often. When i get the first one made I will post some pictures.


I also took advantage of that sale and went with the VS model. Even ordered acouple of the knives to go with it.

Please keep us updated on the eliptical jig, as curved mouldings would really spice up some projects.
Looking at the one that Grizzly sells for $275.oo appears to be a base with three ball bearings and a way to adjust the pressure the bearings have on the stock.

Thanks
Dave

[DAVE HACKWORTH]

Keith:

I too have purchased the planer molder and also the crown molding cutter 2 3/4 and the backcutter. Do I start with the 3/4 stock? It seems that when I use the backcutter it doesn't line up with the profile. I would appreciate any assistance you can offer. Thank you for your time.

[David Werkheiser]

Dave,
I do not have an eliptical jig so I'm speaking second hand . From what I been told, the jig work very well. The problem is that you first need to make up a very accurate template that gets screwed to your blank. If all you need to run are 1/4 +1/2 circles, that can be run with curved fences.
There is a small Amish molding shop near by that runs a 5 head SCMI moulder and got a W&J molder to do his ellipses, but found it was cheaper to send his SCMI knives to a shop with a CNC.
Best of luck with your S/F, great design
David Werkheiser

[Neal Clayton]

one thing you guys will have to consider with these machines is a method of producing blanks. you can't safely run a 16 foot board through a jointer and table saw that has any twist to it. nor can you take the twist out of it, at those lengths by the time you faced it on a jointer even if you did have a power feeder, there'd be nothing left.

so you'll need some type of skilsaw jig to be able to cut your blanks with.

[Steve Clardy]

one thing you guys will have to consider with these machines is a method of producing blanks. you can't safely run a 16 foot board through a jointer and table saw that has any twist to it. nor can you take the twist out of it, at those lengths by the time you faced it on a jointer even if you did have a power feeder, there'd be nothing left.

so you'll need some type of skilsaw jig to be able to cut your blanks with.

Fill me in little more Neal. I'm not certain what you are talking about.;)

I've never had to face joint material for my WM molder.

Just start with one straight edge, surface to 3/4 or 5/8, rip on tablesaw, then run it through the molder.

[Neal Clayton]

edge jointing a 15+ foot long board by hand feed on a jointer is a bit dangerous for my taste. and a twisted 15+ foot long board will not play nice hand fed through a table saw either. i've managed to bind up my 5hp pm66 with a 10 foot 2x6 that had an odd twist, nevermind a 15 foot one.

that's what i was getting at, unless you wanna make short molding for some reason, i would scratch the idea of using a jointer/table saw to produce blanks from rough lumber.

[Steve Clardy]

Ok. Copy that.

I run 12' molding. 16' is just too awkward to swing around in the shop. My material comes in [ordered] SLR 1 side, surfaced to 15/16 and I work it down from there.

If I do have material with no straight edge, I have a jig made up to straight line rip one side with my table saw.

[William Hutchinson]

I screwed a set of casters directly into the molder legs. So far it seems to works very well with the welded base.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y66/wlhutch/shopfoxmolderwithwheels.jpg (http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y66/wlhutch/shopfoxmolderwithwheels.jpg)

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y66/wlhutch/IMG_0235.jpg
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y66/wlhutch/shopfoxmolderwithwheels.jpg)

[Neal Clayton]

Ok. Copy that.

I run 12' molding. 16' is just too awkward to swing around in the shop. My material comes in [ordered] SLR 1 side, surfaced to 15/16 and I work it down from there.

If I do have material with no straight edge, I have a jig made up to straight line rip one side with my table saw.

yeah, that works. mine is all rough 16', i start with 1x12s and 2x6s, each board is a new adventure ;). but as long as there's no hand feeding it's fine, of course, since a molder doesn't care about twist, nor does a power fed rip saw.

that's what i was getting at, people who haven't made moldings before are gonna have to re-think their prep work to eliminate hand feeding through their typical tools if they wanna work from rough stock.