LRH magic molder??

larry merlau

Member
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18,741
Location
Delton, Michigan
anyone here use one? and can you get "custom profiles" for it. and how do you get them resharpend or do you need to but new inserts? whats your opinion on it?
 
Haven't used that specific one but I used to have the 3 cutter one from craftsman for the table saw. I wish I still had it:doh:. That one was hss and it cut very well.:thumb:
 
ahe buddy, i wouldnt use one a RAS bob,,, it wasnt meant for that saw and it could get real nasty fast.. am possibly looking at a insert shaper head instead, any opinions on who makes a good one for the small shop guy? and any info as to what to get or not get would be helpful..
 
I have a Flury European shaper head with HSS inserts. When I needed a custom profile I called W. Moore Profiles. They will design and cut a pair of custom cutters for the head, in the mail the next day, $75. I sent a pencil sketch (scanned) and the cutter arrived a few days later and worked perfectly.

I have the craftsman version of the LRH, and it scares me too much to use any more.
 
Well for the sake of this thread and those like me that aint ever heard of this tool here is a link to manufacturers site.
http://www.lrhent.com/index.htm


Then Larry just looking at the custom bit requirement there is a special order form here for it

http://www.lrhent.com/cust.htm

And what really helped me see the value was this article here from American woodworker. Its pdf so can be downloaded and saved for reading later.

Check out page 4 doing a curved shaped piece of wood and cutting moulder profiles in it WOW:eek:


Now i have a stupid question given i aint ever seen one of these before, never mind used one, what size table saw would this need to be able to swing it. ?:dunno:

Looking at the whole spiel it doesnt mention that anywhere on the site.

I guess if one took it easy and did multiple passes light cuts and cranked the blade up a small amount each pass it would work on just about any HP. Just take a while if you plan on numerous moulding profiles over a wide board.???:dunno:

I saw from the distributors list that the Leitz guys in Mi Grand Rapids are distributors close to you.

Not a cheap tool but i guess if you can make it pay its a cost effective way of adding value to wood.
 
Interesting:rolleyes: I am in the need for a fair amount of bead board and am waiting for a price from a custom molder for them. I will compare that price and the purchase of the magic molder and the raw lumber and maybe make my own. Thanks Larry for bringing this tool to my attention and thanks Rob for the links:thumb:
 
thanks guys charlie you got link to flury? i have sen them in the past but at the time didnt have a shaper to run them,, and where is the moore brothers at for custum knives? what size of head are you running ? rob they are pricey and i have seen them ran on contractor saws.. the craftsman version.. and the lrh is just much better made and safer!!!
 
thanks guys charlie you got link to flury? i have sen them in the past but at the time didnt have a shaper to run them,, and where is the moore brothers at for custum knives? what size of head are you running ? rob they are pricey and i have seen them ran on contractor saws.. the craftsman version.. and the lrh is just much better made and safer!!!


Yeah, I wanta know some of that stuff too.

I do have a majic molder and like it Larry. It does very well what it does. Plugs are expensive however but are high quality carbide that about any good tool sharpener could handle. I run a lot of fluted stuff with mine but honestly that's about all I use it for.
 
...charlie you got link to flury? i have sen them in the past but at the time didnt have a shaper to run them,, and where is the moore brothers at for custum knives? ...

Flury is a Swiss company that has a useless web site. The head I have holds two knives... most of them are 40 mm cutting height, 4 mm thick cutters, but one pair is 50mm cutting height, 5.5 mm thick. When I called W.Moore Profiles all he confirmed was that I needed a 40mm by 4 mm thick Euro-style cutter - apparently that is a common Euro size. My Flury set came with my combo, so I didn't choose it over other brands - nothing against it, but this isn't a "gotta have a Flury" recommendation.

Steve at the W.Moore Profiles office in New York (City of Florida, State of New York) is extremely helpful and knowledgeable. I got my carbide Tersa knives from him, and if I needed a new head, I would give him a call (I couldn't find my way around their web site, but the products, service, and prices are all excellent). Call 800.228.8151
 
I have a Magic Moulder, and the Magic Shaper heads. They are awesome:thumb:

The video on their website is kinda cool, but I use it for much simpler things, beads, and v-grooves mostly on the tablesaw. I did order a cutter for raising panels for a goofy door style that a customer wanted, (it was just a simple 1/4" radius scoop), and it did that very well in the shaper w/ a powerfeed. I did about 30 doors using a router to cut the scoop and really kick myself for not buying it in the first place.

Its easy to setup, leaves a very nice cut. The longer I own them the more I use them, and the more inserts I keep buying.

The inserts are sharpenable.

I use both of the heads in 5hp machines, but they don't really seem to pull much and don't see why a 3hp wouldn't work just fine.
 
thanks karl, havnt dropped the jing yet but am headed there. have 5hp machines as well so that shouldnt be an issue.. what other cutters are your most used other than the beading ones?
 
Some of the cove cutters, and I did buy one to make a specific moulding for doors that requires two passes, but I haven't sold any of those doors in a very long, so I haven't even tried it yet. It may be a total flop in that department, as I haven't found a moulding yet that I can't source from somewhere else for less than it takes to make it myself. Which just made me wonder if I should buy some material s4s at the size I need for rail and stile material. At the very least I should price it out.

(edit)- I also want to buy a cutter for doing beaded face frames. I'm not sure if its best to do that on the tablesaw or in the shaper.
 
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....I haven't found a moulding yet that I can't source from somewhere else for less than it takes to make it myself.....

I make most of my own mouldings for my furniture, mostly so I can match the wood to the hardwood used for the rest of the piece. One friend actually puts cherry, for example, in five different color groups - if you need some cherry crown moulding for a cabinet, will the lumber yard ship you 6 feet of color #4 Cherry 3 inch crown moulding? I can make it myself, even if I have to do a special shaper setup, far faster than a trip to the lumber yard to find out they are out of stock, or that the pieces they have aren't a good color match.

When I was making doors for another shop, I had them bring the lumber from their primary shipment. When they were short and ordered extra for the doors, the match wasn't as good and they weren't as happy (of course, it was my fault).
 
if you need some cherry crown moulding for a cabinet, will the lumber yard ship you 6 feet of color #4 Cherry 3 inch crown moulding?

Yes. Well not the ship part, I pick everything up, and I can dig through their stock as well if need be.

In fact, the last time I did need a short piece like that, it was given to me.

With such short runs I have a hard time justifying the time it takes to set anything up. If I had a seven head moulder, and someone to run it full time it might be different. Tough to do when all you need is 50' of crown on average. Even shoe, by the time I route it, sand it, cut it off, re-joint the face, I'm losing money. Then there's the time constraints of doing big jobs in a 1.5 man shop.:(
 
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