Shop Fox Moulder??

[Jason Yeager]

Hello,

Anyone out there own a shop fox moulder willing to let me know how satisfied they are with the unit. I am considering buying one......not sure about the variable speed option either. All comments appreciated!

Thanks

[Neal Clayton]

i have a different moulder and couldn't live without variable speed, slowing to just the speed that the wood doesn't burn makes for a much smoother cut imo, but either way here's my speech that i always post on moulders from someone who's done it (or made the mistake of doing it depending on how you look at it ;)).

a) you need some means of producing blanks if you're starting from rough lumber. you can't run a 16 foot board through a jointer and table saw safely, and if you could there'd be nothing left if the board is twisted to start with. a guided rail system would work (even if it's just a length of angle iron and a skilsaw), a small gang rip setup would be much better. otherwise you'll have to buy surfaced lumber to start with, which increases the cost on an already dramatically costly enterprise (cutting molding with no resaw capability from commonly sized lumber is 50% waste at best).

b) you will make a metric buttload of sawdust, so be prepared for that. portable DC and/or a shopvac ain't gonna get it. in a 6 hour day of molding cutting i produce about 200 gallons of dust and shavings.

c) it's loud, astronomically so on wide profiles. a 4.5" to 5" casing on mine is in excess of 200 decibels on the sniped end. not conducive to a basement shop with non-deaf people upstairs, or a garage shop that's near the neighbors.

if none of these apply to you disregard of course, but they are considerations for a home shop.

[BOB OLINGER]

Hi Jason,

I did a little research during the summer on the Shop Fox variable speed moulder. Got pretty good vibes, including one from a custom knife maker. So, I sprung for one; just took delivery week before last. I haven't got it assembled, yet, but hopefully next weekend. I'm gearing up to make plantation shutters, so we'll see. I will be happy to share my experiences with the moulder as I go.

[Don Abele]

Jason, I have one as do several other creekers, including Keith. Mine is the variable speed model. While it definitely helps with some profiles, variable speed isn't totally necessary. But at the price they are offering them for now, I'd recommend getting it. Yes, you can convert a non-VS one over, but it's a slight PITA to do (there's a recent thread about someone doing that).

How does it work? Excellent. I worked with a W&H molder at work and can tell you that the Shop Fox works just as well and is built just as good as the W&H. Will it have the same resale value as a W&H? No...they resell well because of the name. I'm not knocking them, it's an excellent machine - I've run probably close to a thousand board feet through a W&H and more than that through my Shop Fox and the end result was identical (for less than half the price).

All the knives and accessories built for the W&H will fit the Shop Fox. Custom profile knives are not that expensive and "stock" profiles are fairly cheap.

With one trim job I did in my house, it more than paid for itself. I highly recommend it.

You should be able to do a search and find a lot more information here about it.

Be well,

Doc

[Peter Quinn]

I bought one at the sale price last month, but have still only used it a few times as a planer to test it. Set up was easy, it seems to be a solidly built machine very nearly identical to the W&H where I work, and it performed well on test passes as a planer. I don't feel the noise on a W&H is excessive with ear muffs, but it isn't the quietest tool ever made.

I have no personal experience of vari feed versus fixed, but the guys at work that did seemed to think vari feed was a very useful option worth having. Frankly I was surprised at what a solid machine it is and can hardly believe that they can sell it at that price.

[Jason Yeager]

Thanks a ton for the input. I appreciate your suggestions and insights. I think I will probably go for it.