williams & hussey moulder advice

["Jason Belous"]

In the big big world of doing in house mouldings i've found myself craving a w&h moulder. I am a small production shop that currently has a few shapers and I also have a mattison 276. I have had my eye on the w&h for a while due to the fact that the mattison is way to complicated to set up and the shaper lacks results and safety. So my question is rather or not the 206 w&h is worth the extra money than the w&h orig. What are the added benefits for the extra money, and does anyone have either of these machines. I am looking to run reproduction base casing and crown. We do alot of furniture making for clients but nothing fancy, very modern stuff all out of reclaimed lumber so this machine will be used for making trim for clients and builders only. So the questions are- Is the 206 worth the extra money? Can the w&h handle very hard woods? (all reclaimed woods are hard on machinery.) And will a mobile machine like this handle production work? I know the shop fox is about the same thing but I think I would like to stick with the w&h, I do not need any combination machines such as planer/ moulder etc.

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks Jason.

[RANDY PAULK]

I have the older model william and hussey moulder, which I upgraded with the vari-feed motor and multi-pass rollers. Made the machine much better to use; Especially with harder woods, since you can slow the feed rate. Without the upgrade, you waste too much material. Just completed 3000 + feet of 6-3/4 crown, base and casing out of oak. Had much better results than before I upgraded the machine. i have also tried a shop fox moulder. it id not of the same quality as the william and hussey. I don't think it would hold up for commercial use. However, my moulder has been in use for 10 + years and has never failed. has made thousands of feet of moulding.

[Quinn McCarthy]

Jason

The W&H is a greaat machine. I have paid for it sveral times over. I have had mine for 5 years and have run 100's of feet of everything. Like Paul said the variable feed units is a must. I also have the circle jig and am planning on adding the multiple pass rollers.

Hope that helps.

Quinn

[Marion Rood]

I have W&H moulder. It is a fine machine. It's good to get the feedback on the new vari-speed and multi pass add ons.
The only bad thing I would say about them is their 7 year warranty. After about six months and maybe five thousand feet of moulding mine bent a shaft on the feed. I didn't use it heavy and I am the only one who has used it. They wouldn't do anything but sell me the parts for about $150. If you can ship them the machine, they will look at it. I fixed the moulder and have been using it since. But I think they should have honored the warranty and sent the parts.

["Jason Belous"]

thanks for the feed back. Although it will be used in a small production shop it will not be used daily. I only deal in salvaged wood so the market is small and specialized so it will be a machine that is hit and miss. But by the sounds of the feedback It will be a good investment. I'll let you know when it gets in the shop, I am sure I will have some questions on operation shortcuts and tricks, hopefully everyone will be as helpful then.
sincerly,
jason.

[Paul Simmel]

I have the SF machine but it is still crated.

Can you guys explain how the multi-pass roller/s work and why we shouldn’t do multi-pass without them?

Thank you.

[Paul Simmel]

Anyone, please?

[Fred Floyd]

I have the SF vari speed moulder. I've had it about 2 months. The first job was 500 feet of material to make plantation shutters. After making the sleds to guide the stock as this is a two-pass operation, running the stock was quick and easy. This is just the first third of the shutter project. After that, the wife wants all new base moulding.

The ShopFox is a clone of the W & H unit. I just couldn't justify the price tag for the small scale of my shop.

Love the variable speed. The stock is ready to finish sand and prime. I think the key to the process is getting good knives. I got mine at custommouldingknives.com. He will make whatever you need... just send a drawing. Tim will answer any questions if you care to call.

[RANDY PAULK]

Paul,

The Multipass Rollers Have Stronger Spring Pressure Which Allows You To Make Lighter Cuts With As Many Passes As Needed For Difficult Grained Or Harder Wood. If You Try It With The Normal Roller System, The Piece Of Wood Id Not Held Firmly Enough And The Cutters Throw The Molding Back At The Operator.

[Paul Simmel]

Randy,

Thank you for the response. I take it then that the upgraded rollers are replacements over the originals?

On crown, for example, IYO, don’t you think that with the original, non-upgraded setup, one could still hog the belly out in one pass and still have enough flat surface left for the rollers to grab for the final run?

Thank you.

Paul

[RANDY PAULK]

Paul,

It Depends On The Type Of Wood Used. You Can't Do It With Red Oak, Hickory, Or Other Hard Woods. You Get Too Much Waste From Tear Out. Or At Least I Have Not Been Able To Do So Without An Extreme Amount Of Waste Until I Upgraded To The Varispeed Motor And The Multipass Rollers. On Poplar Or Other Soft Woods You Would Have No Problem.

[Paul Simmel]

Thanks a lot, Randy. I have the SF version with the multi speed. The W & H rollers probably will fit my machine, but I’m going to research this.

ITMT, I’m doing my entire house in milled construction-grade 2 x. I can probably wait to see if ShopFox comes out with a multi-pass option, as well.

I appreciate your input.

Paul

[Caleb Dietrich]

We have a W&H at the shop I work at. It's an unbelievable machine. Cuts moldings cleanly in one pass. We've used it on all types on wood.

Tip: I've seen a number of ingenious looking tables for the W&H, with adjustable fences and the works. But I'd recomend making a simple tabletop jig for each set of cutters you purchase. We use a small square of MDF butted up against the two tubes that support the cutter head. For guides we screw down two rips of 1/4" ply parallel and in line with the cutter. We number the cutters and the jig and make a note of what size to rough cut the stock to before it is passed for that specific profile. For crown we also note the table saw settings for the 45 degree cuts. We're up to about 30 of these jigs. They makes for fast and consistant results.