Shaper vs Molder

[Paul B. Cresti]

As my business grows I am looking into a shaper or molder. What are the pros and cons of each. I am looking at the PM model 27 or Grizzly 5hp Z shapers or the William Hussey Molder. I am currently using a PC 7518 in my shop built router table and It does work great but I would like to make cuts in one pass. Any thoughts?

[Tim Sproul]

molders do moldings and they do moldings really well....as well, most molders can be jigged to run curved moldings...something that probably is near impossible with a shaper.

The shaper...you'll also want a power feed - which is built in to a molder. Shaper will also do things like raised panel doors.....kitchen or front door and most shapers have arbors that can be adapted for router bits.