WTB, Borrow, Rent a Molder - What one?

[Jonathan Cudnik]

I'm in Augusta, GA and need to get quite a bit of molding reproduced on a house my wife and I just bought. It's our first one and I'm trying to get this thing finished up so we can live there. It seems a Craftsman/Belsaw, W&H, Woodmaster, etc. would do the job but I'm pretty new to any kind of woodworking so I would apprecite any help or suggestions.

Thanks

[Jonathan Cudnik]

I'll buy, rent, or if generous enough borrow a Molder in the Augusta, GA area. I don't have questions like the moderator who edited my post suggests, just looking for a machine close by.

Thanks,

Quote from previous thread:
"I'm in Augusta, GA and need to get quite a bit of molding reproduced on a house my wife and I just bought. It's our first one and I'm trying to get this thing finished up so we can live there. It seems a Craftsman/Belsaw, W&H, Woodmaster, etc. would do the job but I'm pretty new to any kind of woodworking so I would apprecite any help or suggestions.

Thanks"

[Al Killian]

Grizzly makes one that a few pepole have and like. It cost around $1k. Or you can contact a local cabinet shop and see what the charged for running your moulding you need.

[Jim Becker]

Shop Fox also has a machine "very similar" to the W&H Molder. Keith Outten, our forum administrator, as one and speaks well of it.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Every one I know with a William and Hussy love's 'em.

[Brian Ross]

Have a W&H and love it, great value for the money.

Brian

[frank shic]

jonathan, if you've got a time deadline, you may want take a look at what the molding shops in your area have to offer. a lot of them would be able to mill up the custom parts that you would need. for a little more money, you can save a huge amount of time!

[Robert Waddell]

Jonathan,
If you are "pretty new to any kind of woodworking," I would be of the opinion that getting a moulder and making your own might not be as easy as you are thinking. Nor as cheap. Just getting this type of machine set-up to make moulding takes know how. To run each profile you need to make a custom bed for the moulder. The W&H and ShopFox are not quite as hard to set up as the others you mentioned. Simple profile knives like the moulding you see in the Borg can cost you a hundred dollars a profile. (I ordered a cove and a crown profile from Belsaw today. $205 + shipping) If you don't have a saw to cut the bevels on the back side of the moulding then you got to pony up for the knives to cut them. Custom knives will run you even more. If you don't have a planer other than the planer/moulder machine you'll be doing a lot of switching out cutters if your not careful and plan well. Add wood, and the extra time of making your own and you may be spending more than you would buying from a millwork store. If I were you and esp. since you are in a hurry, I'd weight cost & time vs. expense very carefully. Just my 0.02 for what it's worth.
Rob

[Jonathan Cudnik]

Already weighed the time vs cost and every piece of molding is completely custom. None of the three shops have the profiles for my historic home and all want the usual set-up, fees knife fees, etc. Much cheaper to do my own with the amount of material I need plus I can keep the knives for use later as the need arises. Appreciate the the input and let me know if there are any good machines close buy that someone wants to sell or would let me get some time on.
The local cabinet shops won't let me rent time due to liability and the majority of them get their moldings from the three millwork shops I have already visited. I'm a student so money is a bigger factor for me at the moment but sure wish I could just get it replicated and installed! I also already have a table saw, planer, and bandsaw, so a molder would work great or I'm told a shaper w/ power feed would also work.

Thanks for all the help so far.

Jonathan

[James Suzda]

Jonathan,
Just an off the wall idea, but why don't you contact Woodmaster Tools to see if there is a Woodmaster owner in your area. Most of us are quite "proud" of our machines and might be willing to help you out. Plus Woodmaster will grind the knives you need if you supply them with a sample.
If we lived closer to each other I'd even help you out, but the travel time would kill us! <Grin>
Jim

[Per Swenson]

Yeah,

I'll second Mr. Suzda's motion.

Give woodmaster a call.

More then likely someone right next door has one.

Per