Williams & Hussey shaper

[Robert Long]

I just purchased a Williams & Hussey shaper, Does anyone have one and what do you think of that machine and what are some of the things you do with it?

I am looking forward to using it for all sorts of things, even picture frames.

Robert

[low_48]

Robert,
I had one for several years when I had a custom woodworking business. It was a real money maker and I sold it when I closed the business for more than I paid for it. My biggest caution is if you run more than one pass on moldings that have a narrow high spots in the profile. The infeed roller will wear a groove in it really quickly if it slips while feeding the stock. I started hogging off material with a dado head in the table saw so I could run the molding in one pass. It really shines making arch molding. I made melamine tables with plywood runners to direct the molding around it's radius. I made the molding a few inches long so the snipe could be cut off and it really made nice stock. The real money maker was making short runs of reproduction molding for old house restoration. They could not find a molding shop to run just a few feet. I would have them pay for the knives and keep the knife in my library after the run. A couple balked at this, but I told them they could keep the knives if they wanted, but I was not going to pay for something to hand on the wall for the next 30 years hopeing someone would come in with that same profile. I would often use the profile in my custom woodworking business ;), but it was ready at no tooling cost if they needed more. It's a great machine. They do have different types of rubber rollers for the infeed because of the wear problem.

[Robert Long]

Hello Low-48

Thanks for the input, I am looking forward to making arched moldings with it, the one I ordered has an in-feed motor so I hope this helps to stop the problem you speak of.  I still have my thickness plane so I plan to use it first before passing the stock through the Williams & Hussey I think most nicks on knives occur on that first pass.

Thanks ;)

Robert

[TexasTimbers]

Ya lucky duck. Post a picture and make us salivate.

[Robert Long]

Texas Timbers

I'd love to post a pic but I have not received delivery of the machine yet......It's probably tied up at customs.   They are trying it out I think? :D

Robert

[low_48]

The infeed motor does not remedy the roller problem. It's all about surface area and friction. If you make a  second pass on, let's say a chair rail, all you will have is a very narrow flat surface on the height of the moding. You have to drive the molding through on just that little surface, but you are still machining a 2 1/2" wide molding. If you let it stall as it is feeding, it will machine a groove in the roller in just a few seconds. You're spinning a rubber roller on a stalled molding. After seeing that for the first time, I always kept pressure on the stock by leaning on it as it ran through the molder. There will be no wear as long as it doesn't stall. Also that is just when making 2 passes.  Have fun!!!!!!!!!

[Robert Long]

lower-48

Thanks again for the explanation! ;)

Robert

[Robert Long]

I just received delivery of the Williams & Hussey and just as I suspected, it was tied up at customs and arrived with customs tape around it.

Now, to go open the boxes and have my very own early Christmas!

Robert ;D ;D 8)

[treenail]

Robert, I have a Williams and Hussey planer/moulder that has been in my family since the late ninteen fifties. Really low serial number. It has been an incredible piece of machinery. When , and it has been rare, a replacement part is needed, the basic machine is still the same one that was made when they were first manufactured. The company has been great to deal with. It is primarily used as a moulder but I do have the planer blades for it if needed. Last year, I made nearly five thousand lineal feet of oak and maple tongue and groove flooring with the unit. The cutters are pretty reasonbly priced when one looks at the value of the work that can be had. Good choice there. Hope that yours will still be plugging along fifty years from now.

[Robert Long]

Treenail

Thanks for the vote of confidence for the Williams & Hussey, I would presume it does not have the feed roller motor that is now on the newer models.

I would be interested knowing how you accomplished flooring on the W&H.

Robert

[treenail]

Robert, The unit that I have, does have a pair of feed rollers, even though it is a very old one. Not sure if it had been modified during the years that my uncle owned it when it was new or not.  As for making strip flooring, I used their stock 3/4" tongue and groove cutters (2 pairs) and a relief cutter for the bottom, which were used on the thousands of feet of 2 1/4" wide oak and maple. Have to set up guides for them as the tongue and groves are milled on standing edge and keep the pressure to a minimum on the front rollers so that they won't wear grooves in them pre-maturely. The relief cutters were used with the blanks in a flat position which made for a really simple set up.  Of course the lumber was thickness planed before hand on another planer for convenience, but could have also been done with the wh planer blades if so desired. If not in a really big rush, the wh does a really nice job for a small single head unit. I should also mention that I did not width plane the flooring blanks before moulding. They were just cut to the basic needed widith on my sawmill and dried. As long as the width is standard , it will accept the rough stock.

[Robert Long]

Treenail;

Thanks for the explanation,  with Christmas and New Years and the cold weather, I have not had time to get our at the barn and play with my W&H, but am looking forward to getting out there soon. ;)

Robert