Thinking about a moulder, input wanted.

[crazy]

I have been eyeing a Woodmaster.  I have been reading different comments online, both good and bad.  I would like input from people that own or have owned one of their moulders.  Would  be better off buying a heavier duty commercial auction?  It seems like sometimes like they come up for close to the same price. 

The reason for wanting a moulder is to process what I mill into something more valuable and easier to sell.  I  also want to use it for myself for some crazy ideas I have.

[woodman58]

I have owned a Woodmaster going on 3 years. I mainly use it for planning. I have done some base board and crown. It does a great job. If your not running multiple sides it is a great molder and planner. I have never had a problem with it. It is a strong machine.

[pineywoods]

I use an 18 inch woodmaster. Works good. The routers mounted on the outfeed table are a bit picky to get set up, but work well. Hint..Get the shaft for the 6 inch molding head and get 2 heads. Mount both on the shaft, 2 different sets of knives. A real production enhancement...

[crazy]

I use an 18 inch woodmaster. Works good. The routers mounted on the outfeed table are a bit picky to get set up, but work well. Hint..Get the shaft for the 6 inch molding head and get 2 heads. Mount both on the shaft, 2 different sets of knives. A real production enhancement...

So both of you are happy with your mouders. 

@pineywoods.  I'm not sure exactly what you are saying but I will look into it.  Any more feedback?

[pineywoods]

I use an 18 inch woodmaster. Works good. The routers mounted on the outfeed table are a bit picky to get set up, but work well. Hint..Get the shaft for the 6 inch molding head and get 2 heads. Mount both on the shaft, 2 different sets of knives. A real production enhancement...

So both of you are happy with your mouders. 

@pineywoods.  I'm not sure exactly what you are saying but I will look into it.  Any more feedback?

crazy, look at the options for the woodmaster, then it will make sense

[uler3161]

I'd give it a 7 out of 10. Routers being one of the major weak points. Feed motor being another. I've put a better feed motor on ours and I'm much happier.  Not sure what I can do about the routers.

[Solomon]

Grizzly has a Shop Fox  moulder that is similar to the Williams & Hussy machine but it is a lot more heavy duty and half the price.
I have the W&H,  it was givin to me by a Masonic Brother.
I will likely buy the shop fox also after I get cooks cat claw sharpener for my mill blades.

[oakiemac]

I guess I'll have to be the negative one in the group. On a scale of 1-10 I'd give the woodmaster a 2. Its by far the worst piece of woodworking equipment that I own. I seldom use it now days and grimace at the thought of wheeling it out.
I own a 1961 Oliver planer, a 1990's straight line rip saw, Powermatic shaper, Delta table saw, Delta RAS, festool track saw (which I absolutely love) and a few other items. They are mostly older but heavy duty and built for commercial or heavy use.
The woodmaster on the other hand is very light weight and cheaply made. It doesn't even have a magnetic starter for a 7.5hp motor. Sheet metal sides and rubber rollers for infeed and outfeed. No chip breaker, no pressure bar.
I quit using it for planning years ago. The fastest speed on the machine is about the slowest on my oliver. I only use the woodmaster now to make some simple mouldings.
Sorry to be so negative but you did ask ;D I'd buy a used moulder at an auction or a William&Hussey. My 2 cents worth

[Larry]

Maybe a 6 for the same reasons as oakiemac stated.  Another factor is its a combination machine, meaning you want to do planing and its set up as a molder.

A cheaper alternative is an old 12" Belsaw.  I see them for $500 or less all the time...one on our craigslist now for a $100.  I've had both and the Belsaw does just the same on molding as the Woodmaster.

I just got rid of a Shop Fox molder.  Did all the trim for my house and it did an excellent job.  I've also had a W&H and its a better machine.

One can do a lot with a shaper.  My SCMI has 5 1/2" under the nut, 6.6 HP under the hood, and will run from 2,900 rpm to 10,000 rpm.  I've ran miles on my Delta HD shaper (actually light duty).

[Joey Grimes]

I own a woodmaster 725 I'm very happy with it I've ran crown base chair rail as others have said the feed motor is the weak point of the machine I've had one go bad but I called and they overnighted a new motor no charge.

[crazy]

Thanks for the input.  It seems like their warranty is pretty good.  I think it's 5 years.  It seems like used machines are priced close to new. 

[uler3161]

I don't know if they'd go for it, but if I had to buy another I would try to get one without a feed motor and put my own on. It's just not worth the frustration or the $ to keep fixing the feed motor they put on there. I went with a 90rpm Dayton 1/4HP, but I think it could stand to be even faster. But, don't expect the mounting holes to line up.

As a weird side note, I was worried I'd have to buy a new speed controller because of the HP difference. If I recall, the controller allows for different HP ranges I believe by changing a resistor. The funny thing is the original motor was 1/6HP, the speed controller box had a sticker that said 1/8HP, and the resistor in the speed controller was labeled 1/4HP, so really I didn't have to do anything.

[David Freed]

I never used mine as a moulder, but I put several hundred hours on a 718 as a strait line gang rip without any problems.

I special ordered it with a 10 hp 3ph motor, a 725 feed motor, and doubled the feed speed with pulleys to feed lumber through at 46 fpm. I put 4 saw blades together to grind up the scrap and blow it into the sawdust bin.

It worked great.

[crazy]

How about a  12" Foley-Belsaw.  I found one for $500 with some extras.

[Glenn Ohman]

The Foley-Belsaw would be a great "gateway" moulder. I would try to find one with as much tooling as possible.

Glenn

[crazy]

I have been thinking about this some more.  I have seen shapers for sale for much less that the cost of the Woodmaster.  Is there a way to set a shaper up to make tongue and groove?  I will post a picture when I find one again.

https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/43222/shaper.jpg

[Larry]

A little over 10 years ago I posted this thread.

Lets make some tongue and groove

Good 3 - 5 hp shapers are frequently seen at auctions and on craigslist for $1,000 and less.  Of course you will want a stock feeder and they are a lot harder to find on the used market.

[crazy]

A little over 10 years ago I posted this thread.

Lets make some tongue and groove

Good 3 - 5 hp shapers are frequently seen at auctions and on craigslist for $1,000 and less.  Of course you will want a stock feeder and they are a lot harder to find on the used market.

Thank you for the info.   I will try to read it tonight when I get home.

[crazy]

Larry, I just went through that other thread.  What do you think about a Grizzly like this one?  I found one for $1,000.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/5-HP-Professional-Tilting-Spindle-Shaper-Z-Series/G5913Z?utm_campaign=zPage

[tule peak timber]

I have a 5 hp shaper , American made with a power feeder I'm not using. I would let it go pretty cheap- Let me know. Rob

[Larry]

Larry, I just went through that other thread.  What do you think about a Grizzly like this one?  I found one for $1,000.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/5-HP-Professional-Tilting-Spindle-Shaper-Z-Series/G5913Z?utm_campaign=zPage

It looks to be a very capable shaper and should do everything you want.  Having said that I don't favor any Chinese machine.

I would probably jump at the machine Rob is offering.

[scsmith42]

Larry, I just went through that other thread.  What do you think about a Grizzly like this one?  I found one for $1,000.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/5-HP-Professional-Tilting-Spindle-Shaper-Z-Series/G5913Z?utm_campaign=zPage

I have that same shaper, except mine also has the sliding table.  It's a strong unit.

Having said that, I'd be all over the deal that Rob is offering....